Paul and Susanne Sturton, with their daughters Hazel and Holly, who attend the Steiner School at Raheen Wood, Co. Clare. By Susanne Sturton My husband and I decided to send our children to a Steiner school after our eldest daughter Hazel was born. We were living in London at the time and I had heard about Steiner education through a friend. I was immediately drawn to the idea of educating the whole child - heart, hands and head, rather than placing a single main emphasis on developing the child's academic abilities. I was also struck by one of the stated aims of the Steiner approach: to 'receive the child in reverence, educate them in love, and send them forth in freedom'. Furthermore, the education's ideal of honouring and protecting the wonder of childhood was one that my husband and I shared as parents. Equipped with this basic information, we set about educating ourselves further in the Steiner method of education. It is not unusual for families to start thinking about their children's schooling when they are very young as many primary schools have waiting lists, particularly in larger urban areas. However, for me it wasn't simply a matter of ensuring we lived in the right area so we could send our child to a ‘good' school, which would lead to ‘good' results. I had a keen interest in the broader subject of educating children. This interest most likely came from growing up in a family where education was considered to be as precious as the food that was eaten each day (my mother is a second level teacher, as are many of my aunts and uncles). Another key role model for me growing up was my grandmother who had been a primary school teacher in a small remote school in the west of Ireland for 45 years. After she retired she came to live with us until I was twelve, and I remember well the many past pupils who called to our house in Longford to see my grandmother on their way from Dublin back to visit their families in Co. Mayo or Co. Roscommon. My mother explained to us that they felt grateful to my grandmother for instilling such a love of learning in them that they managed to achieve the much-valued reward of going to University, despite coming from a disadvantaged background. So, education was a common topic of conversation in our house and it came naturally to me to ponder over my own children's schooling. Paul and I felt that our knowledge of the Steiner method of education was still limited, so we attended a Steiner School Open Day in London. I then did further research on the internet and discovered that the founding Steiner school in Ireland, Raheen Wood School, was in Co. Clare. As it happened we both wanted to move out of the South East of England. My husband was keen on the Lake District or Cornwall but I had a longing to move back to Ireland. While Paul wasn't as sold on the Steiner approach as I was, he agreed to make the move to east Clare and at least give Kindergarten a try. At the time, I was working full time for an international software company and was fortunate that they offered me a part-time contract to continue working for them from my proposed new home in Ireland. In addition to my career in marketing, I had also trained as a yoga teacher in London and we planned to set up a residential yoga centre once we moved to Ireland. We moved to east Clare in the summer of 2002 and now have two daughters in Raheen Wood School - Holly, aged 4, in Kindergarten and Hazel, aged 9, in 3rd class. The school has more than met both of our expectations and we are so pleased with the choice we made. The greatest joy of all is the extent to which the girls love going to school and how happy they are in themselves. They come home at the end of each day buzzing with conversation and energy after the day's activities. While there isn't much emphasis placed on homework, Hazel will often voluntarily take pen to paper to practice her writing, or draw a picture about what she learned during the day. It is our children's genuine inner enthusiasm for learning that is the hallmark of a Steiner education. Raheen Wood School is part of a rapidly growing international school movement of over 900 schools and 1,600 Kindergartens worldwide. Based on the work of scientist and philosopher, Rudolf Steiner, the education began in 1919 with the founding of the first Waldorf School in Stuttgart, Germany in the aftermath of World War 1. The school caters for children from 4 up through the primary years, with the option of the Alfa Project in nearby Scariff for ongoing secondary level Steiner education. With 125 children, the school is one of the largest primary schools in the region and the school community is a cosmopolitan mix of Irish families and those from overseas. It is situated in ancient woodlands adjoining our home so we have a 10 minute walk to school through the woods each day. In terms of the curriculum, the Steiner approach works with various stages of human development and recognises that capacities emerge in children at fairly predictable stages, while also allowing room for individual rates of maturation. This recognition of a metamorphosis of comprehension underlies both the organisation of the curriculum itself and the changing methods of teaching from Kindergarten up to second level: Until age six or seven: Children learn primarily through physical activity and imitation. The goal at this stage is to provide a warm, calm, secure, aesthetic environment that nourishes the senses, the imagination, and the creativity of the young child. The 3 Rs are Reverence, Repetition, and Rhythm. Through storytelling, arts and crafts, and healthy movement, a strong foundation is laid for formal academics beginning in first class. From age seven until fourteen: Children at this stage learn best when academics appeal to the feeling life, and lessons are conveyed through an artistic medium such as painting, drama, music, storytelling, and other direct experiences that stir their emotions. A sense of beauty, harmony, and rhythm permeates the day, engaging children and supporting their learning. At secondary level: Themes and methods stimulate higher-level intellectual skills. Now is the time that the forces of imagination - carefully cultivated in the early years - transform into analytical and evaluative thinking skills in the adolescent. The direct relationship between teacher and student is embraced as the optimum catalyst for successful learning in a Steiner school and a teacher remains with a class for a number of years. Teachers at the school demonstrate an extraordinary capacity for knowledge, creativity, and the sheer love of discovery, motivating students toward academic success and a keen sense of wonder, purpose, and personal fulfilment. Parents are invited to take a partnership role in the education of their child, which asks for a responsive and engaged relationship between teacher and parent. Meetings, parent-teacher evenings, celebrations and regular communication are all ways we keep in touch and help each other to build the community of our school. Teachers and staff work together to administer the school, with parent volunteers in working groups, which means a great deal of authority is carried by teachers, staff members and involved parents. As the school currently receives no state funding, the parent body is a vital resource for getting things done, and all parents are welcomed to contribute to the fabric and culture of the school; in recent years this has meant everything from erecting new buildings to classroom assistance, from regular maintenance to beautifying the grounds. The parental involvement creates a great sense of belonging, security and 'ownership' of the school for the children. Furthermore, the school works out of a comprehensive view of humankind that honours various religious and spiritual traditions. It acknowledges that, in our essential nature, human beings are alike and part of a global humanity. Thus, the education strives to awaken social responsibility, service to the community, and stewardship of the Earth. From the research we have done locally, pupils from Raheen Wood School have an excellent record of achievement in secondary and higher level education. We have not yet made a decision about our choice of secondary school but we have the option of the Alfa Steiner based project in Scariff, Villiers School in Limerick or other local secondary schools. Through my own life experiences, I have formed the opinion that success cannot be measured by counting the points achieved in the Leaving Cert or a degree awarded at University. I value the ideal of cultivating one's ability to connect socially with others in an environment which nurtures respect, tolerance and reverence, both for each other and for the world in which we live. I feel that schooling which achieves this, alongside the study of the arts and academics, provides children with a well-balanced education. I lived in Asia for a period of time and saw that, while people there were materially poorer than many western countries, it was clear that they were in many ways richer in terms of their connection with nature, their strong sense of community and their sense of inner poise. It wasn't all about the individual or, as the title of a recent BBC documentary termed it, ‘The Century of the Self' that we see so much of around us today. In summary, we feel that by sending our children to Raheen Wood School they are allowed to grow and develop at a natural pace in harmony with their surroundings, and that their intellectual, physical and emotional needs are given equal importance. We feel confident that this holistic approach is allowing them to build a well-balanced base upon which to develop as creative, happy and secure individuals. School website: www.raheenwood.org