Post 288: Waldorf

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I was invited into Luke’s class today to help the kids with blowing eggs for easter. A few things emerged.

  1. The fact that they blow eggs at all is remarkable.
  2. The teacher calmly reminded me that it is OK if the kids struggle a bit to finish blowing there egg. Some kids were done in a minute and some in twenty minutes, no judgement, no difference, just support and calm encouragement.

I don’t know a lot about Waldorf Education, but the more I learn the more I appreciate it. It fits well with our past play friendly, confidence developing classes and books that speak to us.

Like many alternative: schooling techniques it is met with a certain amount of head scratching, the comment that sticks out in my head is “Oh, there is no structure in those types of schooling”

Perhaps nothing could be further from the truth.

In Luke’s Kindergarten class it is quiet and calm all day long . Twenty seven 5-7 year olds and they play focused and are at ease. The teacher is not commanding any of this, it just seems to be a natural by product of the Waldorf belief system.

I so enjoyed this quote from Rudolf Steiner, (an Austrian philosopher, author, social reformer, architect and esotericist) and man responsible for Waldorf schooling, I put a copy on our refrigerator.

May there reign here spirit-strength in love;
May there work here spirit-light in goodness;
Born from certainty of heart,
And from steadfastness of soul,
So that we may bring to young human beings
Bodily strength for work, inwardness of soul, and clarity of spirit.

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