C. The Vision and Philosophy Behind Waldorf Education

By 1997, enrollment had reached 200. The school leased more space on our Lucas Valley campus and remodeled the new rooms to create two kindergartens with full kitchens, as well as a library, a therapeutic eurythmy and resource room, and additional office space.

In the fall of 1999, German as a second foreign language was added in complement to the existing Spanish program. In 2004, our first preschool class opened. In January 2008, a new library and woodworking building were constructed. In 2011, the school began the Middle School Outdoor Education Program, and in 2012, Mandarin replaced German as the second foreign language.

C. The Vision and Philosophy Behind Waldorf Education

The first Waldorf school was founded in 1919 by Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian-born scientist, educator, artist, and philosopher, in Stuttgart, Germany. Emil Molt, a local factory owner, asked Steiner to start a school for the employees of his company, who, in return, asked the school to shift its focus from the employees to their children. Starting from this single school, Waldorf education has grown into a worldwide movement, with over 1,000 schools around the globe. In 2019, Waldorf education celebrated it 100-year anniversary.

The Waldorf curriculum is based on Steiner’s belief that education should call forth all of a child’s innate capacities: physical, social, emotional, and artistic, as well as intellectual. Lessons and activities are developmentally tailored to meet the child’s changing sense of self and his/her relationship to the world. Each successive year’s curriculum appropriately addresses emergent aspects of the child’s development.

Main lesson subjects are taught in blocks of three to four weeks, enabling the students to focus intensively on one subject at a time. Other specialty subjects, such as art, crafts, eurythmy, foreign languages, gardening, music, and physical education are taught year-round. Academics, arts, and practical skills are all vital parts of the Waldorf curriculum. The children benefit from studying a variety of subjects, helping them to develop multiple capabilities and a wide breadth of knowledge.

In a Waldorf school, the class teacher stays with the same class for multiple years, in some cases from 1st to 8th grade, which strengthens relationships and allows the teacher insight into each student’s unique talents. We uphold this practice whenever it is the in the best interests of the class.

Students create their own main lesson books from the material that the teacher presents in class. As the students move up in the grades, reference books, classic literature, and group discussion increasingly supplement the class teacher’s oral presentations.

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