We can place ourselves correctly in life only when every moment, every day, every week, every year becomes a source of learning for our further development. Regardless of how far we go in our schooling, we will have accomplished the most if, through this schooling, we have learned how to learn from life. —Rudolf Steiner: The Spirit of the Waldorf School
At Charlottesville Waldorf School, special consideration is given to the social and learning needs of students at each stage of development. For young adolescents in the middle school program, curriculum directs students to begin thinking critically and objectively through observation and refined lesson blocks including, but not limited to, algebra, physics, geology, astronomy, and immigration & social reform. They are provided a supportive environment to express themselves artistically with increasingly complex handwork, poetry writing, storytelling, woodworking, and orchestra.
In addition, middle school students are invited to be stewards of the school as they begin to think beyond themselves and explore the world around them. They are encouraged to reach out to others, against their natural tendency to isolate, by playing team sports (CWS basketball and soccer seasons), producing the school-wide Michaelmas Festival, and working one-on-one with second graders as they begin to read.