A Personal Journey to Waldorf Education

In 2015, our son Brodie attended The Grove Primary School in Claremont. As an informal feeder school to Westerford High School, we saw The Grove as a solid start to his school journey. Having attended semi-private public schools ourselves, enrolling Brodie felt like a natural decision. However, during the first term, he became increasingly unhappy. It soon became clear that the school was not a good fit for him, and despite not knowing what our next steps would be, we knew we had to find an alternative.

While we had heard about Waldorf education—and perhaps even entertained the idea of it as a potential option for Brodie—it was never something we actively explored. Little did we know that this would soon change!

One evening, when my wife and I were due to go out, our usual babysitter called to say she could no longer babysit for us. She had asked a young man, Matthew, to step in for her. Concerned about leaving our children with someone we didn’t know, we hesitated—until she mentioned his surname: Reeler. She assured us that I knew him. Indeed, I did—Matthew was a third-year student in my film production class. Knowing him well, I felt more than comfortable leaving our kids in his care.

When we returned home that evening, my wife and I had a long conversation with Matthew. The discussion centred on education and remained there for quite some time. He mentioned that he had attended Michael Oak and pointed out other students I had lectured in previous years who were also Michael Oak alumni. I was surprised—intrigued. Once he had left, I turned to my wife and said, “If I had to put together a group of the nicest students I’ve had over the past five years, it would be those kids.” They weren’t necessarily all top of their class—though they were clearly bright, having achieved the high marks required for film production—but they were different. Collaborative, creative, self-directed, and great at working together, they stood out from their peers. This was a pivotal moment for us in deciding on Waldorf education.

Getting into Michael Oak was a journey. After leaving The Grove, Brodie initially attended Gaia Waldorf until a place became available for him at Michael Oak. My daughter, on the other hand, started at Michael Oak in kindergarten and continued all the way through the school.

A little coda to this experience is that, over the years of being a Michael Oak parent, I’ve found that some Waldorf principles have subtly influenced my own teaching at university. I’ve often observed that Waldorf education prepares students exceptionally well for university. While students sometimes feel nervous about Class 12 and the transition to tertiary education, in the long run, Waldorf students tend to excel. A Waldorf education fosters independent thinking, problem-solving, and adaptability—qualities that serve them well beyond school.

Dr Ian-Malcolm Rijsdijk
Senior Lecturer, Centre for Film and Media Studies and
Environmental Humanities South
University of Cape Town