105-540: The Detroit Waldorf School is a private PreK-8 Waldorf school located at 2555 Burns, Detroit , Michigan , United States, in an Albert Kahn -designed school in the historic Indian Village neighborhood. In 2016, the building was designated a Michigan State Historic Site . The school is the only remaining private independent school in Detroit, and is one of the city's highest-rated schools, receiving five stars on GreatSchools.org. As of 2016, 240 students were enrolled in
210-604: A Michigan State Historic Site A state of Michigan historical marker was erected at the school commemorating both the original occupant of the building, Eastern Liggett School, and Detroit Waldorf School. The Detroit Waldorf School has maintained a commitment to providing a strong Waldorf education children in Detroit, and to racial, ethnic, geographic, and social-economic diversity in its student body. The school has remained at its present location since 1966. The Detroit Waldorf School Early Childhood Center includes Pre-K classes for children 3-5 and full-day Kindergarten. The focus in
315-530: A homeschooling movement. Germany, the United States, and the Netherlands have the most Waldorf schools. Many Waldorf schools have faced controversy due to Steiner's connections to racist ideology and magical thinking . Others have faced regulatory audits and closure due to concerns over substandard treatment of children with special educational needs. Critics of Waldorf education point out
420-644: A principal or head teacher, but rather by a number of groups, including: There are coordinating bodies for Waldorf education at both the national (e.g. the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America and the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship in the UK and Ireland) and international level (e.g. International Association for Waldorf Education and The European Council for Steiner Waldorf Education (ECSWE)). These organizations certify
525-414: A Shakespearean play in eighth grade. Each grade also puts on a class play. Mathematics starts with basic arithmetic and the introduction to numbers, and continues with multiplication, division, fractions, exponents, and roots. Geometry is taught in the middle and upper grades. The upper grades begin studying business math, pre-algebra, and algebra, including graphing equations. Science is introduced in
630-584: A book in 1990 stating that Waldorf schools do not allow questioning the historical accuracy of the Old Testament . One study of science curriculum compared a group of American Waldorf school students to American public school students on three different test variables. Two tests measured verbal and non-verbal logical reasoning and the third was an international TIMSS test. The TIMSS test covered scientific understanding of magnetism . The researchers found that Waldorf school students scored higher than both
735-427: A combination of temperaments rather than a pure single type. No evidence exists for such "personality types" to be consistent in an individual across time or context, nor that such "types" are useful in providing more effective education. Today, Waldorf teachers may work with these pseudoscientific "temperaments" to design instruction for each student. Seating arrangements and class activities may take into account
840-669: A conference at Oxford University . Two years later, on his final trip to Britain at Torquay in 1924, Steiner delivered a Waldorf teacher training course. The first school in England ( Michael Hall ) was founded in 1925; the first in the United States (the Rudolf Steiner School in New York City) in 1928. By the 1930s, numerous schools inspired by Steiner's pedagogical principles had opened in Germany, Switzerland,
945-430: A diverse social spectrum. It was also the first comprehensive school in Germany, serving children of all genders, abilities, and social classes. At Steiner's behest, the early Waldorf schools were "open to all students, regardless of income. If the parents were unable to pay the full tuition, the remaining amount would be subsidized." Waldorf education became more widely known in 1922 through lectures Steiner gave at
1050-1044: A few years later by the Communist government . In North America in 1967, there were nine schools in the United States and one in Canada. As of 2021, that number had increased to more than 200 in the United States and over 20 in Canada. There are currently 29 Steiner schools in the United Kingdom and three in the Republic of Ireland . After the dissolution of the Soviet Union , Waldorf schools again began to proliferate in Central and Eastern Europe . More recently, many have opened in Asia, especially China. There are currently over 1,200 independent Waldorf schools worldwide. The structure of Waldorf education follows
1155-456: A greater role. Steiner considered children's cognitive, emotional, and behavioral development to be interlinked. When students in a Waldorf school are grouped, it is generally not by a focus on academic abilities. Instead, Steiner adapted the pseudoscientific proto-psychological concept of the classic four temperaments – melancholic, sanguine, phlegmatic, and choleric. Steiner indicated that teaching should be differentiated to accommodate
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#17327807292871260-466: A household in the city was $ 51,802, and the median income for a family was $ 64,543. Males had a median income of $ 48,341 versus $ 37,949 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 28,096. About 5.8% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over. The most common occupations for people in Southfield are
1365-723: A lazure technique, and include textured surfaces. The schools primarily assess students through reports on individual academic progress and personal development. The emphasis is on characterization through qualitative description. Pupils' progress is evaluated through portfolio work in academic blocks and discussion of pupils in teacher conferences. Standardized tests are rare, with the exception of examinations necessary for college entry taken during secondary school years. Letter grades are generally not given until students enter high school. Pupils are not typically asked to repeat years of elementary or secondary education. Though Waldorf schools are autonomous institutions not required to follow
1470-502: A male householder with no wife present, and 42.8% were non-families. 37.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age in the city was 42. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.7% were from 25 to 44; 29.2% were from 45 to 64; and 16.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of
1575-406: A mix of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Southfield is a city of sales and office workers, professionals and managers. A relatively large number of people living in Southfield work in office and administrative support (16.00%), sales jobs (10.93%), and management occupations (9.72%). Southfield's populace is very well-educated relative to most cities and towns in the nation. Whereas 21.84% of
1680-420: A nondenominational offering. In the United Kingdom, public Waldorf schools are not categorized as " Faith schools ". Waldorf teacher education programs offer courses in child development , the methodology of Waldorf teaching, academic subjects appropriate to the future teachers' chosen specialty, and the study of pedagogical texts and other works by Steiner. For early childhood and elementary school teachers,
1785-589: A north–south/east–west orientation, forming a grid of major streets spaced one mile (1.6 km) apart from each other. The major east–west streets are 8 Mile Road (which forms the southern boundary of the city), 9 Mile Road (which is split by the Southfield Freeway), 10 Mile Road, 11 Mile Road (which is split by the Lodge), and 12 Mile Road. Major north–south streets are Telegraph Road, Lahser Road, Evergreen Road, Southfield Road (the northern extension of
1890-658: A prescribed curriculum (beyond what is required by law in a given jurisdiction) there are widely agreed upon guidelines for the Waldorf curriculum. Main academic subjects are introduced through two-hour morning lesson blocks that last for several weeks. These blocks are horizontally integrated at each grade level in that the topic of the block will be infused into many classroom activities and vertically integrated in that each subject will be revisited with increasing complexity as students develop their skills, reasoning capacities and individual sense of self. This has been described as
1995-911: A proposed oil drilling site. Due to sustained opposition and environmental concerns, the plan was cancelled. Southfield is a commercial and business center for the metropolitan Detroit area, with 27,000,000 square feet (2,508,400 m ) of office space, second in the Detroit metro area to Detroit's central business district of 33,251,000 square feet (3,089,100 square meters). Several internationally recognized corporations have major offices and headquarters in Southfield, including Veoneer , Huf Hülsbeck and Fürst , Denso , Peterson Spring , Federal-Mogul , Lear , R.L. Polk & Co. , International Automotive Components, Stefanini, Inc. , and Guardian Alarm . More than 100 Fortune 500 companies have offices in Southfield. On October 28, 2014, Fifth Third Bank announced plans to move its Michigan regional headquarters from Southfield to downtown Detroit in what will be named
2100-402: A single theme over one month's time. This typically begins with introductory activities that may include singing, instrumental music, and recitations of poetry, generally including a verse written by Rudolf Steiner for the start of a school day. There is little reliance on standardized textbooks. Waldorf elementary education allows for individual variations in the pace of learning, based upon
2205-800: A spiral curriculum. Many subjects and skills not considered core parts of mainstream schools, such as art, music, gardening, and mythology, are central to Waldorf education. Students learn a variety of fine and practical arts. Elementary students paint, draw, sculpt, knit, weave, and crochet. Older students build on these experiences and learn new skills such as pattern-making and sewing, wood and stone carving, metal work, book-binding, and doll or puppet making. Music instruction begins with singing in early childhood and continuing through high school. Pupils also usually learn to play pentatonic flutes, recorders and/or lyres in early elementary grades. Around age 9, diatonic recorders and orchestral instruments are introduced. Certain subjects are largely unique to
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#17327807292872310-519: A theory of childhood development devised by Rudolf Steiner, utilizing distinct learning strategies for each of three developmental stages or "epochs": early childhood, elementary, and secondary education. Steiner believed each stage lasted approximately seven years. Aside from their spiritual underpinnings, Steiner's seven-year stages are broadly similar to those later described by Jean Piaget and also theories described earlier by Comenius and Pestalozzi . The stated purpose of this approach
2415-416: A valuable role as personal mentors, establishing "lasting relationships with pupils", Ullrich documented problems when the same teacher continues into middle school . Noting that there is a danger of any authority figure limiting students enthusiasm for inquiry and autonomy , he cited a number of schools where the class teacher accompanies the class for six years only, after which specialist teachers play
2520-428: A variety of reasons for this: Waldorf educators believe that use of these conflicts with young children's developmental needs, media users may be physically inactive, and media may be seen to contain inappropriate or undesirable content and to hamper the imagination. Waldorf pedagogues consider that readiness for learning to read depends upon increased independence of character, temperament, habits, and memory, one of
2625-736: Is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS), the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA), and the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America (WECAN). Notable alumni of the Detroit Waldorf School include: Waldorf education Waldorf education , also known as Steiner education , is based on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner ,
2730-479: Is an enclave within Southfield. Southfield was surveyed in 1817 according to the plan by Michigan territorial governor Lewis Cass . The first settlers came from nearby Birmingham and Royal Oak, Michigan , as well as New York and Vermont . The area that became Southfield was settled by John Daniels in 1823. Among the founders were the Heth, Stephens, Harmon, McClelland and Thompson families. Town 1 north, 10 east
2835-448: Is bounded to the south by Eight Mile Road , its western border is Inkster Road, and to the east it is bounded by Greenfield Road. Southfield's northern border does not follow a single road, but lies approximately along Thirteen Mile Road. The city is bordered by Detroit and Redford Township to the south, Farmington Hills to the west, Franklin , Bingham Farms , and Beverly Hills to the north and Royal Oak , Berkley and Oak Park to
2940-428: Is good". Waldorf preschools employ a regular daily routine that includes free play, artistic work (e.g. drawing, painting or modeling), circle time (songs, games, and stories), outdoor recess, and practical tasks (e.g. cooking, cleaning, and gardening), with rhythmic variations. Rhythm and repetitive patterns are considered important in anthroposophy and are believed to hold spiritual significance. The classroom
3045-497: Is home to a large number of notable buildings in the Mid-century modern style of architecture. Notable examples include Percival Goodman's brutalist Congregation Shaarey Zedek and many early works by Minoru Yamasaki , including his Reynolds Aluminum building. Prominent in Southfield is Southfield City Centre , a mixed-use area consisting of a major business center, private university, and residential neighborhoods, near
3150-621: Is in Southfield on 11 Mile and Evergreen roads. A transmitter for WDIV-TV is in the city; it is the only television station based in downtown Detroit. The city is home to Audacy's Detroit studios. Southfield is also served by WSHJ 88.3 FM, a student-run radio station sponsored by Southfield Public Schools. In 1970, radio pioneer and entertainer Specs Howard founded the Specs Howard School of Media Arts in Southfield. In addition to The Detroit News and Free Press , Detroit's two metropolitan daily newspapers, Southfield
3255-478: Is intended to resemble a home, with tools and toys usually sourced from simple, natural materials that lend themselves to imaginative play. The use of natural materials has been praised as fulfilling children's aesthetic needs and reinforcing connections to nature, though some scholars have questioned whether the preference for natural, non-manufactured materials is truly a "reasoned assessment of twenty-first century children's needs", rather than "a reaction against
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3360-688: Is introduced in the form of games and eurythmy . Gymnastics is introduced later, as well as dancing and team sports. Art and Handwork is introduced with painting, drawing, knitting, and beeswax modeling. As students progress, more sophisticated painting and drawing is introduced, as well as carving, pottery, sculpture, cross-stitch, sewing, carpentry, and woodworking. The school offers various after-school programs for students. These include competitive sports, physical activities, musical instruction, and Games. 2015/2016 offerings include basketball, track, soccer, tennis, volleyball, circus arts, kinderharp, guitar, brain games, and chess. The Detroit Waldorf School
3465-538: Is now the Sunbridge Institute . In 2011, the school was selected by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of 100 "places that matter" in the United States. In 2013, businessman Jeff Adler donated $ 750,000 to various Detroit organizations, including $ 100,000 to the Detroit Waldorf School. In 2016, at the time of the Detroit Waldorf School's 50th anniversary, the school was designated
3570-537: Is required to enter post-secondary education . The first Waldorf school opened in 1919 in Stuttgart , Germany. A century later, it has become the largest independent school movement in the world, with more than 1,200 independent schools and nearly 2,000 kindergartens in 75 countries, as well as more than 500 centers for special education in more than 40 countries. There are also numerous Waldorf-based public schools , charter schools , and academies , as well as
3675-496: Is served by the Southfield Eccentric , a suburban paper that reports on local and community events, which is published twice a week, on Sunday and Thursday. The headquarters of The Detroit Jewish News is in Southfield. The Chaldean News is also headquartered in Southfield. Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) operates local and regional bus transit. The major thoroughfares in
3780-408: Is that all educational and cultural institutions should be self-governing and should grant teachers a high degree of creative autonomy within the school; this is based upon the conviction that a holistic approach to education aiming at the development of free individuals can only be successful when based on a school form that expresses these same principles. Most Waldorf schools are not directed by
3885-422: Is the source of the name Waldorf , which is now trademarked in the United States when used in connection with the educational method. Molt's proposed school would educate the children of employees of the factory. Molt was a follower of anthroposophy , an esoteric spiritual movement based on the notion that an objectively comprehensible spiritual realm exists and can be observed by humans, and of Rudolf Steiner,
3990-408: Is to awaken the "physical, behavioral, emotional, cognitive, social, and spiritual" aspects of each pupil. In Waldorf pedagogy, young children learn best through immersion in unselfconscious imitation of practical activities. The early childhood curriculum focuses on experiential education and imaginative play. The overall goal of the curriculum is to "imbue the child with a sense that the world
4095-636: Is to provide a supportive role model both through personal example and through stories drawn from a variety of cultures, educating by exercising "creative, loving authority". Class teachers are normally expected to teach a cohort for several years, a practice known as looping . Starting in first grade, specialized teachers teach many subjects, including music, crafts, movement, and two foreign languages from complementary language families (in English-speaking countries these are typically German and either Spanish or French). While class teachers serve
4200-562: The 2020 census , the city had a population of 76,618. Southfield is notable as the home of multiple business districts, including the Southfield City Centre (an edge city which contains the tallest building in Detroit's suburbs) and the area surrounding the former Northland Center shopping mall. It is also home to Lawrence Technological University . The city was originally part of Southfield Township before incorporating in 1958. The autonomous city of Lathrup Village
4305-609: The Consulate of Iraq in Detroit is in Southfield. Penguicon has been held in Southfield regularly since 2014. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has an area of 26.28 square miles (68.06 km ), of which 26.27 square miles (68.04 km ) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km ) (0.04%) is water. The main branch of the River Rouge runs through Southfield. The city
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4410-499: The Fifth Third Bank Building at One Woodward . The office had 150 employees. Northland Center , one of the nation's first shopping malls, opened in Southfield in 1954 and closed in 2015. As of 2022, the property is being redeveloped as a mixed-use residential and commercial complex. Southfield is home to over 780 acres (3.2 km ) of parkland and a nationally recognized public school district. Southfield
4515-753: The Oak Park School District . Southfield A&T also competes in the Oakland Activities Association in the Red Division for high school sports, and has membership in the MHSAA. AGBU Alex and Marie Manoogian School is an Armenian charter in Southfield. Farber Hebrew Day School – Yeshivat Akiva is a private Jewish school in Southfield. Southfield Christian School is a private school in Southfield. Southfield Public Library operates public libraries in
4620-628: The council-manager form of government, and thus is governed by a City Council consisting of seven council members. The city council appoints a City Administrator , who manages the day-to-day operations of the city. The popularly elected mayor, who does not vote on council actions, has the right to veto council actions and appoints the city's planner, assessor, attorney, and members of various commissions. The city's clerk and treasurer are also popularly elected officials. All these officials hold nonpartisan positions. Southfield Public Schools operates area public schools. Southfield Senior High School for
4725-406: The 1950s, cities and villages began to incorporate within the township, including Lathrup Village in 1950, and Beverly Hills in 1957. Most of what was left of the township was formally incorporated as a city on April 28, 1958, to protect it from annexation attempts by Detroit; whites who had migrated to the suburbs did not want to be associated with Detroit's expanding black community. City Hall
4830-832: The Anthroposophy Society was prohibited in November 1935 and Reich Education Minister Bernhard Rust forbade all private schools from accepting new students in March 1936, the last Waldorf school was not closed until 1941." The affected schools reopened after the Second World War ended. A few schools elsewhere in Europe (e.g. in Norway) survived by going underground. Some schools in East Germany were re-closed
4935-571: The Arts and Technology (commonly known as Southfield A&T) is the district's sole high school. There were originally two high schools in the district, Southfield and Southfield-Lathrup , but they were consolidated after the 2015–16 school year. Students living in parts of Northern Southfield attend schools in the Birmingham City School District , while students living in the southeast corner of Southfield attend schools in
5040-570: The Czech Republic, Denmark, Spain, and Portugal provide the majority of independent schools' funding. In countries outside of this region, funding for independent schools varies widely. Southfield, Michigan Southfield is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan . An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Southfield borders Detroit to the north, roughly 15 miles (24.1 km) northwest of downtown Detroit . As of
5145-644: The Early Childhood Center is on language and stories in circle/story time, and on indoor and outdoor creative free play. The school believes that free play is a fundamental part of early learning, fostering imagination, creativity, problem solving and social skills which aid in academic learning in later years. Children in the Early Childhood Center experience movement in play, including skipping, jumping rope, and eurythmy . They also do arts and handwork, including coloring, painting, modeling with beeswax, and baking bread. Beginning in elementary school,
5250-562: The Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Hungary, the United States, and England. From 1933 to 1945, political interference from the Nazi regime limited and ultimately closed most Waldorf schools in Europe, with the exception of some British, Swiss, and Dutch schools (UK and Switzerland did not get occupied by Nazi Germany). Rudolf Hess , the adjunct Führer, was a patron of Waldorf schools. Nazis did not like private schools, especially after Hess flew to England. According to Karen Priestman, "Although
5355-484: The Southfield Freeway) and Greenfield Road (which forms the eastern boundary of the city). The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit formerly operated the Church of St. Bede. By 2013 there was a debate on how the property should be rezoned, and therefore reused. The Southfield Parks and Recreation Department is responsible for 775 acres of parks, nature preserves and open space and historic properties at 33 sites within
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#17327807292875460-481: The Waldorf schools. Foremost among these is eurythmy , a movement art usually accompanying spoken texts or music which includes elements of drama and dance. Although found in other educational contexts, cooking, farming, and environmental and outdoor education are centrally incorporated into Waldorf curriculum. Other differences include: non-competitive games and free play in younger years as opposed to athletics instruction; instruction in two foreign languages from
5565-532: The ancient Nineveh region of the Assyrian homeland in North Iraq. The Chaldean Federation of America, an umbrella organization for most regional Chaldean groups, is in Southfield. As of that year, the largest Chaldean church, by number of congregants, was based here. The city also had the area's sole Chaldean retirement home. Southfield is also home to the Detroit area's Consulate-General of Iraq . Since
5670-761: The average community's adult population holds a 4-year degree or higher, 38.73% of Southfield's adults have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree. Southfield's per capita income in 2010 was $ 28,995. In 2002 Southfield had 42,259 black people, the second-largest black population in Metro Detroit and third-largest in Michigan. As of 2011, many African Americans from Detroit were moving into Southfield and other suburbs of Oakland and Macomb counties. Tensions have occurred between existing middle-class blacks in Southfield and incoming Detroiters. As of 2001 many Chaldo-Assyrians live in Southfield; they are descended from
5775-496: The basis on which to develop into free , morally responsible , and creative beings. No independent studies have been published as to whether or not Waldorf education achieves these aims more than any other approach. The philosophical foundation of the Waldorf approach, anthroposophy , underpins its primary pedagogical goals: to provide an education that enables children to become free human beings, and to help children to incarnate their "unfolding spiritual identity", carried from
5880-451: The beginning of elementary school; and an experiential-phenomenological approach to science. In this method, students observe and depict scientific concepts in their own words and drawings rather than encountering the ideas first through a textbook. The scientific methodology of modern Waldorf schools utilizes a so-called "phenomenological approach" to science education employing a methodology of inquiry-based learning aiming to "strengthen
5985-583: The board to allow the Waldorf nursery school to open in their building. The school opened as a nursery school in the Central United Methodist Church in 1965, and was deliberately integrated from its founding. However, space in the church was limited, and later that year the school acquired the just-vacated Liggett campus. Classes for elementary students began at the present school building in September 1966. The Detroit Waldorf School
6090-467: The building until the early 1960s, when the changing nature of Detroit caused the school to decide to move. In 1964, construction began on a new school, and in early 1965, Liggett moved from the Indian Village campus to Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan . In 1969, The Liggett School merged with Grosse Pointe University School to form what is now University Liggett School . The Detroit Waldorf School
6195-643: The city include the John C. Lodge Freeway ( M-10 ), which is among the first urban to suburban highways constructed in the United States. The city also contains I-696 , Southfield Freeway ( M-39 ), and US 24 (Telegraph Road). The city has several freeway interchanges connecting local roads to the freeways. Most prominently, "The Lodge" freeway connects downtown Detroit to "The Mixing Bowl," the sprawling interchange of I-696, US 24, M-10, Lahser Road, and Franklin Road, all of which are in Southfield. Most major streets adhere to
6300-560: The city was 44.7% male and 55.3% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 78,296 people, 33,987 households, and 19,780 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,984.6 inhabitants per square mile (1,152.4/km ). There were 35,698 housing units at an average density of 1,360.8 units per square mile (525.4 units/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 54.22% African American , 38.83% White , 3.09% Asian , 0.20% Native American , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 0.64% from other races , and 2.99% from two or more races. 1.19% of
6405-422: The city was 70.3% African American , 24.9% White , 0.2% Native American , 1.7% Asian , 0.4% from other races , and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population. There were 31,778 households, of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.5% were married couples living together, 19.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had
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#17327807292876510-465: The city's east side. This site in Indian Village along Charlevoix was chosen, and the school again contracted Albert Kahn to design a new building. The building is one of only three schools designed by Kahn, and the only one still extant. Kahn's design for the school drew from then-popular English influences, and was a radical departure from previous school designs, both in his extravagant use of windows and use of stucco rather than brick. The building opened
6615-590: The city. Providence Medical Center offers residency training in various fields of medicine. Southfield is home to eight colleges, including Lawrence Technological University , Abcott Institute , Everest Institute and Oakland Community College . The Specs Howard School of Media Arts is in Southfield. Southfield is the broadcast media center for the Detroit area, with studios and broadcast facilities for several television stations, including WXYZ-TV , WJBK , WKBD-TV , WMYD-TV , WWJ-TV , and City Cable 15. Metro Detroit's regional sports network Bally Sports Detroit
6720-488: The core academic subjects (language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies) are presented in a two-hour main lesson each day. The subject of the main lesson rotates every three to four weeks. The school believes that presenting material in blocks lets students explore the material more deeply. In addition to the core academic subjects, students also learn two foreign languages (Spanish and German), as well as music, movement, arts, and handwork. The curriculum integrates
6825-636: The curriculum design, pedagogical approach, and organizational structure, it is explicitly not taught within the school curriculum and studies have shown that Waldorf pupils have little awareness of it. Tensions may arise within the Waldorf community between the commitment to Steiner's original intentions and openness to new directions in education, such as the incorporation of new technologies or modern methods of accountability and assessment. Waldorf schools frequently have striking architecture, employing walls meeting at varied angles (not only perpendicularly). The walls are often painted in subtle colors, often with
6930-661: The dehumanizing aspects of nineteenth-century industrialization". Pre-school and kindergarten programs generally include seasonal festivals drawn from a variety of traditions, with attention placed on traditions brought forth from the surrounding community. Waldorf schools in the Western Hemisphere have traditionally celebrated Christian festivals, though one source states that some North American Waldorf schools also include Jewish holidays. Waldorf kindergarten and lower grades generally discourage pupils' use of electronic media such as television and computers. There are
7035-436: The different needs that these "types" represent. For example, Anthroposophists believe "cholerics are risk takers, phlegmatics take things calmly, melancholics are sensitive or introverted, and sanguines take things lightly". Steiner also believed that teachers must consider their own temperament and be prepared to work with it positively in the classroom, that temperament is emergent in children, and that most people express
7140-469: The east. The separate city of Lathrup Village sits as an enclave in the eastern part of the city, completely surrounded by Southfield. As of the census of 2010, there were 71,739 people, 31,778 households, and 18,178 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,730.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,054.4/km ). There were 35,986 housing units at an average density of 1,369.9 units per square mile (528.9 units/km ). The racial makeup of
7245-408: The education; one Google executive was quoted as saying "I fundamentally reject the notion you need technology aids in grammar school." Waldorf education aims to educate children about a wide range of religious traditions without favoring any single tradition. One of Steiner's primary aims was to establish a spiritual yet nondenominational setting for children from all backgrounds that recognized
7350-468: The essential basis for younger children's learning and growth, Waldorf schools view computers as being first useful to children in the early teen years, after they have mastered "fundamental, time-honoured ways of discovering information and learning, such as practical experiments and books". In the United Kingdom, Waldorf schools are granted an exemption by the Department for Education (DfE) from
7455-473: The expectation that a child will grasp a concept or achieve a skill when he or she is ready. Cooperation takes priority over competition. This approach also extends to physical education; competitive team sports are not introduced until upper grades. Each class remains together as a cohort throughout all elementary, developing as a quasi-familial social group. In elementary years, a core teacher teaches primary academic subjects. A central role of this teacher
7560-616: The following year as the "Eastern Liggett" branch. In 1916, landscape architect O. C. Simonds designed a landscape plan for the school. Enrollment at the Eastern Liggett School was 88 in 1913, which rose to 200 by 1919. By the early 1920s, changes in the neighborhood around the Cass Avenue campus led to declining enrollment there. In 1923, the school decided to enlarge the Eastern Liggett building and close
7665-432: The founder of anthroposophy . Its educational style is holistic , intended to develop pupils' intellectual, artistic, and practical skills, with a focus on imagination and creativity. Individual teachers have a great deal of autonomy in curriculum content, teaching methods, and governance. Qualitative assessments of student work are integrated into the daily life of the classroom, with standardized testing limited to what
7770-645: The historical and cultural traditions of the local community. Examples include Waldorf schools in Israel and Japan, which celebrate festivals drawn from these cultures, and classes in the Milwaukee Urban Waldorf school, which have adopted African American and Native American traditions. Religion classes are typically absent from United States Waldorf schools, but are mandatory in some German federal states, which require teachers who identify with each offered religion to teach such classes in addition to
7875-636: The idea that animals evolved from humans, that human spirits are physically incarnated into "soul qualities that manifested themselves into various animal forms", that the current geological formations on Earth have evolved through so-called "Lemurian" and "Atlantean" epochs, and that the four kingdoms of nature are "mineral, plant, animal, and man". All of these are directly contradicted by mainstream scientific knowledge and have no basis in any form of conventional scientific study. Contradictory notions found in Waldorf textbooks are distinct from factual inaccuracies occasionally found in modern public school textbooks, as
7980-508: The inaccuracies in the latter are of a specific and minute nature that results from the progress of science. The inaccuracies present in Waldorf textbooks, however, are the result of a mode of thinking that has no valid basis in reason or logic. This unscientific foundation has been blamed for the scarcity of systematic empirical research on Waldorf education as academic researchers hesitate in getting involved in studies of Waldorf schools lest it hamper their future career. A Swedish parent wrote
8085-569: The interest and ability to observe" in pupils. Experts have called into question the quality of this phenomenological approach if it fails to educate Waldorf students on basic tenets of scientific fact. The Waldorf approach is said to cultivate students with "high motivation" but "average achievement" in the sciences. One study conducted by California State University at Sacramento researchers outlined numerous theories and ideas prevalent throughout Waldorf curricula that were patently pseudoscientific and steeped in magical thinking . These included
8190-530: The intersection of Interstate 696 (I-696, Walter P. Reuther Freeway) and the M-10 (Lodge Freeway). Southfield City Centre was created in 1992 as a special assessment district, and was originally planned to improve pedestrian amenities and facilitate economic development. The Consulate of Macedonia in Detroit and Consulate of Lebanon in Detroit are located in the Southfield Town Center , and
8295-464: The lower grades through observation and experience with nature, as well as gardening and cooking. Science continues in the middle grades with zoology, botany, and astronomy, and in the upper grades with physics, chemistry, anatomy, mechanics, and meteorology. Social Studies begins in the earlier grades with legends, myths, and folklore. It segues to local and world geography, and history from ancient Greek history through Medieval and Renaissance times to
8400-546: The markers of which is the loss of the baby teeth. Formal instruction in reading, writing, and other academic disciplines are therefore not introduced until students enter the elementary school, when pupils are around seven years of age. Steiner believed that engaging young children in abstract intellectual activity too early would adversely affect their growth and development. Waldorf elementary schools (ages 7–14) emphasize cultivating children's emotional life and imagination. In order that students can connect more deeply with
8505-424: The movement's founder and spiritual leader. Many of Steiner's ideas influenced the pedagogy of the original Waldorf school and still play a central role in modern Waldorf classrooms: reincarnation, karma, the existence of spiritual beings, the idea that children are themselves spiritual beings, and eurythmy . As the co-educational school also served children from outside the factory, it included children from
8610-554: The mystical nature of anthroposophy and the incorporation of Steiner's esoteric ideas into the curriculum. Waldorf schools have also been linked to the outbreak of infectious diseases due to the vaccine hesitancy of many Waldorf parents. The first school based upon the ideas of Rudolf Steiner was opened in 1919 in response to a request from Emil Molt , owner and managing director of the Waldorf-Astoria Cigarette Company in Stuttgart , Germany. This
8715-540: The original one. An addition to the school, also designed by Kahn, was constructed in 1924, and houses an auditorium and additional classroom space. The addition so closely follows the style of the original building that the difference is nearly imperceptible. Enrollment rose to a high of around 300 students in 1929; although the Great Depression reduced enrollment, the Liggett School continued to occupy
8820-427: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the city's 33,987 households, 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size
8925-464: The preceding spiritual existence, as beings of body, soul, and spirit in this lifetime. Educational researcher Martin Ashley suggests that the latter role would be problematic for secular teachers and parents in state schools, and the commitment to a spiritual background both of the child and the education has been problematic for some committed to a secular perspective. While anthroposophy underpins
9030-548: The present. Foreign Language includes both Spanish and German. Teaching the languages parallels what students learn in Language Arts; this includes reading, conversation, and composition. Music begins with singing. Singing continues through later grades in chorus. All students also learn to play musical instruments. The early grades use a flute and recorder; the upper grades begin with stringed instruments and eventually into orchestra. Movement and Physical Education
9135-472: The public on the Civic Center grounds, featuring state-of-the-art facilities. Outside the Civic Center complex, Southfield has municipal parks and recreation facilities, largely developed in the 1970s, including Beech Woods Recreation Center and John Grace Community Center. Duns Scotus College is now the home of Word of Faith Christian Center. In 2016, the site was the center of local controversy over
9240-453: The public school students and the national average on the TIMSS test while scoring the same as public school students on the logical reasoning tests. When the logical reasoning tests measured students' understanding of part-to-whole relations, the Waldorf students also outperformed the public school students. The authors of the study noted the Waldorf students' enthusiasm for science, but viewed
9345-572: The rapid suburbanization of the 1950s and 1960s, many Jewish Americans from Northwest Detroit (particularly the Dexter-Davison neighborhood) moved to Southfield and other inner-ring suburbs such as Oak Park and Huntington Woods . Congregation Shaarey Zedek moved from Detroit to Southfield in 1962 to a modernist synagogue building designed by Percival Goodman . The city was also previously home to Congregation Beth Achim on 12 Mile Road until its merger with Congregation Adat Shalom. The building
9450-462: The requirement to teach ICT as part of Foundation Stage education (ages 3–5). Waldorf schools have been popular with some parents working in the technology sector in the United States, including those from some of the most advanced technology firms. A number of technologically oriented parents from one school expressed their conviction that younger students do not need the exposure to computers and technology, but benefit from creative aspects of
9555-451: The school had grown from 57 students to 194, and had outgrown its first home. The school moved to a new location at Cass and Stimson. The school continued to grow steadily, and by 1897 had annexed an adjacent house. The next year, the school contracted Albert Kahn to design a gymnasium and other additions to the school, one of Kahn's first professional jobs. In 1913, the school decided to develop an eastern branch campus to serve students on
9660-499: The school. In 1878, Rev. James D. Liggett settled in Detroit and established a small, independent school for girls, originally known as The Detroit Home and Day School, and later as The Liggett School. The school was originally located at Grand River and Broadway in Detroit, and quickly established itself with many of Detroit's most prominent families. The school incorporated in 1881, with a board of directors that included Dexter M. Ferry , Jacob S. Farrand, and David Whitney, Jr. By 1883,
9765-603: The science curriculum as "somewhat old-fashioned and out of date, as well as including some doubtful scientific material". In 2008, Stockholm University terminated its Waldorf teacher training courses. In a statement, the university said "the courses did not encompass sufficient subject theory and a large part of the subject theory that is included is not founded on any scientific base". The dean, Stefan Nordlund, stated "the syllabus contains literature which conveys scientific inaccuracies that are worse than woolly; they are downright dangerous". Because they view human interaction as
9870-470: The subject matter, academic instruction is presented through artistic work that includes story-telling, visual arts , drama, movement, music, and crafts. The core curriculum includes language arts, mythology, history, geography, geology, algebra, geometry, mineralogy, biology, astronomy, physics, chemistry, and nutrition. The school day generally begins with a one-and-a-half to two-hour, cognitively oriented academic lesson, or " Main lesson ", that focuses on
9975-722: The supposed temperaments of students but this is often not described to parents, students, or observers. In most Waldorf schools, pupils enter secondary education when they are fourteen years old. Secondary education is provided by specialist teachers for each subject. The curriculum is purported to foster pupils' intellectual understanding, independent judgment, and ethics. In the third developmental stage (14 years old and up), children are supposed to learn through their own thinking and judgment. Students are asked to understand abstract material and expected to have sufficient foundation and maturity to form conclusions using their own judgment. The overarching goals are to provide young people
10080-510: The traditional academic subjects with the arts to provide engaging experiences for the student. The school aims to not only educate students, but also to prepare them to be creative, critical thinkers with individual initiative. Language Arts begins with an introduction to letters, reading, and handwriting in the first grade. It continues through spelling and grammar, further reading, research and creative writing, poetry, and composition. Students read stories, fables, and literature, culminating in
10185-542: The training includes considerable artistic work in storytelling, movement, painting, music, and handwork. Waldorf teacher education includes social–emotional development as "an integral and central element", which is unusual for teacher trainings. A 2010 study found that students in advanced years of Waldorf teacher training courses scored significantly higher than students in non-Waldorf teacher trainings on three measures of empathy: perspective taking, empathic concern, and fantasy. One of Waldorf education's central premises
10290-497: The use of the registered names "Waldorf" and "Steiner school" and offer accreditations, often in conjunction with regional independent school associations. Independent schools receive complete or partial funding in much of Europe, particularly in Northern and Eastern Europe. Sweden, Finland, Holland, and Slovakia provide over 90% of independent schools' funding, while Slovenia, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, Hungary, Estonia,
10395-566: The value of role models drawn from a wide range of literary and historical traditions in developing children's fantasy and moral imaginations. For Steiner, education was an activity which fosters the human being's connection to the divine and is thus inherently religious. Waldorf schools were historically "Christian based and theistically oriented", as they expand into different cultural settings they are adapting to "a truly pluralistic spirituality". Waldorf theories and practices are often modified from their European and Christian roots to meet
10500-403: Was 2.27 and the average family size was 3.01. The age distribution in the city's population was spread out, with 21.6% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38. For every 100 females there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.9 males. The median income for
10605-500: Was built in 1964 as part of the new Civic Center complex, which also became home to Southfield's police headquarters. The Civic Center was expanded in 1971 to include a sports arena with swimming pool. Evergreen Hills Golf Course was added in 1972, and in 1978, a new public safety building, the Southfield Pavilion , and a new court building were added. In 2003, an expanded and redesigned Southfield Public Library opened to
10710-494: Was first organized as Ossewa Township on July 12, 1830, but the name was changed to Southfield Township 17 days later. The township took its name from its location in the "south fields" of Bloomfield Township . A US post office was established in 1833 and the first town hall built in 1873. The Southfield Fire Department was formed on April 6, 1942, and the Southfield Police Department in 1953. In
10815-733: Was founded in 1965 by Rudolf and Amelia Wilhelm, who wanted to provide Detroiters more choices in educating their children. Other private schools in the area at the time were not integrated, and the Wilhelms and their supporters sought to provide a diverse educational experience to children. The school approached the board of the Central United Methodist Church about allocating space to open a nursery school. An impassioned speech by African-American Junius Harris, where he reminded Board members that families of color had far fewer educational choices for their children, convinced
10920-477: Was later purchased and demolished by a Jewish day school. Though much of the Conservative and Reform Jewish population has since spread out to suburbs such as West Bloomfield and Farmington Hills , the city maintains a thriving Orthodox Jewish and Lubavitch community. It is also home to Farber Hebrew Day School – Yeshivat Akiva , a kosher grocery store, and many independent synagogues. Southfield uses
11025-610: Was one of the first nine Waldorf schools in North America, and a founding member of the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA). In 1967, Werner and Barbara Glas founded the Waldorf Institute at the school. The Waldorf Institute was the first Waldorf teacher-training institution in the United States, and only the second English-speaking one. In 1979, the Waldorf Institute moved to Southfield, Michigan , and in 1986 moved to Chestnut Ridge, New York . It
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