“To Germinate The wishes of the soul,Growing acts of will Mature fruits of life.”

Rudolf Steiner

FUNDAMENTALS

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.

Waldorf education has its roots in the

scientific­spiritual research of the Austrian scientist

and thinker, Rudolf Steiner (1861­1925).

In April of 1919, Rudolf Steiner visited the Waldorf

Astoria cigarette factory in Stuttgart, Germany.

The German nation, defeated by the First World War,

was teetering on the brink of economic, social and

political chaos. Steiner spoke to the factory workers

about the need for social renewal, for a new way of

organizing society and its political and cultural life.

Emil Molt, the owner of the factory, asked Steiner if

he would undertake to establish and lead a school for

the children of the employees of the company.

Steiner agreed, but set four conditions, each of which

went against common practice of the day:

1. That the school be open to all children; 2. That it be

coeducational; 3. That it be a unified twelve­year

school; 4. That the teachers, those individuals actually

in contact with the children, have primary control of

the school, with a minimum interference from the State

or from economic sources. Steiner’s conditions were

radical for the day, but Molt gladly agreed to them.

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On September 7, 1919, the Free Waldorf School

(Die freie Waldorfschule) opened its doors.

Today there are different Waldorf schools all over the

world that subscribe to this pedagogical movement

created by Rudolf Steiner. No two schools are

identical; each is administratively independent.

Nevertheless, a visitor would recognize many

characteristics common to them all.

Steiner’s premise is to work beginning with the child.

And to work with each child requires people and

institutions that are willing to put themselves to the

side in order to place the focus of concern on the

child, without any other motives. This notion poses

a challenge for the teacher, because it obliges her or

him to recognize that each child is a being unto her

or himself. This being has “something” to say

regarding her or his education. The teacher must

learn to take heed of this “something”.

The main basis of Waldorf teaching has to do with a

particular idea of personhood. The idea is to follow a

person from childhood, throughout the different

evolutionary phases and throughout an integral

education. The Waldorf teacher respects the child’s

individuality and thus guides her or him to grow

into a free and autonomous adult.

Today, almost one hundred years after this

initiative, there are more than 1200 Waldorf schools

all over the world

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One of the central pillars of Waldorf education is the study and understanding of the biography of human development. This pedagogy recognizes the different phases in a person’s life. According to Waldorf philosophy, these phases take place in seven­year cycles, or septenniums.

During each septennium, a human being presents

and develops certain characteristics. During this

time, the person becomes aware of certain needs and

capabilities. In education it is fundamental to

accompany and respect the first three septenniums.

In this way, children and youth can grow and

shape themselves.

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EARLY CHILDHOOD

(1st septennium, 0­7 years)

Babies and young children submit themselves completely to their physical environment. They absorb the world through their senses. They respond with the most active mode of learning: imitation.

Ideally what stands out during this phase is

GOODNESS. All that a child learns in the first phase

of life is assimilated by IMITATION. Imitation is

determined by internal factors, such as temperament,

or type of character.

The child absorbs all that surrounds her or him, and

integrates it without a rational or conscious filter. For

this reason, those that dedicate themselves to small

children (parents, caregivers, and teachers) have the

responsibility of creating an environment worthy of

the child’s imitation, without question. Thus it is

necessary to provide surroundings that offer

adequate and meaningful routines and activities.

These routines and activities respect and value

childhood, so that through imitation the child builds

all her or his being.

During this phase, children should do activities

related to the senses and corporal development. The

child develops skills thanks to the natural capacity

for imitation she or he possesses.

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The preschool teacher is in charge of guiding

different daily activities, such as kneading and

baking bread, gardening, water­color painting,

making small looms, free play, circle time, and

folktales. Complete involvement in such activities is

the best preparation the child can have for life. This

helps establish the foundation of the powers of

concentration, interest in, and love of learning that

will last for a lifetime.

Each classroom has baskets of seeds, snail shells,

blankets, bark, wool, and tree trunks. Children turn

these materials into little cars, fruits, or dolls as they

interact with their classmates. All these elements

permit the child to focus her or his efforts on the

purest perceptions to develop fantasy and the senses

through play. The child thus lays the foundations

for thinking.

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MIDDLE CHILDHOOD

(2nd septennium, 7­14 years)

The basic ideal that stands out during the second septennium is BEAUTY and its characteristic, which is IMAGINATIVE art.

When children are ready to leave preschool and enter

primary school, they have an avid desire to explore

the world of experience, for the second time. Before,

they identified the world and imitated. Now, at a

more conscious level, they are ready to get to know it

again through means of imagination. Imagination is

the extraordinary power of human cognition that

permits us to “see” an image, “listen” to a story, and

“guess” hidden meanings behind appearances.

The basic virtue of the second septennium is the

predisposition for love, that which leads to

veneration and devotion, which are essential ­

beloved authority ­ one of the fundamental

pedagogical principals.

The child must cultivate respect and veneration for

the person who teaches her or him. It is absolutely

essential to have a being, a teacher, whom the child

can love profoundly. This is how the child receives

the content of the teacher’s lessons. For the child,

that which the teacher transmits is true.

During the years in primary school, the teacher’s job

is to transform all that the child needs to learn about

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the world via the language of the imagination. This

is as real as intellectual analysis for an adult.

Included are the riches from ancient,

less intellectual eras, the stories, legends and myths

that speak of the truth in parables and images. All

these are an invaluable treasure for the teacher.

When these are seen through the lens of the

imagination, nature, the world of numbers, math,

geometric form, and practical work they feed the

soul of the child.

Anything that calls the imagination, that is deeply

felt, that stirs up and activates feelings, can be

remembered and learned.

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ADOLESCENCE

(3rd Septennium, 14­21 years)

In the glorious turbulence of adolescence, the personality celebrates its independence and looks to explore the world yet again, in a new way. On the inside, the young person, the human being who has been given years of education, is maturing silently. Eventually the individual will emerge.

At this age, young people are in search of the TRUTH,

and to this end they engage in independent thinking and

understanding of the complex ways of the world. At this

stage, the human being is not creative in his or her own

body, but he or she is creative in the sense of creating

their own individuality. Only after this septennium is

the human organism structured and shaped to go into

the world with social maturity, and with the ability to

form groups and communities. The guiding force, at this

stage, is seeking to lead young people towards

autonomy, as free individuals, so that they can situate

themselves in the world as receptive beings, aware of the

times in which they are living.

In these three big stages, we see the first steps in human

development: initially totally dependent, then learning

about the world, finally moving toward autonomy. In

this way, the Waldorf education aims to create a learning

space for each child and youth to develop his or

her own capabilities.

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PLAN & METHOD

The Waldorf School, rather than pursue an abstract goal or uniform education, intends instead to fortify the students’ individual characteristics, preparing them to be social beings adept at living in the world with others.

The plan and method of teaching is tailored to the

developmental stages and individual characteristics of

the child. The atmosphere at the school is not

influenced by fear of qualifications, as Waldorf

evaluates a wider range of criteria which include the

whole human being.

First and foremost, a collaborative work environment is

established, an environment which allows the child to

learn, grow and mature. In Waldorf schools,

intellectual, artistic, and manual skills have equal

importance, and all the abilities and talents of the child

are given time to develop.

The idea is to stimulate the various intellectual, artistic

and manual aptitudes because, deep down, we want to

enable the development of discernment while at the

same time encouraging a sense of well being, and

affirming each individual’s will. This paves the way

toward freedom and responsibility. The basic principle

of the Waldorf education suggests that the goal of every

teacher should be “To awaken the individual faculties

of each child so they learn how to learn”.

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In other words, that child learns to create

for his or her self, his or her own knowledge.

In each grade, materials are presented according to

the age and unique development of each child.

It is very important to know the ideal moment and

particular way the material should be presented.

It needs to meet the needs and possibilities of the

student. In other words, the Waldorf pedagogy

takes into account the stages of childhood

development (any acceleration can cause long term

irreversible damage).

THE ARTS AND PRACTICALS SKILLS

Waldorf teachers believe that a human being is not only a brain, but a brain with a heart and extremities, a being with a will and emotions on par with the intellect.

To ensure that an education doesn’t produce

individuals inclined toward the extreme of the mind,

stunted in emotional health and will, these less

acknowledged aspects of our human nature must be

constantly used, nourished and guided. This is

where the arts and manual handicrafts have an

essential contribution, educating the heart and

hands, and the mind. Waldorf schools are not

intended to train specialists in art. There is a different

purpose, which is to provide deep inner experiences.

There is no more effective activity for the cultivation

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of basic activities in the first septennium of early

childhood than art. Through the creation of art,

humans gain the experience of being fully engaged

with all soulful activities, and with every fiber of their

being, as they struggle to solve a problem that is

important to them. With artistic activity, the

fundamental abilities are being engaged: to observe,

create, respond, cultivate interest, awaken the

imagination, and strengthen the will. There is no

better way to strengthen the will than to practice

something with dedication and joy, over and over

again, overcoming difficulties and obstacles in the

process. In this way, the school becomes a path where

a variety of experiences enrich the soul of the child,

educating the whole human being, not just the head,

but also the heart and the hands.

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Make an appointment and visit our campus today!

Carretera a Dolores Hidalgo Km. 6.5 Rancho los Charcos,

San Miguel de Allende, Gto.

Tel.: (415) 110·20· 40info@waldorfarboldevida.com

Visit our web pagewww.waldorfarboldevida.com

Follow us on facebookwww.facebook.com/waldorfarboldevida

It would be our pleasure to give you more

information about our beautiful pedagogy.

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