A Global Education

Waldorf education is a global educational movement, with over 1,100 schools on six continents, and in over 70 countries, worldwide. Each school is autonomous and independently run, yet linked by a common educational philosophy and curriculum.

Waldorf education grows out of the work of Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), an Austrian scientist, philosopher, architect, and educator who founded the first Waldorf School in Stuttgart, Germany in 1919. Through a developmentally based pedagogy, Steiner intended to cultivate young peoples' independent thinking and imagination, empathy for others, and also to develop their strength of will, so they would rise to individual, social, and economic challenges both contemporary and future.

Waldorf teachers receive specialized training in the Waldorf developmentally based curriculum and methods in colleges and training centers in North America, Great Britain, Europe, South America, Australia, and around the world. The Waldorf School of Lexington does not educate students in anthroposophy, the philosophy associated with Steiner's teachings. Wherever a Waldorf school may be located, its curriculum consistently provides a comprehensive academic and cultural education that encourages students to develop into clear-thinking, creative, balanced, and responsible individuals.

IN THE NEWS

The pedagogical and developmental principles underlying Waldorf education are frequently in the news. To learn more about the Waldorf School of Lexington's developmentally based, arts-integrated curriculum, please visit us or contact admissions@thewaldorfschool.org.

Waldorf Education & Teaching the Whole Child

FEATURED ARTICLE: Stanford University Studies Waldorf Education

Alice Birney, a Waldorf-inspired public K-8 school in Sacramento, has one of the longest waiting lists of any school in the district. The Waldorf approach at Alice Birney, along with student outcomes, was evaluated in depth by the Stanford University Center for Opportunity Policy in Education. You can download the full report here. One notable finding: At all grade levels, students at Alice Birney outperformed other district students on California’s state test in English Language Arts.

Waldorf Schools and Exemplary Teacher Engagement, Huffington Post

The Power of Play

Let the Kids Learn Through Play, New York Times

The Joyful, Illiterate Kindergarteners of Finland, The Atlantic

Cell phones & Screen Time

A Dark Consensus About Screens and Kids Begins to Emerge in Silicon Valley, New York Times — The people who are closest to a thing are often the most wary of it. Technologists know how phones really work, and many have decided they don’t want their own children anywhere near them.

The Digital Gap Between Rich and Poor Kids Is Not What We Expected, New York Times — America’s public schools are still promoting devices with screens — even offering digital-only preschools. The rich are banning screens from class altogether.

Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?, The Atlantic — Teens who spend more time than average on screen activities are more likely to be unhappy, and those who spend more time than average on non-screen activities are more likely to be happy. There’s not a single exception. If you were going to give advice for a happy adolescence based on this [national] survey, it would be straightforward: Put down the phone, turn off the laptop, and do something—anything—that does not involve a screen.

Steve Jobs Was a Low-Tech Parent, New York Times

Apple Investors Urge Action on iPhone Addiction Among Kids, NBC News

A Silicon Valley School That Doesn't Compute, New York Times

Screen Addiction Is Taking a Toll on Children, New York Times

Teach Your Children Well: Unhook Them From Technology, Wall St. Journal

The Importance of Movement & Physical Activity

Why Kids Shouldn't Sit Still in Class, New York Times

Pressure, stress & Anxiety in education

FEATURED ARTICLE: Anxious Students Strain College Mental Health Centers, New York Times

Nearly one in six college students has been diagnosed with or treated for anxiety within the last 12 months. The causes range widely, experts say, from mounting academic pressure at earlier ages to overprotective parents to compulsive engagement with social media.

The New Preschool Is Crushing Kids, The Atlantic

Is the Drive for Success Making Our Children Sick?, New York Times

Why forcing kids to do things 'sooner and faster' doesn't get them further in school, Washington Post

Report: Requiring kindergartners to read — as Common Core does — may harm some, Washington Post

Is the Common Core Killing Kindergarten?, Boston Globe

Waldorf 100

100 Years of Waldorf Education

The Centennial, Waldorf100, was an occasion to further develop Waldorf education for contemporary times, and focus more consciously on its global dimensions. In celebration of this milestone, Waldorf schools and communities worldwide participated in exciting projects and initiatives. Here is a glimpse into the Waldorf School of Lexington’s projects:

Postcard Exchange Project: During the 2018-2019 academic year, Waldorf schools around the world participated in a postcard exchange initiative to both broaden the perspective of students and celebrate the 100th anniversary of Waldorf education. Students from every Waldorf school created and sent a postcard to every other Waldorf school in the world. Each postcard was individually designed by a student, telling or showing something of their country, school, or self. This innovative global project has connected 1,100 students and schools to one another through individualized and artistically designed postcards, which have been arranged, by each school, into a map for public display. Stop by our main office to view the collection of postcards that WSL received from other Waldorf Schools.

GreenBee Wildlife Web Initiative: The world’s bee and pollinator population has declined at an alarming rate in recent years thereby threatening the world’s food supply. One-third of the world’s food source relies on pollination by bees, birds, bats, and other insects, of which bees are by far the most significant player. As part of the Waldorf education centennial celebration, Waldorf schools across the globe are taking action by cultivating gardens, tending bees and establishing bee-tending programs to help support and rebuild the pollinator population.

At the Waldorf School of Lexington, gardening and farming are valued and essential components of our experiential curriculum. In our beautiful biodynamic garden, students are introduced to principles of planting and growing. Our community cultivates flowers and vegetables, many of which are used in our school kitchen and lunch program. This past Earth Day, our students planted pollinator seeds around our campus in celebration of Waldorf100—we thank the Turtle Tree Seed for donating over 3,500 seeds to our school!

WSL also maintains beehives and a student-built “pollinator hotel” for native bees. This past spring, our fifth grade witnessed the exciting arrival of new bees to our beehives. To further our understanding of pedagogical tools for teaching about the bees, WSL Kindergarten teacher Mary Mansur attended a four day workshop at Spikenard Farm Honeybee Sanctuary. This workshop was dedicated to the Honeybees and Waldorf Schools in light of Waldorf100.