What stood out immediately for me in Mr. Maier's science class was his insistence that his students observe and not immediately jump to conclusions. Our first experiment was to watch ice melt in a beaker, but we were not allowed to report that the ice "melted" (a conclusion). Instead, we had to report our observations that would lead us to that conclusion. We were being trained to see the world as a scientist does. This is only one example of what I experienced in this half-hour class. I also had the opportunity to see how Mr. Maier was able to link his science lesson to the historical period that his actual students were studying (the Renaissance) so that both Science and History suddenly became "alive" in the classroom. We were practicing science in the spirit of the Renaissance! Finally, we were given a beautiful explanation about the uniqueness of each snowflake-- how each snowflake makes it's own choices to become itself in the same way that individual's choices come to form each unique person. As I was leaving the class, I overheard another parent ask, "Can I audit that class?"

In the Games class, Mr. Curtin explained what he taught (and why) to each grade and, best of all, taught us how to play some games in the lower, middle, and upper grades. We played a chase game that involved counting and running to safety before being tagged and a clapping game as we sang a song. We divided into teams and made basketball passes and blocks. We tried our hands at juggling. We had so much fun developing our brains and social skills in this way!

Experience Waldorf is my favorite adult event at MWS so I plan to attend it every chance I get. It allows me a personal glimpse of what it is like to actually be a MWS student, it shows me firsthand how the Waldorf philosophy is applied and interwoven in every aspect of the students' education and the school's culture, and it constantly reminds me (particularly needed while in late winter doldrums) how awesome it is for my daughter to receive this Waldorf education.