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Waldorf News

House of Hope: Waldorf Education in the West Bank Crisis Zone

Traditional approaches to education for Palestinian children in the West Bank do not address trauma or decrease the likelihood that students will respond to the injustices they experience with violence. House of Hope’s holistic learning environment gently and effectively supports students to overcome trauma-induced educational barriers and achieve academic and prosocial development goals. Students learn healthy coping skills, such as art and music expression, therapeutic body movement and other self-esteem affirming activities. House of Hope is deeply inspired by the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the Waldorf education movement, and is the only emerging Waldorf inspired elementary school in the West Bank. In addition to creating a Waldorf learning environment, House of Hope staff also teaches students Nonviolent Communication, a healing approach to conflict resolution that gives them the skills to understand what triggers them, deepen their connection with themselves and others, and transform their habitual or unfolding responses to the injustices they experience. More »

"Friends of the Child and the Family" in Isfahan, Iran

In spring 2017, I went to Teheran and came into conversation with teacher and school book author Shafigheh Safarian. She showed great interest in founding her own school with a Waldorf educational approach. Once again I contacted Ms. Weische Alexa, with whom I had stayed in touch over the years. The main question was whether a philosophically-based pedagogy was feasible in an Islamic country. We discussed the Iranian world view -- on the one hand from the perspective of Zoroastrianism, still living in Iranian culture through festivals and rituals, as for example at the spring equinox which is still an official New Year’s festival in Iran and the winter solstice, another festival that is still widely celebrated -- and on the other hand in relation to Islamic philosophy as viewed through Anthroposophy. More »

World of Waldorf School Architecture

Although Steiner developed the principles of Waldorf education and took an active part in establishing the first Waldorf schools, he did not design school buildings. Over time, however, the Waldorf school movement, which today counts 1000 schools worldwide, has given rise to a large number of buildings. Today, school buildings are probably Steiner’s main stylistic legacy as an architect. More »

Yuba River Charter School’s new campus nears completion

When the Yuba River Charter School community sought a location to build its new campus, it chose a wooded plot of land just off Rough and Ready Highway. The land itself is spacious and sunny, surrounded by oaks, cedars and pines. A vast meadow, which will serve as the school's farming and garden area, stretches beyond the horizon, dotted with lavender and poppies. It is a reminder of Nevada County's natural beauty. Yuba River Charter Business Manager Susan Egan has enjoyed being part of the process of building a new school. Although Egan retired on Friday, she said the school will always hold a special place in her heart. "I get chills when I think about it," Egan said. "(This will be) our fifth home in 24 years. Our fifth and final home. Our school is solid already, but it's really going to realize itself here." More »

7 Benefits of Waldorf’s “Writing to Read” Approach

Waldorf Education starts to set the foundation for reading in kindergarten. Learning to read is allowed to evolve for each child in the same form as it evolved from the beginning of humanity: spoken language developed first, then people drew pictures to communicate their ideas, followed by symbols such as hieroglyphics and finally the abstract letters of our modern alphabets. Once there was a written language, people learned to read. This is exactly the sequence in which children master language, and it also is the sequence in which reading is taught in Waldorf schools. More »

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