Open House Images

It was fun to have so many families at our Open House this past Saturday! And, even though we do this every year, walking through the grades with all that beautiful work on display never gets old. Here are some images from the morning....

1st grade math processes illustrated, and presented in story form, with problems written out too (notice the mistake turned into a flower) ; the 2nd grade room with both math and language arts books, flute cases and poetry on the board.

3rd grade showed multiplication table review, liquid measurement studies and the start of their 'Shelters Around the World' block.

4th grade was full of neighborhood maps and animals and fractions.

One more 4th grade image -- a form drawing precursor the geometry to come in 5th grade. And, the 5th grade room with their Ancient Civilization and Botany books out, as well as a wall of recent watercolor paintings.

6th grade was full of geometry, geology and the Middle Ages.

7th and 8th grades showed off their books together, including drawing, Renaissance and revolutions studies, and human physiology.

Sharing AWSNA's Core Principles and Musings On Waldorf Education's Relevance for Today's World

Edited from a letter originally written by our Head of School for our weekly school newsletter, January 10, 2017:

Dear parents and friends,

Over the holiday I took a big break from all things electronic: no email, phone or movies for 10 days.  Instead, I savored the opportunity to sleep and dream deeply, to exercise hard every day with my family, to eat well (if a tad bit too much!) and to read a lot.  I've been wandering through all kinds of books and seeing threads and connections everywhere I go, which I'll attempt to share over the next weeks and months. 

I have been thinking broadly about the role of education in our lives and in American society and the unique niche that Waldorf education in particular occupies.
Recently, the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA), of which Madrona School is a developing member school, ratified a new set of guiding principles for all Waldorf Schools.  This document was the product of many hours of work by a broad constituency of representatives from all of our member schools.  I am excited to share it with you here, as it articulates in a newly concise language the core principles underlying our educational philosophy.   I am looking forward to using it increasingly to inform, guide and explain our education.

The second principle particularly caught my eye in writing today.  It says: Waldorf schools foster social renewal by cultivating human capacities in service to the individual and to society.  Waldorf schools foster development so that, throughout life, individuals are motivated to serve humanity with strength of will, depth of feeling and clarity of thought, and the ability to work with others.  The educational program is designed to strengthen these fundamental human capacities in our students.

I am increasingly compelled by this statement because of reading Thomas Friedman's newest book, Thank You for Being Late, in which he sketches the almost unimaginably accelerating changes worldwide in digital connectivity, climate change, and globalization.  Its makes for a fascinating (if sobering) read and I highly recommend it if you are interested in trying to understand the many tectonic shifts that are happening on various fronts simultaneously.  

As I read along, the perpetual question in the back of my mind is: OK, so if all of this is true, how do we educate our children for an unknown and increasingly unknowable future? How can we cultivate in them the qualities of character that they will need to succeed in such a new world order?  Can we actually cultivate the flexibility, resourcefulness, confidence, courage and engagement in lifelong learning that Friedman posits will be increasingly necessary for survival?
While there is much still to wrestle with in this book and how it relates to education, I do see a germ of hope in considering these two things side by side: Waldorf education's mission to cultivate a commitment to the service of humanity paired with the vast and turbulent needs that will be unfolding in new, never-before-imagined ways.  

I don't feel I have all the answers, but this is to me an interesting question: How is our education uniquely preparing the children for the rapidly morphing future?  I'd love to open the question for a wider dialogue.  You have chosen this educational stream for your child.  Would you be willing to share with our community what you perceive to be the merit of this style of education?  I look forward to hearing from you, and sharing your thoughts in newsletters to come.
Sincerely,
Missi
 

Teaching Reading at Madrona School

Excitement over winning the Reading Champions trophy through the public library this summer!

Learning to read can be a real joy and is an important academic milestone in a young student's life. In Waldorf education, we help a child's capacity for reading develop naturally, and offer lots of opportunity to fall in love with words and story.

In an ideal world, young children enjoy exposure to the world of language and literature through their parents. Hopefully, books represent beauty, humor and love to a small child -- they soak in illustrations, they giggle at funny words or at the voices an adult uses to read, they cuddle with a loved one to hear a story -- or five. Reading becomes aspirational, as they see a parent enjoy reading, or that stack of books by an older sibling's bedside. Further, in a Waldorf kindergarten classroom, a reverence for language and for story is reinforced through a daily story told by the teacher, by a ready basket of beautiful books for quiet times, and through ample opportunity for imaginative play, play that lays the groundwork for eventual understanding of abstract concepts.

In grade school, reading instruction is a part of language arts as a whole. In 1st grade, Waldorf education introduces reading through stories. Children discover letter forms out of a story their teacher tells, listening and then drawing, molding and moving through letters and their sounds. In other words, we take a multi-sensory approach, engaging a child auditorially, visually, kinetically, and at heartfelt level.They revel in the unique sounds of a letter as they practice writing simple sentences from the stories they are hearing and the pictures they are drawing. They write letters, then sentences and eventually, longer stories, until one day, it may dawn on them that they are reading what they are writing. Do you remember this eureka moment in your own life?

This unfolding and discovery allows for the love of language and of story to grow. The children work at decoding through phonics and sight word recognition too, but the emphasis remains on comprehension. Stories are told throughout a Waldorf education, and the overall literacy of a student grows with each passing year -- including vocabulary, grammar skills, and cultural and historical knowledge. With such a robust and supple beginning to language arts, Waldorf education actively cultivates space for developing capacity, both in interest and skill. Reading comes from the inside out, and while the time to master the mechanics varies, the intrinsic motivation and engagement with language is indicative of the lifelong joy of choosing to read!

For more, ask your child's teacher, or:
Read this blog post by the Waldorf School of Philadelphia, full of links to recent research in reading instruction, originally posted September 21, 2016: Reading in Waldorf Schools

For a parent's perspective, read Myth Busting: How Reading is Taught in a Waldorf School by Sarah Baldwin, Moon Child blog, originally posted June 6, 2011.

And an excellent article describing more of the art and mystery inherent in the act of learning to read: There's More to Reading Than Meets the Eye by Barbara Sokolov, Renewal, A Journal for Waldorf Education, Vol. 9#1, Spring 2000

Sometimes, reading comes along unusually slowly for children because there are underlying issues such as dyslexia.  When it becomes clear that extra help in mastering the fundamentals of reading are needed, we work with the parents to arrange for supplemental help.  Sometimes this means that a child works with a tutor at school once, twice or more times per week.  This extra help in 2nd, 3rd or 4th grade can make a big difference in a child's confidence and image of themselves as a successful reader.

Madrona School Alphabet (G)

We've reached the letter 'G' in our alphabetic journey to celebrate what makes a Madrona School education unique  ... and Graduates!

From a 1st grader's main lesson book, the beginning of a school journey...

From time to time, we have the pleasure of checking in with some of our alumni. They truly are the best representatives of all that makes Waldorf education unique. Our graduates exhibit self-confidence and a sense of purpose in pursuing interests, in both high school and beyond. They prove well prepared for life after Madrona School!

Since 2005, Madrona School has graduated 44 students from 8th grade. The first graduating class has finished college, while other graduates are in college or high school. Initially, our alumni go on to succeed in the variety of local high school programs: Bainbridge High, Eagle Harbor, Seattle Waldorf, West Sound Academy, and Seattle Community College's Running Start program. Most of them attend college, including: Bates, Beloit College, Lewis and Clark, Canadian College of the Performing Arts, Mount Holyoke, Sarah Lawrence, Smith, Western, UW and Whitman. They are budding scientists with biology and geology majors, musicians, Spanish scholars and theater majors.

Our school home is a beginning...

According to the Research Institute for Waldorf Education, and their interview-based study of 526 former Waldorf students, 94% of Waldorf school graduates attend college. Among other outcomes, their research offers three key findings about graduates, including 1) the ability to think creatively and embrace lifelong learning; 2) placing a high value on human relationships; and 3) bringing a strong sense of ethics into adulthood. We have a pamphlet in the office, entitled "The Results of Waldorf Education" with more on this research. You are welcome to come and pick one up!

Keep your eyes open to opportunities to support our current 8th grade class as they prepare for school beyond Madrona School -- we'll have a 8th grade project presentation in the spring, and graduation in early June is a wonderful evening where we are welcome to celebrate with our new graduates!

--edited from our school newsletter, February 4, 2014