At the Vancouver Waldorf School, students learn from an early age to engage in their learning process. The imaginative play and grace of the Kindergarten years evolve into an experience of meeting the beauty and complexity of the world with sensitivity and hope. This foundation leads to a rich academic high school experience that supports young men and women in realizing their full potential as students, as people, as members of the human community.
In addition to imparting knowledge, the school intends to foster in children a sense of reverence and respect for life. The close relationships between students and teachers enhance learning and the ability to explore new interests and take on new challenges. Students are engaged in a learning experience both artistic and academically challenging.
After over forty years of existence, we are very pleased to host our programs for young children in our Early Childhood Centre, erected in 2004 to serve the needs of young children. Our center was designed and built following principles of healthy and sustainable living, including non-toxic Vancouver Waldorf School | Early Childhoodpaint and non-off gassing cabinets to reduce toxic compounds and improve indoor air quality, energy-efficient lighting design and natural daylight scheme, energy star rated appliances for reduced use of natural resources, and recycled wood flooring and high use of local and regional material.
Our landscaping offers ample opportunities for age-appropriate exploration, providing scented flowerbeds, gardens for planting and digging and plenty of space for crawling, running and climbing. The Vancouver Waldorf School Early Childhood Center has fully licensed our staff to meet all licensing requirements and is experienced child-care providers with Waldorf training.
The Vancouver Waldorf High School offers an alternative to high-pressure education. Our classes are small and personal with a focus on supporting the development of confident and creative thinkers. Our unique curriculum integrates the beauty of the arts into rigorous academics and experiential learning.
At the Vancouver Waldorf School, we prepare students for more than just university or college. Adolescents long to know the truths of the world, and they rightfully question everything and everyone. Waldorf teachers recognize that behind their questions stands Vancouver Waldorf School | High School's inner quest for meaning and self-knowledge. The interdisciplinary curriculum in a Waldorf High School provides a unique framework to meet this quest. For example, students extend their understanding of scientific concepts through drawing, modeling, or poetry, they discover the evolving relationships of science, art, and religion in their study of history, and reading and discussing the medieval legend of Parzival, they engage in an examination of the roots of core cultural values.
At the heart of the Waldorf approach is the recognition of the physical and emotional changes that occur as a child matures. In grade school, our teachers take care to introduce skills, subjects, and concepts at a time that is appropriate to the child’s physiological, emotional, and spiritual development. We use a multi-sensory approach, integrating the arts into each subject to engage the whole child in the learning process rather than simply imparting intellectual information. From their lessons, the students develop their own “Main Lesson” books, filled with rich self-expression and academic content.
In grade school, the students are given a classical education in reading, writing, mathematics, literature, and the sciences. The class teacher stays with a class to teach the core curriculum from first grade to eighth grade, allowing the children to grow in confidence and security as their teacher’s understanding of them deepens. Specialty teachers provide instruction in areas such as music, French, physical education and movement, and handwork.
The Grade school key: We do not teach students “a set of facts” they will need for high school. We help each child to develop a set of skills learned in relationship to that child’s individual experience. Anything learned purely through memorization is not enough. Real learning and understanding occur when you have internalized the experience and made it your own. We strive to support our grade school students in the unfolding of their emotional lives by nurturing their growing sensitivities and feelings through every step of our curriculum.
