We are living in an age of dissolving social, political and economic forms and of fragmented family life. An education which promotes a vision of wholeness offers a foundation on which to sustain today's youth in tomorrow's world. A Waldorf curriculum fosters a deep self-awareness, intellectual curiosity, confidence and imagination. Each subject is introduced at a developmentally appropriate stage in the growing child's life-an approach subsequently endorsed by such researchers as Jean Piaget, David Elkind, Joseph Chilton Pearce and the Gesell Institute. Waldorf schools turn out young people to be well-trained intellectually, amply prepared for life and imbued with a joy of learning.
Graduates progress from the imitation of early childhood to the critical thinking of adolescence.
Guiding the students during these years is the class teacher, who moves with a class from the first to eighth grade. The position of the class teacher is a unique strength of the Waldorf schools. The class teacher is responsible for a wide spectrum of academic and non-academic subjects, from mathematics to mythology, from physics to perspective drawing, from algebra to astronomy. In the Waldorf School elementary school, the 'basic' subjects are taught in ways that go beyond a purely intellectual approach. An appreciation for quality and aesthetics is nurtured throughout.