Does it work? Former scholars from around the world.

“When approached by the news media and asked the question, ‘What did Waldorf education do for you?’ I replied, ‘It encouraged me to always strive to become a better human being.”
Name: Jens Stoltenberg
Secretary General of NATO and Former Prime Minister of Norway.

“I am deeply grateful for Waldorf education, which woke me up and helped me rediscover my imagination.”
Name: Michael Ende
The Neverending Story

“I was always fascinated by acting, but my experience at Rudolf Steiner [school] encouraged me to pursue it as a career. Steiner was a free-spirited school that encouraged creativity and individualism.”
Name: Jennifer Aniston
Actress

“I look back at my Steiner years with extreme fondness. I believe that every aspect of the educational ethos shaped me into the… confident well-balanced person I am today.”
Name: Sian Shepherd
Producer for Irish TV

“I think the end result of Waldorf education is to raise our consciousness. There is a heightened consciousness of what our senses bring us from the world around us, about our feelings, about the way we relate to other people. It taught me how to think for myself, to be responsible for my decisions. Second, it made me a good listener, sensitive to the needs of others. And third, it helped establish meaningful beliefs.”
Name: Kenneth Chenault
Former Chairman and CEO of American Express

“I personally have had only good experiences during my school time; it was liberal, anti-racist, tolerant of every faith and not missionary.”
Name: Evelyn Hecht-Galinski
Daughter of Heinz Galinski, Auschwitz survivor and for many years Chairman of the Central Jewish Council in Germany”

“That’s what’s so wonderful about Waldorf education. You’re exposed to all these different ideas, but you’re never given one view of it. You’re encouraged to think as an individual.”
Name: Julianna Margulies
Actress

“My Steiner education has ensured that I approach my work with sincerity, perspective and, most importantly, play. Being able to accept and understand the wide range of motivations and value systems in society has helped me to conduct myself honourably in the professional sphere.”
Name: Daniel Beasley
Australian architect

For a PDF of these and other perspectives of Steiner education please see our Does it work – Pupils PDF document.