Education
On grading students
Achieving fairness
Many believe the best way to grade students is to treat each the same, i.e., hold all to the same standard. This line of reasoning holds that anything else amounts to changing the rules, which is inherently unfair.
They may be quick to point out that employers won't change their rules, nor will life. Furthermore, teaching students to conform is in their own best interest, while encouraging brilliant, troublesome, non-conformist behavior is a poor preparation for real life.
Einstein and genius
Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.
The Ecology of Wisdom: Writings by Arne Naess
This collection of essays displays the inner balance of someone who has lived long, observed well, and thought carefully. The selections are thoughtful yet quietly light-hearted, concerned yet stubbornly hopeful, deep yet surprisingly accessible, comprehensive yet intensely focused, intellectual yet never pedantic. This is my first introduction to the ideas of Arne Naess. It has inspired me to visit Norway this summer where I hope to learn more about the culture and people. Hoping to also learn a little Viking boat building along the way.
Waldorf Classroom Colors
Waldorf-inspired schools often try to match classroom colors with those originally chosen by Rudolf Steiner. However, because Steiner chose differing sets of colors for various schools, the task can seem daunting. Many wonder why Steiner chose radically different colors for schools in Germany and England, and even for different schools in northern and southern Germany.
Education vs. Training
The dumbing down of America
There is substantial evidence of efforts to dumb down education in order to train "workers, not thinkers." See for example various accounts of Rockefeller's philanthropic activities while funding the first Boards of Education. Whether or not this is the cause, many of us may have been trained to dislike mathematics because we did not have sufficient opportunity for two essential experiences:
Lies my Teacher Told Me
North Americans have lost touch with their history, and in Lies My Teacher Told Me Professor James Loewen shows why. After surveying eighteen leading high school American history texts, he has concluded that not one does a decent job of making history interesting or memorable. Marred by an embarrassing combination of blind patriotism, mindless optimism, sheer misinformation, and outright lies, these books omit almost all the ambiguity, passion, conflict, and drama from our past.
A Mathematician's Lament
A research mathematician who has devoted his career to teaching, reveals math to be creative and beautiful and rejects standard anxiety-producing teaching methods. Witty and accessible, Paul Lockhart’s values are very close to those of creative Waldorf-inspired teachers. The Mathematical Association of America posted an excerpt of Lockhart's Lament that is free to download.
Educators for Civil Liberties
Preparing for high school
Are Waldorf students ready for public high school mathematics classes?
This is a common concern among the families of graduating Waldorf students, who may have appreciated the emphasis on creativity, the arts, and social awareness, but now wonder if students are ready for the "real" world.
The short answer: "Yes, with a few caveats, they are ready."
