Inspired Education

By Lindsay Evans
Web Exclusive - August 15, 2008

Children are born with a naturally intense curiosity to understand the world around them. Parents, children's first and most influential teachers, often face confusion and anxiety when contemplating their child's transition to a school environment.

Early childhood education has benefited from the wisdom and insight of many caring individuals through time, and continues to evolve today. The works of Rudolph Steiner, Maria Montessori, and others have significantly shaped the way children interact with their teachers and within the classroom. By recognizing the needs of young children and implementing strategies to effectively guide their curiosity, these educators have developed many different, but highly effective methods in early childhood education. Many independent and publicly funded schools continue to employ their methods today.

At first glance, learning about different educational methods that are popular today can seem overwhelming. A common question is, "What makes one philosophy different from another?" The purpose of this article is to introduce several well-known educational styles and emphasize their differences so parents will have a base of knowledge as they search for the school that fits their family.

Waldorf

Waldorf education is based on the works of Austrian scientist and philosopher Rudolf Steiner. The first Waldorf School, founded in Germany in 1919, arose from Steiner's studies in a new branch of philosophy he called Anthroposophy (a Greek word meaning "human wisdom"). Steiner believed that a human's spiritual experiences could be analyzed using scientific reasoning and communicated to others in order to benefit humanity as a whole. Each individual should be allowed infinite personal freedom to explore and reflect on one's spirituality; the wisdom gained would in turn nourish the body and soul. Though Anthroposophy as a subject matter is not taught directly to Waldorf students, this paradigm of spiritual wisdom spawned an educational movement whose stated goal is, according to the website waldorfanswers.org, to "produce individuals who are able, in and of themselves, to impart meaning to their lives."

Waldorf classrooms use natural materials such as wood and wool in their toys and classroom decor to help nourish children's instinctual reverence for nature. Students, particularly in early childhood, are introduced to new material in artistic ways--through storytelling, music, or dramatic presentation, for example--to fully engage a child's senses and imagination. Nourishing the whole child, "head, heart, and hands" is central to the Waldorf model. Because Waldorf education strives to balance academic learning with artistic and practical activities, children may learn knitting, gardening, movement, and other skills along with academic material. "Early childhood is an incredibly rich time of growth and learning, but the process of learning is far more important than the content of learning at this stage of life," says Joan Almon, coordinator of the Alliance for Childhood and editor of the book, What is a Waldorf Kindergarten? In preschool and kindergarten, the focus is typically on play, imagination, imitation, art, movement, and fairy tales. "The model for early childhood education is not a school model, but the home itself with children of different ages experiencing life together, such as siblings do," says Almon.

In the US, Waldorf education is most commonly found in preschools, kindergartens, or elementary schools, although some schools may teach children through middle and high school. In addition to hundreds of private Waldorf schools in the US, there are now more than 30 Waldorf-style schools operating under the public school system (for a list, see waldorfanswers.org/PublicWaldorf.htm#list). The Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America website (www.waldorfearlychildhood.com/membership_directory.asp) lists Waldorf preschool and kindergarten programs in the US.

Parents researching Waldorf schools should take time to understand a particular school's methodology and vision. While some schools are affiliated with accredited organizations, such as the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America, many others implement their own ideas of Waldorf education.