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The transition from preschool to first grade is a significant step in a child's life. The physical changes alone, at this time, are striking. Children lose their baby teeth and their baby fat as their bodies lengthen, taking on a new proportion. When children enter the first grade, theu change inwardly as well. Their inner life deepens and their emotional response to the world around them becomes richer.
First graders are as physically active as they were during the
kindergarten years, but now they must be taught in a manner that engages
their growing emotional capacity. Waldorf teachers use a wide variety
of methods to address this developing capacity, but in the grade school,
the most significant is art. In a Waldorf School all subjects -
language arts, geometry, chemistry, history, geography - are taught
through art.
Right from the beginning of grade one, lessons are infused with an
imaginative, aesthetic quality. Even the letters of the alphabet are
taught in an artistic way. If, for example, the letter S is being
introduced, the children might be told a story of a snake - a sly and
slinking serpent with a sinuous shape.
This snake will be described in all its subtlety as it slithers and
hisses through the softly stirring grass. The alliteration will bring a
phonemic awareness to the children. On the blackboard the teacher will
draw a beautiful picture of a snake in coloured chalk to accompany the
story.
Waldorf Schools do not waste much time debating the respective values
of the sight and sound methods of reading. They use both, and more.
But, their uniqueness lies in the way they release the inherent power of
the miraculous word from the humdrum of conventional speaking, writing
and reading.
The task of educating children in this comprehensive, artistic manner
- using poetry, music, painting, drawing, and drama - is the assignment
of the class teacher. In each Waldorf school the class teacher is given
the primary responsibility of shepherding the children in his or her
class through the eight years of elementary school. Through this
on-going relationship, the emotional bond between the teacher and the
children is strengthened, allowing the teacher to know both the children
and their families more deeply. In contemporary society, where families
are increasingly transient and where extended families are not always
nearby, Waldorf Schools provide a much-needed, ongoing sense of
community.
The class teacher is supported in these efforts by an equally
dedicated group of specialty teachers, individuals who work with the
children throughout the grades in a variety of subjects: music,
handwork, woodwork, physical education, and more. The insights and
understandings of these teachers complement those of the class teacher
to ensure that each child is known fully and taught in a manner that
addresses his or her educational needs.
Over this extended eight-year journey, the class teacher and the
specialty teachers will observe many dramatic developmental changes in
the children. For instance, one notable juncture will occur around the
age of nine or ten. At this time children become more individuated and
independent. This individuation is accompanied by a sense of
separateness that gives rise to self-consciousness. Perhaps, the most
obvious way in which the curriculum addresses the nine-year change is
through the stories that are told in the course of the school year.
Other parts of the third grade curriculum are designed to help the
nine-year old with this transition, as well. One feature of this change
is that children begin to experience uncertainty. They are unsure of
their surroundings and begin to question and to be afraid. The third
grade study of house building corresponds to a child's need to find
stability in the world. This confidence is furthered by the study of how
a modern house is constructed. The children can feel the solidity of
the foundation, the firmness of the floor joists, and the uprightness of
the stud walls. Children at this age have a great interest in all that
people can do with their hands and are fascinated by the plumbers,
electricians, roofers, and painters. They come to sense their own
potential and understand that they too can do. This feeling is
empowering. It works to allay fears and to quell insecurities.
For the ten-year-old child, the world begins to expand. So in fourth
grade geography is introduced to correspond to the children's growing
interest in the neighborhoods in which they live. This initial study of
geography helps children begin to orient themselves, gradually reaching
out from the neighborhood to the towns, cities, provinces, and countries
of the earth. This study will be continued and expanded each year
through eighth grade until the children have a thorough understanding of
the vastness and diversity of our planet.
In sixth grade, for instance, the teaching of geometry mirrors the
adolescents growing need and affinity for precision. The geometric
constructions that are done in class with serious mechanical drawing
tools support the acquisition of new skills and new understandings.
Terms like circumference, radius, diameter, perpendicular, and parallel
become meaningful through hands-on constructions. These constructions
are intricate and demanding, combining technical accuracy with artistic
ability. This is an unbeatable combination for the twelve year-old:
engaging them fully while enabling them to work with marked focus and
uncharacteristic quiet. The result is the acquisition of technical skill
and know-how that is lasting and sound.
In seventh grade, the historical study of the Renaissance is the
perfect subject for the thirteen year-old. At a time when young people
are ready to redefine themselves, leave their early grade experiences
behind and look to the future, they resonate with the changing world of
Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Copernicus. Old ideas and ways of thinking
have lost immediacy and power for the seventh grader. In history
classes, as in all subjects, the students create their own textbooks.
They write compositions to summarise in a clear and concise manner the
important information that has been studied and carefully illustrate
their work through demanding modes of self-expression.
In seventh and eighth grade, science studies reflect a young person's
growing preoccupation with his or her physical body. Whether the
subject is human physiology with a study of the circulatory, digestive,
and reproductive systems, or the anatomy of the skeletal system, the
students are captivated by this work in a way that could not have been
possible prior to puberty.
Throughout the grade school, the students experience a deep spectrum
of feelings as they are taught in a manner that nurtures both their
affective and cognitive capacities. They delight, wonder, and are
surprised by the subjects they study. They relive the development of
western civilisation and come to a deeper understanding of what it means
to be human.
