MAIN LESSON Waldorf schools are organized to make the relationship between student and teacher as fruitful as possible. In the elementary grades, this is accomplished by the unique Class Teacher/ Main Lesson system. Each morning the children spend the first period of the day - the two hour Main Lesson - with their Class Teacher. Every morning for 3 - 4 weeks, during the time when young minds are freshest, they will intensively study a block from one of the core subjects (english, math, history and science). In this way the rhythm of the day begins with the work which requires the most attention, and each academic subject can receive special focus during the course of the year. The teacher has time to enter each subject in depth and to approach it in a variety of ways; time to enliven each topic with poetry, painting, modeling, movement and drama. Thus, intellectual learning is always combined with artistic, rhythmical and practical work. After three to four weeks, when one topic has been fully explored, a new Main Lesson block is introduced. Subjects which require regular repetition in shorter lessons (foreign languages, for example) occupy the later part of the morning. Afternoons are devoted to activities that are more social in nature: games and sports, painting, handwork and gardening. Boys and girls learn crocheting and knitting, simple sewing, woodwork and crafts. There is a wonderful coordination and harmony of subject material throughout the curriculum. What is being taken up in each Main Lesson block appears in subtle ways in the activities of the afternoon. The challenges of handwork and the fine arts are treated not as separate, unimportant "options" but as vital parts of a complete education.