By GENEVA WHITMARSH Daily Press Staff Writer
FOURTH STREET — The 150 students here create their own books, sew shirts and use woodworking skills to craft their own toys.
Not a traditional curriculum to be sure — but one that director Jeffrey Graham embraces without a hint of modesty.
“People need to know about the Waldorf school,” he said. “It’s a model to which other schools can aspire.”
It’s been less than a year since the 47-year-old New York native became the school’s director, inheriting, among other things, a civil laws u i t against a celebrity fundraiser who has been convicted of defrauding the school out of more than $500,000, as well as several other organizations.
Graham waves off mention of the financial crisis, instead opting to talk about his plans to expand the school’s curriculum to include a full high school that’s expected to garner a waiting list, or what it’s like to work down the hallway from where his two sons, ages 12 and 8, are attending class.
“Dads know it’s tough to set boundaries sometimes, but it goes with the territory,” Graham joked. “Put it this way — I’m working on it.”
Graham sat down with the Daily Press to discuss his philosophies on education, parenting and being a Santa Monica resident.
How did you end up in this position? “I’ve been inspired by the Waldorf education for close to 10 years as a parent at the school. I am particularly keen on seeing the education universe as we know it address the ills and potentials that reside in our children today, and I’m persuaded that the Waldorf school is the best for many of our children. It’s sometimes called the best kept secret in education.
Specifically, my experience as a professional has been in real estate, development and law, and while I found many satisfactions, I realize and have realized for some time that education and the philosophy of education is really what drives me. So, I am now able to marry my passion and my skill set.”
Where did you go to school? “I was educated at a private prep school in New York, went on to Brown University and then onto Georgetown Law. About five years ago, I made a decision to reconnect to education, so I went to Loyola Marymount and earned my master’s in English and American literature with the intention to teach.”
What drew you to Santa Monica? “Opportunity. I was just married to my wife, who’s Swedish. We married (in Sweden) and I was actually teaching in the college system in Sweden for a year. I was a lecturer in American studies there. That was after I was a corporate lawyer for five to six years.
Initially, I was coming here to work with the law firm I’d been with in New York, but in 1989 the economy changed, so they withdrew the invitation and asked me to come back to New York. But we’d already committed to LA. My best friend and his family were here and sung the praises of LA as an open book. So, we made the cross country drive and came without a job. I had some family here and some wonderful friends — more now. I went into a professional career that was consistent with being a lawyer. I ended up working in the restructuring of companies with the economy the way it was. I worked as lawyer and a financial advisor for several years.
I became a (school) board member, then board president from 1997-99. I got my masters (from Loyola Marymont) in 2002, so within a couple years, I ended up moving into administration. I applied for the director’s spot in June of this year.”
How have you adjusted to that role? “It’s been a rewarding experience to deepen my understanding of education and to work with a faculty that consists of very dedicated people who truly love what they’re doing and love the children. The challenges are essential to the growth of a small business but within the context of education, which changes the picture. Working with parents, with children, being their soul — part of them — to enable those children and their family to find success and to be part of something is certainly distinguishable from helping a company and the building industry succeed.”
What is the school’s background? “The school was formed in 1989 as an initiative, lived at Pearl Street for about seven years and moved here in 1997. We have preschool through sixth grade. We have three campuses. There’s the one on Fourth Street, of course. We have a Fifth Street nursery, and we have a new early childhood center at 1441 15th Street. The childhood center is currently licensed for 25 children, offering three-, four-and five-day programs. There is space available, but there’s been a lot of interest. We just literally painted the walls there within the last three to four weeks, so we’re gearing up and we’re applying to the city to grow that facility to 75 children. There about 10 (children) enrolled now.”
What areas of LA do students come from?
“I would say, generally speaking, we’ve gone as far down as Redondo Beach, but more commonly I’d say the Westchester area, Culver City, as far east as McCarthy Circle. We have people from Larchmont Village as well, all the way up to Topanga. It’s a very wide area.”
What are you doing to ensure that you’re effectively working with the parents and keeping them informed of what’s going on?
“I’m smiling because that’s an identity that I myself occupy. I’m maybe not the best judge, but I’ve told by the board that parents are very satisfied with the level of increased communication. It’s in the process of improving even more broadly, because I know that in order for this place to reach its full potential, we must reach out beyond our own parent body and enable other people to know what we’re doing here.”
When your phone rings and there’s a parent on the other end, what are you most likely to hear?
“It could range from microcosmic questions to what the children are doing in the classroom to those specific to the education. It’s those questions I really invite because it begins the question of ‘what is Waldorf education?’ which is something that is easier to understand through experience than through a slogan or a short motto.”
Can you sum up that experience? “I would sum it up, again noting that we’re not really into labels. I’ll begin by saying our children don’t wear logos on T-shirts. There’s a feeling of keeping the current consumer culture out of our school, so we use all-natural products. Parents and teachers make a lot of our furniture for us. Similarly, we don’t label our children, so if a child is having troubles with attention span, we try to take a holistic approach and — though we may suggest the use of hom-pathetic treatments — we try to work through those issues on an individual basis. We believe each child has a special genius, and we’re all about the individual child and what works for them. There are many studies and a very contemporary set of education precepts about multiple intelligence and different ways of learning. We use those thoughts. We also have the perception that children are of different temperaments, so rather that pigeonholing a child, we look at who that child is...
Knitting and handwork are a very important part of the curriculum starting in first grade, and there is research that proves that for a child to be sitting and working with his or her hands, it’s improving their minds, and it’s also a social activity. I’m told that during handwork, the children are babbling. They talk up a streak, and the teachers are able to hear what’s going on at home, so parents — beware. No, really, it’s purposeful work and gives the child something to look at that they created. And that’s a very powerful thing.”
Do you keep tabs of what’s happening with public education locally, and on the state and national level?
“Yes. I’m very pleased to be able to say that I’m a strong supporter and believer in public education. To have a civic society, we need a well-educated public. To that end, two years ago I chaired the design planning team for the Santa Monica- Malibu Unified School District. I worked with (district superintendent) John Deasy, who was new at that time. I think he’s a wonderful leader. He’s very eloquent and has great leadership skills. So, I do know the public school scene in Santa Monica.”
When you come to work each morning, what issues do you feel need to be tackled?
“The biggest issue for me is probably the stress level in today’s society and how understandably — but sadly — our children are feeling that. I’ve been told there’s a calmness at this school, and it could be confused with being laid back, but that’s not what it is. There’s strict discipline at this school and definite expectations in relation to the education, but it’s communicated in a way that I believe holds the child in reference, because to do otherwise creates anxiety in the children that doesn’t contribute to their well-being.”
What do you see in the school’s future? “I would use Highland Hall as a model. Highland Hall is a Waldorf school in Northridge. Been around a long time, and it has a full high school with a waiting list. That’s where I want to take this school.
I think what the board wants to see now is an increased early childhood program to enable us to create two first grades, two second grades … We’re in the process of a seven-year strategic plan.”
Will the school stay in Santa Monica? “We would never grow out of Santa Monica. We would always stay in Santa Monica. Whether that be our early childhood education center alone or that together with the grade school — that’s unclear. It’s determined in part by the kind of facilities that become available, but we would certainly maintain our ties to the city.”
What is it like working on the same campus where your two sons are attending school?
“Interestingly enough, I don’t see my sixth grader, but my second grader, I have a little bit of contact with. We set boundaries. I’ve been very active in the school, so I’ve always been here, and due to the freelance quality of my profession the past few years, I’ve been able to drop them off, so it’s not as abrupt of a transition.”
Do you enjoy living in Santa Monica? “Best place in the world.”
Why? “Because the community feels intelligent. I feel that because we’re engaged in a conversation about the quality of our lives, the education, the urban landscape — it’s inspiring to be part of something where so many voices can be heard. Through the debate, changes can be effectuated. I also love the beach, the climate, the cosmopolitan flair of Santa Monica. But I do miss New York, especially during 9/11. It’s an oddity that even when you grow up in large city, such as Los Angeles or New York City, it is a village.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 20, 2004. Read the original PDF.