Welcome to Waikato Waldorf High School
(Classes 8-9, Year 9-10)
Affirming individuality
Educating the whole child – head, heart and hands – within the special corner of the world that is Aotearoa New Zealand, Waikato Waldorf School seeks to develop free human beings, who are able to reflect upon themselves, embrace a love for learning and develop meaningful purpose and directions in their lives. The community, staff and students of the school value goodness, beauty, truth and reverence.
We invite you to explore Waldorf Education, one of the largest and fastest growing independent education movements in the world.
Attend a Journey through the School (click here for more information).
HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM
Classes 8 to 9 (Years 9-10)
Class Eight
Underlying Theme – Identity
The fourteenth year is a milestone year in the inner life of a young person. There is an increasing realisation – and assertion – of the individual sense of self, of the uniqueness of one’s own identity.
In Class Eight, students are encouraged to form opinions, take positions, and assume responsibility for themselves in the wider community. The students are in the process of completing their passage through childhood and are entering young adulthood, an achievement that provides a broader viewpoint, sharper powers of observation, and growing critical faculties. These skills help students develop the scope and the perceptive abilities to recollect, to connect, to see relationships – abilities which make it possible to build a comprehensive picture whether the subject is history, physics or maths.
The students are increasingly experiencing themselves as individuals with tastes and impulses of their own. They rightfully challenge accepted practices and ideas in order to understand and participate in a more independent way. The goal is for the students to experience a stronger sense of self-mastery and responsibility.
The Waldorf curriculum aims to meet these needs.
| Story Curriculum | The Age of Revolution |
| Main Lessons | History: English Civil War; American Revolution; Industrial Revolution English: Novel Study Mathematics: Geometry; Arithmetic, Algebra, Linear equations Class Play Science – Organic Chemistry; Physics (Fluid and Aero Mechanics); Biology (Bones, Muscles & Senses) Climate & Meteorology Independent Project |
| Other Lessons | English Mathematics Art Drama Handcraft – Woodwork, sculpture Handwork – sewing and design General Science Movement – Physical Education, Eurythmy Maori Music Health Food Technology Digital Technology |
Class Nine
Polarity and Contrast
The theme in Class 9 is of polarity and contrast. This stage of adolescence is often an emotional roller coaster and life may be experienced by students as a series of highs and lows. This is reflected in many of the themes of the subjects during the year such as rights and responsibilities, comedy and tragedy and black and white drawing and print-making. Through these and other subjects, students are encouraged to use both the senses and intellect, challenging them to think deeply and observe meticulously. These critical thinking skills help the student to begin to see beyond black and white polarities. Curriculum content, concepts and ideas are grounded in authentic contexts to support students in making the necessary connections and becoming more adept at putting their thoughts into action. All subjects are compulsory, including a chosen language, keeping a breadth of learning that creates a firm foundation for the years ahead.
By the end of Class 9 the students should begin to:
- Show self-motivated interest in the world around them; acquire knowledge about what interests them through independent gathering of information and facts;
- Show structure in their thinking and be able to make logical causal deductions; move from judgement based on feeling (class 8) to judgement based on observation and understanding. Apply analytical processes to an overall nexus and discover the underlying principles;
- Know how to make the transition from idea to ideal, and from ideal to applied practice and move from discovery (Classes 7 and 8) to creation and invention. Engage their will in the realm of ideals;
- Appreciate technology as the “fifth kingdom’, the kingdom of culture, created by the human being; discover in technology the thought become worldly reality;
- Understand the transitions between polarities in many different realms of life and especially the arts;
- Understand that art and science reflect historical changes in cultural consciousness and that artists and scientists have world views that are expressed in their work;
- Learn to work and be able to learn through work. Have hands-on experience of as many areas of practical life as possible;
- Be able to work as a team and solve problems together.
The Teachers’ Pedagogical Aims For Class 9 Are:
- To awaken to the polarities of subject knowledge through both heart and will.
- To develop the reasoning power of the student
- To show how causes, issues, “facts”, phenomena, opinions, etc., can pull in two directions, have two sides
- To work with accurate observation, objectivity and detail
- To bring claims of rights and responsibilities to consciousness
- To foster tolerance and social engagement
- To build inner courage and perseverance
- To bring idealism to the fore – to push ideas to the limits, and limitations
- To work with the hands and soil
| Main Lessons | History: Pacifism and its impact on the world English: Novel Study; Shakespeare – Comedy and Tragedy Mathematics: Conic Sections; Statistics Art History Revolution: Rights and Responsibilities Science: Organic Chemistry; Biology; Geology; Physics (Communications Technology) Festivals |
| Other Lessons | English Mathematics Practical Art Handcraft – Woodwork, sculpture, basketry, engraving Handwork – sewing and design General Science Movement – Physical Education, Eurythmy Maori Music Health Food Technology Digital Technology |