Because Waldorf education is multi-sensory and movement-oriented by design, it provides a supportive learning atmosphere for children who have sensory processing and/or specific academic struggles. Emerson Waldorf School also has an educational support program to identify children for whom this curriculum alone does not meet all of their needs.  Every second grader is screened by a remedial specialist in the areas of sensori-motor development and foundational skills for reading, writing and math.  Students identified as needing special support are then offered part-time tutoring and Extra Lesson work by our remedial specialists in Grades 3 and 4.  ‘Extra Lesson’ is the term often used by special educators trained in the Waldorf philosophy to describe the movement and artistic exercises used to strengthen and integrate sensory systems, such as vision, auditory processing, balance and movement in space.

Emerson Waldorf does not at present have the staff to support classroom success for all students, but is open to considering each applicant and to receiving outside support from therapists and tutors.  We work closely with local remedial specialists, and have an active Curative Care group which supports children with special needs, and their teachers and parents.  We have a part-time Remedial Education Specialist –click here to visit her website, and find out more about the work she does with our students.

When Learning Doesn’t Come Easily: From EWS’s Insights Magazine