School Overview Template full – Swadhaa Waldorf School

Children are living beings – more living than grown-up people who have built shells of habit around themselves. Therefore it is absolutely necessary for their mental health and development that they should not have mere schools for their lessons, but a world whose guiding spirit is personal love. – – Rabindranath Tagore

Swadhaa Waldorf Learning Centre started in the year 2012 with a belief that when we learn with deep engagement of heart and not just the head, it makes the world of knowledge more colorful and enjoyable.

We are inspired by Dr. Rudolf Steiner’s educational work which is based on a profound understanding of human development. It is a beautiful, gentle and creative way of education for children. The uniquely designed curriculum of Dr. Rudolf Steiner rooted in the Indian context forms the basis of our school. We also derive our inspiration from Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi’s Nai Taleem, David Horsburgh, J. Krishnamurthy, Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev and other seers.

Swadhaa is the growing community of teachers and parents who believe in the holistic education which develops not only the intellect but the whole human being. We have strong faith in leaving children with possibilities and not conclusions.

We are a space where responsibility, excellence and compassion come together as one movement and not as fragmented parts to be strung together and where learning is engaging, mutually inspiring and an explorative process of discovery – of the self and all else.

Translating the educational inspiration and intent of the school to the educational process is where the heart of the school lies. Striving to see the underlying principles in practice, in the classroom, is an honest endeavour by each member of the community. There are certain fundamentals that form the basis of the ethos of operation at Swadhaa.

Teacher community

A few decades ago, a renowned teacher, Lekh Raj Ulfat, visited Sri Aurobindo’s ashram in Pondicherry. Just when he was departing, he turned back and asked Aurobindo a final question, “How could I be a good teacher?"

Sri Aurobindo answered “Find out and develop the soul of your students"
Lekh Raj queried that it was easy to find out the working of their bodies and minds but how to find out their souls?
Aurobindo replied “Find out your own soul"

This anecdote puts forth the highest ideals at the heart of Rudolf Steiner’s educational philosophy – to nurture and nourish the inner being of each child through the “soul force” of the teacher, to enable them to be individuals capable of lending meaning and purpose to their own lives.

Over the course of their teaching careers, they touch dozens of lives deeply. In the process, their lives also change and so does the lives of the children and parents who accompany them in this educational journey.