What is Waldorf?

List of 8 items.

• 1. Understanding the human being as a spiritual being informs every aspect of the school.

  We recognize and acknowledge that our students are human beings, and so, comprised of body, soul, and spirit. Waldorf Education enlivens the physical, emotional, intellectual, social, artistic, and spiritual capacities of students as they move through the developmental phases of this life.

• 2. Waldorf schools foster social renewal by cultivating human capacities in service to the individual and society.

  Waldorf schools foster development so that, throughout life, individuals are motivated to serve humanity with strength of will, depth of feeling, clarity of thought, and the ability to work with others. The educational program is designed to strengthen these fundamental human capacities in our students.

• 3. Our educational program is tailored to meet the students in each phase of child development.

  Waldorf schools work with the gradual development of students from childhood to adulthood. This development follows a sequence of three seven-year phases, as soul, spirit and body grow together. Each child’s development is a unique expression of the archetypal human journey, with characteristic physical, emotional, and intellectual dimensions and growth patterns.
  
  

  The educational program is developed out of this understanding. Core components of the educational program include the student-teacher relationship; the artistic approach; working from experience to concept; working from whole to parts; use of rhythm and repetition; and observation as the foundation for assessment.

• 4. Waldorf schools support freedom in teaching within the context of the school’s shared mission and vision.

  The educational program of each Waldorf school is founded on anthroposophical insights about the growing child, informed by the teachers’ ongoing study and professional development in Waldorf Education. Cedarwood’s faculty works collaboratively and cooperatively with the community to develop, refine, and periodically review the educational program. Individual teachers work with curricular, pedagogical, and assessment components of the program in a way that serves their individual students, the class as a whole, and the school community. This work reflects and respects the shared educational understandings and agreements of the community.

• 5. The conscious development of human relationships fosters individual and community health.

  Enduring human relationships between students and their teachers, and among the children themselves, are at the heart of Waldorf education. The teacher’s task is to work with the developing individuality of each student and with each class as a whole within the context of the entire school. Teachers accompany the same class from grade level to grade level, throughout the duration of their K-8 education. As they are cultivated over multiple years, these relationships gain in depth and stability.
  
  

  Healthy human relationships with and among parents and colleagues are essential to the well-being of the school. Members of the community are invited to join in developing meaningful, collaborative, and transparent forms for working together. Each individual’s self-development is encouraged and key to the well-being of the whole.

• 6. Inner development in support of professional growth is an ongoing activity for the faculty, staff, and board.

  Members of the faculty, staff, and board work in an ongoing way to cultivate their spiritual development with the help of anthroposophical and other study methods. Waldorf schools create opportunities for shared educational study, artistic activity, mentoring, and research to further this growth and development in service to the students.

• 7. Collaboration and shared responsibility are the foundations of school leadership and governance.

  Waldorf schools are self-governed. Organizational structures and practices are strengthened by cultivating a shared anthroposophical understanding of social interaction, which intentionally centers human relationships and collaboration.

  • Teachers, leaders, and others directly engaged with students develop and guide the educational program within the financial and legal parameters established by the board of trustees.
  • Administrative team members foster and sustain healthy operations and community connections in support of the educational program.
  • Trustees provide legal and fiduciary oversight and delegate operational and pedagogical authority to designated leaders or leadership groups. These roles and structures are established by seeking input and support from faculty and administrative staff.

  Individuals and groups share responsibility for advancing the school’s mission, working both within their respective areas and collaboratively across the organization. Within this context, each exercises autonomy in fulfillment of their roles within established policies, practices, and values.

  Governance and leadership practices evolve, thoughtfully, over time, to ensure effectiveness and meet the changing needs of the school and its community.

• 8. Waldorf schools honor and embrace human diversity and dignity.

  Waldorf schools pursue a path of human dignity, social justice, and equity in organizational, leadership, and pedagogical realms. Recognizing this path is one of spiritual, moral, and educational importance, schools celebrate the diversity of humankind. Schools are engaged in understanding and addressing the current and historical contexts of marginalization. These endeavors are rooted in Waldorf education’s founding vision, which included addressing contemporary social struggles within the context of the life of the school.