Why We Chose Waldorf Education — An Open Letter

Sep 30

Dear [Relative/Friend],

Thank you for your interest in our decision to enroll our child in a Waldorf school. I know this path is unfamiliar to many, and I truly appreciate your thoughtful questions. I wanted to take a moment to share more about why we’ve chosen this education for our child and why we believe it’s a powerful, developmentally appropriate foundation that supports deep learning, whole-child development, and long-term well-being.

A Holistic Approach to Learning and Growth

Waldorf education is rooted in the belief that education is not just about academics or test scores, but about cultivating a well-rounded human being. The goal is to engage the head, heart, and hands (thinking, feeling, and doing) in an integrated way. This means supporting:

Cognitive development through rich, interdisciplinary content and inquiry-based learning
Emotional and social development through strong relationships with peers and teachers
Imagination and creativity through storytelling, music, visual arts, drama, and movement
Moral and personal growth by cultivating empathy, resilience, and ethical responsibility

The structure of Waldorf education, where a child often stays with the same class teacher for several years, fosters deep trust, individualized attention, and the sense of being truly seen. This approach is backed by research on attachment and academic outcomes (Bergin & Bergin, 2009, Educational Psychology Review), showing that strong teacher-student bonds predict greater academic motivation and social-emotional competence.

Main Lesson Books and Bloom’s Taxonomy

A common misconception is that Waldorf learning is “less rigorous” because it delays certain academic benchmarks. In truth, the depth and complexity of thinking required, especially in the creation of Main Lesson books is very much aligned with the upper levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy: analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and creation.

Students don’t just receive information passively. They actively construct knowledge, reflect on it, and re-present it in written, visual, and artistic form. They summarize, illustrate, question, and explain material across disciplines. This fosters cognitive engagement and metacognition, rather than rote memorization.

In this model, children aren’t being trained to perform well on tests. They're being trained to think critically, deeply, and creatively, and to take ownership of their learning.

What the Research Says: Motivation, Science Attitudes, and Well-Being

Multiple peer-reviewed studies have examined Waldorf outcomes. One notable study using Austria’s national PISA data found that Waldorf students report higher interest and enjoyment in science, greater motivation, and lower test-related stress even if their standardized test scores in science were slightly below average (Guggenmos & Schwed, 2022, Frontiers in Psychology). The researchers emphasize the positive long-term effects of intrinsic motivation on lifelong learning and scientific thinking.

In other words: Waldorf students may start a little slower by some conventional academic measures, but they’re more likely to stay curious, engaged, and resilient, which matters immensely over a lifetime. I believe people who are curious and invested in a topic will ask better questions and ultimately find better solutions.

Similarly, a large German study (Barz & Randoll, 2007) found that Waldorf students reported:

Stronger teacher relationships
More joy in learning
Less school-related anxiety or physical stress symptoms
Higher creativity and self-perceived competence

These findings point to a learning environment that promotes well-regulated nervous systems, autonomy, and genuine engagement; factors that are foundational for mental health and intellectual growth.

Love of Reading and Narrative-Based Learning

Waldorf educators rely heavily on rich oral language, narrative, and storytelling, particularly in the early grades. Rather than rushing into early literacy with worksheets and textbooks, Waldorf delays formal reading instruction until 1st grade but nurtures the foundational skills that predict strong long-term reading success through early childhood (auditory processing, memory, vocabulary, imagination).f

Studies have shown that this approach can lead to sustained reading enjoyment and ability into adolescence (Easton, 2014, Research Bulletin of the Research Institute for Waldorf Education). The use of story-based instruction supports long-term comprehension and critical thinking, especially as children are encouraged to retell, reenact, and reflect on what they learn.

Depth Over Speed: A Different Academic Timeline

Waldorf schools often introduce academic content at a developmentally attuned pace, later in some areas than in many mainstream schools, but with much greater depth and integration. For example, students might not read independently as early, but when they do, they tend to engage with texts in meaningful, contextual ways—through storytelling, oral narrative, art, and comprehension. While some early standardized benchmark measures (especially in reading fluency) may show Waldorf students lagging behind in early grades, research from New Zealand indicates that by age 11, children who began reading instruction later (around age 7) catch up in reading fluency, and in some cases show stronger reading comprehension than early starters. (Suggate et al., New Zealand reading studies) Washington Waldorf School

Additionally, qualitative studies of Waldorf graduates suggest that while transitions into more conventional academic settings can be challenging in terms of instructional style, many Waldorf alumni report strong creativity, independent thinking, social responsibility, and adaptability. (Lawton, 2017)

We believe that this “slower start” is not a deficit but rather an intentional investment in long‑term intellectual growth, confidence, originality, and well‑being.

The Classroom You’d See

If you visited a Waldorf classroom, you might find students:

Drawing scientific diagrams by hand from memory
Writing summaries in their own words, accompanied by illustrations
Singing in multiple languages or performing a play from ancient history
Sculpting geometric forms in beeswax or modeling clay
Engaging in deep class discussions about mythology, history, or current events

What you wouldn’t see is rows of desks with kids doing the same worksheet. Instead, you'd see active learning, collaborative work, and student agency.

Trade-Offs We Considered

We’re not saying Waldorf is “perfect” or for everyone. Some potential trade-offs we weighed:

Standardized test preparation isn’t a focus. Students may take fewer tests and experience a gentler academic “ramp-up” early on.
Technology use is minimal in the lower grades. Instead of screens, Waldorf emphasizes embodied, hands-on learning. This felt like a benefit to us, given what we’ve read about screen overexposure and executive function development.

But ultimately, we chose Waldorf because we believe in depth over speed, creativity over conformity, and intrinsic motivation over external rewards. We trust that education is not just about getting ahead, but about becoming thoughtful, capable, ethical people who love learning.

Thank You for Caring

I hope this gives you a clearer picture of what this path means to us and why it feels like the right one for our child. It’s not about being “against” traditional education; it’s about choosing a method that aligns with our values and with what research tells us about human development and learning.

Thank you again for caring so deeply. We’re always happy to talk more about this, and we’re grateful to have your support as we navigate this journey.

With love and understanding,

A parent doing their best.