Programs

“A great deal is said today about the need for engineers and for scientists, and the point of view is taken that if you have better science courses and specialize sooner in the scientific branches of knowledge, you are going to get better scientists. I think that the best scientist is the best and most creative thinker and that the task of education is first of all to educate human beings who then can become scientists.”
~ Rudolf Steiner (1864-1924), educator, philosopher and visionary.

What is true education?

True education is much more than simply imparting information.

Love. Awe. Devotion. Compassion. Trust. The ability to recognize beauty; to discriminate between right and wrong; to carry out a chosen course of action. These are the qualities consciously cultivated at the Nelson Waldorf School from early childhood through adolescence.

The Nelson Waldorf School’s well-rounded academic curriculum, enlivened by the arts, music, movement, and foreign languages, provides a learning environment that fosters creativity and healthy social interactions. As you explore the many facets of this rich curriculum, you will see that the experiences at our school are about transformation – the gradual unfolding of faculties and capacities which take the individual beyond tradition and the conventions of our time.

Today’s students will become tomorrow’s initiators of cultural progress. We believe that a lifelong love of learning and a curiosity to ask deep questions are vital to this process. Our graduates leave school with clear, independent thinking; feelings of empathy and creative activity; and ultimately a strength of will that propels them toward moral courage and social responsibility.

With the founding of the first Waldorf School in Germany in 1919, Steiner sowed the seeds of an educational movement that was designed to meet the needs of developing children, and to nurture them as they grow into well-rounded, self-directed young adults.

In essence, Waldorf Education is a developmentally appropriate, balanced education that integrates the arts and academics for children from preschool through twelfth grade, (Grades 10 through 12 are not yet available in Nelson). Waldorf Education encourages the development of each child’s sense of truth, beauty, and goodness — an antidote to violence, alienation, and cynicism. The aim is to fully develop the capacities of each student and to inspire a love for lifelong learning.