4616 Steiner Prospectus - Samford Valley Steiner School

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Steiner teachers embrace each child as a multifaceted being, with a three-fold nature com pris ing body, soul and spirit. 1 STEINER EDUCATION AN INTRODUCTION The impulse of Steiner Education in the world Steiner education, based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, is aimed at giving each new generation of children an education entirely free from partisan political, economic, sectarian or racial infl uences. Steiner schools strive to produce un prej u diced, wellinformed and creative young people who are practical con trib u tors to society’s renewal and to the future evolution of humanity and the planet. Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) was a European visionary whose life work en light ened areas such as education, medicine, architecture, agriculture, the arts and spiritual philosophy. His educational philosophy is based on a spiritual un der stand ing of the developing human being - everything else within a Steiner school arises from this understanding. Therefore, Steiner teachers embrace each child as a multi-faceted being, with a three-fold nature comprising body, soul and spirit. Steiner aimed to create a holistic educational experience that enriched the life and development of the child on many levels, not simply through the de vel op ment of the intellect. His aim wasn’t to inculcate in children any particular view point or ideology, but rather to make them so healthy, strong, inwardly free and aware of their humanity that they would become a kind of tonic for society as a whole. The hundreds of lectures and written works by Steiner on education were in tend ed to help teachers develop an understanding of the universal process of human development and how this manifests in each child. Out of these insights, each teacher is able to visualise what is right for the particular combination of individuals in each class. Steiner saw it is an absolute obligation of each teacher to ensure that the way each subject is treated in every lesson is in accord with the degree of maturation indicated by both the age and observable characteristics of the children in each class. The fi rst Steiner school was established in Stuttgart, Germany in 1919, at the behest of the owner of the Waldorf Astoria cigarette company. The factory di rec tor, Emil Molt, an advocate of Steiner’s approach, wanted the worker’s children provided with a quality education which would encourage a broader en gage ment with society’s issues and opportunities. Thus, the impulse for Steiner ed u ca tion then, as now, is cultural renewal, fostered through a new understanding of the individual and community. The impulse provided by Steiner allows a broad and fl exible orientation within which it is possible to be faithful to his ideas. Over the past eighty years, this has encouraged the emergence of over 780 Steiner/Waldorf schools in some 40 countries around the world, each uniquely relevant to the social, cultural and economic conditions faced by its own community within the broader global con text. samford valley steiner school
2 STEINER EDUCATION OUR SCHOOL’S INTERPRETATION OF STEINER EDUCATION Our Mission, Vision and Values brought to life As in all schools identifying with Steiner’s philosophy, Samford Valley Steiner School aims to provide an education which: 1. Fosters the holistic development of the child – our school seeks to bring an integrated approach to knowledge where science, art, religion and human values interact to enhance each other. Holistic development also means that the curriculum works in a harmonising way right into the bodily rhythms and proc ess es enabling the healthy development of the whole person with a balanced relationship to others and to the world. 2. Enables each child to progressively realise their individual potential – our teachers work with the assumption that the child before them possesses greater reserves of potential than have yet been revealed. Our teachers stimulate our student’s self-activity and love of learning, assisting them to develop their natural talents and transform their challenges. Students are enabled to eventually take responsibility for their own learning processes and ongoing life development. 3. Helps each child to develop the qualities, competencies and skills they need to contribute to society’s renewal – to this end our teachers ensure that our students are taught a broad range of subjects and skills which will assist them to make a creative and responsible contribution to whatever sphere of life interests them. These subjects and skills address the eight key learning areas identifi ed in the National Goals for Schooling in the 21st Century and support the attainment of numeracy and English literacy skills. We meet the emerging needs of children from early childhood through to early adulthood in an integrated, socially inclusive, mixed ability, and co-operative learn ing environment. Our teachers treat each child as an individual, catering to each child’s learning ability and style, while continuing to place emphasis on the social cohesion of the whole class. Students who need support in one area have special talents in another and a whole class approach provides opportunities to develop the students’ tolerance, empathy and respect for others. Our school does not subscribe to any particular religion, seeking instead to em pha sise the spiritual essence in every individual. We believe this can best fi nd expression through attention to the quality of human relationships within the classroom and throughout the whole school. Instead of upholding old belief systems with religious language, our emphasis is on the sacredness of life, in all its forms, within a divinely created universe where each individual can awaken to a sense of responsibility, importance and sense of purpose. The fi gure of Christ stands as the ideal representative of all that is both human and divine. Ideally, we will assist with the development of young people who have a sense of self- worth and who are positive towards others, inwardly resolute, thoughtful in observation and self-expression, and who pursue life with enthusiasm, faith in their fellow human beings and optimism for the future. samford valley steiner school
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4616 Steiner Prospectus - Samford Valley Steiner School

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