The Role of Community in Education
When it comes to raising a child, the responsibility and challenges are immense. We’ve heard the phrase, “it takes a village” and we know across cultures and human history, community is invaluable to the growth and development of healthy, happy individuals.
In Waldorf Education, we begin with each individual student and look to their entire family system as absolutely vital in building the community fabric that supports all our students. Our goal has always been to nurture a dynamic community of connection, engagement and intention that serves as a model for our students. By building a supportive community, students grow in a space that builds their understanding and respect for what it means to support other individuals and invest in something larger than one’s self. What’s more, a focus is placed on long term, meaningful relationships between students and teachers that serves as foundational models for building resilient connections in life.
By modeling community for our students, we are modeling a more connected, engaged, relationship focused world.
There are many elements in Waldorf Education that contribute to community building and the growth of human connection. These include teacher-student relationships, festivals, volunteer opportunities on and off campus, parent education and so much more. Parents and individuals who have generously given their time, passion and resources to WSRF always have been and always will be, the foundation of this community. Our school simply would not exist without the generous contributions of our entire community in countless ways, shapes and forms. Thank you, to every human being who has build this community over the past 30 years and for the next 30 to come!
Opportunities for community connection at WSRF include and are not limited to:
Student - Teacher Relationships are deeply valued in Waldorf Education. In a ‘traditional’ model, teachers travel as the class teacher from 1st to 8th Grade with a group of students, building meaningful connections with every student and family over the course of the journey. While this full traditional model isn’t always possible, at WSRF, we focus nurturing multi-year relationships with teachers and students to our fullest capacity. We are fortunate that the vast majority of our teachers each year return, to lead their classes and thus build extended, dynamic relationships with their students. This approach allows for relationships to develop, mold and change over time, modeling for students dynamics in life and nurturing true community; where each individual is seen, respected and valued within the community space. What’s more, teachers come to better understand the strengths and challenges of each student and can better meet the learning needs of each student year-after-year. Our goal is to equip students with the capacities for building resilient connections in life.
Campus Wide Student Relationships are a priority at WSRF. This value is directly supported by programs such as our Social Literacy Program that intentionally nurtures opportunities for students across grades to build connections. The Buddy Program pairs each older class with a younger class in the grades for regular activities, weekly ‘buddy lunches’ and campus wide CREW days. 8th graders are paired with 1st graders and welcome to the grades community at the start of the school year with the annual rose ceremony. The gesture is then returned at the end of the year with the 1st graders send each of their 8th grade buddy graduates off with a rose for their journey ahead. (7th grade is paired with 2nd grade, 3rd grade with 6th grade and so forth). CREW days and activities bring together campus wide CREWS, made up of students from every grade and led by a designated 8th grader. The 8th graders therefore have leadership opportunities such as leading their entire CREW in a campus fort building project or community service project. Learn more about social literacy programs at WSRF here which aim to support community connection and social-emotional learning for all our students.
Festivals are annual, predictable opportunities for our entire community to come together in celebration and reflection. Festivals provide students and their family’s with the chance to pause, in our busy world and gather together to acknowledge the changing seasons. In taking time out of our regular schedules to come together as a community, gratitude and rhythm are built in ways that deeply nurtures students. At WSRF, we celebrate a collection of festivals each year in addition to individual classes celebrating festivals that align with their curriculum and the communities of each individual classes. This allows teachers to work closely with families to support the traditions and cultures of our individual families and share those within our community.
Volunteer Opportunities on our campus, on student field trips and so much more bring rich opportunities for engagement and growth. The above noted festivals (Winterfaire, Mayfaire and more) provide annual opportunities for our entire community to come together and create incredible experiences for students and the broader community. Our students also take regular field trips which parent chaperones support and have the chance to engage directly with curriculum and exploration. Parent volunteers also lead critical fundraising efforts including our Annual Fund and our Spring Gala, both of which directly support WSRF programs and are critical to our school’s operations. If you are interested in supporting WSRF in anyway, please contact our community Development Administrator here.
Parent Education offers opportunities for parents to learn more about Waldorf Education and continue to explore their own learning. Research from John Geldhoff, an Oregon University assistant professor of behavioral and health science has found that “all parents—high income, low income, mandated and non–mandated—can benefit from evidence-based parenting education. Parents who have attended classes report having children with higher grades, fewer behavior problems, less substance abuse issues, better mental health and greater social competence.” The chance for parents to keep learning as individuals only further supports students in the classroom and nurtures the growth of the whole community. WSRF offers regular parent education opportunities including guest speakers, book clubs, parent evenings by grade and more! If you have ideas or offerings to further enrich parent education at WSRF, please contact our community Development Administrator here.