Eighth Grade

The culmination of their time at Madrone Trail, eighth grade is rich and dramatic.  A class trip cements and deepens these friendships as the children prepare to launch into their high school years.  The year culminates in a wonderful graduation ceremony, looking back and celebrating all they have experienced and achieved.

“A basic tenet underlying the teaching of History in the Waldorf curriculum is that the period studied should serve as an “objective correlative” to the developmental changes occurring in the body and the soul of the student.  With the advent of adolescence, eighth graders are undergoing a re-formation of the bodies and a transformation of their souls.  As they experience the sometimes tumultuous clash of forces within and without, it is appropriate for us to study the periods of European history demarcated as “the Reformation” and the “Age of Revolution.” ~Eugene Schwartz

Topics will include:

  • composition and speech including book and scientific reports
  • practical mathematics
  • algebra
  • geometry
  • Shakespeare
  • epic and dramatic poetry
  • folklore
  • foreign language- vocabulary building and dialogues
  • choir
  • orchestra
  • painting
  • using a sewing machine
  • modeling the human head
  • 3 dimensional drawing
  • wood carving
  • history of 1700 to present including Unites States history
  • geography of Asia, Australia and Antarctica as well as global contrasts
  • art history
  • chemistry
  • physiology
  • gymnastics, with equipment
  • team games and sports

MEET THE TEACHER

Saul Harper

Saul grew up in the Rogue Valley, enjoying the mountains, lakes, and beautiful wild places. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Women’s Studies from the University of Oregon, with additional studies abroad at Oxford University, England and La Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, México. He then spent about 10 years living and volunteering with nonprofit organizations in Central and South America, studying indigenous handweaving in Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, and Mexico, as well as musical and martial arts studies of Samba and Capoeira in Rio de Janeiro and Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Returning to the Rogue Valley, he worked for 3 years as a Special Education Aide before earning a Master’s in Teaching from Southern Oregon University. He has since been a TSPC licensed teacher in local public schools, at the middle and high school level. His introduction to Waldorf education came through his daughters attending Waldorf preschool and Woodland Charter School, where he also spent 3 years as the Spanish teacher, working with students in grades 1-8. Saul brings a love and enthusiasm for teaching middle school, as well as a fascination with and commitment to the principles of Waldorf education.