You are a parent of a four or five year old stressing out over the thought of sending your child to public school. You may have gone to a public school growing up, but you know in your heart of hearts that things have changed drastically since you were in grade school In fact, you may have put off relocating to Bozeman simply because you weren't sure if you could find a school for your child that fit your goals for them as a parent.
Our world is changing rapidly and unfortunately, many public schools have become a hub of forced political agendas, cycloptic view points, and teaching students to pass standardized tests instead of creating a thirst for knowledge and modeling critical thinking.
Do I even need to bring up the rising levels of gun violence? You're already aware, I'm sure.
We aim to redefine education here at Epoch. We won't claim rigorous academics, high test scores, blah blah blah because we don't see your child as a statistic or data point. We see your child as an individual comprised of mind, body and soul. They come to us with all they need to survive and thrive and we, the educators, are not here to input data into their tiny heads to memorize and regurgitate on a test for state officials to applaud. We don't see intelligence on a worksheet or scantron. We see intelligence as problem solving, resourcefulness, creativity, and innovation. We value their thoughts on philosophy, literature, art, culture and music. We aim to provide opportunities for exploration and discovery and help them develop thinking, feeling, and willing, but we do not push adult agendas on developing humans.
Most people come across Waldorf education when they're seeking an early childhood program. In fact, a traditional Waldorf "kinder" is ages 3-5 years and these programs are scattered around the US and the world; however, at Epoch, we serve ages 5-9y knowing that they're all still in the "hands realm" according to Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Waldorf education. Kids in this age group are doers! But, unfortunately the mainstream education model doesn't recognize that. They have students in desks, using pencils and paper and giving them no more than 20-30 minutes of outside time a day and there's almost zero opportunity for free play or choice.
Let's keep our children in dream world for as long as possible and extend their childhood and avoid rushing them through stages the way our mainstream culture wants us to. Reach out to info@epochbzn.com if you want to discuss your unique child and your hopes for their early academic years!
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