Hello WSA Community,

I wanted to share something that I've been contemplating: "big tech" and humanity.  We hear the term "big tech" all the time. Have the mega-corporations tell it, the only big tech or important technologies come solely through computers and devices or scientific discoveries. Of course, this is not true. When I look at the photo above, I see big tech.

Waldorf Education is actually big tech. That's right, you read correctly. Waldorf Education is technology for the future of humanity, and it doesn't get any bigger than that. The software that resides in our educational model helps improve our quality of life and grounds us in the human experience. Now more than ever, we need this technology alive and thriving in our world, or else pack your NFT bags for the Metaverse because here we all come!

I know this idea of Waldorf Education being big tech may be new for you.  Mega-corporations have been extremely successful at monopolizing the term. However, the real story is that technologies for humanity have been catalysts for the creation and advancement of civilizations throughout time. 

I find it amusing that Waldorf Education is perceived to be outside of technology because of its methods. But the fact is, it's simply outside of mainstream trends and propaganda. Waldorf Education embodies ancient, humanity-centered technologies that are for the healthy development of human beings. This software is natural and can't be monetized, so you won't find it as you swipe or click. These technologies are based in love, connection with nature, community, the higher-self, creativity, and freedom.

Waldorf Education promotes living consciously and intentionally, with the mission of supporting the growth and unfoldment of healthy, balanced humans and free-thinkers. Study after study, year after year, its methods are proven to be better than conventional standards. Not adhering to institutional practices, Waldorf is a revolutionary education that started as a social movement in 1919 and continues to be one in 2021. With over 1,100 schools and 2,000 kindergartens around the globe, Waldorf Education has become the largest independent school movement in the world!  As we navigate modern life with the constant bombardment of novel ways to disconnect from ourselves, lose autonomy, and move away from a tangible reality, this education is even more important. 

If you're a parent or supporter of Waldorf Education, you're probably uninterested in living life disconnected from yourself. By choosing Waldorf Education, you have consciously or unconsciously chosen to be part of this movement towards whole health and the development of creative and independent thinkers. We are in fact a group of parents and caregivers who believe in ancient wisdom, who live outside of the box, and are forging a harmonious path for children and humanity. We have to preserve and expand these paths for ourselves and for future parents and children who are seeking a conscious lifestyle, like those who came before us. This is how our big tech will help preserve humanity.

Originally, the purpose of this letter was to simply ask our community to give to the Annual Fund in support of our school. However, I propose we begin to look at our commitment to WSA and Waldorf Education through the lens of trailblazers and stewards.  Your financial commitment is an investment in the Waldorf School of Atlanta, and the future of Waldorf Education. This dynamic, living education goes beyond enrollment. Quite literally, this education supports humanity. 

So how do we invest in our future and these ideals? First and foremost, our current families lay the foundation of support with the commitment of their annual tuition which underwrites their child's Waldorf experience. Then, as a community, we continue to express our commitment with our expanded financial investment through the Annual Fund to build, grow, and enhance our school in the present and for the future.

Simply put, the foundation is laid with annual tuition, and we build and grow with the Annual Fund.

The 2021-22 Annual Fund - It Takes OUR Village - is aligned with our school's priority areas and invests in: 1) our faculty's ongoing professional development; 2) our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiative; 3) the preservation and stewardship of our unique 6+ acre tree canopy; and 4) our extensive indoor and outdoor campus, from Early Childhood Education through the Grades.

With this expanded financial investment from the Waldorf Community, we are able to continue to support the dynamic vision led by our extraordinary teachers, administration, and staff.  This vision and leadership are how the Waldorf School of Atlanta thrived during this pandemic.  I don't have to tell you, but our experience was and is exceptional!  I don't know of any school who met the challenge as beautifully and gracefully as we did.  Our community quickly redirected its course in a time of crisis, envisioned a new reality, and had the creativity, courage, and will to realize it. This has created a new, more enriching normal in which our community currently thrives!  When the world urged us to distance from each other and shrink behind our screens, we came together and embodied all of what Waldorf Education represents. 

I'm so very proud to be part of this journey with you and am honored to help lead this movement of conscious giving as the 21-22 Annual Fund Chair.  I encourage us all to lean into the mindset of creating a culture of investing in WSA and Waldorf Education.

What to do now, you ask?  Simply....Make your Annual Fund gift or pledge TODAY - on this site or give your contribution via check directly to the school, like I do!  

Please consider a stretch gift and exceed your contribution from last year. Maybe it's by $25, or $100, or $500, or a Bitcoin or two, you decide!  If your family is new to WSA, please start with an amount that feels right for you. We grow little by little, and sometimes by leaps and bound. 

Technologies that stand the test of time are based in love, respect, appreciation, and activism that honor and uplift humanity. This is big tech. This is WSA.

Thank you for your time, and Happy Holidays!

Seneca Brand

2021-22 Annual Fund Chair, Parent of Peace (7th grade) and Mahala (3rd grade), and Waldorf Strong for 11 years (and growing!)