alphabet

Madrona School Alphabet (T)

‘T’ is for Waldorf education's unique approach to technology with a purpose — both in the classroom and in our children's lives. This is one area that certainly gets a lot of attention in the mainstream media, especially in the aftermath of the New York Times article published in October of 2011, "A Silicon Valley School that Doesn't Compute". Search for 'Waldorf education' and you find a slew of articles on Waldorf schools' purposeful lack of information technology in the classroom. It is a highly visible difference in choosing a Waldorf school over your other education options. However, the articles don't tell the full story. We do use technology in our curriculum, but always with a purpose. We approach technology in the same way we teach everything -- in a developmentally appropriate and contextual manner. Our grade school curriculum is an experiential one, building from year to year, as children become ever more capable and developmentally ready to learn, to do, to write, to read, to think. The curriculum develops deliberately, teaching hand sewing and knitting before machine sewing; printing and cursive writing before keyboarding. Computers and other information technology are introduced in their historical and cultural context, as part of a study of the modern era. And yet, by the time our middle schoolers graduate, they should be able to type and turn in word processed assignments; they've learned how to do quality research online and effectively use a library. Most importantly, they understand technology in the context of the human experience, and they tackle new elements with their characteristic flexibility and creative approach to problem solving. As you are no doubt aware, there is a growing body of research into the effects of screen time on the development of the young child. And, even beyond the profound benefits of reducing a child's exposure to screens and commercial media, the Madrona School curriculum aims to teach foundational skills to allow for the full blossoming of each individual's creativity and flexibility of thought: writing with pencil and paper and organizing one's thoughts onto the page, drawing, math facts without a calculator, etc. And in this ever evolving technological world we live in, creative problem solving and a strong sense of one's ability to tackle new issues will prepare our students well as they move out into the wider world.

— adapted from our school newsletter

Madrona School Alphabet (S)

The letter ‘S’ highlights the unique way in which Waldorf education honors the human spirit. In Waldorf language, we say we educate "the hands, the heart and the head", referring to the curriculum's reach to the doing (our hands), the feeling (our heart) and the thinking (our heads). We strive to honor and recognize (rather than instruct) each child's soul, each child's developing inner life, as they grow and mature, as well as those of our classmates, our teachers and the cultures and civilizations that we study throughout elementary and middle school.

Chalkboards from the grade school classrooms in 2019.

Embedded in this liberal arts non-parochial education is a profound sensibility that there is a spiritual element to our humanity, and an innate capacity in all of us for reverence and wonder. What does this recognition look like on a daily basis? In his book, "The Way of the Child", AC Harwood writes: "It is perhaps this life of feeling, this soul life, which is least understood in education today. We instruct our children in the classroom -- or in the more modern fashion we allow printed books to instruct them -- and then when they are tired we send them out to play games. But between knowledge and activity lies a whole world of wonder and reverence, pity, joy tenderness and sorrow….Everything they learn must be transformed into wonder and beauty, there must be no 'ordinary' lessons. Painting, modeling, acting, rhythmical movement, these must become for these young children the very way of knowledge. If you succeed in teaching in this way, you are uniting what is nowadays divided -- the forces of the head with the forces of feeling and of movement."

There is an element of mindfulness in the way we begin each morning. The grade school children begin each day with a morning verse, calling out for strength in body, mind and spirit. For example, in 1st through 4th grades, they stand and say together: "The sun with loving light, makes bright for me each day. / The soul with spirit power, gives strength unto my limbs. / In sunlight shining clear, I do revere, Oh God, the strength of humankind that thou hast so graciously planted in my soul. / That I with all my might, may love to work and learn. / From thee come light and strength, to thee rise love and thanks." God, as referred to in this verse, can stand for those higher aspirations we all possess, including honor, truth, beauty and nobility. This moment is just one way we offer a sense of reverence, a call to purpose in order to begin the day.

And, by the time a student graduates the 8th grade, they've not only spent years honoring their own inner life, but they've also learned something about the religious and spiritual traditions of Buddhists, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and many other cultures around the world. This reinforces the basic humanity of our soul life, the importance of being fully human and alive.

This is, of course, a glancing skim over this topic in Waldorf education. But, at the core, what a gift it is to honor a child's spirit, to help them to grow with the full recognition of the importance of their own humanity, and the necessity of respecting that of people around them -- truly something wonderful to take into adulthood.

If you are curious to learn more, please talk with your child(ren)’s teacher(s)!

— adapted from our school newsletter

Madrona School Alphabet (R)

‘R’ is for recess at Madrona School. Enough said, really.

Students of all ages at Madrona School really know how to do recess well, and it is a natural outgrowth of the emphasis on outdoor play in our early childhood program. In our grade school, all of the classes go out to the play yard after morning snack and after lunch. The grades mix and there are many, many games in progress at any one time. The children play four square, basketball, dodgeball, tetherball, "squirrel tag", jump rope, turn cartwheels, dig moats, swing from the monkey bars, and congregate in the apple trees or on top of the ‘ark’ to chat. They even get some non-tackle football in with a game someone dubbed "catch ball". Always supervised by three teachers or office staff, it is a joyful and inventive time, an opportunity for blowing off steam and getting those extra wiggles out before returning to the classroom. And, middle schoolers have a chance each week to have their own recess at Waterfront Park, for that big-kid-off-campus time they so want at their age.

When we give tours to prospective grade school families, we often walk through the hallways as morning recess is in progress. Many parents comment on our two recess periods rain or shine, on how our grades play together, and on the natural setting that our children enjoy. Recess can really show off the sweet, natural, and community nature of our school.

— adapted from our school newsletter

Madrona School Alphabet (Q)

At Madrona School, ‘Q’ stands for quesadillas…and peppermint tea in enamel mugs, good rain pants and boots, and a healthy dose of fresh air. Everything that makes outdoor kindergarten a pure joy! Children need time outdoors -- time to explore, problem solve, work hard, get dirty, lay quietly watching bugs or clouds, run, yell, chase, climb…. Each day, our kindergarteners do just that and more, at school and in nearby parks and beaches around the island. And, Friday’s class also enjoys an additional day out hiking and exploring on “adventure Fridays”. Experiencing the outdoors is an integral part of our curriculum, and represents a whole and healthy childhood. Rosy cheeks and the muddy boots are wonderful things! In our society at large, today's children spend an average of over seven hours (!) each day engaging with media of some sort, according to one study by the Kaiser Family Foundation -- and this was after data collection three separate years showed steady growth in that time. The National Wildlife Federation offers a list of recent research studies, many of them concluding that children's outdoor time is shrinking, and stands at well under an hour a day. Follow the link here to download their report entitled "Whole Child Report: Developing Mind, Body and Spirit Through Outdoor Play". Sound familiar? It's an excellent read. What a gift we give our youngest students, who can prepare for grade school with a healthy dose of movement and imaginative, nature-rich play. Engaging the whole child is a basic principle of Waldorf education, and one that ideally prepares our children to be resilient, hardy contributors to the world around them, and to find pleasure in the "great outdoors". We believe a Waldorf kindergarten education is beneficial to your children, your family, and to the wider world!

— adapted from our school newsletter

Madrona School is a non-profit, tax exempt public charity organization incorporated in the State of Washington. Madrona School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender expression or identity, national and ethnic origin, sexual orientation, or religion in any of its programs, classes or activities.