John

John is a senior at Lake Champlain Waldorf School in Shelburne, Vermont.

Waldork status: 3 years.

Words of Waldorks: What does the morning verse make you think about?

John: Being someone formerly in the public school system, the morning verse was a very interesting thing to discover upon joining Waldorf school. In public school we were forced to say the “pledge of allegiance” every morning which basically feels like drab conformity/forced thinking. The morning verse, on the other hand, is a lovely statement in which we simply ponder the world in relation to ourselves and how we shall apply ourselves to the day mentally. This sort of resonates as a verbal meditation for me throughout the day, or a kickstart like a cup of coffee to help me acknowledge my being and prepare to put that to work.

If you applied to college this year, what did you write your personal/ Common App essay about? 

In my main common app essay I wrote about the topic of questioning the art of seeing, as well as perception in relation to scale and to one another. This was a topic that was first introduced to me through our Botany main lesson in which we read many articles and excerpts on this idea. It is actually a topic that I was/am still so interested in that I decided to base my senior project around it. This is something that plays heavily into my thoughts now, and I have found that to be the case with many of the things we explore through main lessons. I also was required to write a second essay for the college that I wanted to/am now going to which I ended up writing about Waldorf and essentially how it changed my life/ whole mentality.

Looking back, what advice would you tell your ninth grade self?

Ninth grade was a strange time frame for me, as it was when I was still in public school but still starting to find myself more as an individual. I guess what I would tell myself is probably to keep distancing myself from the general populous, think deeper and stay curious, and also just to let things happen as life is completely open-ended and this is only a minuscule fraction of it.

Fall/harvest/winter fair vs. Spring/May/Medieval fair… which is better?

I guess since I missed out on grade school it’s hard for me to say but I believe (at least in our high school) we have more emphasis on the winter fair. We all participate in some way or another so I would say that is more significant personally, in my little experience.

Foreign exchange? Where?

Nah (sadly), I came too late for that but I find it to be really wonderful that such opportunities are offered.

When did you feel the most pride during Waldorf High School?

I’d say there have been quite a few prideful moments. If I had to choose I think the most significant are re-learning to knit, doing some surprisingly just-above-mediocre calligraphy, and hand-writing a little poetry book that was all botany inspired and written in the midst of nature during the block.

When did you feel the most challenged during Waldorf High School?

I think the most difficult part was adapting from my public school experience in which I was taught that everything was to be done a certain way so it looks good and gets me good grades which makes the school look good. When I got to Waldorf, people actually cared genuinely about quality of work and thought, which was new to me. In one of my first writing classes, our teacher told me “I’m going to teach you how to write.” And that she did (or so I hope) after many, many drafts and papers handed back to me covered in red ink. Now, looking in to studying writing as a career, I don’t know where I would be without that help.

What is one truth about life that you will hold as an adult that you were given or discovered at Waldorf school?

I think what will stick with me most is the idea of letting free thought guide me. I need to listen as much as I speak and let the environment around me help me to discover myself.