What is Waldorf?
Founded in 1919 in Stuttgart, Germany, Waldorf schools were developed as a response to the rising industrialization and homogenization of education. Consequently, Waldorf schools were designed with a reverence for childhood, curiosity, and individuality, committed to inspiring life-long learning in all students and enabling them to fully develop their unique capacities, no matter what they are.
The employees of the Waldorf-Astoria Cigarette Factory in Stuttgart, Germany, for whose children the first Waldorf school was designed.
A global movement
After beginning in Germany, Waldorf schools spread throughout Europe and then the world. There are now over 1,000 Waldorf schools on six continents in over 60 countries across the globe. The Chicago Waldorf School is one of the largest in the United States.
Highlights
Waldorf education is different from mainstream models in a number of crucial ways. It’s also different from other alternative independent schools. Below are a few highlights that make us stand out.
Integrated Arts
The arts are fully integrated into all academic disciplines for students from preschool through high school in order to enhance and enrich each subject and offer you a variety of points of entry into new or challenging material. At CWHS, you’ll get used to being out of their comfort zone, learning to thrive in unfamiliar environments with openness, resilience, and confidence.
No standardized testing
Waldorf education doesn’t rely on testing and, as an independent school, we do not participate in state standardized testing. Instead, you will experience your education first hand. Mathematics, music, dance, theater, biology, handwork, writing, literature, physics, history - no matter the subject - you’ll engage with it physically, creatively, and intellectually in order to grow your understanding of the world, each other, and yourselves.
Slow-Tech
While technology can be a useful tool for research and creative expression, we find that it is often unnecessary in the classroom. You’ll turn off your cell phone at the beginning of the school day, enabling you to fully engage with your classmates, your teachers, and your education, whether in the physics lab, on the parkour course, or in the tidepools of coastal Maine. Throughout your career, you’ll learn how to engage with technology in a thoughtful, responsible, and compassionate way, so that we can all help to build an ethical, pro-social technological future.
Service Learning
As a CWHS student, you’ll take a number of Service Learning trips throughout your career. Wherever we go, we want to give back to our host community, whether it’s a local food shelter or an international aid organization. CWHS students have built homes in New Orleans, worked at Camphill communities for people with disabilities, provided hurricane relief in Puerto Rico, and worked on organic farms.
Ready to learn more?
Schedule a tour, Shadow Day, or phone call with our Admissions Team. We can’t wait to meet you!