by Alice Martinez
nvironments matter. One of the most important
environments for children is of course their school. One visit to the Waldorf
School of San Diego and you'll understand why some families drive as much
as 45 minutes each way to bring their children to an environment that both
provides and teaches respect and creativity in addition to all the expected
elementary school academic skills.
The magical and colorful classrooms hold the
results of creative learning in progress: clay sculptures of mythological
and historical figures, chalk drawings of the body's internal organs, geometric
pattern drawings, wooden flutes and hand-knitted animals, to name just a
few examples.
But its not just the classrooms It's what happens
inside the classrooms that is the real treat. There, you'll see students
actively engaged in learning, intent on their work, yet relaxed and happy.
You'll see teachers presenting academic subjects in a lively, artistic way
bringing warmth, enthusiasm and a deep commitment to their work.
"I cannot imagine a greater gift to my
children than a Waldorf education," says Tracy Seeman, a parent of
two Waldorf students who commutes from Poway to the school in Spring Valley.
(The K-7 school is currently seeking a more central location.)
One of more than 640 Waldorf schools worldwide,
the Waldorf School of San Diego is dedicated to the understanding that children
are unique individuals who pass through distinct developmental stages. Behind
all teaching stands the belief that the child's sense of wonder, awe and
reverence for nature, coupled with a wholesome respect for others, must
be protected and fostered.
"If there is any one thing that the Waldorf
system does, it nurtures, protects and develops beautifully the intelligence
of the true child," says Joseph Chilton Pearce, author of The Magical
Child and Evolution's End.
Waldorf education engages each child's innate
creativity in all aspects of learning. Art, instrumental music, song, stories
and crafts are integrated into every aspect of the curriculum in ways that
are simultaneously practical and artistic. From kindergarten play time through
the academic challenges of the upper elementary grades, learning is never
static, abstract or without human values.
The result is free, creative human beings with
a strong sense of themselves, graduates who are self-motivated, well-rounded
individuals who are ready to tackle future academic and life challenges
and who often feel there is nothing they cannot do.
In the words of one university professor, Waldorf
graduates "were different from the others. Without exception they were
at the same time caring people, creative students, individuals with definite
values, and students who when they spoke made a difference."
