General Academic Principles The Waldorf curriculum is coordinated with the three phases of growth and development through which children pass as they mature, from the imitative nature of the young child, and the imaginative middle years of childhood, to the thoughtful adolescent. Appreciation and reverence for the natural world and the cultural heritage of humanity form the core of the curriculum, which reflects the idea that each child's development retraces the progress of civilization. The child learns to read after gaining skill in writing, just as reading followed the development of systems of notation Integration of knowledge with the child's own experience is stressed, and the resulting deep involvement between child and subject becomes a source of joy. "What every parent would wish as the best for his or her children, Waldorf education provides. The fullest development of intelligent, imaginative, self-confident and caring persons is the aim of Waldorf education. This aim is solidly grounded in a comprehensive view of human development, in an intellectually and culturally rich curriculum, and in the presence of knowledgeable, caring human beings at every stage of the child's education.                - Douglas Sloan, Professor Emeritus, Columbia University