I'm a Waldorfian
"I'm a Waldorfian," I used to say to anyone who would listen. I felt a strong sense of community and belonging at my first school. There was an emphasis on the arts and creativity at Waldorf. We made candles out of beeswax, wrote stories, and learned how to knit, all before the age of 7. We weren't allowed technology, which may be disadvantageous nowadays but not so much then, and I took this seriously. Even at home when none of the teachers were watching, I refused to watch TV or use technology. Except I did break the rules when I got a Tamogochi! That is a whole other thing.
I remember going on nature walks every Friday with my class. We went on a hike with our teachers and some of the parents. It was a time to connect with nature and BUGS! It was a simple activity, nothing special, and yet it has remained a fond memory for many years. Why is that? Why is it that I remember my first years of school and the rest is all snippets of really happy or really sad memories?
As I read through Pratts Curriculum Perspectives, I began to wonder what pedagogy the Waldorf school had. How did they perceive curriculum? The "individual fulfillment" or "humanistic" approach sees students as naturally good and in need of opportunities to grow to their fullest potential. Human relationships, a sense of self, and direct personal experience are all keys to this conception of curriculum. This approach also emphasizes creating a personal meaning in life, which often relates to spirituality. Although I don't recall any spiritual components, I felt "whole" when I was at Waldorf. The sense of community and personal purpose made me feel like I was a part of something bigger. This feeling is incomparable to any other experience I had in any other school. After I left Waldorf, I felt my mind and body begin to separate. I drifted away from the world, a sense of community, into a space of competition and separation.
Until today, I had never really thought about why I loved Waldorf so much, or why I remember so much from that school but not from my other schools. Today, it makes sense. I was a human at Waldorf, I was an important part of a community. At the other schools, I was just another student in a chair. I was the essay I wrote or the scores I produced on my tests. I was no longer human.
I'm interested to hear from you about your experiences in school. What do you remember from your time as a student? How has that influenced and shaped who you are today?
Pratt, D. (1994). Curriculum perspectives. In D. Pratt, Curriculum planning: A handbook for professionals (pp. 8-22). Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace College Publisher.
