Frequently Asked Questions

Developed by Rudolf Steiner in 1919, Waldorf Education is based on a developmental approach that addresses the needs of the growing child and maturing adolescent. Waldorf teachers strive to transform education into an art that educates the whole child — the heart and the hands, as well as the head.

These two educational approaches began with a similar goal: to design a curriculum that was developmentally appropriate to the child and that addressed the child's need to learn in a tactile, as well as an intellectual way. The philosophies are otherwise very different.

Waldorf schools are non-sectarian and non-denominational. They educate all children regardless of their cultural or religious backgrounds. The pedagogical method is comprehensive and seeks to bring about recognition and understanding of all world cultures and religions.

Waldorf schools are not part of any church. They espouse no particular religious doctrine but are based on a belief that there is a spiritual dimension to the human being and to all of life. Waldorf families come from a broad spectrum of religious traditions and interest.

Waldorf Education approaches all aspects of schooling in a unique and comprehensive way. The curriculum is designed to meet the various stages of child development.

Preschool and Kindergarten children learn primarily through imitation and imagination. Activities include storytelling, puppetry, creative play, singing, painting, beeswax modeling, baking, nature walks, and seasonal celebrations.

Elementary and middle-school children learn through a class teacher who stays with the class for eight years. The curriculum includes language arts, history, science, mathematics, foreign languages, physical education, practical arts, music, painting, sculpture, drama, and handwork.

Waldorf Education recognizes and honors the full range of human potentialities. It addresses the whole child by striving to awaken and ennoble all latent capacities. Children learn to read, write, and do math; they study history, geography, and the sciences. In addition, all children learn to sing, play a musical instrument, draw, paint, model clay, carve wood, speak clearly, act in a play, think independently, and work respectfully with others.

Preparation for life includes the development of the well-rounded person — someone knowledgeable about the world and human history, with many practical and artistic abilities, who feels a deep reverence for the natural world and can act with initiative and freedom.

Research suggests that children who learn to read relatively late are not disadvantaged by this — they are often able to catch up with, and even overtake, peers who learned to read early. They are also less likely to develop the “tiredness toward reading” that some children taught to read at a very early age experience later on.

When reading is not pushed, most children pick it up readily when they are ready. Each child has their own optimal time for “taking off.”

Children who transfer to a Waldorf school in the first four grades usually are up to grade in reading, math, and basic academic skills. However, they may have much to learn in artistic and social activities, cursive handwriting, and listening skills.

Children who transfer out during the middle grades should experience no problems. In most cases, transferring students find themselves ahead of their classmates. The departing Waldorf student is likely to take along a distinguishing individual strength, personal confidence, and love of learning.

A central aim of Waldorf Education is to stimulate the healthy development of the child's own imagination. Waldorf teachers are concerned that electronic media hampers this development. There is growing research to substantiate these concerns.

Waldorf teachers feel the appropriate age for computer use in the classroom is in high school. We feel it is more important for students to interact with one another and with teachers in exploring ideas, participating in the creative process, and developing their knowledge, skills, and inner qualities.

As older students, Waldorf graduates quickly master computer technology, and many have successful careers in the computer industry.

Waldorf students have been accepted in and graduated from a broad spectrum of colleges and universities including Stanford, UC Berkeley, Harvard, Yale, and Brown. Graduates reflect a wide diversity of professions including medicine, law, science, engineering, computer technology, the arts, social science, government, and teaching.

According to a recent study of Waldorf graduates:

• 94% attended college or university
• 47% chose humanities or arts as a major
• 42% chose sciences or math as a major
• 89% are highly satisfied in choice of occupation
• 92% placed a high value on critical thinking
• 90% highly value tolerance of other viewpoints

If a teacher has a class for several years, the teacher and children come to know and understand each other deeply. The children, feeling secure in a long-term relationship, are better able to learn.

When problems arise, the college of teachers studies the situation, involves the teacher and parents, and tries to resolve the conflict. A Waldorf class is something like a family — the adult assumes responsibility and tries to change, with the goodwill and active support of the parents.

The class teacher is not the only teacher. Specialty subject teachers teach eurythmy, handcrafts, foreign language, instrumental music, and more each day.

The class teacher is responsible for the two-hour “main lesson” every morning and usually one or two lessons later in the day. From the Waldorf perspective, true education involves the awakening of capacities — the ability to think clearly, empathetically experience the world, and distinguish what is beautiful, good, and true.

Adapted from “Five Frequently Asked Questions” by Colin Price; originally printed in Renewal Magazine, Spring/Summer 2003.

Olympia Waldorf School serves students with a wide range of learning styles. Our curriculum reaches children through multiple modes, including spoken lessons, hands-on work, artistic expression, movement, time outdoors, and dramatic play, so that auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners alike find paths to success. Students often discover strengths in modalities they didn't know they had.

Some students arrive with needs that exceed what our program is built to support. Our faculty are not trained to work with significant learning differences or serious emotional and behavioral challenges, and we don't have the specialized support staff that some children require to thrive. For this reason, OWS reserves the right to decide whether to enroll a student, whether to continue an enrollment, and what conditions may apply, weighing our available resources, the impact on faculty and staff, and the learning environment for the rest of the class. Many students have needs that are best served by public institutions which allocate funding specifically to support students who need one on one support and care. 

We ask families to share any prior IEPs or professional evaluations during the admissions process, while still meeting each applicant with fresh eyes through a personal interview. Many accommodations and specially designed instruction listed in an IEP require individual staffing to accommodate, which is not something we can offer. If our teachers need a clearer picture, we may ask families to pursue an outside evaluation at their own expense. When accommodations, therapies, or academic support are recommended, we'll honestly assess what's possible within our current resources, and some students may need additional outside services funded by the family. If you suspect your child may need this kind of support, please raise it with us early in the application conversation. It is also true that a student has needs that change over time. A learning environment that is successful for a month or a year is not an indication that a student's needs will be met over time as they evolve. 

One last thing, simple but important: every child at OWS, those with identified needs and those without, does best when school life is matched by a supportive home life. Rhythm and consistency, plenty of unstructured time in nature, nourishing food, enough sleep, and meaningful work around the house build the foundation for a child who can thrive here. The opposite pattern, screens and media, processed food, overscheduled weeks, and not enough rest, is, in our experience a list of contributing factors, regardless of grade or learning profile.