Why We Chose Waldorf Education
The letter arrived a couple of weeks ago. But we still haven’t told anyone. Our son is going to start first grade at the local Waldorf School (Steinerskolen in Norwegian). When we’ve discussed this with family and close friends they’ve naturally asked; why? Why not choose the local school? Why choose a much longer commute when the local school is quite close? So here it is! Why we chose Waldorf Education for our kids.
Sidenote: In Norway, Waldorf Schools are subsidized by the government and cost very little. They aim to be available to everyone no matter their walk of life and the school will even lower the price if it’s too high for you.
Born in Austria in 1861, Steiner coined a theory called “anthroposophy,” a sort of spiritual philosophy that Amico explained via email as “the common principle that binds us.” She said it has “nothing to do with perpetuating a certain method, curriculum or tradition, but with developing reverence for the goodness, in the other and in the world around us … which brings with it purpose and meaning to life.
What is the Waldorf School Method (New York Times)
Why Kids In The First Place
I never wanted babies. Honestly! I never cared about babies or kids before having my own. In fact, I thought they were smelly, noisy and rude. However, in 2016 OM’s parents invited us to go to Berlin with them. It was a family trip with his brothers plus partners. We had such a good time walking, talking, eating, drinking, and visiting museums and art galleries.
Coming home from that trip something had changed. We were given a glimpse into a potential future. A future where we would invite our own kids, their partners, and maybe children to join us on trips. After hours and days of talking and talking, we realized that we also wanted that for ourselves when we were older. We wanted to continue learning, laughing, living, and exploring life together with a family of our own.
Babies As A Necessary Evil
At that point, we saw babies as a necessary evil 😂 I’m laughing out loud writing this because, holy shits, have things changed since then! In fact, when I became a mother to my own babies, I inadvertently became a mother to every single baby on the surface of the planet. Those smelly rascals that I avoided like the plague before, were suddenly the most important thing in the universe. Doesn’t matter who birthed them, I have a place for every single one in my heart.
I’m thankful for that trip because six months later I very unexpectedly got pregnant. We had already embraced the idea of starting a family and were able to envision how that pregnancy would fit into our lives and future. And again, we talked. We spent every chance outdoors with our dogs, walking and talking. Fantasizing about what the future with a baby would look like. Imagining ourselves as parents, where we’d live, and how we’d raise them.
It was not a given, but in the end, we decided to keep the little thing growing inside me. Who turned out to be our perfect baby boy.
Starting With The End In Mind – Raising Adults
The point about all this is that we never just wanted to have kids. From before they were born we were very conscious about the fact that we wanted to spend our lives nurturing a relationship with our children that would help them grow into adults that would hopefully like to spend time with us. So starting with that end in mind, we’re working backward looking at what we need to do to help our kids grow into well-adjusted adults. That often means putting our own temptations and bad habits aside for the sake of our kids.
I was reluctant, despite feeling like Waldorf education would be a great fit for us and our kids. The commute is much longer and we have spent so much time building up a wonderful relationship with the parent group of our son’s kindergarten class. I was scared of losing that. I still am.
When we got pregnant with our first we were living at an off-grid tourist cabin 9 miles from the nearest road. We were housing and feeding 3000 hikers in a season. The only way to get there is by foot or horseback and supplies have to be flown in by helicopter. Want to read more about our journey into off-grid and homestead living then check out our About page here.
The Girl In The Rainbow Sweater
So we went for an interview. When we rounded the corner to the administrative building there was a girl in a rainbow sweater, maybe 13 years old, sitting outside whittling. My first thought: no phone! She also reminded us of something our friend, a Waldorf teacher, had mentioned. He said that when students experience restlessness and find it hard to concentrate, teachers encourage them to go outside or to the sports center to release their excess energy. Instead of labeling kids as troublemakers, they’re giving them a chance to self-regulate.
The very polite and eager girl showed us the way to the offices and left us in a bit of disbelief. Thinking: it really seems to be as good as what we’ve heard.
Why We Chose Waldorf Education
The interview provided us with a few points that truly solidified our conviction that this is a good fit for us:
- Delayed Academic Study: studies show that kids who start traditional academic studies a year or two later have had time to develop the skills and competencies needed to thrive in a formal learning environment. The first class in our Waldorf school looks a lot like kindergarten but with more direction and intentional play.
- A Smaller Class: size ensures that every student receives individual attention, allowing the teacher to dedicate more time to building the class dynamic and culture. Additionally, this creates more opportunities for personalized attention to each student.
- The Creative Curriculum: music, movement, art, and handwork are all parts of the curriculum. This culminates in a holistic educational approach that includes the child’s mind, body, and spirit.
- The Community: the principal told us that because the school is small the kids know each other across ages. There are also ways for the parents to get involved and build a community of their own which gives us a great way to meet like-minded people and further reinforce the Waldorf values in our daily lives.
- Kindness: “In Waldorf Education, special attention is given to the child’s whole being — head, heart, and hands — with the heart being the emotional core. ….It’s done through modeling goodness, genuinely caring for students and their families, and believing in a child’s potential.” – Spring Garden Waldorf School
- Delayed Technological Integration: is a big one for me. 6-year-olds recieve iPads in Norwegian public schools. They use them at school but also bring them home for homework. We work hard to keep screen time at a minimum at home. Personally, I don’t think first-graders need ipads in school.
The Common Principle That Binds Us
Now lately we’ve been talking a lot again. Well, I’ve done most of the talking. Because there’s something that’s been deeply bothering me on a very primal level. I’ve been feeling lonely and I know why. It’s not because I’m not meeting my social needs, it’s because I’m not spending enough offline, alone time with myself. I’ve been missing my oldest, dearest friend, my self. I have been trying very hard to blame the world for this disconnectedness to the self, when of course I know, that I’m the only one who can do something about it.
But I also think that I am freaking out a little bit because my children are growing up in a disconnected world. Why are they not learning to connect to the self (meditation) in school? We preach about self-love, self-worth, self-confidence, self-self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-healing. But how can you have those things without knowing the self? I’m going off on a tangent, but this is all related to why we chose Waldorf Education for our children.
We are new to the Waldorf method and philosophy, but the little we’ve read and heard aligns with our values. Additionally, it addresses our concerns regarding the development of society. Of our disconnectedness to nature and each other. We are hoping together we will find the “common principle that binds us”.
Are You My People?
This will be a new experience for us and it would be amazing to hear other parents’ experiences and thoughts about the Waldorf Education method. So shoot me a message on Instagram or facebook, or leave a comment right below. I answer everyone and would absolutely love(!!!) to hear your thoughts and why or why not you’d chose Waldorf Education.
