To Solve the Environmental Crisis, We Must Foster the Power to Imagine

At Richmond Waldorf School, we recognize that our student’s physical, social and emotional well-being are a key part of their ability to learn and thrive. Our holistic approach to education prioritizes critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century.
We are accepting applications for the 2022-2023 school year. Join an information session or meet with our Enrollment Administrator to learn more about Richmond Waldorf School.
Choosing a school is a very important decision in a family’s life. Our admissions process is designed to give you as much information as you need to make an informed decision about enrolling your children. Whenever possible, we encourage all families to book a visit when considering Richmond Waldorf School. We want to meet you! It is just as important for us to know who you are and what you are looking for in a school, as it is for you to know who we are and what Waldorf education is about.
Valerie Hogan
Enrollment & Marketing Administrator
| 804-377-8024 ext 3
Boys Who Sit Still Have a Harder Time Learning to Read

Anybody who has watched little boys for even five seconds knows that they are exhausting. At school, they tear around the playground, bolt through corridors and ricochet off classroom walls. According to a new Finnish study, this is all helping them to be better at reading.
The study, released Nov. 30 in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, found that the more time kids in Grade 1 spent sitting and the less time they spent being physically active, the fewer gains they made in reading in the two following years. In first grade, a lot of sedentary time and no running around also had a negative impact on their ability to do math.
Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland analyzed studies that measured physical activity and sedentary time of 153 kids aged six to eight. The studies used a combined heart rate and movement sensor, and researchers gave kids standardized tests in math and reading. “We found that lower levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity, higher levels of sedentary time, and particularly their combination, were related to poorer reading skills in boys,” the study says.
While the test group was small and Scandinavian (the Finnish school system‘s freaky success is almost legendary), the study offers some evidence for what parents have been thinking for a long time: we may not be educating boys the right way.
As pressure increases on schools to show evidence of learning, many education systems have tried to provide a more academically rich environment. But sometimes this has come at the cost of physical education, which is often considered an optional extra rather than one of the core skills a student must master.
Money and school hours that might have been spent on P.E. are now devoted to libraries, science labs and better tech gadgets. All of these are worthy teaching tools, but they promote a very sedentary style of learning. Add to this the reliance on testing, which, again, has it merits, and you have kids sitting down for longer and longer periods every day. Most U.S. schools don’t require any P.E. or recess.
The connection between exercise and learning is not new, but the Finnish study provides stronger objective evidence that the increased emphasis on sedentary academic activity among the youngest learners may be fruitless if it comes at the cost of physical activity. Boys whose days were more sedentary when they were in first grade (a crucial year for learning to read) made fewer gains in reading in second and third grade. They also did worse at math for that year.
The authors aren’t sure why the difference between boys and girls is so stark. Not as many girls participated in the study, so that may have influenced results. Moreover, it may have less to do with the difference between the male and female brain; for girls, academic achievement may be more influenced by factors such as parental educational support, peer acceptance, teachers’ positive attitude and their own motivation.
At Richmond Waldorf School, we recognize that our student’s physical, social and emotional well-being are a key part of their ability to learn and thrive. Our holistic approach to education prioritizes critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century.
We are accepting applications for the 2022-2023 school year. Join an information session or meet with our Enrollment Administrator to learn more about Richmond Waldorf School.
Choosing a school is a very important decision in a family’s life. Our admissions process is designed to give you as much information as you need to make an informed decision about enrolling your children. Whenever possible, we encourage all families to book a visit when considering Richmond Waldorf School. We want to meet you! It is just as important for us to know who you are and what you are looking for in a school, as it is for you to know who we are and what Waldorf education is about.
Valerie Hogan
Enrollment & Marketing Administrator
| 804-377-8024 ext 3
Studies Support Waldorf Education’s Approach to Reading

Written by Holly Korbey, July 28, 2020 via Edutopia
Early in the school year at John Ruhrah Elementary and Middle School, co-teachers Darene Parry and Megan Healy were already diving deep into a lesson about the human heart, showing their fourth graders detailed anatomical diagrams and introducing vocabulary like cardio and circulatory.
Surprisingly, the unit on “having a good heart”—rich in scientific dialogue and writing practice—is not part of science class, but English language arts (ELA).
“Students see the connections between what we are learning in ELA and other subjects,” said Parry of the interdisciplinary curriculum at their school in Baltimore, Maryland, where classes often cover similar topics through different lenses and where the majority of students are English language learners. “They frequently bring up background knowledge that they’ve learned in other classes, and I don’t think they question why we are also learning these topics in ELA.”
Parry, Healy, and their fellow Baltimore City Public Schools teachers are part of a growing group of educators who have shifted away from the traditional ELA reading curriculum, which tends to expose students to unfamiliar subjects and teaches skills like “finding the main idea” and “summarizing.” According to the Baltimore district and other school systems, this skills-based approach to reading instruction has done little to improve reading proficiency for many students and ignores growing research that emphasizes the crucial role of background knowledge in comprehending what you read.
“Students with more [background] knowledge have a better chance of understanding whatever text they encounter,” said Natalie Wexler, an education journalist and author of The Knowledge Gap, who spent two years closely watching how elementary schools were teaching reading. “They’re able to retrieve more information about the topic from long-term memory, leaving more space in working memory for comprehension. They’re also better able to absorb and retain information, because knowledge—like Velcro—sticks best to other related knowledge.”
LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD
Three years ago, a group of Baltimore City school leaders set out with an ambitious task: find a new reading curriculum for the district to improve students’ reading comprehension skills.
The city’s reading scores had been declining for a decade, and by 2017, they trailed far behind those of most other urban districts, as reflected by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading test that found only 13 percent of fourth and eighth graders reading at a proficient level. Like those of other large urban districts, Baltimore City’s reading scores were also distributed unevenly along racial and socioeconomic lines, with low-income students and students of color scoring more than 20 points below their wealthier, whiter peers.
Diving into cognitive science research on reading comprehension, the group determined that background knowledge about other subjects—like social studies, science, and the arts—played a much bigger part in reading comprehension than the literacy skills they had emphasized for years.
The landmark baseball study from Donna Recht and Lauren Leslie, for example, found that struggling readers who knew a lot about baseball did better on a reading comprehension test about it than strong readers who knew nothing about the sport. And in another study, high schoolers who met a basic knowledge threshold on a dense topic like ecosystems had much stronger performance on a reading test about ecosystems than those who didn’t. For low-income students and students of color, these disparities were particularly pronounced.
“I think there’s enough research now that shows that [just teaching] reading strategies is not conducive to [helping students] read challenging text independently,” said Heidi Foley, John Ruhrah’s literacy coach.
Now, students in Baltimore learn typical ELA skills like comprehension, figurative language, and sight reading by grounding them in concepts they’ve already covered in their social studies and science classes. While simultaneously studying the U.S. colonial era in social studies, for example, students may read anchor text about the American Revolution, hold a Socratic seminar on the beginnings of the war, and then write an essay defending one side’s position using the vocabulary they learned in ELA.
HOW DOES THE BRAIN MAKE SENSE OF WHAT IT READS?
Yet some educators aren’t aware of the cognitive science on reading comprehension—and the crucial role of privilege and background knowledge—and continue to administer tests and assignments that may inadvertently skew student performance, argues journalist Natalie Wexler, along with many cognitive science researchers. With access to greater resources, a child from a middle- or upper-class family is more likely to be taken on trips, attend events, or be exposed to experiences that deepen their cultural and social knowledge base. These experiences give them a foundation to process and understand difficult reading passages—context that peers from less-resourced families can lack.
“Reading tests are really knowledge tests in disguise,” says Daniel Willingham, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Virginia and author of the book The Reading Mind: A Cognitive Approach to Understanding How the Mind Reads.
Willingham says the brain uses three processes to understand a complex text: extracting ideas from individual sentences; stringing together sentences and the concepts they convey to build sequential meaning; and finally, forming an overarching, deeper understanding of the text. While strong oral language skills—like having a highly-developed understanding of syntax and usage—can take a reader pretty far in comprehension, when readers are introduced to longer, more complicated texts, they need more information about the topic to help them comprehend meaning.
Background knowledge, both about the topic and about the world in general, plays an important role in helping students make sense of a text because the things readers already know work like a scaffold on which to build a more complete—and nuanced—mental model of the subject matter. Readers without background knowledge start without any scaffold in place, in other words, and the new information they are asked to process has nothing to hang on.
A QUESTION OF CURRICULUM
In order to teach the kind of knowledge-rich lessons that will improve students’ reading comprehension, Willingham says, teachers should emphasize a cohesive, well-sequenced curriculum with lots of background information on different topics embedded within it so that no students are left hanging when they read.
While the research on curricula like Baltimore’s Wit and Wisdom and others like it is still emerging, early results indicate promise. Long-term pilot studies of E.D. Hirsch’s Core Knowledge curriculum (based on the work of professor and literary critic E.D. Hirsch), used in some Denver and New York City schools, show large gains for students’ ELA skills. And a small study involving the new Bookworms curriculum showed significant improvements in students’ comprehension skills over schools that used a more traditional reading curriculum.
Like Baltimore City Public Schools, more districts are also starting to embrace the cognitive science of reading and taking a bold step—upending the ELA methods they’d used for years.
In Louisiana, that’s meant the adoption of a brand-new curriculum designed by state educators and guided by research that has boosted elementary reading scores by seven points over the last few years.
“We have backed away from reading skills and strategies,” said Dana Talley, who helped implement the curriculum in the northern half of the state. Though teachers struggled at first, Talley said giving them time to understand the new way of teaching and the space to improve their skills has paid off. “Now when I say the word ‘skills’ in front of the ELA people, they give me dirty looks.”
Louisiana schools are also determined to find out whether their investment in background knowledge will pay off. Before the coronavirus outbreak, the state began piloting ELA assessments based on the actual content students are learning, instead of the standard state tests that claim to measure more general skills.
At Richmond Waldorf School, we recognize that our student’s physical, social and emotional well-being are a key part of their ability to learn and thrive. Our holistic approach to education prioritizes critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century.
We are accepting applications for the 2022-2023 school year. Join an information session or meet with our Enrollment Administrator to learn more about Richmond Waldorf School.
Choosing a school is a very important decision in a family’s life. Our admissions process is designed to give you as much information as you need to make an informed decision about enrolling your children. Whenever possible, we encourage all families to book a visit when considering Richmond Waldorf School. We want to meet you! It is just as important for us to know who you are and what you are looking for in a school, as it is for you to know who we are and what Waldorf education is about.
Valerie Hogan
Enrollment & Marketing Administrator
| 804-377-8024 ext 3
The Guardian: Instead of rote learning useless facts, children should be taught wellbeing

Written by Alice O’Keefe, March 2, 2020 via The Guardian
In his treatise on the future of humanity, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, the philosopher-historian Yuval Noah Harari offers the young people of today some advice. In order to survive and thrive in adulthood, they should not rely on traditional academic skills such as solving equations or learning computer code. These will soon become obsolete in a world in which computers can perform such techniques more quickly and accurately than humans. All information-based jobs, in fields as diverse as journalism and medicine, will be under threat by 2050.
Instead, Harari predicts that the key skills they need to survive and thrive in the 21st century will be emotional intelligence (it is still difficult to imagine a computer caring for a sick person or a child), and the ability to deal with change. If we can predict nothing else about the future, we know that it is going to involve a rapidly accelerating pace of change, from the growth of AI to a warming climate. Coping with this level of uncertainty will require adaptability and psychological resilience. These are best fostered by an education system that prioritises not traditional academic learning but rather “the four Cs”: critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity.
None of this will come as news to the parents of today, who instinctively prioritise the emotional and physical health of their children over academic results. A survey released earlier last week by the Youth Sport Trust charity showed that 62% of parents with children aged 18 or under feel that the wellbeing of school pupils is more important than academic attainment. Another recent study by the ethnographers Bad Babysitter into the childcare sector in the US identified a similar cultural shift, away from parents aspiring to “the reassured child”, who is rewarded with prizes and certificates, towards “the resilient child”. “Being adaptive,” remarked the researchers, “is a 21st-century skill.” Young people themselves are, of course, also questioning the value of an education system with priorities that seem out of whack with the world around them. As one motto from the school climate strike had it, “No school on a dead planet”.
It should worry all of us that our education system currently points in exactly the opposite direction. Since the inglorious reign of Michael Gove at the Department for Education, the Tories have doggedly stuck to his outdated vision of children as vessels to be filled with facts. It is bizarre, in a world in which we can look up any fact on the internet within seconds, that this should be the priority. Where we need creativity, we have a 28% decline in uptake of creative subjects at GCSE since 2014, thanks to an emphasis on the rote learning of useless information (fronted adverbials, anyone?).
Where we urgently need to promote physical health, we get cuts to physical education provision, with 51,600 hours of PE lost from timetables in English state-funded secondary schools between 2010 and 2017. Meanwhile, one in five children in year 6 (aged 10-11) was obese in 2018-19. Obesity is one of the biggest public health threats facing the UK, and the biggest human-generated burden on the economy after smoking.
Most worryingly, where we need a major drive towards psychological resilience, we get a dramatic decline in mental health among both children and teachers. Rather than schools supporting good mental health, the evidence is that an emphasis on exams and academic attainment is having a detrimental effect. Research released last week by the departments of health and education in Northern Ireland found that the pressure to achieve at school is one of the biggest threats to children’s mental health. The pressure is getting to teachers, too, with 5% reporting lasting psychological problems, up from just 1% in the 1990s. This is hardly a picture of an environment likely to build resilience.
The private sector, on the other hand, finds itself having to be more responsive to the priorities of parents. It helps, of course, that private schools have the resources to give teachers mental health training, and to invest in facilities for sports and arts. In fact, private schools increasingly compete to attract parents with ever-more blinging facilities (there are now more theatres in London’s private schools than there are in the West End).
There are undoubtedly excellent wellbeing initiatives within the state education system. Schools are having to invest in mental health support, and mindfulness is taught in many places. The new curriculum also emphasises teaching children about mental health (although needless to say this is not backed up with the necessary resources). What is missing, however, is a commitment to putting mental and physical wellbeing at the very heart of education.
In 2005, Jamie Oliver created a cultural shift by pointing out that it was counterproductive for schools to serve their students junk food. But this only scratched the surface of what it would really mean for schools to prioritise mental and physical health, and promote resilience.
To create a system that equips young people to face the challenges of the 21st century, we need to look at every aspect of what they do at school. This means teaching children to understand their minds and bodies, encouraging them to have contact with nature, helping them to negotiate relationships with others, fostering excellent communication skills, and nurturing creativity. Philosophers know this, and parents know it; it’s about time policymakers caught up.
At Richmond Waldorf School, we recognize that our student’s physical, social and emotional well-being are a key part of their ability to learn and thrive. Our holistic approach to education prioritizes critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century.
We are accepting applications for the 2022-2023 school year. Join an information session or meet with our Enrollment Administrator to learn more about Richmond Waldorf School.
Choosing a school is a very important decision in a family’s life. Our admissions process is designed to give you as much information as you need to make an informed decision about enrolling your children. Whenever possible, we encourage all families to book a visit when considering Richmond Waldorf School. We want to meet you! It is just as important for us to know who you are and what you are looking for in a school, as it is for you to know who we are and what Waldorf education is about.
Valerie Hogan
Enrollment & Marketing Administrator
| 804-377-8024 ext 3
Children, Nature, and Play: Scenes from the Early Childhood Program
The connection young children feel with nature is innate whether it is with the fluttering butterflies, the delicate yellow blossoms of spring, the mighty oaks, a mud puddle, scampering squirrels or the first snow fall. For young children this connection is easily fostered through their own pure joy and wonder in the ever-changing, dynamic, beautiful living earth. When we observe young children, we can see that they not only want to be in nature, but it is as if they are a part of it or better said, they experience nature as if they are it. We’ve all seen children flap their arms when a bird passes, twirl around when leaves fall, dance like dervishes when the winds pick up and embody a myriad of different animals. As we grow older, the pure joy and wonder is supplemented with our natural curiosity to know more through intellectual understanding.
When children are given the opportunity to form an intimate connection with the earth through consistent self-directed experiences a certain strengthening occurs within them – in their confidence, motor abilities and knowing about the greater cycles of birth and death, of sowing and reaping, of caring for and feasting off of the land and, over time, of creating a relationship with life and all that it offers. In a very basic way, play, exploration, work and contemplation in nature provides children the opportunities whereby a personal relationship with nature can form.
Helping children stay connected to the earth and to the cycles of the year feeds their spirits and calms their minds in ways that are impossible to achieve by other means. Our spirits need to connect with nature for the pure joy of it! It is truly a privilege to witness a child’s accomplishment and sense of efficacy when they have mastered the monkey bars, climbed a tree or jumped the rope 37 times without a miss! In my work with young children, I’ve come to understand how deep a role play, and especially play in nature, has in the healthy development of children.
One day, the kindergarten children were removing small pieces of wood from larger pieces of wood so that they could use the boards to build outside. When a child began using the claw end of the hammer head to try and pry a small board loose, a whole host of earwigs began to scurry from under the wood. Naturally, this set off a commotion with the children. A couple of the children stood up and wanted to run off, but when they saw that I did not, they stayed and sat back down.
Now, to be honest, under my cool exterior, I am not extremely fond of earwigs; however, my purpose in teaching is not to teach the children my likes and dislikes, and especially not my fears. One child said that earwigs are bad and one child killed an earwig. In response to the child’s comment I simply said, “Mother Earth loves all creatures, even the earwigs.” There was a brief pause and the child who killed the earwig said, “I didn’t know Mother Earth loved earwigs.” I said, “Yes, she does.” The little child then said, “I won’t kill them no more.” To this I simply said, “Good.” No moralizing or judgment needed, but rather helping a child maintain a trusting and respectful relationship with the earth.
Children connect with an adult’s authenticity very quickly. They imitate my willingness. Even something as simple as the game, “Ring around the Rosie” turned out to be a lesson for me. One day I decided to really “fall down” as the verse indicates rather than simply bend forward or bend at the knees. The children’s reaction to this was immediate. The way they looked at me is something that is hard for me to put into words. It was almost as if in that moment, they knew that I understood them. It was a real moment. Usually, this game is sung and acted out by small children. That day a big kid played. I was even more accessible to them, yet still their teacher. In my first few years of teaching, I thought that I needed to be serious in order to be an authority or to be “in charge”. Play is teaching me.
Another day I invited the children to roll down a small hill. I instantly had many willing players; however, most did not roll down with abandonment, but were rather timid and watched me. This was a teaching moment. I often model problem-solving skills, perseverance, kindness and patience for the children, but was I also willing to model “fun” for them?
Down I went like a log and for a brief moment I was a rock star. Children who were still on the playground and watching from afar were cheering for me to do it again. Most of the children at the top of hill imitated my roll and came down. A couple of children remained grinning down at me still not quite sure how to start, but an encouraging, “Down you go!” set everyone in motion.
Movements such as running, skipping, rolling, twirling, swinging, jumping, climbing, falling, walking, digging, building, tumbling and biking contribute to healthy proprioception development, motor integration and spatial orientation. Play that combines unstructured movement and nature is crucial not only to the developing brain but also to the emerging spirit of each child.
Written by Deborah Boes. Deborah is currently the Early Childhood Department Chair and Lead Teacher in the Magnolia Class. She wrote this article in 2008, and has been providing Waldorf education in our community since 1997.
Learning and Unlearning: Bringing an Anti-racist History Block to Richmond Waldorf School
Waldorf education is designed to meet the needs of the developing child, intellectually, socially, emotionally, and physically. Each class teacher has freedom to adapt the curriculum to the needs of their class, and this year our 8th grade teacher brought a new, and intentionally anti-racist lens, to the study of history of our country and our city.
We sat down with our 8th grade Class Teacher, Ms. Amey to learn how she has created an 8th grade history block that reframes the story of America to confront the hard realities of the founding of our country, and to highlight courageous individuals in the Richmond area (and beyond) who worked tirelessly for racial and social justice. In a Waldorf school, the class teacher begins with their class in Grade 1, and continues with them for several years, often all the way through their 8th grade year.
We’ve adapted and edited the conversation between Letitia Amey, Class Teacher, and Valerie Hogan, Enrollment & Marketing Coordinator, from November 2020.

LA: This is the first time that I’ve really been able to do this work so directly with the students in our school. The Waldorf history curriculum doesn’t focus on current events until 8th grade, so I’ve been really looking forward to finally bringing these subjects to my class, as I knew they were ready to explore them.
When the Black Lives Matter protests started happening in our city back in the Spring of 2020, I felt like it was my job to start to bring these current events to the students in a way that felt appropriate for them. We began the dialogue with questions like, “why are we protesting?” “What is the history of our city?” “How do you all feel about what is happening in our city right now?”.
My hope is that by introducing these topics and stories to the class, they will feel inspired in some way to do something with them later on and that it will empower them to make a change. So much of this history is really hard, so I want to make sure they also walk away from the lessons with a feeling of hope.
We started this block by talking about our government system. We studied the Constitution and how it was formed. The students immediately started noticing the flaws in our system and the inequities at work everyday in our country.
To reframe our understanding of this nation’s history, I’m giving them our history, from the perspectives of people we don’t usually hear about. People like Gabriel Prosser, an enslaved man outside of Richmond in the 18th century, and the incredible rebellion he planned. We have also been critically considering the biographies of the white male heroes that we see throughout the history books, and asking ourselves, “What were they doing this for? Was it for the common good?”
My hope is that my students will take hold of something that was meaningful through our lessons and carry it forward into their lives. I hope that this way of learning about history makes a difference in the way they think about the world around them. It is so important for them to understand the past in order to make sense of the present and make a difference in the future.


VH: We say that Waldorf is an education for the future, and to see that teachers can bring their personal passion is really powerful. How did you do the research for this?
LA: I read a lot of books this summer, and used many resources from [my Waldorf Teacher Training]. The topic of diversity was an integral part of my intensive through Antioch University [Waldorf teacher summer intensive training], and I gained a lot of resources from other teachers, and from the women who lead the course. I used Howard Zinn’s book, and a selection of books that told the African-American, Indigenous Peoples and Latinx versions of the history of the United States. I also used a wonderful book titled, Unhealed History of Richmond, which has been a great resource as well. My students just read a chapter on the slave trade here in Richmond. They learned about Lumpkin’s Jail and its horrible operation. There are so many details and perspectives that are left out of traditional history books.
VH: One of the things I have gained from my own unlearning is that ordinary people can go through great adversity and struggle for what is right, and maybe they won’t see that ripple in their lifetime, but it will live on and that ripple effect can do something powerful. I think you are starting that ripple in your students, too.
LA: Yes, that is my hope, for the students to see that individuals who face insurmountable challenges can still make an impact for positive change in the world. That’s much of what they’ve been hearing throughout this history block. We had a parent who offered to share an amazing autobiography of a Native American, Samson Occum. This parent luckily for us, did a lot of work on her dissertation around Native American untold stories. Samson was a Native American who was educated by one of the New England ministers and ended up opening a boarding school for Native American children. In his autobiography, he points out that he felt used for much of his life. When he started his own school, he decided to teach his students in a different way. Ultimately, the importance of preserving his culture throughout his lessons was a significant takeaway for my students. We were so fortunate to have a parent with so much knowledge of this topic share her passion and research.
VH: What type of work are students producing in the classroom around this intense history block?
LA: For main lesson work, they’ve been working on individual compositions. It can be difficult for an 8th grader to articulate these enormously complex thoughts. Timelines have been a really helpful learning tool, especially as we move into studying the civil war and the events leading up to it. Some students are very comfortable sharing their opinions while others are processing the material more inwardly and through their writing.


VH: What’s next in this study for your students?
LA: Well, we will have one more History block that will carry us through to modern times. We’ll take a tour of different parts of Richmond in the spring, walking along the slave trail, visiting the African burial grounds, going to the home of Maggie Walker and learning about our city’s history in a more experiential way.
VH: This work is so critical for our school and our students, especially with this pandemic and seeing the inequity in education. I feel that we have a responsibility to do better, and unlearn some of what has been ingrained.
LA: I completely agree. I’m glad that we’re doing this work in earnest, and I’m so grateful to have the RWS Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee supporting us and doing their work as well. My hope, as we move forward, is to have someone who is trained come and talk to our students. I’m opening the conversation, but to have someone with the tools to continue that conversation will be crucial..
VH: Thank you, Letitia. You are an amazing teacher and your dedication to your students does not go unnoticed!
LA: Thank you, Val. It’s been an honor to walk through this study with my students.
Remembering John Moses
One year ago this week, we lost our dear friend and school founder, John Moses. We look back on his full and purposeful life on this anniversary of his death with such admiration for all he accomplished, and wanted to share with our community a bit more about his life’s journey.
John was born in New York City in 1939, and became interested in the teachings of Rudolf Steiner while in high school. He spent the early years of his adulthood working at Waldorf schools around the world, including schools in Tubingen, Germany, New York and Washington DC. Once he became a father, he was determined to provide a Waldorf education for his two children.
With their pioneering spirits, John and Sara Moses began the first iteration of Richmond Waldorf School in their home in 1985 when Sara began teaching the Moses children and other early students around the family’s kitchen table. John filed the articles of incorporation for what was initially called Trinity Waldorf School in 1988, and the school eventually moved from the family home into rented church space on Richmond’s Northside. That first rented space was not far from where our current school building stands today. Although the school went through ups and downs over the next several years, the Moses family successfully brought the Waldorf impulse to Richmond, Virginia. Richmond Waldorf School was on its way to becoming the established and respected independent school it is today.

Over the next three decades, John remained intimately involved in the happenings of RWS. For many years, he led a weekly Anthroposophical study group for the greater Richmond community, introducing countless Richmond families to the teachings of Rudolph Steiner, and inspiring many to become involved in RWS. He also faithfully attended festivals, assemblies and community socials over the years, and even worked as an after-care and substitute teacher when needed.
John served as a dedicated member of the Board of Trustees, actively contributing to the long term health and well-being of the school. He dreamed of continuing to build and grow Richmond Waldorf School’s academic programs and one day expand to serve high school students.
With his guiding wisdom and big heart, John was highly respected by the entire RWS community. John will forever be a part of our school and is deeply missed. We look forward to continuing his legacy through the growth and success of his beloved Richmond Waldorf School.
- Celebrating John's 80th birthday
- John with friends and fellow Anthroposophy Study Group members
- John attending RWS Community game night
Remembering Maria Butler
- Maria Butler at May Faire, early 2000s
- One of our first classes at Spring Meadow Waldorf School
- Waldorf classroom
- 1996 Parade, now the Richmond Waldorf School on Westover Hills Blvd
- Our former logo as Spring Meadow Waldorf School
- A beautiful old newsletter from Spring 2002!
Music in Waldorf Education
In Waldorf schools, music is at the forefront of the education and brought to students in a variety of ways, from preschool years through middle school graduation. Kindergarten teachers and Class Teachers sing with their students and bring music to their classes daily. Additionally, formalized music classes begin with the Music Teacher twice a week from first through eighth grade. Richmond Waldorf School is fortunate to have Loretta Walker leading our music program since 2003. We asked Mrs. Walker to share her philosophy and to deepen our understanding of her work with elementary and middle school students.
LW: The Waldorf music program provides music experiences which foster a deep awareness of oneself, both individually and in relationship to others. Children steadily learn who they are through the music experiences they have with their peers. They move from doing everything in unison to having their own part, which contributes to a beautiful whole.
Though it may seem on the surface that we simply sing or learn to play beautiful instruments, underlying all of it is the inner world of the child growing and finding its way to expression in the world. To wrestle with a string instrument, to have to listen deeply to others, and to breathe with others to create something beautiful are the experiences that allow the children to know who they are and come to awareness of who they want to be in the world.
To begin, in grades one and two students sing, move to music, and play pentatonic flutes. These flutes are instruments that foster the natural breath, providing the children with an opportunity to breath themselves more fully into their own being.
As the 9 year change emerges, the music shifts to meet the children, songs becoming fully grounded in Major keys. The strings program is generally introduced to our students around this time. They also turn in their Pentatonic flutes and receive a Diatonic flute which represents the full musical scale. This is also when the children study farming, another “grounding” experience.
String instruments (violin and cello, mostly) enter the picture as they become more aware of themselves and are able to relate to and engage with an instrument independently. The instrument both resonates with their inner being while simultaneously requiring great effort for the child to bring their inner voice into the world. They must play well for their own satisfaction, as well as find a way to blend their “voice” with the whole of the Ensemble. As 5th graders, learning to play as an ensemble means they must hold their own part while listening and blending into the whole. It’s a wonderful experience to prepare for Orchestra in the middle school years.
Through all of their music classes, music is brought to reflect where the child is in their development. This is the same philosophy as the academic material meeting the child where they are developmentally. We weave the stories and themes of the academics into music. For instance, counting and animal songs for first and second; farming songs for third grade; strong rhythmic beats in grades four and up; folk songs that celebrate the hero in all of us in fifth. We study the history of music notation and Gregorian chant in sixth; 7th grade brings the study of intervals and music of the Renaissance, and in 8th, both more modern music and music reflective of the more recent history they are studying.
In summary, music in Waldorf education provides the child a pathway to knowing who they are, both individually and in relationship to the world around them.
Creating Your Own Lantern Walk
In mid-November Waldorf schools across the world celebrate the Lantern Season and Martinmas. The lantern is a symbolic representation of the seasonal change towards darker days and a metaphor to remind us to shine our inner light through dark days. While the times have led RWS to cancel our school lantern walk this year, we want to bring this festival to you in another way! To celebrate the Waldorf lantern festival at home, you need a few things…
- A lantern
- Songs and verses
- An activity
- Food to share



Traditionally, Waldorf schools celebrate Martinmas and the Lantern Walk between November 11 and 14, but any time in November is perfect. There is really something magical about walking through the dark singing and holding a candle lit lantern. We hope you’ll give this a try this year!
Lantern Making:
Making a lantern is fun and there are so many to choose from! Below is a sampling of lanterns made at RWS with students and adults. YouTube is a great place to look for tutorials. Our Parents Association will hold a virtual lantern making event on Zoom on Wed, Nov 11 at 4pm and Thu, Nov 12 at 9am. Join us!
- A paper origami lantern
- In the making: Beeswax and balloons
- Finished product from our 5th graders
- A mason jar with paper design
- Origami flower lantern
- Tin can with holes in a festive design
- Watercolor paintings turned into lanterns
- Paper balloon lanterns in progress
- Paper balloons finished
- Finished watercolor paper and balloon lanterns
- Finished origami paper lanterns
- Paper balloon lantern finished
Songs & Verses
Below are some of the traditional songs that we sing at Richmond Waldorf School. We’ve also got a special recording from Ms. Megan, so you can sing along with her!
Activity
Your lantern walk can be a quiet stroll in reverent silence or a joyful procession of song and verse. It can be as short or long as you like, and the dark evening hours add an element of excitement and beauty. Walk through your backyard, your neighborhood or a nearby park; hear the crunch of leaves beneath your feet and watch the glow of your lantern pierce through the darkness.
Food to share
Following the walk, a cup of warm cider and some gingerbread are a delicious and comforting way to bring warmth and community.
Song Lyrics
Song: Glimmer Lantern Glimmer Glimmer lantern glimmer Little stars a shimmer Over meadow, more and dale Flitter, flutter, elfin vale Pewit, pewit, Tick-a-tick-a-tick, Rou-co, rou-co. |
Glimmer lantern glimmer Little stars a shimmer Over rock, and stock and stone Wandering tripping little gnome Pewit, pewit, Tick-a-tick-a-tick, Rou-co, rou-co. |
Song: I Go Outside With My Lantern
I go outside with my lantern,
My lantern goes with me.
Above me shine the stars so bright,
Down here on earth shine we.
So shine my light in the still dark night,
La bimme, la bamme, la boom, boom-boom.
Neath heavens dome till we go home,
La bimme, la bamme, la boom, boom-boom.
Song: The Sunlight Fast is Dwindling
The sunlight fast is dwindling
My little lamp needs kindling
Its beam shines far in darkest night
Dear lantern, guard me with your light.
Song: Mi Farolito (My Lantern song in Spanish)
Yo voy con mi farolito,
Y mi farolito conmigo.
Arriba brillan estrellas,
Abajo brillamos nosotros.
Y si hace frio, nos vamos a casa
Con nuestro pequeno farol, bum bum.
Y si hace frio nos vamos a casa
Con nuestro pequeno farol, bum, bum.
Song: Sube La Llama (Raise the Flame in Spanish)
Sube la llama
Sube la llama
Mas alto
Mas alto
Ilumina
Ilumina
Nuestra vida
Nuestras almas
Song: This Little Light of Mine
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. (3x) Let it shine, Let it shine, Let it shine. | Everywhere I go, I’m gonna let it shine. (3x) Let it shine, Let it shine, Let it shine. | Hide it under a bushel? No! I’m gonna let it shine. (3x) Let it shine, Let it shine, Let it shine. |