QUICK SHOPPING
Waldorf Education History Series
- Open-ended, discussion-based content
- In the Waldorf-Steiner curriculum, these subjects are taught in classes, 5, 6 and 8.
- Focus on individuality and morality
Author Charles Kovacs was a teacher at the Steiner School for many years and truly understands the philosophy of Waldorf-Steiner education. The series is written to students in middle school grades when their sense of justice is strong. People and events in the books were chosen to feed into this sense of right and wrong, giving students an opportunity to develop their own opinions on historical events. Morality is at the forefront as you are reading about the various topics. Students will read about slavery and how Christ made the Romans think of people differently as children of God. Waldorf education is moralistic in nature, not religious; as a result, only a few sections directly reference biblical examples. There is no mention of a Christian God in the book about ancient Greece, but as it is germane to both the American/French/Industrial revolutions, there is mention of the Church. The books would be very interesting to read-aloud with your students, but they could also be read independently and discussed. There are no writing assignments included, but I’ve no doubt your readers will have plenty to write about in an essay. These books are begging for comparisons to our modern day social and moral dynamics. The Age of Revolution text is 235 pages, Ancient Greece 171 pages, and Ancient Rome 217 pages, pb. ~Sara
