Waldorf Education

Waldorf education is a style of instructing, or pedagogy, created by a man named Rudolf Steiner. He created it in 1919 and since then there are thousands of schools world wide that operate under the Waldorf education methods. I found these methods to be quite different than all the other education methods. It seemed to best suit my personality. According to one of the websites I used, "Why Waldorf Works", Waldorf education can be defined as, "Waldorf Education is based on a profound understanding of human development that addresses the needs of the growing child. Waldorf teachers strive to transform education into an art that educates the whole child—the heart and the hands, as well as the head."

I related this education very closely to the Summerhill school in England which I was very interested in. Waldorf education focuses on freedom of the child to develop creatively without the fear of adults. The children expand and grow intellectually through art and drama and music and oral education. Unlike most mainstream public schools, Waldorf education does not introduce reading and writing into their systems until age 7.

I liked learning about Waldorf education so much because it kept touching upon the fact that something you notice about the teachers is how engaged they are in their students as people. They get to know each student personally. This is the kind of education that involves PLPs, like at the Met school.

Steiner believed that children develop in three stages- from birth to age 6 or 7, from age 7 to age 14 and from age 14 to 18. This is the same way that the Summerhill school was separated. Henry Barnes, a long time Waldorf teacher said that, "When children relate what they learn to their own experience, they are interested and alive, and what they learn becomes their own. Waldorf schools are designed to foster this kind of learning." I like this mentality. I hope to one day teach at a Waldorf school. The children express themselves through art and drama instead of constantly writing essays. I'm not going to lie, some aspects of this education seem a little to hippy-esque and free-spirited for me. I would need to experience the classroom hands on. I grew up in a public school environment and I also love aspects of the normal, popular, public school. But giving something else a shot sounds like a good chance to make a difference in a students life.


I just learned that there is a Waldorf school in Beverly Farms, so hopefully in my future education classes I will be able to spend some time their and see if it is really as appealing to me as it sounds!


Websites used:

Wikipedia Information
Why Waldorf Works Website