Sanderling Waldorf School

Choosing the right school can be challenging. We were grateful to find Sanderling Waldorf School. Our daughter attended Sanderling for nine years, starting in the early childhood program and graduating 8th grade last year. Our son is currently in 7th grade and has also attended since nursery/kindergarten. Although my children's learning styles are completely different from each other's, the Waldorf curriculum has proven to be an excellent fit for both. It's a long list when I think about what attracted us to and kept us at Sanderling; these are a few of the things that made it to the top - a calming daily rhythm, nourishing snack time around a beautiful table, teachers who really see each child and their unique strengths, a strong community of parents who've become some of my best friends, an integration of academics, physical activity, the arts and moral responsibility, annual festivals, a reverence for the natural world, a developmentally appropriate curriculum, parent enrichment classes, and possibly at the very top, the fact that my kids truly enjoy going to school each day. They have formed deep meaningful friendships, developed a sense of self-confidence, and exude a love of learning that I can only imagine will last their lifetime. Thankfully, in this unprecedented time of Covid, Sanderling has created outdoor classrooms and strict safety protocols that allow children to attend school in-person. This makes a huge difference for my son. I am grateful each morning when I drop him off, knowing he's in excellent hands, learning from his amazing teacher in-person and not staring at a screen all day. Plus, I get to focus my attention on my own work at home. I understand in-person might not feel comfortable for everyone right now, and I think it's important to note that Sanderling also offers a supported homeschool program. In summary, I believe Waldorf education can have a profound impact on the course of a child's life. Over the past decade, I've seen Sanderling's curriculum produce creative, resilient, innovative and strategic thinkers with a high level of emotional intelligence. Kind, generous, and intelligent human beings. Their program is something special, and I value it over traditional rote learning. If this resonates with you and you'd like to learn more I highly recommend giving the school a call and scheduling a tour. They can do a much better job of explaining the magic than I can. :) And in case you are wondering, as I did, "how do children transition after attending a Waldorf school given its non-traditional program?" I can say that I've seen children go in many different directions after Sanderling (Waldorf high schools, other private schools, charters, public schools, etc.) and each has their own story. My general observation is that just like every other young adult finding their way through life they figure it out. And that the foundational skills they've learned at Waldorf give them an incredibly strong backbone to do so.