Understanding Waldorf Education

Jack Petrash has been a Waldorf teacher for over 30 years, much of that time at the Washington Waldorf School in the USA, where he has taken three classes of children from Class 1 to Class 8.

'The book is convincing without preaching. One has the feeling, "I'd trust Jack Petrash with my children".'-- Martyn Rawson, Steiner Education, March 2004'I've been a Waldorf parent for 4 years but I haven't been able to describe to people who ask about the Waldorf school what makes it so different and so special. I've found Steiner's work to be impenetrable. This book by Jack Petrash, however, I loved. It's written so 21st century mortals can understand it and relate to it.'-- Waldorf parent, California'This is a deeply soulful and intelligent book on child development. If all teachers were like Jack Petrash and more schools followed the Waldorf-Steiner principles, there would be viable alternatives for home educators. This book is about imagination and change in both the child and the educator. It taught me a lot and best of all, left me with the feeling education is FUN.'-- Carolyn McCourt, Education Otherwise'This book is ideal for parents and teachers alike, and Jack Petrash speaks from many years of direct experience as a Class Teacher.'-- Kindling: The Journal for Steiner Waldorf Early Childhood Care and Education, Spring 2004'Understanding Waldorf Education is a look into the creative methods employed for generations at the Waldorf School in Washington. Youth workers and educators, as well as parents, will find some insight into communicating important lessons to children who might balk at the standard delivery of information.'-- Youth Today'Jack Petrash's eloquent, wise and deeply moving book gives me a new found appreciation for Waldorf education. Even though I have been a Waldorf parent for nearly twenty-five years and a Waldorf teacher for nearly two years, I found Petrash's explanation of the curriculum's three-fold approach fresh and illuminating. Whether you are a parent, an educator, a policy maker, or simply a person interested in human growth and learning, read this book. You will learn how relevant education through the 'head, heart, and hands' can be for our children and for the future we hope to create.'-- Eric Utne, Founder of the Utne Reader