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.

- 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.