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Achievements | Education is the starting point for changing the society
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Background

There is a small school in the town of Dongshan, Yi-Lan County that is very special, with a limited area but boundless classroom space. In 2010, the CEO of Wistron Foundation saw the performance results of Ci-Xin Waldorf School in Yilan at an educational exhibition. The students' rich and diverse handmade textbooks and the teachers' colorful chalkboard paintings at the exhibition were amazing. He spent three days observing and found that the education system can focus on students through respect, assistance, guidance and creation to cultivate children's independence and thinking for an all-round education. The chance encounter at that time has linked the foundation to support the Ci-Xin Waldorf School’s "school building" and "teacher training" programs for the development of characteristics of education as a whole.

Waldorf School is an international educational community with more than one thousand schools worldwide, founded by the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner’s anthroposophy. In Taiwan, the Waldorf School evolved in 1977 from the Cixin Nursery School founded by Ms. Chun-Shu (Sue), Chang, and was created with a public-to-private form in the educational revolution movement of Taiwan to implement the practice and research of the Waldorf education curriculum, providing a place for teaching observation and practice.

Waldorf education is based on the characteristics of children's developmental stages, balancing the cultivation of physical, mental and spiritual abilities, teaching in an inspiring and imaginative way to explore the nature of children's life development so that it makes children's learning environment a happy dreamland, where each child is treated in a healthy way and where each life develops its own value.

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in Waldorf’s teacher development training from 2017 to 2022

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in Waldorf teacher studying workshop from 2014 to 2022

Teachers are an important force in the development of Ci-Xin Waldorf School, not only as a foundation for the practice of Waldorf educational ideals and roots, but also to share the philosophy and practice of Waldorf education to the educational community and any community concerned with education. In 2013, we promoted the "Teacher Training System and Professional Teacher Development Program" to carry out the philosophy and values of Waldorf education. Through the teacher development program, we have developed different perspectives and abilities in educational work to build confidence in education reform with the public force, and provided another new possibility for the education model and teaching methods in Taiwan. Up to now, more than 2,000 people have attended this teacher training program.

Starting from kindergarten twenty years ago, the school now has the complete link from elementary school and middle school to high school. Nowadays, Ci-Xin Waldorf School is not only so popular that there is a long waiting list, but also is a platform that is blossoming in resources and talents to support experimental education in Taiwan. Education is a project that helps the development of people for a hundred years. We support Ci-Xin Waldorf School to continue to cultivate fertile ground for children’s nurture to experience different educational systems. Furthermore, the school cultivates children to see the perspectives and values of people from different backgrounds as well as broadens their minds and their horizons.

In 2021, the Ci-Xin Waldorf School is 21 years old. The documentary “The butterfly is me” has recorded the school through it’s third 7-year cycle and as we watch it develop from a mere kindergarten to an elementary school and eventually to a high school, we can also see the school has develop it’s own unique identity and personality. Throughout this journey not only has the students and faculty experienced countless setbacks, they have also found countless blessings from all around them. Between the constant changes and challenges, the rhythm of each children’s growth was found, showing the school’s strong will and uniqueness. The best rhythm to find for children's life growth is a balance between taking control and letting it go, and this process allows us to see the resilience and unique quality of this school.

The founder, principal, teachers, and parents of this one-of-a-kind small campus are quietly cultivating the fertile ground for education, working diligently to plant each tree for the future, being eager but not impatient because they know that to let the leaves grow well, they must deepen and spread their roots. Looking at the dreamland under our feet, we hope that more places in Taiwan will have the opportunity to turn education around because it is not only the children’s future but also the starting point for changing society.

Outcome

2022A total of 142 individuals participated in teacher training programs, and 536 people attended workshops and book clubs. We advocated the concept of 'intergenerational education' and implemented 'learning together between generations' and 'intergenerational learning fusion.' Through the arrangement of natural habitats and environmental preparation, we created an environment for intergenerational educational activities. This effort included the establishment of facilities such as a campfire teacher training, sensory garden, and educational farm. The 'teacher training' was completed in September 2021 and is shared by Waldorf students and community residents. Throughout the year, 141 courses and workshops were organized, with a total of 3,221 participants.

2021The Asian Chinese-speaking Waldorf Teachers Seminar, including workshops and book clubs, attracted 400 participants. Throughout the year, 257 individuals enrolled in teacher training courses.

2020The construction of the Green Light Building was completed, and the Wistron bespoke science class rooms such as, the Specialized Physics Classroom and Specialized Chemistry Classroom were opened at the end of the year. The number of teachers who attended the basic training reached 171.

2019-2020The expenditure for the teachers’ study and research is subsidized. In 2019, the number of teachers participating in basic training reached 185.

2018-2019Constructed specialist classrooms and the library of the Green Light Building. In 2018, 217 teachers participated in basic training.

2015Waldorf Experimental Elementary and Middle School were transformed into prefecture Cixin Waldorf Experimental High School to provide a full 12-year Basic Education.

2014Ci-Xin Waldorf School hosted the 2014 Asian Chinese Speaking Waldorf Teachers Conference (ACWTC), which was attended by about 500 teachers from China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

2013The Teacher Training Center's "Teacher Training System and Professional Teacher Development Program" were launched and the training program started being conducted annually.

2012The invitation was honored from Goethe-Institut Switzerland to represent the Asian region to participate in the Education Exhibition of the Global Teacher Institute.

2010-2011Ci-Xin Waldorf School committed to building a Student Activity Center and the Lucky Clover Building Classroom and construction was completed.

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