Our Commitment to Diversity
At Lake Champlain Waldorf School, we embrace the opportunity to deepen our understanding of each other and of our lived experiences. We expressly welcome families, faculty, and staff from all races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, socioeconomic statuses, ages, abilities, and religions. We work to align our teaching at the Lake Champlain Waldorf School with our values as a school. Our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Accessibility Committee (DEIJA) leads this work in collaboration with school leadership.
CONTENT & CURRICULUM
In recent years, LCWS has reviewed our program through a diversity, equity and inclusion lens and has made important updates to the content of our curriculum. We are deeply committed to this work and to innovating the traditional Waldorf curriculum and we recognize that this process is ongoing. We also accompany this work with our Social Justice and Identity class, which brings anti-bias and social justice work to grades 1 through 12. Some key examples of how we have evolved and updated our curriculum are below:
• In Early Childhood, we ensure that dolls, crayons and materials are representative of diverse cultures and backgrounds;
• Oral story telling is a central component of our curriculum from Early Childhood through 12th Grade and we work intentionally to bring stories that feature a broad range of perspectives, including gender diverse protagonists and detailed content that brings to life different cultures and identities;
• In Second Grade, we have shifted the traditional “Saints” blocks to blocks that focus on Great People of the World including Malala Yousafzai, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Jane Goodall, among others.
• In Fifth Grade, we have changed our North American Geography block to bring the content through stories of the Underground Railroad with a focus on the biography of Harriett Tubman;
• In Eighth Grade, American History includes detailed discussion about the Indigenous Peoples of Americas and social revolutions including LGBTQ+ rights, the Civil Right movement, and contemporary movements for social change around the world.
• In High School, students engage in Social Justice and Identity blocks that move across disciplines to examine the relationship between social justice and community, finance, and health.
In addition to conscious curriculum development, LCWS commits to DEI work through investing in training and education for our faculty and staff, our students, and our parent community. This has included parent workshops on deconstructing the Thanksgiving myth, a full-day teacher workshop on talking with students about racism, a day-long workshop on anti-racism and a Waldorf-specific training on racial identity development for our DEIJA group.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION FUND SCHOLARSHIPS
LCWS offers Diversity and Inclusion Fund Scholarships which were created as part of our commitment to removing financial impediments for students from various cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, with diverse talents, interests, and life experiences. For the purposes of the DIF Scholarship, we consider diversity across one or more of the following seven categories: culture and language; religion; family structure; economic class; gender identity and expression; racial identity; abilities.
DENOUNCING RACISM IN WALDORF EDUCATION’S HISTORY
Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Waldorf education, espoused racist views about racial hierarchy. We acknowledge this history, renounce the racist views that have been associated with anthroposophy and Waldorf education, and declare our intent to be a part of an evolving Waldorf movement that embraces anti-bias in all forms.