What It Means to be Blessed with a Waldorf Education

Adapted from a graduation speech presented by Dick Norton, CWS Parent

Dear Students, It has been your privilege to have had such a wonderful Waldorf Education with your many excellent teachers. As parents, it has been our privilege to watch you all grow and thrive. This education is truly unique. Where else would you have been able to…

• dig a giant mud pit in 2nd grade, and get completely covered in mud at the Medieval Games in 6th grade?
• build a working bread oven in 3rd grade?
• go rock climbing and camping in 7th and 8th grades?
• perform such marvelous plays every year, including even Shakespeare?
• freely do such diverse and interesting (and in some cases death-defying) projects in 8th grade?
• spend a week ocean kayaking and wilderness camping off the coast of Maine with your classmates?

At the Waldorf School, you had all this and more, in addition to learning the usual reading, writing and arithmetic and learning them with beauty, spirit and grace. You truly have done some pretty amazing and difficult things!

But now you’re moving on to different schools, with perhaps some different ideas about education, and frankly there are some things you need to know about your future classmates out there…

• You need to know that some of them may not be able to tell the difference between a knitting needle and a crochet hook.
• You may meet people who can’ t put their colors in rainbow order, or who think you play indoors on a rainy day, or who think a Gnome is a town in Alaska.
• You may come across folks who think needle felting is some form of medieval torture, ORFF is an embarrassing bodily function, or that eurythmy is a medical condition.
• You’re certain to encounter people who think that a letter grade is more important than the knowledge it’s supposed to represent.

Have patience with these people! Work with them. Do your best. Listen with an open mind and an open heart. And just remember, not everyone is blessed with a Waldorf Education!