Waldorf Education
Sloka is part of an international educational system that had begun almost a century ago when an Austrian by the name of Rudolf Steiner, laid the foundations for Waldorf education. As the First World War ended, Steiner began to wonder about the senselessness and despair associated with war. He began to feel that education was the way to counter the chaotic way of human life and this education needed to begin early. In 1919, he opened the first Waldorf School in Stuttgart, Germany, with financial assistance from Emil Molt, owner of the Waldorf-Astoria Company.
The co-educational school taught children of factory workers and tuition was offered for free. It was eventually shut down by the Nazis in 1937 but by then the philosophy of Waldorf had spread far and wide. Sloka, founded on July 3, 1997, continues to abide by the tradition of Waldorf Philosophy. Truly effective teaching is that which addresses the needs and capacities of students at the various stages of their mental and physical growth. Our curriculum is based on this recognition of child development.
Waldorf approach to learning focuses not only on the acquisition of knowledge but also on the growth of moral judgment. We value intellectual ability on the same plane as creativity. We believe that academic achievement is mobilized through enriching imagination, developing personal courage, attaining emotional balance and being sensitive to others. From early exploration and learning at play that children in our preschools go through, to the worldly theoretical challenges of our high school curriculum, Sloka tries to focus on balanced development and tries to lay the foundation for a rewarding and productive future
Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925)
The last two decades of the nineteenth century, saw the Austrian-born Rudolf Steiner become a respected and well-published scientific, literary, and philosophical scholar. He was very well known for his work on Goethe’s scientific writings. After the turn of the century, he began to develop his earlier philosophical principles into an approach to methodical research of psychological and spiritual phenomena.
His all-round genius has led to innovative and holistic approaches in medicine, science, education (Waldorf schools), special education, philosophy, religion, economics, agriculture (Bio-Dynamic method), architecture, drama, the new art of Eurythmy and many other fields. In 1925, he founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which has branches all over the world today.