diversity, equity & inclusion
DEIJB at MWS
We know that children thrive when surrounded by a healthy, welcoming, and warm school community. We want children at Marin Waldorf School to be who they are, and we are striving to build a more beautiful world in which every child feels safe and valued. Marin Waldorf School is committed to educating children within an equitable, inspiring, and inclusive school community.
About our DEIJB Committee
Since 2018, the school’s active Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Belonging (DEIJB) Committee has led our community in self-examination and study through parent and faculty education events, in addition helped promote equity and anti-bias work within our curriculum and in our physical spaces. In cooperation with school leadership, the committee contributed to the establishment of two scholarship programs designed to promote inclusion at Marin Waldorf School (please read more about our scholarship programs below).
Through the work of our DEIJB Committee, our faculty and staff have taken up the individual and collective work of examining our school, ourselves, and our curriculum with an equity lens. Through education, collaboration, and self-reflection, we are finding new ways to incorporate anti-racist and anti-bias teaching into the Waldorf curriculum and our school community.
RECENT EVENTS
Recent Events: The Rainbow Parade
In early June, Marin Waldorf School students celebrated LGBTQ+ Pride Month with an all-school rainbow parade. Grades students dressed in the colors of the rainbow to create a living representation of the LGBT rainbow flag.
Leading up to Rainbow Day, grades teachers have been introducing the event to their students in age-appropriate ways, from discussing the beauty of a rainbow or sharing a short story with students in the lower grades to discussing the generations of activists, politicians and citizens who fight for their rights and safety with older students.
In planning this event, we took inspiration from the San Francisco Unified School District, which has been on the forefront of LGBTQ+ activism for years. LGBTQ-inclusive education is mandated in San Francisco and public schools hold annual Pride celebrations on campus. These programs likely contribute to the fact that LGBTQ+ youth in San Francisco experience lower rates of depression and mental health disorders than LGBTQ+ youth nationally.
Recent Events: Middle School Assembly with Disability Rights Activist Meg Weber
In March, our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students had the opportunity to listen to and spend time with Portland, Oregon–based Waldorf teacher and disability advocate Meg Weber (@disabilityadvocatepdx), who led an hour-and-a-half disability awareness assembly for our middle school. Later, Meg joined our faculty meeting to talk about what it means to be disabled, what it means to make a space accessible, how to be an ally, and much more. What a gift for us all! Find out more about her work at www.disabilityadvocatepdx.com
Recent Events: DEIJB for Waldorf Parents with Karmin Guzder
Parents and faculty (including every single member of our early childhood teaching team!) attended an evening presentation by Waldorf teacher and DEIJB consultant Karmin Guzder Williams. Designed specifically for Waldorf families, Karmin’s presentation focused on how the MWS community can help children bring empathy, clear thinking, and strong will to contemporary times. She examined the history of Waldorf education, the history and current climate in Marin County, and how we, as parents, can promote the values of inclusion and equity at home.
“To raise an antiracist child, you must first teach them about their own culture and history. Then, you must teach them about other cultures and histories. And finally, you must teach them about the common humanity that connects all of these different cultures,” writes Ibram X. Kendi in How to Raise an Antiracist, a quote that Karmin highlighted as part of her talk.
For those who were unable to make it or who would like to review the presentation again, Karmin has generously shared her slide deck with us. You may access it here.
Scholarship Programs
Marin Waldorf School is committed to building an inclusive learning environment in which differences are understood and celebrated. In line with this mission, we are proud to offer two scholarship programs.
Lesley Rosenberg Inclusion Scholarship
Established in 2022, the Lesley Rosenberg Inclusion Scholarship provides full and partial tuition scholarships to families with demonstrated financial need from underrepresented communities. Families interested in applying for the Lesley Rosenberg Inclusion Scholarship should contact admissions director Chantal Valentine to discuss the process at admissions@marinwaldorf.org.
More information about the Inclusion Scholarship
Native Reconciliation Tuition Program
In recognition of the historical and continuing trauma inflicted by colonialism on the Native people of North America, Marin Waldorf School (MWS) is offering a tuition-free Waldorf education for a select number of students whose families are members of an indigenous tribe in the United States.
Established in 2023, in response to a call to action from the Lakota Waldorf School in North Dakota, Marin Waldorf School is proud to be tuition-free for Native American students through the new. Families interested in applying for the Native Reconciliation Tuition Program should contact admissions director Chantal Valentine to discuss the process at admissions@marinwaldorf.org.
Click here for more information: Marin Waldorf School Native Reconciliation Tuition Program
On the Blog
DEIJB in 2023
As our faculty continues the important work of creating an anti-racist and inclusive curriculum, we are exploring deep and rich ways to discuss history, activism, and social justice with children across ages and grade levels. The summer of 2020 is several years behind us, but the need for social change remains urgent. In early 2023, we have witnessed a tragic spate of violence and injustice across our country, and right here in the Bay Area. Read more at: https://www.marinwaldorf.org/blog/2023/2/6/deijb-in-2023-and-remembering-martin-lither
Remembering Martin Luther King
Before and following the holiday weekend, students at MWS learned about, remembered, and discussed the life and work of Martin Luther King in meaningful age-appropriate ways, from preschool to 8th grade. As our faculty dives more deeply into the important work of creating an anti-racist and inclusive curriculum, we are exploring deeper and richer ways to discuss history, activism, and social justice. Read more at: https://grandmotheroak.org/2021/01/22/remembering-martin-luther-king/
A Visit From Coast Miwok, in the Shade of Grandmother Oak
Yesterday, Dean and Jason, two representatives from the Coast Miwok Tribal Council, joined our faculty and staff on campus. We gathered in the shade of Grandmother Oak, where Dean and Jason spoke their truth, told us about their ancestors, shared their knowledge of the land, and invited us to reflect more deeply on the place we live, the land our school occupies, and the history we teach. It was a fitting start to a school year that will begin during a global pandemic, and one in which the natural world (particularly the beautiful valley oaks and bay laurel trees on our campus) will play an outsize role in our experience. To conclude, they joined us in a walk-through of our school’s outdoor classrooms, in preparation for our students’ arrival. Read more at: https://www.marinwaldorf.org/blog/2022/1/26/a-visit-from-coast-miwok-in-the-shade-of-grandmother-oak
SIDEBAR:
Talk to Us. We want Marin Waldorf School to be an equitable, just, and welcoming school environment. Have you experienced or witnessed marginalization and/or racism at MWS? Please reach out to us.
Waldorf Education
WECAN Accountability Statement
WECAN was formed as an association of colleagues in 1984. Since that time, to the great detriment of all, children, families and colleagues throughout our movement who are Black, Indigenous, People of Color and members of the LGBTQ+ community have not been fully seen, respected, welcomed and affirmed in our classrooms and communities.
The WECAN board acknowledges this harm, the loss it has caused, and the opportunity we are now afforded to honestly examine and renew the work of our organization. This will include examining our practices and biases, listening, inquiring, and growing into a fuller understanding of race, class and gender in North America in the 21st century.
AWSNA
Statement of Equity and Racial Justice
Statement of Equity and Racial Justice
The Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA) recognizes the historic and ongoing impact of racism on our continent and the injustice and discrimination faced by Black, Brown, Indigenous and People of Color. We understand that racial justice in education is a journey of both moral and educational imperative. As such, we take seriously our responsibility to bear witness to what is happening in the world, to center the voices of color in justice work, and to change the course of inequities by identifying and breaking down structural racism in all forms within Waldorf education.
We acknowledge that Rudolf Steiner, founder of Waldorf education (1919), offered many profound insights that support the value and dignity of each human being and form the foundation of our organization’s histories and worldview. Yet, he also made statements that reflect harmful assertions regarding race and ethnicity. Racism, explicit or implicit, stands in direct conflict to the fundamental principles of Waldorf education. We commit to working to address any dehumanizing or disparaging aspects of our history and practices.
Advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is one of the compelling forces behind AWSNA’s strategic priorities. These priorities are central to our work and aim to bring us closer to the world that we want for our youth.
We know that we have far to go as an association and as individuals in our understanding of racial oppression and social justice. Please join us by elevating your own commitment to social renewal and transformation.
As a member of the Council for Anthroposophical Organizations (CAO) AWSNA shares in a joint Commitment to Racial Justice, Equity, and Social Transformation.
Note to MWS: AWSNA’s strategic priorities is a 10 page booklet