What is
Waldorf

Drama, painting, music, drawing, sculpture, handwork arts and others are integrated into the entire academic curriculum, including mathematics, language arts, and the sciences. The Waldorf method of education awakens imagination and creative abilities, bringing vitality and wholeness to learning. No other educational movement gives such a central role to the use of multiple intelligences and learning through the arts. Practicing what is to be learned through the ever-renewing arts enlivens all areas of study.

The morning block is a two-hour lesson at the start of each school day where students are emersed in the main topic is presented. The subject—be it math, Greek history, botany or writing—is taught for a three or four week block, then put aside, often to be continued later in the term, or with smaller practice sessions interspersed. This allows students to take a deep dive into one topic, and keeps learning fresh, giving children time to digest what has been learned before returning to the subject.

The teacher creates each lesson presentation and the children illustrate their individual workbooks, recording the substance of their lessons. These books encourage self-expression, understanding of the subject, appreciation for beauty and are an important way to integrate art into every subject. When completed, these books function as handmade textbooks, useful as references for future lessons and projects.

Children in Waldorf education spend significant time outdoors—more than the typical student—exploring their surroundings and taking frequent neighborhood field trips. These experiences connect students to their community, awaken social awareness, strengthens their capacity for thoughtful, engaged learning, and builds physical resilience.

There are no computers or screens of any kind in the Lower Grade (Early Childhood-5th grade). The aim is for students to experience the natural social world through their senses and imaginations. Once students are taught critical thinking strategies and have established a deep interpersonal responsibility, they are introduced to technology in the classroom. We live in a world full of technology and have found that Waldorf graduates have no difficulty mastering useful technology after they have advanced beyond the middle school classroom.

Children begin their grade school journey with a dedicated and warm-hearted first grade teacher who stays with the class through fifth grade. In sixth through eighth grade, students transition to middle school teachers who specialize in those later years. This multi-year class journey allows teachers the time to truly understand each child’s personality, strengths, and learning style while growing alongside them. It also creates a strong sense of continuity and trust, fostering meaningful relationships between families and teachers over the course of several years.