Sharifa Oppenheimer is the author of the bestselling book “Heaven on Earth: A Handbook for Parents of Young Children” and it’s companion “How to Create the Star of Your Family Culture”. Her book “With Stars in Their Eyes: Brain Science and Your Child’s Journey Toward the Self” was published in 2019. She was also the founding teacher of the Charlottesville Waldorf School, leading the Early Childhood program for over 20 years. Her children and grandchildren attended the school.

We were fortunate to interview Sharifa in October 2025 and will be sharing a series of short videos from that interview. Here, she reflects on her introduction to Waldorf education, and shares how CWS was founded and the journey of the school to it’s current location in Charlottesville.