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"Receive the child in reverence, educate the child with love, let the child go forth in freedom."
Rudolf Steiner

Waldorf Education

Waldorf education was developed in Europe by Rudolf Steiner who was a great visionary, educator and scientist. He was adept at observing the developing child. His goal in education was to nurture artistically, spiritually and intellectually the highest potential in each child. Curriculum, style of teaching and the incorporation of the arts into each subject are the things that set Waldorf education apart. With great insight, care and concern Steiner developed Waldorf education. The Latin "educare" (our word for education) means to "bring forth." Steiner said, "Education is an art- it must speak to the child's experience. To educate the whole child, the heart and the will must be reached as well as the mind."

In a Waldorf School competence is stressed, as every child is taught they can be an artist, a scientist, a writer, a gardener, a carpenter, a mathematician or all of the above. An individual may blossom at different times and with different intensity, but the ability is there. Rudolf Steiner said, "Our highest endeavor must be to develop free human beings, who are able out of their own initiative to impart purpose and direction in their lives".

Case Study

The Waldorf School of Cape Cod has announced that David Gable, the school's current eighth grade teacher, will begin another 8-year loop with the school's first grade class in the fall. Parents can meet him and learn more about Waldorf education at the Grades Open House on Sunday, February 12, from 1:00-3:00pm.

Bourne, MA (PRWEB) February 5, 2006 -- The Waldorf School of Cape Cod, located at 85 Cotuit Road in Bourne, recently announced that next year’s first grade teacher will be David Gable.

Mr. Gable will graduate the current eighth grade class in June, having completed an eight-year loop with his students.

He was a founding parent at the school when it first opened in Woods Hole in 1984, and September will mark the beginning of his 19th year as a teacher at the school. In addition to teaching the first grade, he will continue to lead the school’s dynamic music program.

When asked about making the transition from teaching eighth grade to first grade, Mr. Gable replied, “First grade is fun, but it is also a challenge. It’ll be a change of pace going from correcting essays and algebra back to letter stories and ‘Queen Division.’”

Although he is still deeply engaged in his work with the current eighth grade class, Mr. Gable is also looking ahead toward the fall. “I am trying to observe children in the current kindergarten to get a sense of them—who they are, what they’re like,” he reported. “I make a special point of saying ‘hello’ to them so that they can easily recognize me and get a sense of me. By the end of the year, I won’t be an unknown person to them. I also continue to build an image of what the whole class will be as I meet parents and prospective students who are not currently enrolled at the school. So much of being able to meet the needs of the class requires knowing who you are teaching. After you’ve been with them for a little while, you start tailoring more and more of what you’re doing to what they’re asking of you, so it’s nice to get a little bit of a head start on knowing the children as a group and as individua ls.”

Mr. Gable was born in Minneapolis. He received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Michigan School of Music and his Music Masters degree from the Boston University School of Fine Arts. He later completed his Masters in Education with a Waldorf Teacher Certification at Antioch New England Graduate School.

He is a Mashpee resident and has four children, two of whom are currently enrolled in the grades program at the school. In addition to music, his interests include art, organic gardening, and reading.

Those interested in meeting Mr. Gable and learning more about the 75-year history of Waldorf education in the United States are encouraged to attend the school’s upcoming Grades Open House on Sunday, February 12, from 1:00 to 3:00pm.

The Waldorf School of Cape Cod is a non-sectarian, non-profit organization and consists of families throughout Barnstable, Plymouth, and Bristol counties. The school is affiliated with both the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America and the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America. As the only Waldorf school in southeastern Massachusetts, the school serves over 150 children each year in its parent-child classes, preschool, kindergarten, and grades one through eight.

Further information about the Grades Open House and the school is available by contacting the school’s Enrollment Director, Meredith Hunnibell, at 508-759-7499, or by visiting the school’s comprehensive web site at www.waldorfschoolofcapecod.org.

WALDORF SCHOOL OF CAPE COD
http://www.waldorfschoolofcapecod.org

WALDORF SCHOOL OF ORANGE COUNTY (CALIFORNIA)
http://www.waldorfschool.com/
The ten-acre school site is located on the bluffs in Costa Mesa adjoining a park and nature preserve area. A mild climate year-round with little rain and sunny skies nearly everyday lets us take advantage of our unique environment.

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