Waldorf private school teachers are dedicated to creating a genuine love of learning within each child. By freely using arts and activities in the service of teaching academics, an internal motivation to learn is developed in the learners, doing away with the need for competitive testing and grading.

Creativity is used as a tool to facilitate learning about ones self, learning new abilities and to develop thinking abilities and problem solving skills. At the heart of the Waldorf independent schools approach is creativity, which is used to link different subjects and learning areas.

Children at Max Stibbe are given the chance to be creative and let their natural talent come to the fore. They have the opportunity to grow and learn in areas in which they wish to develop their own talent, rather than being pushed along a pre-determined path.

In essence, they are given the freedom to discover themselves….

The Waldorf teacher

A main theme in being a Waldorf teacher, is “the teacher as artist”. However, the child is also both sculptor and sculpture, as the child is developing, growing, and shaping himself from deep within. The teacher’s task is to support this invisible artist who is in the process of becoming whole.

In Waldorf education, the formative forces that are active in the child can be kindled in the teacher as well. This is where "the teacher as artist" begins. (Adapted from The teacher as artist, by Maribeth Lockhart, 2002)

No two lessons, even with the same content, are ever the same, because different children are gathered to experience it. This makes teaching an art, and not a regurgitating dogma! For more information regarding the training requirements for Waldorf teachers, please refer to the relevant section in "Frequently asked questions about Waldorf education".

About our teachers

Teachers at Max Stibbe create a warm and cooperative environment. Central to their role and training is to nurture a relationship of trust with each individual learner. In this way, they are able both to identify and focus on, each child’s developmental needs and capacities.

Rudolph Steiner, speaking in Oxford in 1922, defined “three golden rules” for teachers:

“To receive the child in gratitude from the world it comes from,
to educate the child with love,
and to lead the child into the true freedom which belongs to humankind.”

As one never really knows the demands which the future will place on human beings, our teachers are committed to assist their learners in building inner strength, flexibility of mind and a sense of responsibility, towards both the human and natural environments.

Teachers continually endeavour to decrease the distance between living and learning, thereby creating a school of life.

Waldorf private schools hesitate to categorize children, particularly in terms such as “gifted” or “slow”. A given child’s weaknesses in one area, whether cognitive, emotional or physical, will usually be balanced by strengths in another area. It is the teacher’s task to try to bring the child’s whole being into balance.

Consequently, teachers prepare their lessons for the learner with the highest ability, but are skilled in presenting the material in such a way as to ensure that the learner with the least ability can also understand and benefit. This versatility ensures Max Stibbe education is on par with the best schools in the country.

Teachers comments

This is what the teachers have to say about teaching at Max Stibbe Waldorf School:

“Early morning, when a child skips his way to class with the words ‘It’s going to be a great day today, it spells the heart of the school.”

“Teaching here is deeply enriching, as we are always challenged to improve, to create new ways and methods of reaching youngsters. New ideas inspire us and the children.”

“This is the only system where soul food is consciously given to nurture and build the emotional being, which is one third of our threefold experience of doing, feeling and thinking.”

“Waldorf education lets every child feel safe to be himself and helps him reach his full potential. Children are not put into ‘boxes’. These children are open, confident and individualistic.”

“The freedom of expression and the joy and creativity that children are allowed, are very special… the strong role that both art and stories play in the Waldorf method, and the impact that it has in the lives of the children, is not easily found elsewhere.”

“It is rewarding to form relationships with families - not just to teach children. This is an all-encompassing education. The teachers have genuine interest in, and dedication to, the overall wellbeing of each child.”

“It is enriching and stimulating to work with the children at their own pace, to see how they challenge themselves to improve. At the end of their first year here, it is often amazing to wonder if these are the same children!”

“It is wonderful to experience my subject matter in a holistic way.…in Waldorf education, I learnt to connect everyday life and experiences to the abstract content of traditional syllabi. The world becomes an exciting experience!”

“Everybody at Max Stibbe cares for one another…no person works in isolation and no learner is a lonely island. Help and compassion are always available when needed.”

“It is wonderful to be free as a teacher to use my own initiative and creativity in a responsible way, and consciously to experience inner development in the children and myself.”

“You know you did a good job, when ex-learners bring their children to school here.”

“This is a place where all children have been warmly welcomed…. A beautiful, joyful, healthy place to be!"

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