Steiner Kindergarten to open this spring above Ard Bia restaurant,
Spanish Arch, Galway City

A large group of parents living in Galway are interested in
establishing a Steiner school in the city.

Steiner schools offer a unique approach to educating children.
Currently and collectively, Steiner schools form the largest and
fastest-growing group of independent schools in the world. There are
now over 800 Steiner schools and 1200 kindergartens in 43 countries
worldwide.

The Steiner ethic is to educate the whole child: head, heart and
hands. The curriculum is broad, and balances academic subjects with
artistic and practical activities. Steiner Waldorf teachers are
dedicated to creating a genuine love of learning within each child,
and a strong desire to learn is developed in all students. Competitive
testing and grading become redundant.

Dr. Rudolf Steiner was a highly respected scholar, who on September 7,
1919, established a school for the children of Stuttgart's
Waldorf-Astoria cigarette factory employees. Steiner insisted that the
school, which was open to all children, should be a unified
twelve-year coeducational school, which teachers would run mostly by
themselves.

Feeling strongly that schools should cater for the needs of the
children themselves, rather than those of the government or economic
forces, Steiner schools hesitate to categorise children as either
"slow" or "gifted". A child's weakness in one area will usually be
balanced out by strengths in another. It is the teacher's job to bring
the child's whole being into balance.

Our lives are shaped by our childhood,. and Dr. Steiner believed that
if we are to develop the strengths we need to live harmoniously, we
must all experience a form of education which addresses the full
measure of a human being: in body, soul and spirit.

All too often today, the educational environment is pressured,
mechanised; devoid of imagination and compassion; focused merely on
memorising facts, rather than the development of understanding.

The prime purpose of Steiner Education is to support and educate each
child, whilst encouraging their self-discovery. Having attained a
feeling of fulfilment from an early age, the Steiner graduate will
enjoy self-awareness and a responsible adulthood.

There are already many Steiner schools in Ireland, including three in
Co Clare, and in Galway at present, there is a committee of parents
working together, looking for suitable premises. We are currently
establishing a kindergarten in Ard Bia restaurant, in the Spanish
Arch, Galway city, which is due to open this spring

If you want to find out more about Steiner schools and our current
plans, contact Anne at 087-6343585, or Aisling at 087-6722395

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