Spotlight on Waldorf #6: Cultivating Truth, Beauty, and Goodness Through Right Speech

At the heart of Waldorf education is a commitment to nurturing not only the intellect but also the character of each child. To truly educate young human beings, teachers must cultivate within each student the human capacities for truth, beauty, and goodness, qualities that sustain us as individuals and members of society. One way Waldorf teachers do this is through cultivating right speech within themselves and their students.

The way we use words is not only a skill to be mastered, but a moral and human responsibility. Speech has the power to shape relationships, build communities, and influence how children come to understand the world. The practice of right speech means always speaking with intention, truth, and compassion.

Students at Waldorf schools are encouraged to pause and ask themselves a simple guiding question before they speak: Is what I am about to say true, kind, and necessary? This question cultivates discernment. It helps children learn that their words have the power to uplift or wound, bring clarity or confusion, create harmony or discord. By practicing right speech in the classroom, students begin to experience language as a force for goodness.

Education is not only about preparing for a career; it is about preparing for life. When children grow into adults who value truth, create beauty, and strive toward goodness, humanity benefits. These guiding principles form the foundation for healthy communities in which listening, respect, and thoughtful dialogue are the norm.

In times when voices in society are often harsh, critical, and careless, the discipline of right speech becomes even more essential. As children grow, they will become more and more like the adults who guide and influence them. Children will carry the character of their parents and teachers into the wider world.

Speaking with honesty, choosing kindness, and using our voices to bring healing and harmony into our communities is essential to instilling goodness in our children. Right speech is not just a classroom habit, it is a preparation for life, and a way of cultivating truth, beauty, and goodness in humanity itself.

"Truth, goodness, and beauty are the three things we all need, and need absolutely, and know we need.”

-Peter Kreeft