The Genius of Home

A family's path of homeschooling, from kindergarten through high school grade eleven

“School at home with the Waldorf curriculum; to some this is a contradiction. The Waldorf curriculum was originated by Rudolf Steiner in answer to the question of how school could be provided for all students, at that time specifically for children of workers in Emil Molt’s Waldorf Cigarette Factory. The school begun for that purpose was in Stuttgart, Germany, and continues today. In these times, especially in the United States, many families realize that for various reasons their children will thrive better through an education at home rather than in an institution. Some see the strength of the Waldorf curriculum in its intimate connection with a deep understanding of the human being and of child development in the context of body, life, soul, and spirit. When a parent is their own child’s teacher, one individual fulfills two roles in a child’s life—it can be done!” (from the introduction)

There are as many possible approaches to teaching children at home—“homeschooling”—as there are homes and families who choose to take up this individualized approach to education.

Catherine Read chose to model her homeschool approach on the curriculum used in Waldorf schools, drawing insight and guidance from the pedagogical principles articulated by Rudolf Steiner.

Part memoir, part how-to, this book is the story of her journey as the primary teacher of her two daughters through the entire Waldorf curriculum from early childhood to high school: what she did, when she did it, and why.