By Ashley Brickeen | Lower School Admissions Director Imagine you are in an important meeting when BUZZ. You take a second to peek at your phone—a friend has sent you a text asking about getting together today after work. You quickly switch back to listening to your...
Grades
Does Waldorf Delay Reading?
By Melanie Ingler | Communications Coordinator in conversation with Ashley Brickeen | Lower School Admissions Director Waldorf education's approach to teaching students to read is a carefully structured method that aligns with children's developmental stages and brain...
Why Chores Matter: Building Life Skills, Independence, and Family Bonds
By Mia Hammerschmidt | Education Support Teacher Assigning chores to children is more than just teaching them responsibility—it fosters independence, builds confidence, and strengthens their connection to the family unit. Research has shown that children who do chores...
Garden Notes: Embracing Summer’s End and Autumn’s Arrival
by John Gale, WSP Gardening Teacher The California heat returned again last week, reminding us quickly that summer is not yet over. Squash and chard leaves wilted under the withering sun, bees hummed loudly, and our colony of Western Fence Lizards sunbathed eagerly on...
The Role of Movement and Games in Grades 1 – 8
by Meeta Panicker and Liam Metzger | WSP Movement Teachers, Grades 1 - 8 Movement and games are integral to Waldorf education, harmonizing body, soul, and spirit by fostering physical coordination, spatial awareness, and self-expression. The curriculum supports...
Practice Tips for Music Students
by Leah Lader | Music Teacher Welcome to the beginning of the school year, the perfect time to introduce, re-introduce, or solidify a practice routine with your musician at home! Consistency is key: a consistent practice routine increases musical fluency and builds...
Why Does a Waldorf Class Teacher Traditionally Stay with their Class in Grades One through Eight?
by Catherine Dwyer | WSP Class Teacher Years ago when I first taught elementary school, before I met Waldorf education, every year I would have a new group of students and I would spend the first few months getting to know them as they got to know me. As the months...
The Value of Form Drawing
by Ashley Brickeen | Admissions Director, Early Childhood - Grade 8 and by Catherine Dwyer | Class Teacher Form drawing is a unique part of Waldorf Education. At Waldorf schools, students mainly practice form drawing from First grade through Fifth grade. As with most...
One Thousand Cranes for Healing the Earth: A 5th Grade Project
Faculty member Monica Laurent on the beauty and power of folding 1,000 cranes with her 5th graders.