School of the Suncoast is one of 700 Waldorf schools worldwide, 140 of which are in North America. An internationally respected educational philosophy, Waldorf education was introduced in 1919 in Stuttgart, Germany when a concerned industrialist asked the Austrian scientist and philosopher, Dr. Rudolf Steiner, to create an ideal school for the development of children. Today, Waldorf education is the fastest growing independent school movement in the world. Each school is autonomous, united with other Waldorf schools, from Kindergarten through High School, by a common educational philosophy.

Some Guiding Principles
Cognition is best developed from a sense of wonder and reverence for the world. Experiencing music, art and movement every day is essential for the wholesome development of children and enables all children to be musicians, artists and dancers. When children are led by one main teacher from first grade through eighth grade, they experience stability and a bond with a loving authority that will serve them well when they enter adolescence. Having internalized this authority from without, they are self assured and less likely to simply follow the crowd. The teacher must bring the lessons in a lively, imaginative, and artistic way in order to meet the pictorial thinking of children up to the time of adolescence.

Teacher training includes training in painting, drawing, speech, movement, singing, story telling and playing an instrument. Subjects brought in blocks of 4 to 6 weeks allow children to learn in a far deeper way. The making of one's own main lesson book engages the whole being of the child far more than the reading of a textbook. Play and movement are important for children and time must be given during the school day for this "breathing out" and releasing of mental tensions.

Education is not about filling an empty bucket, but about igniting a spark of interest in the world. Those individuals who have the closest contact with the children-the teachers-must be in charge of the pedagogy of the school. They work in a collaborative manner with the school's Board of Trustees and with the Parent Council. It is important to help children develop strong moral character and this is best done through example and through stories and biographies of noble lives.