Students learn how to take an active role in their own education. “Upper School Students actively take up a search for Truth. Maths and Science subjects such as Permutations and Probability, Algebra, Optics, and Zoology provide necessary understanding about the tangible world and foster the mental acuity needed for this exploration.”
“Studies of Art History, History Through Music, and History Through Architecture offer opportunities for students to study timeless beauty and works of lasting artistic significance, in the context of human history. In the study of Parsifal, the role of moral responsibility is explored. Victor Jugo’s classic novel Les Miserables explores the possibility of human transformation as viewed through the character of Jean Valjean.”
The search for truth is a personal quest for each Student. This is why teenagers begin to question adults rather than simply ask questions. Upper School Teachers help Students to develop the habits of considering issues from various points of view. A search for truth inevitably requires both Students and Adults to suspend personal beliefs for an extended period of time and entertain other points of view.”
Concepts, inquiry, observations, and criticism lead towards individual judgments and are explored in class discussions, hands-on activities, and conversations. Practical, artistic, and academic subjects give a Student a wide experience from which to choose future study or work. Problem-solving and communication skills are practiced, and the curriculum allows a student to develop into a resilient, independent, and clear thinker, and a balanced, capable, and morally responsible young adult.
Upper School Main Lessons, Skills, Practice, and Subject classes are taught by different Specialists and Subject Teachers, who enliven a Student’s intellect in a rigorous curriculum that builds on the imaginative thinking of the earlier years and supports a Student’s free-thinking, individuality, initiative and interest in the world.
Class Sponsor
A Class Sponsor is an Upper School Teacher who guides the same Upper School class from Class 9 up to Class 12. He or she takes on the class’s pastoral care, fosters the well-being of the class, and liaises with class Parents. The consistent affiliation of a Class Sponsor to the same class fosters a deep bond of understanding between a Teacher, a Student, and a Student’s family. The teacher gets to know a student and a Student’s family through the years.
When a Teacher forms a relationship with Students and Parents over an extended period of time, as is done in a Waldorf Steiner school, we share both the joys and the sorrows of life. In moments of crises big or small, and especially as a Student enters puberty and young adulthood, one finds a valuable gift in the unconditional acceptance of a Teacher, a steadfast adult who has known the student closely. More importantly, a Teacher embodies authenticity thus encouraging her students to be true to themselves.
In challenging times, Waldorf Steiner Teachers turn to the same sources that people have turned to all over the world for centuries. Inspiring stories and music, inspirational poems and verses, a time for silent reflection can provide comfort and solace, as well as the right mood to allow Upper School Students to find their own answers to life’s mysteries.
Curriculum Guide
Main Lessons and Subject Classes
Class 9: Polarities
(15 years)
“Class 9 marks a new beginning for an Upper School Student, with new teachers, new subjects and new ways of working.” Class 9 curriculum focuses on polarities and reflects an adolescent’s need to swing from one extreme to the other. Studies in oppositions in Comedy and Tragedy, Revolutions, Chemistry, and Physics, mirror the inner struggles of opposition that a student feels. The intellect starts to dominate and builds from the imaginative thinking of the earlier years. A Class 9 Student moves on to conceptual thinking and forming judgments. Judgments based on feeling move on to judgments based on observation and understanding.
Main Lesson Blocks
- English: Realism in Literature
- English: History of Theater: Comedy and Tragedy
- Humanities: History Through Art
- Social Sciences: Revolutions
- Social Sciences: Philippine History
- Biology, Physical Science: Physiology
- Chemistry, Physical Science: Organic Chemistry
- Physics, Physical Science: Thermodynamics
- Mathematics: Algebra, Probabilities
- Mathematics: Conic Sections
Skills Classes
- Maths
- English
- Science
- Research
- Computer
Electives
- Creative Writing
- French
- Marketing
- Woodwork, Carpentry
- Farming, Gardening
Subject Classes
MUSIC
- Choral music: Songs from Around the World, Madrigals
- Singing Seasonal Songs
- Jazz Band
- Guitar, Drums
- Stringed Instruments, Orchestra or Ensemble
- Reading Music and Working with Rhythms
MOVEMENT and SPATIAL DYNAMICS
- Rhythmic Precision Movement
- Team Sports and Games
- Folk Dance, Circus Arts
- Eurythmy, Bothmer Gymnastics
- Gymnastics
- Aikido
PRACTICAL and FINE ARTS WORKSHOPS
- Charcoal Drawing
- Black and White Watercolor Painting
- Printmaking
- Vignettes
- Basket Weaving
- Clay Sculpture
FILIPINO LANGUAGE
- Oral and Written Learning Through Poetry, Stories, Songs, Crafts, Games
- Philippine History and Art
- Vocabulary, Reading, and Conversations, Writing, Grammar, Drills, Dictations, Oral Presentations
TRIPS and WORK EXPERIENCE
- Class Nine Farm Experience
- Class Nine Philippine History and Geography Cultural Trip
Class 10: Balance
(16 years)
A Class 10 Student has more capacity for reflection. He or she yearns to understand the world and one’s own sense of purpose in it. Increased ability for clarity of thought and balanced judgments helps a Class 10 Student to extricate himself or herself from the unstable nature of his own feeling life and discover his own sense of inner freedom to determine his path in life. The Odyssey and Ancient Civilizations help a Class 10 Student answer inner questions in his or her soul.
Main Lesson Blocks
- English: Poetry
- English: Odyssey
- Social Sciences: Ancient Civilizations
- Social Sciences: Nation Building
- Biology, Earth and Life Science: Voyages in Development
- Biology, Earth and Life Science: Biosphere and Ecology
- Natural Sciences: Physics: Mechanics
- Mathematics: Sequences and Series
- Mathematics: Trigonometry
- Class Play with an Audience
Skills Classes
- Maths
- English
- Science
- Research
- Computer
Electives
- Creative Writing
- French
- Marketing
- Woodwork, Carpentry
- Farming/Gardening
Subject Classes
MUSIC
- Choral music: Songs from Around The World, Madrigals
- Singing Seasonal Songs
- Jazz Band
- Guitar, Drums
- Stringed Instruments, Orchestra or Ensemble
- Reading Music and Working With Rhythms
- MOVEMENT and SPATIAL DYNAMICS
- Rhythmic Precision Movement
- Team Sports and Games
- Dance
- Eurythmy, Bothmer Gymnastics
- Gymnastics
- Aikido
PRACTICAL and FINE ARTS WORKSHOPS
- Pastel Colored Drawing
- Watercolor Painting
- Clay Sculpture
- Joinery: Framing
- Weaving
FILIPINO LANGUAGE
- Oral and Written Learning Through Poetry, Stories, Songs, Crafts, Games
- Philippine History, Geography, and Art
- Vocabulary, Reading, and Conversations, Writing, Grammar, Drills, Dictations, Oral Presentations
TRIPS and WORK EXPERIENCE
- Class Ten Drama Production
- Class Ten Philippine or Asian History and Geography Cultural Trip
Class 11: Analysis
(17 years)
A Class 11 Student can argue the fine points of any point of view with delight! A Student’s intellect now has an increased capacity to be more objective, analyze and understand the laws of the outer world in more detail without being at the mercy of one’s inner feelings. It is also at this time that a Student may experience inner loneliness and question one’s destiny and one’s worth as a human being. The inner questions are answered by Parsifal lessons and Philosophical studies, where a Student can explore life questions that may not simply be answered by the intellect.
COMMUNITY SERVICE AND WORK WEEKS
A Class 11 Student completes 120 hours of community service and 120 hours of continuous apprentice work in a chosen profession during summer months or school breaks. The aims are for a Student to serve a community and gain professional work experience in a field of his or her choice, that will give him or her a view of a future path and career after Upper School.
Main Lesson Blocks
- Humanities: Parsifal
- Humanities: 21st Century Literature
- Social Sciences: History Through Music
- Social Sciences: 20th Century History
- Social Sciences: Social Entrepreneurship
- Biology, Earth and Life Science: Genetics
- Chemistry, Physical Science: Inorganic Chemistry: Acids and Bases
- Physics, Physical Science: Atomic Physics
- Physics, Physical Science: Astronomy
- Mathematics: Projective Geometry
Skills Classes
- Maths
- English
- Science
- Research
- Computer
Electives
- Creative Writing
- French
- Marketing
- Woodwork, Carpentry
- Farming/Gardening
Subject Classes
MUSIC
- Choral music: Songs from Around The World, Madrigals
- Singing Seasonal Songs
- Jazz Band, Guitar, Drums
- Stringed Instruments, Orchestra or Ensemble
- Reading Music and Working With Rhythms
MOVEMENT and SPATIAL DYNAMICS
- Rhythmic Precision Movement
- Team Sports and Games
- Dance
- Eurythmy, Bothmer Gymnastics
- Gymnastics
- Aikido
PRACTICAL and FINE ARTS WORKSHOPS
- Pastel Color Drawing
- Color Painting
- Vignettes
- Woodwork, Clay Sculpture
- Bookbinding
FILIPINO LANGUAGE
- Oral and Written Learning Through Poetry, Stories, Songs, Crafts, Games
- Philippine History, Geography, and Art
- Vocabulary, Reading, and Conversations, Writing, Grammar, Drills, Dictations, Oral Presentations
TRIPS and WORK EXPERIENCE
- Class Eleven Work Experience Weeks
- Class Eleven Community Service
- Class Eleven Local or Foreign Cultural Trip
Class 12: Synthesis
(18 years)
A Class 12 Student stands firmly and courageously in the modern age and works with a strong understanding of one’s own self and the world. The lessons of a Class 12 year form a synthesis of the whole Waldorf education. History Through Architecture and Philosophy allows for a deeper understanding of the current worldview. “This is the time when a Student hears all the underlying ideas of the previous years and comes to understand that he or she is a member of a greater world, where the moral, the scientific, the inner and the outer synthesize and form a single whole. It is at this time that one sees the fruits of Waldorf education in young adults who stand upright courageously with integrity, as free and balanced individuals who love to learn and are eager to meet the larger world.”
CLASS 12 PROJECT
“A Class 12 Student undertakes a year-long Senior Project in consultation with mentors inside and outside the school. The general aim is for a Student to experience self-directed learning, and complete a thesis with a few thousand words, accompanied by a practical and/or artistic component. This project allows a Student to plan within his or her own capacity to work, organize and sustain an important project over an extended period of time. A Senior Project is presented to the community near the end of a school year in a spirit of celebration.”
Main Lesson Blocks
- Humanities: Faust
- Humanities: Philosophy
- Humanities: History Through Architecture
- Social Sciences: Culture, Society and Politics
- Social Sciences: World Religions
- Biology, Earth and Life Science: Evolutionary Biology
- Chemistry, Physical Science: Biochemistry
- Physics, Physical Science: Optics
- Mathematics: Calculus
- Class Play with an Audience
Skills Classes
- Maths
- English
- Science
- Research
- Computer
Electives
- Creative Writing
- French
- Marketing
- Woodwork, Carpentry
- Farming/Gardening
Subject Classes
MUSIC
- Choral music: Songs from Around the World, Madrigals
- Singing Seasonal Songs
- Jazz Band, Guitar, Drums
- Stringed Instruments, Orchestra or Ensemble
- Reading Music and Working with Rhythms
MOVEMENT and SPATIAL DYNAMICS
- Rhythmic Precision Movement
- Team Sports and Games
- Dance
- Eurythmy, Bothmer Gymnastics
- Gymnastics
- Aikido
PRACTICAL and FINE ARTS WORKSHOPS
- Color Drawing
- Color Painting
- Textile Painting
- Clay Sculpture
FILIPINO LANGUAGE
- Oral and Written Learning Through Poetry, Stories, Songs, Crafts, Games
- Philippine History, Geography, and Art
- Vocabulary, Reading and Conversations, Writing, Grammar, and Structural Drills, Dictations, Oral Presentations
GRADUATION EVENTS
- Class Twelve Project
- Class Twelve Drama Production
- Class Twelve Local or Foreign Cultural Trip