A Waldorf educator, somewhere along the way, will inevitably get asked a question by a newcomer, really a concern expressed, over hearing from somewhere that Waldorf, while strong in the arts, is weak in the sciences.

The following is a response by a Professor of Pathology at Duke University Medical School which should dispel this myth quickly.

Daniel J. Kenan, MD and PhD, writes:

“I want to relay an observation. The Waldorf student workbooks (note: also known as Main Lesson books) were unbelievable! The one image I kept staring at as I sat on the front row was from a page entitled, “The Nephron.” As a biologist and physician who has spent countless hours studying the beastly nephron, I can tell you that this one beautifully drawn image captured the essential anatomical and physiological essence of this unit of function of the kidney. The attention to detail in the subtleties of the vascular interconnectivities could only have been made by someone who really “got it.”
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Also, I was drawn to the workbook entitled, “Botany.” I was amazed by the attention to detail and the ability to capture the essential features of the plant or botanical process that was the subject of each page. I can tell you that none of the grad/med school students I teach at Duke would be capable of such work. The student who produced that workbook has already developed many of the skills required to be a scientist, including powers of observation, documentation, and interpretation. On top of this, there was an aesthetic sense in the work that I found particularly refreshing.

I have deep concerns about scientific education in this country, partly because I continue to be disappointed by the training and abilities of the many undergrad and grad students that I encounter as a teacher and researcher at one of the so-called top medical centers in the country. If I am seeing the cream of the crop, then the rest of the country must be in really bad shape! What seems to me to be under-developed in these university students is the ability to think, and the ability to learn, and the ability to “self-start.” And the ability to ask questions. What I saw yesterday at the Waldorf school convinces me that there is still hope. As I studied the workbooks, I became excited, thinking, “This is it – this is what’s missing! If all our students knew how to work in this manner, just think of the marvelous science we could do!”

And Joseph Weizenbaum, former professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology adds: “Being personally acquainted with a number of Waldorf students, I can say that they come closer to realizing their own potential than practically anyone I know.”

The above responses are included in a new outreach booklet from the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA) called “Windows Into Waldorf,” which takes a look at Waldorf education from kindergarten through high school. It gives, in a relatively short booklet, a wonderful overview of Waldorf education, with lots of beautiful photographs from students work from each grade level.