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Waldorf Philosophy
Bright Water School is a part of a growing
international community of schools that embraces Waldorf education.
The Waldorf curriculum is based on the work of Rudolf Steiner
(1861-1925), an Austrian scientist, philosopher, artist and
educator who founded the first Waldorf School in Stuttgart,
Germany in 1919. Waldorf schools share a common philosophy,
a methodical approach, and curriculum.
The heart of the Waldorf philosophy is the
belief that education must meet the child developmentally.
The very young child learns best through imitation and imagination,
the grade school child through the realm of the emotions and
senses, and the adolescent through the intellect. The Waldorf
curriculum carefully balances academic, artistic and practical
activities and develops the child's self-confidence and self-reliance,
while fostering personal integrity and a sense of social and
environmental responsibility.
Bright Water School prepares students to
enter their high school years with self-discipline, independence,
social awareness, the foundation work necessary for analytical
and critical thinking skills, and wonder and reverence for
the world.
A Waldorf education prepares the child
as thoroughly as possible for their future life experiences.
A rigorous classical education instills the academic skills
necessary to succeed in high school and later academic work.
Healthy emotional development is supported by conveying knowledge
experientially as well as academically. The community of the
school created through the strong bond formed between teachers,
students and their families, forms and supports the students'
abilities to take risks and meet challenges. This is accomplished
through a faculty of teachers thoroughly trained in the methodology
specific to Waldorf schools and who approach the children
with enthusiasm and respect for the emerging individuality
in each child.
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