At the end of the second term, after much deliberation, with factors involved that are now familiar to most, the decision was reached to cap our school at class 10.
This means that for 2018 and beyond, Imhoff Waldorf School will offer Parent and Child Circle, Toddler Group, Playgroup, Kindergarten, Primary School and classes 8, 9 and 10 in the High School.
As part of the Imhoff Waldorf High School faculty, I am surrounded by passionate, giving, hard-working, open teachers, filled with devilish humour. Our staff meetings are often a riot as we turn sacred cows on their heads and challenge many of the established and unexamined Waldorf traditions. In spite of this, or perhaps even because of this, we are able to deliver high quality, engaging and living Waldorf education, with a contemporary focus. Everything we do, we do being fully present. We love our students, we love our teaching and we love our school. So, with this level of passion, it is obvious that we are grieving given the changes happening in our school. We are grieving the upcoming loss of our class 12 students, some of whom have been with us since kindergarten and will leave straight after the pinnacle of their Waldorf education – the presentation of their Class 12 projects (see ad for details). Our class 12’s are being welcomed by our sister school, Constantia Waldorf, where most of them will complete their Matric year.
Janis Merand, Class 9 Guardian and Drama teacher
The high school Waldorf curriculum continues to bring the arts into every subject and through this, students, quite literally, make the acquisition of knowledge something beautiful. A Waldorf high school education fosters a lifelong love of learning – the ultimate aim of our education. In a rapidly changing world, this is one of the best gifts we can give our children and class 8, 9 and 10 will feed that love. Through the difficult and tumultuous years of class 8 and 9, the individual arrives in class 10. Completing class 10 of Waldorf education will equip young adults to step out as responsible and accountable young adults, with a sense of who they are and of their place in the world.
I have wanted to be a high school maths teacher since I was a teenager, and was thrilled when I achieved this goal in 2015. I had always wanted to go into teaching for the human relationship aspect, and I had looked forward to building relationships with my teenage students in order to better teach them the complex – and often daunting – subject of mathematics. My personal belief is that in order to be a good teacher you need to see each child as an individual, and nurture each individual relationship with sincerity, compassion and understanding. The Waldorf philosophy encourages this way of teaching, and acknowledges that the authoritarian and punitive practices of many other teaching styles are both ineffective as teaching methods, and can even be damaging to both the child and the teacher. I have found the environment at Imhoff Waldorf High School – an environment that was previously foreign to me – to be an inviting and supportive one, where I am encouraged to treat my students with kindness and respect. After all, isn’t that what teaching is primarily all about?
Nina Hoffman, Class 8 Guardian and Maths teacher
Discussions around our current class 10 and 11 groups are still in process as they face difficult decisions of where to continue their schooling. The high school faculty is working hard to facilitate their moving to other schools. We acknowledge and grieve the loss of these wonderful human beings from our Imhoff family.
However, Imhoff Waldorf School has never shied away from an adventure. The next chapter of our pioneering school is the move onto our new land in 2018! This exciting step will give us our much needed home, where we can settle, establish ourselves, and from this position of strength and security, grow into our future, which is ultimately to once more have a full high school.
I have taught in other schools before I came to Imhoff. I fell in love with Imhoff because I feel that it represents a true African Waldorf School. It gives one this rural warm vibe which makes one really feel comfortable. This is a place where one really feels at home.
Phumeza Soci, IsiXhosa and History teacher