Jane’s Story

In 2007, Jane and her family were in transition, leaving New York to search for a fresh place to live and a great place to raise their children. They wanted to enjoy a ski town with sustainable waterways, a decent-sized population and a progressive, diverse culture. As they travelled, they noticed these towns had one more thing in common – they all had a Waldorf school.

“We settled in Nelson in 2008 after travelling for a year to find the perfect spot to live. It was exactly what we were looking for and when we toured the Waldorf campus it was like a fairytale. It was magical,” Jane says.  

They didn’t know much about the school but were intrigued. Jane had attended a Catholic school growing up, and wanted a different experience for her child, so they sent him to a public school for pre-kindergarten. In New York, school is mandatory as of age four, when they begin learning their letters in a competitive environment. When Jane told the school she planned to take her son out for a year, she was met with worry that his lifelong academics would suffer.

Nelson Waldorf’s Structured Approach

Jane’s second son was born six years later. This time, they didn’t rush to teach him his letters or numbers. They didn’t do home schooling. Instead, they followed the Waldorf process, and sure enough, the learning was innate. When it was time, her son quickly picked up the lessons and naturally kept up with class progression.

Jane’s third child needed freedom to pursue education in ways that made sense to her. The structured approach at Waldorf didn’t suit her learning needs. Jane worked closely with the faculty at Waldorf, and ultimately, the school supported the decision to move her daughter to the Wildflower School Program. The multi-age setting and personalized learning were the right fit and, importantly, the program allowed for less structure.

“There is a misconception that Waldorf is a hippy school – that the kids don’t even learn how to read – but the fact is, the school is incredibly structured.”

Fast forward to grade 8, and Jane’s daughter decided it was time to go back to Waldorf. She wanted more structure than Wildflower.

That structured approach to learning is something Jane wishes more people knew about Waldorf; that and the deep sense of community the school enjoys.

The structured approach to curriculum is based on rhythm and repetition, so students become attuned to the rhythm of the day, the week, the seasons, and so on. They learn similar content in different ways in subsequent stages over years, building on a foundation and deepening their learning as new capacities unfold.

“We appreciate the structured and child-centered approach to development with the goal of teaching children not just what to learn, but rather how to learn and how to think for themselves, thereby encouraging them to be life-long learners.”

That structure is supported by a strong sense of community. As Jane says, “the school becomes an extension of the family.” When a family joins the school, the teacher will visit the student’s home to connect with the parents. This provides a holistic view of the child’s strengths and challenges and builds a bridge between home and school life. Teachers and parents stay involved through regular meetings, festivals, class trips and celebrations, all of which are focused on the development of the child. Through this, an important lifelong bond is built.

Ultimately, Jane believes choosing the right school for your child depends on your family values and what your child needs. There are challenges at every school, of course. But as Jane says, “if you always come back to what’s best for the child, you’ve already made the right choice.”

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Thomas’ Story

It’s 10am at Oso Negro in Nelson, BC in December. Thomas walks in with the fresh face of a guy who loves winter. He is going cross country skiing soon, under a delicate veil of falling snow. As he drives to Apex, he will pass Nelson Waldorf, where he went to school from Pre-K to Grade 8.

“The biggest benefit of going to Waldorf was growing my social circle. I have been connected to many of my friends since Pre-K, and having friends for that long is pretty special,” Thomas says.

This rings true as quite a few friendly faces stop at our table to say hello. It’s a good year for Thomas. He and his partner, Jaymie Johnson, are pregnant. Jaymie also went to Waldorf, so when I ask Thomas if they will send their child to Waldorf, he says:

“We’re already talking about it. It’s a big decision. We appreciate the healthy relationship to screens and technology. And we like that our child will have the same teacher throughout their schooling. In this way, he or she can build a level of relationship that isn’t possible with a new teacher every year.”

Thomas believes that the strong relationships built at Waldorf lead to better life outcomes. The student and teacher relationships are built on respect and trust. This is brought to life through simple actions, like greeting each other every morning by name, making eye contact and shaking hands. In a world where day-to-day interactions can be easily avoided through technology, it’s a huge asset to learn how to connect with people.

They recently updated a dilapidated heritage building by tearing it down to its original footprint, and then used the saved wood and materials in the new construction. As always, a quality build shows in the details, for example, the polished wood runners on the ceilings and the hush-quiet doors. This level of delivery results in long-lasting work relationships that are built on respect and trust, much as he learned at Waldorf.

“You know, people might think that Waldorf is just a hippie school out in the woods doing hippie stuff. Sure, there is dancing, singing, theatre and walks in the woods. But we also learn how to build and cook and think for ourselves. We learn how to connect with people on a deep level. We learn life skills.”

Thomas and Jaymie have quite a few years before making their decision about where and how to school their child, but he does recommend Waldorf as an option for every family. First and foremost, he says, “do the research. Every child and situation is different, and no one school can provide what every child might need.”

We sure hope we get to teach and grow with Thomas and Jaymie’s child one day, but right now, it’s time to put those life skills to practice and go cross country skiing.

“Our highest endeavor must be to develop free human beings who are able of themselves to impart purpose and direction to their lives. The need for imagination, a sense of truth, and a feeling of responsibility—these three forces are the very nerve of education.”

― Rudolf Steiner