Waldorf: It’s Not Just a Salad

Written by Douglas Baumwoll
Photographs courtesy of Waldorf Schule

 

“Our highest endeavor must be to develop individuals who are able out of their own initiative to impart purpose and direction to their lives.” So said Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925), and this idea permeates his vision of learning and education, as we shall see below.

I had a tough time choosing a quote as a lede for this piece. I searched “quotes on education reform” online, and dozens of great ones showed up, dating back to Leonardo Da Vinci and coming from giants like Aldous Huxley, Robert Frost, Jiddu Krishnamurti,and many, many others. Suffice it to say that education reform is a long-running issue, and that it is alive and well today worldwide.

So, Waldorf. A luxury hotel chain. A salad. You probably knew those. But Waldorf-Astoria also owned a cigarette company in Stuttgart, Germany, and in 1919 its owner opened a school there employing the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner. Bingo: Waldorf schools were born. Currently, there are about 1,000 Waldorf schools operating in roughly 60 countries worldwide. Not bad, Rudolf.

As a follow-up to an article I wrote for the January edition of the Gwangju News, I want to give our readers a more in-depth look at one of the two Waldorf schools we have right here in Damyang-gun.

To quickly review, the most-recognized name in “alternative” education and philosophy of education is probably “Montessori” schools, which operate based on the ideas of Dr. Maria Montessori (1870–1952). She opened her first school in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Rome, Italy, to make a point that all children deserved access to schools, and that poor children were just as capable as wealthy ones when it came to intelligence and learning. At present, there are 20,000 certified Montessori schools worldwide. Another well-known education philosophy is embodied in the school systems following the Reggio Emilia approach to learning, which was founded by Loris Malaguzzi (1920–1994).

Generally speaking, both of these types of schools use constructivist, self-directed, and experiential learning methods to create children who are independent, practiced at leadership, and command conflict resolution skills. In addition, they seek to develop an appreciation for being good citizens. That is all I will say about these systems here, and as always, I invite you to look into them further on your own.

Okay, back to the quote at the top of the piece, which brings us to Rudolf Steiner and Waldorf schools. I spoke with Dharma Kim, a teacher at the Mudeung Free Waldorf School (무등자유발도르프학교) located in Damyang (just north of Gwangju), to learn more about this school in general and the Waldorf education philosophy in particular. The school employs eight full-time teachers and four part-time ones, educating about 40 students from the first grade of elementary school to the third grade of middle school.

And that brings us to the most unique aspect of the Waldorf methodology, in my opinion: each grade (year) of students stays with their same “class teacher” for eight years. “It’s important that you know a child’s history,” Kim explains, “that you know what likes, dislikes strengths, weaknesses, and what each child needs to develop over time. In addition, in what is termed the ‘economy of teaching’, specifically what and how students learned in earlier years can be more directly connected to what they are going to learn for continuity as well as a deepening of understanding. That doesn’t happen when you hand kids off to a new teacher each school year.”

You may wonder, isn’t that kind of limiting to have only one teacher during that time? I asked Kim, and this brings us to another unique feature of the Waldorf model. Each class has their class teacher for a set curriculum for two hours each morning. These subjects, perhaps eight each year, are taught in roughly four-week blocks. Depending on age, subjects include myths and stories, geography, history, logic, physics, biology, and chemistry. Then, after the morning break, students take classes with other teachers covering other subject classes such as language (English, Chinese), arts, crafts, and music (Kim is a subject teacher, and has students from multiple years). Kids spend a lot of time outdoors – between classes and sometimes during class time, especially physical education classes. One day a month, the entire school may take a nature walk and do a group activity outdoors such as playing games.

 

So why do parents send their kids here? Well, there are many separate reasons that fit together into a whole. Kim said parents want their kids to have a “healthy, holistic” education experience. The Waldorf philosophy specifies that “thinking, feeling, and willing” need to be infused into learning and life. Learning here is not intellectually lopsided, as kids learn about emotional intelligence and the importance of physical movement. “They learn to love learning,” Kim said. Steiner founded the belief system of Anthroposophy, which speaks to spiritual questions, artistic needs, a scientific mind, and interaction with the world based on individual freedom (go to www.waldorfanswers.org for more information). Kim points out that there is no direct teaching of Anthroposophy, as there is no indoctrination or dogma taught at any Waldorf school.

Another reason parents send kids here is due to the collaborative nature of every aspect of their kids’ education. For example, there is a meeting at the beginning of the year with all teachers and parents where the cost of tuition is determined. This school receives no public funding of any kind, and the number of enrolled students determines the annual budget. Parents and teachers consider costs such as rent of the school property, and they jointly negotiate teachers’ salaries. Another collaborative aspect is that at least one parent must come to the school one night each month. Parents spend time with the class teachers simply chatting and often doing actual educational activities that their kids do, such as painting, so they can experience directly what their own children do at school. This builds understanding between parent and child as well as between parent and teacher.

So what are the learner outcomes at this school? Dharma Kim says, “in terms of learner outcomes, the goal from the outset is not ‘good grades’ but becoming a well-developed human being, so exams, as such, are not part of the school curriculum though, of course, we have an internal assessment system, as well as tests in the older grades.” Kids graduating from Waldorf high schools can prepare for the su neung college entrance exam (a.k.a., College Scholastic Ability Test) on their own, receiving input from the school and going on to enter university. There is also another, distinct, public high school equivalency exam they can take, which is recognized by the Ministry of Education.

“Learning is based on reality. Critical thinking is the main goal,” Kim said. I asked him to give me an example. “Well,” Kim continued, “imagine the first day of chemistry class. The teacher doesn’t give a lecture or facts, but they might light a candle and ask the kids to really observe it.” This leads to discussion and a consideration of every aspect of a burning candle – light, heat, color – which then leads to information about chemistry. Teachers here are a guide only, not a depositor of information into the vessel that is the student mind. “‘Clear thinking’ is a term we use a lot around here,” Kim added.

Finally, let us have a quick look at the teachers and their development. All teachers must attend a Waldorf training program, which exist all over the world, including here in South Korea. Steiner believed that teachers needed to be well-developed human beings in order to teach well. Anthroposophy promotes a form of meditation in order to be, in Steiner’s words, “aware of one’s humanity” and to pursue knowledge via a spiritual path. I urge you to read up on Theosophy, a related idea from which Anthroposophy sprang. Kim says that teachers strive to develop observational skills and mindfulness, and to instill an energy of calm during their lessons, so that students can practice concentration and consciously learn to not be distracted.

I asked about peer review among the teachers. Kim told me they consider themselves as a “college of teachers” and mentioned that they all meet once a week to discuss daily aspects of teaching. Twice a year, they review and give feedback on the whole semester. In this way, everyone can give and receive advice, and gain greater perspective on their teaching styles and methods. I asked if these meetings ever became hostile, and Kim told me that although discussions can heat up a bit, there is never any bitterness between colleagues.

Okay, readers, that’s all we have time for this month. If you have kids or if you are interested in education reform, please read up further on any of the points or people I have mentioned above. You can learn more about this school at its Daum Café site (cafe.daum.net/waldorfschule). The school attracts new students mainly through word of mouth and is currently accepting new students for future terms.

 

The Author
Doug Baumwoll, a professional writer and editor for 25 years, trains in-service teachers in writing skills and methodology. His personal writing interests include visionary and speculative fiction, climate change, energy, and social justice. He is the founder of SavetheHumanz.com.