Each Waldorf school shares a unique approach. It is our experience that the majority of our graduates are accepted into a university or other post-secondary program of their choice. Learn about our successful curricula below. Education from a deeper perspective™ is the core approach of Toronto Waldorf School. Its depth and complexity are reflected by the following foundations.
At TWS we plan every learning activity attending to its impact on mind, body, and spirit. We understand each one affects the others and all engage in the learning process. Our lessons integrate listening, doing, thinking, and speaking to deepen the learning for every student. Our teachers bring our curriculum to life, connecting numerous academic disciplines with hands-on experience to engage your child’s mind and heart in profound ways.
Integration of subjects and methodologies and relevance to the real world are fundamental to our approach to building academic excellence. It is our experience that nearly 100% of TWS graduates get into a university or other post-secondary program of their choice.
At TWS, we recognize and build upon the physiological, emotional, and intellectual changes as the students develop. Our specially-trained teachers present material when the class is ready and able and work with it, whether it’s the fundamentals of reading or arithmetic, the structure of an essay, or grappling with atomic theory.
Teaching approaches and learning tools vary widely, matched to students’ needs and capacities at every age and stage of development. At TWS we foster a climate where students are accepted and valued by their teachers and peers for their unique talents and potential. Since every child learns differently, our teachers tailor lessons to meet a variety of learning styles and provide individual support to meet each child’s needs.
All children are given concrete feedback and progress is monitored against their unfolding capacities, rather than against other students. This allows students to develop skills and capacities with confidence. Every week our faculties meet to discuss individual students and create opportunities to enhance student learning. At TWS, children are supported to develop a sense of wonder and appreciation for the richness of the world on our unique 20-acre campus. In our Farming and Gardening program, students care for the environment and its inhabitants as they collect compost, tend our organic farm, and nurture seedlings in our greenhouse.
Through the grades, our field trips have strong connections to natural settings, including camping and canoeing trips in the wilderness. A deeper understanding of the importance of sustainability and our connection to our global and local communities is a cornerstone of our education.
More than the simple acquisition of information, Waldorf education is a journey of discovery. Our unique curriculum, designed to bring the right subject at the right developmental moment, is complemented by teachers who create opportunities for students to experience deeply what they are learning. Our students encounter subject matter experientially, through the story, movement, drawing, painting, writing, speaking, inventing, acting, sculpting, etc. they live the subject. This approach gives the student a profound experience of the subject matter that, for many, lasts a lifetime.
The experiences extend beyond the classroom and school a Grade 12 class studying international issues helped plan and implement a community service trip to Cuba. The students participated in a community-building project and provided medical supplies to local doctors. Turning ideas into action is a hallmark of our educational approach, and imparts both a wealth of experience and knowledge to our students that they take with them into their personal and professional lives.
