When I look back at my time at the Waldorf School of DuPage I remember a lush, colorful world filled with laughter, adventure, and many moments of true growth. It was a time when I could fully experience my childhood while in school and learn by actually doing and experiencing rather than simply reading and conceptually memorizing topics on the surface. My education at Waldorf also taught me how to stay grounded through challenging times in not only an academic setting but in my professional and personal life as well. Attending a rigorous arts boarding school for high school and living on my own in NYC was no easy feat, it required the kind of dedication, perseverance, and confidence that is distinguished throughout the Waldorf curriculum.
When I meet someone who also went to a Waldorf school, I immediately recognize our common foundations, thus, a common understanding of shared emotional intelligence by living through life thinking deeply and intentionally. We lack codependency with technology, we are unapologetic about who we are, and, most importantly, we are curious about the world in whatever form that may be. I, for example, have always been interested in the human condition. This is why I chose to pursue a career in writing, creating, and performing to fulfill my desire to explore what makes us human. I recently graduated from NYU with a BFA in Drama and I now have a community in NYC mixed with talented artists with whom I create, work, and perform in the late hours of the day after clocking out of our day jobs. It’s not an easy life, and the term “suffering” loosely used to describe artists is very much understood by myself and my community, but something I know deep in myself is that I would much rather experience an artistic type of suffering than live a life that is robotic, constrained, and unfulfilling even if it is the easier route to take.
Waldorf education both teaches and celebrates individuals. It is not a one-size-fits-all but rather a place that offers variety and adventure to a child’s life. Questions like, “What do you want to do?” “What do you want to take away from this lesson?” “What kind of leader or community member do you want to be in your life, and how can you make that happen?” are the ones that stuck with me the most from my education at the Waldorf School of Dupage. I never once regretted spending the 5 years I did there because I truly believe I was lucky enough to find a foundation for myself that I could depend on from a very young age. The Waldorf education ignited a fire in me to experience life intentionally, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Written by: Dalara Naska