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My experience as a
Waldorf student.
Published in Slovenian Waldorf school newspaper
Looking back now a few years, its very interesting to see
how the people in my class have all chosen such different paths. For
example
one of my friends is working as a cook in one of the top hotels in
Ireland, another friend is studying tai-chi in China, and another is in
university studying Astrophysics in LondonImperia
College. These are just a
few examples of friends who have stayed in the Waldorf education until
class
13.
Although its often hard to recognize whilst in school, its
clear to me that I learnt to pursue the things that I enjoy most, rather than
feel pressured to stick to a conventional school then university approach to
education. Having traveled a lot has shown me how many opportunities life has
to offer, there is no one way of doing anything. Say I wanted to become a
journalist, typically to apply to a newspaper I would have to study at a
university and present some form of degree.
- that is one way to become a journalist...there are millions, for example the
internet now is host to blogging which is a far more powerful medium for news
these days and requires only interesting content, anyone can be a "blogger". Or
one could go to say Africa and write for ‘The
Times' there and have a translator work for you. At no stage am I suggesting
university is wrong, just that it's a big step which I feel requires a fair
amount of self understanding. There are always options available for those who
look. Knowledge is always available, and can always be learnt.
When I visited the Waldorf school in Ljubljana and watched
class three perform a eurhythmy dance, it struck me how important it is for
children even from such a young age to start learning about working in a group,
with each other, all supporting the performance. Sitting in an exam does note
necessarily demand much creativity, but seeing your friend forget a line in the
play, or make a wrong move requires a collective decision. So fair enough at
that age it might be asking a bit much, but as one progresses through the
years, with each new play it starts to become more natural.
I remember one performance I did in class 6, ragnarok, in
which I forgot to wear my hat, a friend, back stage, immediately recognized
this and was running around waiting for the first opportunity to discreetly
pass it. Personally I was so full of adrenaline at having my first major part
with I think 26 lines I didn't care about hats, but it's a wonderful example of
how doing plays like this help us to be aware of others, and their needs. Where
an exam may teach one to understand a subject better, a play teaches one to
understand people and relationships.
As the internet is connecting people all over the world it
is becoming easier to find things. Say for example 30 years ago, your daughter
wanted a special and rare pearl bracelet for her 21st birthday, as a
father where do you start? Do you take a year off work, buy a boat and go
diving in the sea?
- might be a nice change of scenery for some, but I don't see it as a popular
option. Now just a few minutes will get you someone, anywhere in the world who
has a passion and knowledge about pearls. You meet him, buy him maybe a few
coffees, have a chat, and work something out. The result could be a beautiful
pearl bracelet that no shop can offer. A really special gift for that special
21st birthday. What I am getting at with this anecdote is the
importance developing ones own passions into something constructive. It could
be any
In the Waldorf education by doing so many different types of
activities such as wood work, theatre, singing, gardening, children learn about
themselves, what they like, what they dislike and also so very important is how
best they learn. This is something I learned about myself from an early age,
for me the practical approach to absorbing knowledge is much faster. I prefer
to not be afraid of making mistakes, and just learn quickly from them. But that
is just me, one of my best friends has been accepted into the Cambridge to study English Literature, there
are no limits in a Waldorf education because it focuses on the individual
child's needs. Its always possible to learn, but maybe one person likes to
learn whilst in a boat, maybe one person understands calculus best whilst in an
airplane, maybe one person finds it easy to learn whilst listening to rock
concerts at full volume...something I might prefer to avoid...hey, if it works for
that person then great but everybody needs to go through a process to discover
their own work patterns and habits.
In the school that I went to, we learnt the basic skills,
and from then on, it was up to us to take an increasing amount of initiative in
our own learning. I chose to continue Physics simply because I loved the
teacher, like many of them, they inspired me with their own interests to learn
about the subject. We made a cloud chamber in one of our lessons to observe
particles passing through a super saturation cloud, nothing to do with any
syllabus, but one of the most memorable lessons I have ever had. We discovered
the experiment, and he provided us with all the knowledge and material needed.
About me: So what have I done with my life? Well nothing
that I can show someone on a piece of paper, nothing that I can take to a bank
and expect a job offer. Just a lot of experiences, a lot of memories, and a lot
of lessons learnt the hard way.
I went to a business university in America for a
year, and a combination of things made me decide not to continue, I started
traveling and have been doing so for the last year. All over the world, new
people, new places, new countries, new food, it's been a university of life.
Just being around so many different types of people. One thing I learnt from
experience is that a lot of business is founded and constructed from
communication and flexibility in relationships with others. There is no need
for rocket science to start a business. Traveling has helped me a tremendous
amount in feeling confident when dealing with any new situation or type of
relationship. Having been through the typical "class plays" each year in school
has really supported the ability to work as a team and individual at the same
time.
I have the advantage that my parents are able to support me in my travels, but
at the same time I feel no fear that were that financial support to suddenly
go, I would find another way to continue doing what I enjoy. I recently
received a job offer in England
to start a company building houses mainly from Lithuanian wood. It's a very big
learning curve, but that's just knowledge which takes time to digest. Information
is now so readily available; it often only takes a little creativity and time
to feel comfortable in any new field of knowledge. I have recently bought an
Iphone which effectively means that I have almost all knowledge at my finger
tips.
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