HIGH SCHOOL

“Set them forth in freedom …”

As children attain puberty and enter adolescence, something significant shifts inside them too. Mainstream approaches to child development recognise the external physical changes in the child such as the beginning of sexual maturity but completely fail to recognise the spiritual dimensions of the transformation happening inside the child, those that do not have a material form. In reality, the inner spiritual transformation of the child is of far greater significance than the outer physical transformation, especially to the educator. With the full, healthy development of the Feeling Forces through the Grade School years, the adolescent is now capable of quite a range of feelings. While (s)he is greatly moved by these emotions, (s)he does not yet know to control them. That control must come from the only source possible, a higher spiritual force that now begins to take shape in the child. What gives that control to this spiritual force is the blossoming, in the adolescent, of the Thinking Forces.

“Our highest endeavor must be to develop free human beings who are able of themselves to impart purpose and direction to their lives. The need for imagination, a sense of truth, and a feeling of responsibility—these three forces are the very nerve of education."
- Rudolf Steiner .

It is not that children start to think only after puberty. It is that thinking becomes a key aspect of their cognitive process and they definitely begin to think more systematically. They are, for this reason, not anymore ready to just follow their teacher out of love. That is just one out of a whole new range of emotions they can now deal with. They begin to like or dislike their teachers based on how well each of them stands for truth that lives within them. They question and even judge everything and everyone - including teachers and parents - around them because their thinking forces are on the lookout for truth. They are now ready to enter a journey of discovery of truth by themselves and hold everything and everyone up to high standards.

The way we work with these children therefore evolves to meet this soul development in the children. There is no more a class teacher holding all subjects as was the case till Grade 7. Instead, multiple subject experts introduce their own respective subjects of specialisation, but work together as a team to bring to children a deep, multidisciplinary approach to learning. Some very important decisions underline the education of the child in these three years.

Education in the Sciences (Physics, Chemistry and Biology) happens largely within the framework of the Main Lesson Blocks with a little time given to EW classes from the start of Grade 10 to help children slowly build the understanding required to handle external qualifying examinations with ease. The Humanities see the introduction of the science of Economics as a systematic exercise of discovering the universal laws that govern the functioning of human societies. The subject will be dealt with across the years of High School and its conclusions will have a significant bearing on the children’s experience of all other subjects in their curriculum including the natural sciences. Language education sees the full blossoming of this faculty of the child through a deep immersion in literature across the ages and genres. This is strengthened through projects undertaken by the children. The education of the heart and the hands will continue through an evolving curriculum in Art, Hard Crafts like metalwork, Music, Movement and Games.

Holding all this together is a Class Guardian, a Teacher who will work with the group of children through at least these three years. The Guardian Teacher will usually also be a teacher in one of the subjects children meet, but his/her role will encompass everything to do with not just the children’s education but also their healthy emotional and spiritual development. A special feature that takes a strong place in the children’s school schedule is conversation time involving the children, the class Guardian Teacher and even a certified professional Psychological Counsellor so that the tumultuous teenage years can be bridged with children in a state of good physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.