Threefold nature of knowing

Each lesson in the Waldorf classroom is designed in a threefold manner, also referred to as the “head, heart, and hands” approach. Each experience engages students’ intellectual capacities (thinking), their artistic and emotional capacities (feeling), and their practical, skill-building capacities (willing). Waldorf’s threefold approach masterfully integrates education with the natural stages of development resulting in meaningful and memorable learning experiences.

Social health of the community

Waldorf schools model and instill a deep sense of community. The Waldorf School of St. Louis carves out time and space for students to build close relationships with their peers, teachers, and other adults in the school. Students develop trust, social skills, and spiritual awareness by respecting and caring for each other, their environment and the earth.

Main Lesson Blocks

Students study core curriculum subjects, such as language arts and math, as well as unique academic subjects, such zoology, in two-hour main lesson periods each morning. Each main lesson block lasts two to four weeks. This block rotation, which enables intense focus on a topic for weeks at a time, allows students and teachers to immerse themselves in the subject matter.

Phenomenological Approach to Science

The sciences are taught experientially and follow a phenomenological approach. The teacher sets up an experiment and calls upon the students to observe, ponder, and discuss the results. This process allows students to think critically and discover conclusions (laws, formulas, etc.) for themselves and together as a class. This approach to the sciences organically teaches true scientific thinking and builds students’ confidence in their ability to reason.

An Extraordinary Humanities Curriculum

A rich immersion in the humanities begins in early childhood, as children listen with rapt attention while the teacher tells a fairy tale or nature story. Through these stories, children see into other ways of life and gain an appreciation for the diversity of humankind.‍ ‍

In the grades, children live into the stories they are told, which include the legends of saints, multicultural folklore, Native American tales, and mythology.

Art Is a Signature of Waldorf Education

The arts — fine art, performing art, and practical art — are integrated into the curriculum on a daily basis. Students create class plays based on history lessons, and practice and apply knowledge of fractions by playing musical instruments. Participation in the arts engages students on an emotional level and encourages self-awareness. When students create objects of beauty and value, they strengthen their imagination and self-control. These skills carry over to academics and to everyday life.

Nature Immersion: Forest Fridays and Nature Exploration

Studies continue to show that the more time children spend in nature, the healthier, happier, and more creative they are. Waldorf education respects the restorative benefits of the natural world and provides all students with multiple opportunities to spend time in nature each day. In addition to daily outdoor play in The Meadow, Early Childhood students spend their day in nature during Friday Forest Day.

The Garden and The Meadow

Our garden is an outdoor extension of our classroom space. Children revel in the real work of preparing garden beds, composting, planting, cultivating and harvesting. Gardening is a meaningful way to enhance strength and gross motor development. It also fosters a deeper understanding of and appreciation for agriculture and the food we consume.

The Meadow, another outdoor campus space, is full of edible herbs and invites children to use their senses of smell and taste while exploring outdoors.

Assessment and Grading Practices

Our school provides the healthiest possible learning culture for students, one that is free from unproductive stress and competition. The absence of letter grades promotes a culture where students are internally motivated to reach their highest potential rather than doing just enough to achieve a desired letter grade.

We provide families with comprehensive end-of-year reports, which are an innovative way of recording students’ progress. The content of the report provides meaningful insight into students’ strengths, accomplishments, and areas of growth. We also strive to develop qualities than cannot be measured through testing, such as creativity, critical thinking, resilience, motivation, persistence, curiosity, civic-mindedness, empathy, leadership, compassion, and zest for life.

Student/Teacher Relationships

Waldorf teachers strive to transform education into an art that educates the whole child. In so doing, teachers nurture a relationship of trust and mutual regard with their students.

The main classroom teacher generally loops with the class through the years, accompanying students through multiple grades. The security of these long-term relationships enhances learning, confidence, and social and emotional skills, while ensuring that each student’s needs are fulfilled.

All of our teachers engage students by teaching in a dynamic and collaborative manner, and establish within each student his or her own highest level of academic excellence. They spark inner enthusiasm for learning and help students find meaning and direction in their lives.