University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Discovering self

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Discovering self

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Discovering Self

Renee Whalen

A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ANNENBERG SCHOOL FOR
COMMUNICATION AND JOURNALISM
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS
(SPECIALIZED JOURNALISM)
DECEMBER 2022

ii

Acknowledgements

This thesis would not have been made possible without the unfailing support and guidance of
Professor Dan Birman. Birman’s deep investment in each of his students’ success remained a source
of anchoring strength and inspiration throughout the entirety of this project. In addition to Birman’s
support, the technical editorial guidance of Victor Figueroa, Megan Chao, and Susy Garciasalas made
the daunting process of documentary all the more digestible. Thank you to all the Pasadena Waldorf
School students and teachers who participated in my documentary—especially my main characters,
Elena Parsons and Yasmine Grueber-Mendoza, for their vulnerability and trust in this story. I would
like to thank the professors from USC’s Rossier School of Education that I’ve had the privilege of
learning from. In particular, I would like to thank Dr. Sandra Kaplan and Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-
Yang, whose teachings and research largely inspired this story. Lastly, thank you to my thesis
committee members, Dr. Erika Patall and Henry Jenkins, for their patience and trust in this story,
despite the long journey it has taken to finalize. I acknowledge and appreciate the time and energy
from everyone involved in this project.
My sincerest thanks,
Renee

iii

Table of Contents

I. Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………...ii
II. Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………. iii
III. Abstract……………………………………………………………………….…………iv
IV. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………...1
V. Research…………………………………………………………………………………2
VI. Process…………………………………………………………………………..............4
VII. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………6
VIII. References………………………………………………………………........................8
IX. Documentary Script……………………………………………………………………10
X. Script Bibliography…………………………………………………………………….24

iv

Abstract
This thesis documentary follows the lives of two 12
th
grade students at Pasadena Waldorf
School, Elena ‘Bean’ Parsons and Yasmine Grueber-Mendoza. The research draws on the findings of
Dr. Immordino-Yang, USC professor of Psychology, Education and Neuroscience. Her findings make
the connection between holistic learning environments and teenage brain development. Waldorf
education is considered to be a holistic educational approach, where students’ social and emotional
needs shape the curriculum. Students learn subjects through hands-on application as opposed to
theory-based learning. One of the only Waldorf-based high schools in Los Angeles County, Pasadena
Waldorf School offers a unique alternative for adolescents in the area.

1

Introduction
In the fall semester of my master’s program at USC, I enrolled in a course that would
ultimately inspire and help shape the story behind my thesis. EDU 428, The Effects of Curriculum and
Institution on Early Childhood, opened my eyes to the institutional pitfalls of public education, while,
in many ways, put words to my own experience as a student growing up. Taught by the award-
winning, Dr. Sandra Kaplan, this course shined a light on a number of social-emotional deficiencies
of our current system—a large one being standardized testing and curricula as inequitable measures
for student intelligence and self-worth. Upon further research, I quickly realized that these social-
emotional downfalls aren’t just affecting children. Adolescents are among one of the most
misunderstood and under supported groups in our public education system.

2

Research
As curricula become more and more rigorous throughout formal educational years, students’
social and emotional needs thus become less and less prioritized. By the time students reach high
school, meeting curriculum standards often becomes the most important concern. This emphasis on
standardized knowledge not only limits adolescents’ social and emotional development, but it has
shown to limit their intellectual development as well.
How teenagers learn (versus what they know) has been proven to be a much stronger
determinant of brain growth and ultimate fulfillment in young adulthood. The work of USC
Psychology, Education and Neuroscience professor, Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, draws the
connection between school learning environments and teenage brain development. Open-ended,
project-based learning has been shown to cultivate a greater connection between students’ emotional
selves and their academic curriculum. This holistic approach, in turn, leads to greater “real world”
academic application.
Fascinated and inspired by this research, I set out to find a school that reflected the educational
environment described in Immordino-Yang’s findings. In doing so, I came across Pasadena Waldorf
School (PWS), a two-story Victorian renovated home in the suburbs of Altadena, CA. The school was
like no formal learning environment I had seen before. Upon my first visit, the small senior class
congregated around the school garden. Without a cellphone in hand, they each picked herbs and
vegetables for that afternoon’s lunch. Not only is this a rare sight to see at a high school lunchtime,
but the teenagers’ fully engaged participation stood out to me more than anything.
3

Confluent education, or whole-child education, is a teaching approach which combines
cognitive learning (thought-based) with affective learning (feeling-based). The Steiner-Waldorf
approach (SWA), founded by social reformer Rudolf Steiner in 1928, is a model of confluent
education that considers both the social-emotional and cognitive development of each child.
In the early years at Pasadena Waldorf School, children learn by doing—through play, oral
language, and practical activities. By the time students reach high school, the curriculum focuses on
fostering moral responsibility, social consciousness, and independent thinking by integrating the arts
into each subject.
This alternative approach to education fascinated me and I became eager to capture it in the
most captivating way I had access to. Although I had no experience filming, let alone documentary-
making, I felt this medium could capture the depth of the story I set out to tell. With the advantage of
long-form journalism, I could portray this story through the intimate view of the characters within it.
Not only can visual storytelling capture the essence of place, it has the ability to capture the essence of
people—often beyond what can be felt and seen in real life. This level of intimacy is exactly what
drew me to the medium for this story.

4

Process
After gaining permission to film Mr. Baker’s 12th grade creative writing class at PWS, my
first obstacle was to find my main character(s). I started my in-person research by spending a few
days observing the class without my camera. I spoke with almost all the students one-on-one after
class to get a better understanding of their personality and their own relationship with education. I
wanted to capture an underdog’s story—a student who may have been under supported or overlooked
if attending a traditional education environment. This is what ultimately drew me to Yasmine.
Yasmine Grueber-Mendoza is a 12th-grade transfer student at PWS. Her quiet artistic nature is what
stood out to me in the scouting process. With just enough financial aid to afford Waldorf tuition,
Mendoza was given the chance to grow into her shyness in a space where her emotional and social
needs were fully considered.
However, without any prior experience in public education, Yasmine’s journey didn’t quite
capture the full scope of educational struggle and triumph that I set out to document. Being that I
couldn’t gain permission to film at any public school in LAUSD, I started to worry that I wouldn’t be
able to capture the fullness of the story I initially set out to tell. Upon another visit to PWS, however, I
met Bean. Elena “Bean” Parsons transferred to PWS her sophomore year of high school, after a
handful of public and private school transfers sparked by her personal mental health struggles. After
being admitted into a mental hospital, her psychiatrist recommended that she tour Pasadena Waldorf
School as a last attempt to reenter the school system and reclaim normalcy.
Upon meeting Parsons, her outspoken unfiltered nature couldn't have felt further from that of
Mendoza. At first, I debated which character would more accurately capture the fullness of this
subject matter. However, I ultimately decided that their stark differences would help carry this story
5

beyond what I had previously imagined. Each embodying different experiences and needs, the
contrasting characters reflect Waldorf’s unique ability to individuate to its students (rather than the
curriculum). In this way, Mendoza and Parsons’ differences underscore the importance of this school
and bring greater context to the story as a whole.

6

Conclusion
“Discovering Self” is a short documentary that follows two 12th grade students at Pasadena
Waldorf School (PWS). The film glimpses into the lives of Mendoza and Parsons, as they navigate
the realities of adolescence, while finding solace in their creative and academic endeavors. The
environment at Pasadena Waldorf School fosters a unique space for the students to explore both the
curriculum and themselves in ways that they previously never had access to.
For Mendoza, she’s found a new sense of confidence in her own artistry since coming to PWS.
For Parsons, the Waldorf environment has completely shifted her relationship with learning. Rather
than cramming her mind with “content” for a test, she’s now able to understand the curriculum from a
much more embodied place—absorbing and applying the material well beyond the scope of the
classroom.
In the end, documentary-making proved itself to be a much larger task than anticipated. Not
only did I run into pre-production challenges—accessing schools, finding characters, etc.—but the
production process came with its own set of difficulties. Without any experience behind a camera, it
took some time before I was able to trust my own directorial judgment. After many failed shoots (and
advice from my instructor), I quickly learned that the camera was an artistic tool that couldn’t fully
serve me until I gained the confidence to use it. Familiarizing myself with the camera gave me much
more confidence, and ultimately much more creative leeway, in my storytelling.
Not only did filming require a level of directorial confidence I was not quite prepared for but
editing came with its own slew of difficult decision-making. As a journalist, my focus was on the
large-scale message of this story. I wanted to effectively portray the social and cultural predicament
7

that had inspired me in the first place. As a visual storyteller, however, my attention was much more
detailed. To translate the larger message, I had to become aware of the emotional impact behind each
artistic decision. This balancing act between large scale thinking and detailed execution is something I
think most journalists face. However, the high stakes of documentary production make this balancing
act all the more important to master.
As a journalist, documentary-making widened my view of nonfiction storytelling. It showed
me the depths of humanity that can be captured through careful preparation, deep listening, flexible
artistry and a confident vision. As a creator, documentary-making challenged my own creative
process. It pushed me to adopt a beginner’s mindset and ultimately taught me to trust my instincts.
Beyond the final impact of this story, I’m grateful for this opportunity—the opportunity to evolve my
storytelling abilities well past what I knew was possible and to connect with the essence of what
makes stories worth telling in the first place.

8

References

Bodrova, Elena, and Deborah J. Leong. 2005. “The Importance of Play: Why Children
Need to Play.” Early Childhood Today 20 (1): 6–7. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ738494.

Brown, Enora R. 2010. “Freedom For Some, Discipline For ‘Others’: The Structure of
Inequity in Education.” Education As Enforcement.
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203843222-13/freedom-
discipline-others-structure-inequity-education-enora-brown

Dancy, Rahima. 2004. “The Wisdom of Waldorf: Education for the Future.”
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54eba37fe4b0f761f48b9e97/t/596912443a0411c1f2
e1475c/1500058180610/ARTICLE+-+The+Wisdom+of+Waldorf.pdf.

Elias, Maurice J. 2019. “Implementation, Sustainability and Scaling Up of Social-Emotional
and Academic Innovations in Public Schools. School Psychology Review.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02796015.2003.12086200?casa_token=_Z
G93F4gUr8AAAAA:V2h8rTLhcxC6Ykvsup8NJ3igh-
NfyTeg25PXiYfhoy_WrpjtkeR3YQFAVm3FEz22rKHW17Yblgke

Immordino-Yang, Mary Helen and Douglas R. Knecht. 2020. “Building Meaning Builds
Teens Brains.” Ascd.
https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/building-meaning-builds-teens-brains

Korthagen, Fred A. J. 2022. “Linking Practice and Theory: The pedagogy of realistic
teacher education.” APA PsycNet. 2022.
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2001-16482-000.
Larrison, Abigail 2011. “Holistic Education and the Brain: A Look at Steiner-Waldorf
Education.” University of California, San Diego and California State University at San
Marcos. https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/14664703/AERA_2011_Rev-with-cover-
page-v2.pdf?Expires=1655832182&Signature=Y04GQ-
gduK9vRd~7TyUbphRuDTMY2kO0yzUkgGdEXNjNUha-
vNRU2kqhGnj8yzxN15dHVAL-
FzX3IG0m9QrmcOakMN1wUH7rYEKSJTlxE9ymPdWVPAv7HwGNC7mkvmPoPO2b
QjkZAlI5G91e-GRqEZ61tmmpUnoRLsWpgSoKsu-
4Nx5kk~29js6zcNLFgaajLvD7AlRgiml0r8FQT5PX9Y1CrKZsjkeLVApBuoX8Qmi1y4
6h3PL0jEo6zmK33qK1ZqIHeo0ffbic~-I-suo-JB1DypCDvL-
JQasgsnz4jExDTVxTt1vvV0GbERpsSk2sXRDUWErjvbDVhn3E7DBiSg__&Key-Pair-
Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA
Schmitt-Stegmann, Astrid. 1997. “Child Development and Curriculum in Waldorf
Education.” ERIC. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED415990.
Williams, Teresa Scotton. 1983. “SOME ISSUES in the STANDARDIZED TESTING of
9

MINORITY STUDENTS.” The Journal of Education 165 (2): 192–208.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/42772833?casa_token=_ytkrWurehYAAAAA%3AqrS4Dvc
S2iEJIS1EfKaK6ST7gVOiIthP-
qyIwDWvy_pHyjUec_OsOgBkp4Q0F7ej4EJGOvWF1qn1Qi46YLCqApwc4Xz5zEtVFz
-ZDrBsbptnPHvhkyY&seq=1.

10

Documentary Script
https://youtu.be/QzcIk3eE9Fs

MUSIC

Clip 0003
00:00:02:27
Public school fence

SOT - Elena “Bean”
Parsons
12th grader at Pasadena
Waldorf School (PWS)
Clip 0015
00:00:0: 7:29

Clip 0019
00:00:06:04
public school fence
It was normal at my school to be studying for hours and hours and hours.

VO - Yasmine Grueber-
Mendoza
12th grader at PWS
Clip 0001
00:00:14:27

Clip 0005
00:00:013:06
Mendoza working on
vision board
For me, as an artist, as I’ve noticed, is that I don’t like being put in boxes.

VO - Dr. Mary Helen
Immordino-Yang
USC Professor of
Psychology, Education
and Neuroscience
Clip 001
00:00:24:17

Clip 0006
00:00:16:22
Still shot of classroom
wall art

Clip 0004
00:00:22:06
Those grades, those achievement scores, those abilities to do this or that
with the math or whatever it is, become the outcome that matters.

11

Students working at their
desks

VO – Immordino-Yang
Clip 0001
00:00:30:06

Clip 0027
00:00:34:18
public school fence

Clip 0009
00:00:39:24
Parsons looking through
fence
And, and what happens is along the way, we lose the person.

and this is a this is a deep tragedy, and we are seeing this play out across
demographic lines right now in our education system.
SOT - Parsons
Clip0001
00:00:43:24
I studied so much. I don’t remember anything that I learned that year.

VO – Immordino-Yang
Clip 0001
00:00:49:16

Clip 0003
00:00:46:15
Students working at their
desks
Companies and colleges are saying ‘what are you interested in?’ ‘How do
you make sense of this?’
VO – Immordino-Yang
Clip 0001
00:00:51:00

Clip 0009
00:00:53:15
Mendoza playing piano

‘What do you want to do with yourself?’

And they’ve never been asked those questions before.

VO – Daniel Baker
12
th
-grade English
Teacher at PWS
Clip 0014
00:01:05:16

Clip 0003
00:01:03:01
Student reaction shots in
Baker’s English class
I think kids leave and graduate from here and from other Waldorf schools
with a better understanding of who they are.

12

VO - Baker
Clip 0014
00:01:20:28

Clip 0003
00:01:09:17
Close up of Parsons in
class

Clip 0018
00:01:11:28
Public school basketball
hoop

Clip 0013
00:01:19:12
Parsons walking past
public-school fence
But it’s an understanding that’s not necessarily connected, directly
connected, or directly attached, to like, I don't know, like a subject that
they want to pursue. You know it’s something, it’s something a little bit
deeper.
SOT - Parsons
Clip 0015
00:01:26:23
The things I learned at Waldorf I fucking remember because I have like an
emotional response to them.
VO - Mendoza
Clip 0001
00:01:36:25

Clip 0003
00:01:33:02
Mendoza working on
vision board

VO - Mendoza
Clip 0001
00:01:36:25

Just having completely free creative expression, which is very exciting to
me because it doesn’t put me in that box. It lets me be free.

VO - Baker (on screen at
end)
Clip 0014
00:01:44:20

Clip 0009
00:01:40:24
Mendoza playing piano
They do have an understanding of their passions and their interests. But I
think that they understand themselves uh

VO – Baker
Clip 0014
As kind of living, breathing, and ever-evolving individuals
13

00:01:56:00

Clip 0010
00:01:52:02
Parsons staring through
fence

VO - Baker (on screen at
end)
Clip 0014
00:02:04:29

Clip 0009
00:02:02:05
Mendoza playing piano

that might encounter new sources of inspiration along the way. Which I
think is a lot more accurate to our experience as humans rather than being
like, ‘I’m gonna be a dentist, you know.

NATURAL SOUND -
Mendoza piano fading in

00:02:11:27
Fade to black (title card)

NAT - Mendoza playing
piano

Clip 0009
00:02:21:27
Mendoza playing piano

Clip 0011
00:02:23:21
Mendoza childhood
photo still shot

Clip 0012
00:02:26:04
Mendoza childhood
photo still shot

I was always really scared of what people would think about me.

SOT - Mendoza
Clip 0001
00:02:27:08
I always thought I’m not an artist.

VO – Mendoza
Clip 0001
00:02:31:00

I thought you had to have a degree and you had to do all of these things,
like have a showcase or something like that.
14

Clip 0009
00:02:44:18
Mendoza playing piano

SOT - Mendoza
Clip 0001
00:03:00:28
Going to a Waldorf school, it just gives you so many opportunities to try
out everything that there is in art, from jewelry-making to writing music to
creating something with clay. I had so many opportunities to find your
outlets, which I’m very grateful for.

VO - Martina Grueber-
Mendoza
Mother of Yasmine
Clip 0001
00:03:13:00

Clip 0009
00:03:08:25
Mendoza playing piano

Teachers and schools can influence you in many ways.
SOT - Martina Grueber-
Mendoza
Clip 0001
00:03:16:02

In your values, in the way you see the world, in the way you see yourself.
VO - Martina Grueber-
Mendoza (on screen at
end)
Clip 0001
00:03:30:19

Clip 0009
00:03:28:24
Mendoza playing piano

I had heard in schools about Waldorf schools but I didn’t really remember
much about it.
VO - Martina Grueber-
Mendoza (on screen at
end)
Clip 0001
00:03:34:10

Clip 0009
00:03:33:06
Mendoza playing piano

I knew that there was some kind of level of creativity.
NAT - Mendoza playing
piano
Clip 0009
“Waldorf schooling is an alternative form of education based on the social
and emotional needs of students. Students learn through experience
instead of test-taking.”
15

00:03:36:06

00:03:40:07
Black screen with
description of Waldorf
schooling

VO - Martina Grueber-
Mendoza
Clip 0009
00:03:46:01

Clip 0009
00:03:43:13
Mendoza playing piano

Clip 0009
00:03:55:04
Mendoza playing piano

I started seeing how important that is for young children to create things
so that they feel confident about themselves.
VO - Yasmine Grueber-
Mendoza (on screen at
end)
Clip 0001
00:04:12:17

Clip 0007
00:04:11:09
Mendoza coloring on
vision board

When I’m alone with my art it feels very intimate. Like a place to find
myself and push myself, but also nurture myself in a way.

VO - Mendoza (on
screen at end)
Clip 0001
00:04:27:02

Clip 0005
00:04:24:10
Mendoza coloring on
vision board

When I bring it out into the world, it feels very much like giving birth, if
that makes any sense.

VO - Mendoza (on screen at end)
Clip 0001
00:04:34:29

Clip 0003
In a way where it’s like, you’re letting go and it’s not part of you
anymore. And now it’s a part of the world and something that is
16

00:04:33:03
Mendoza gluing paper onto vision
board

VO – Mendoza
Clip 0001
00:04:39:40

Clip 0006
00:04:40:26
Mendoza gluing paper on vision
board

Clip 0005
00:04:42:05
Still shot of glued photo

an extension of me but also its own little creation.

NAT - street sound

Clip 0020
00:04:45:11
Pasadena Waldorf School front
street (bicyclist riding by)

VO – Baker
Clip 0002
00:04:58:00

Clip 0020
00:04:53:22
Tree pan to PWS ext.

So here were the collection of prompts we were working with
last time that were built

SOT – Baker (teaching class)
Clip 0002
00:05:00:04

off of the poems that Yasmine brought, the Russell Edson poems
that I brought…
VO - Baker
Clip 0014
00:05:00:10

Clip 0003
00:05:03:16
Close up of students’ shoes
I mean as an English teacher, I hear kids all the time kind of
disparage their own writing.

VO - Baker (on screen at end)
Clip 0014
00:05:07:20
Or disparage their own skills in English

17

Clip 0004
00:05:11:00
class wide shot

SOT - Baker
Clip 0014
00:05:26:13

They’ve grown up maybe attaching that to like ‘Do I know when
to capitalize? Do I know when to punctuate? How good of a
speller am I?’ you know?
SOT – Baker (speaking to Parsons
in class)
Clip 0003
00:05:28:27

Oh, I can see already what prompt this is from, but go ahead and
read it and we can see.

SOT - Parsons (reading poem
aloud to class from her desk)
Clip 0003
00:05:31:12
Okay. This one’s called ‘The Sink’.

VO – Baker (on screen at end)
Clip 0014
00:05:35:00

Clip 0003
00:05:38:02
Baker watching Parsons read her
poem

There’s something about them being seen in a small space and
having the freedom to articulate their individuality.

VO - Baker (on screen at end)
Clip 0014
00:05:42:19

Clip 0003
00:05:45:14
Parsons reading her poem aloud

And articulate their difference. And kind of be in a room with

VO - Baker
Clip 0014
00:05:47:10

Clip 0003
00:05:56:24
Class reaction shots - pan from
Grueber-Mendoza to Parsons
people that might have something in common with them, but also
vast differences too.

SOT – Baker (speaking to class)
Clip 0004
Um, what do we want to reflect to Bean? What do we have in
here that’s just gem worthy?

18

00:06:02:10
VO - Baker (on screen at end)
Clip 0014
00:08:42:00

Clip 0003
00:06:06:18
Parsons laughing (reacting to
classmate’s feedback)

When we’re at our best teachers and when we’re at our best as a
school, I’ve seen it be able to be very curative

VO - Baker (on screen at end)
Clip 0014
00:08:45:00

Clip 0003
00:06:18:06
Class snapping (reacting to
Parson’s poem)

Clip 0003
00:06:21:13
Parsons smiling, laughing
(reacting to class’s feedback)
For kids who have come in and maybe have internalized an idea
that like to be a strong student or te be like a critical thinker
means
VO - Baker
Clip 0014
00:08:50:00

Clip 0003
00:06:32:01
Parsons in class (close up
reaction)

I don’t know, having to adhere to a really strict like set of
criteria, right.

NAT - street sound
Clip 0021
00:06:39:00

Fade to black

NAT - street sound

Clip 0021
00:06:42:00

19

Cars driving passed school

Clip 0026
00:06:45:04
‘No Parking School Days’ sign

VO - Parsons
Clip 0015
00:07:49:00

Clip 0008
00:06:53:04
Close-up of public school fence
(pan to Parsons looking through
fence)

I studied so much, I don’t remember anything that I learned that
year.

NAT - street
sound/nature

Clip 0024
00:06:56:26
Public school building

VO - Immordino-Yang
(on screen at end)
Clip 0026
00:06:59:13

Clip 0024
00:07:18:00
Public school ext.
We do so much standardizing of content, of curriculum, of assessment
VO - Immordino-Yang
(on screen at end)
Clip 0026
00:07:02:00

Clip 0019
07:01:12
VIDEO
public school fence
artwork (close up)

Clip 0010
00:07:14:01
Ironically in the name of fairness or equity, when what we’re actually
doing is curtailing thought processes in the teachers and in the students.

20

Parsons staring through
fence (pan from her
shoes to her hands)

VO - Parsons (on screen
at end)
Clip 0015
00:08:05:00

Clip 0015
00:07:22:00
Parsons staring through
fence (pan from her
hands to her face)

Like I’ve lost that kind of in touch with my zoning in. Just like
remembering things for twenty-four hours, having them for a test, and
then going out the door just so I can do it again for another test.

VO - Immordino-Yang
(on screen at end)
Clip 0001
00:07:25:15

Clip 0013
00:07:26:26
Parsons walking past her
old public school

Clip 0010
00:07:29:10
Parsons staring through
fence at her old
schoolyard

You know, those grades, those achievement scores, those abilities to do
this or that with the math or whatever it is becomes the outcome that
matters.

VO - Immordino-Yang
Clip 0001
00:07:32:15

Clip 0018
00:07:34:24
Basketball hoop close-up

Clip 0009
00:07:42:25
Fence close-up (pan to
Parsons)

What happens is, along the way, we lose the person. This is a deep
tragedy. And we are seeing this play out across demographic lines right
now in our education system.

21

NAT - nature sounds

Clip 0034
00:07:45:22
Fade to black

VO - Parsons (on screen
at end)
Clip 0015
00:07:52:09

Clip 0035
00:07:48:15
Still shot of ‘Pasadena
Waldorf School
Accreditation Award’

The things I learned at Waldorf, I fucking remember because I have like
an emotional response to them.

VO - Parsons (on screen
at end)
Clip 0015
00:08:03:00

Clip 0003
00:07:58:29
Pan from oak tree to
students playing music at
lunchtime

Or, like I connected with my teachers, or the subject was really interesting.
Like a different take on a history class or a different take on an English
class.

VO – Baker
Clip 0004
00:08:15:30

Clip 0004
00:08:03:01
Oak tree close up

So this first one’s called, ‘Flight’.

SOT - Baker (reading
poem)
Clip 0004
00:08:16:00

Clip 0004
00:08:33:24
Mendoza silently reading
the poem at her desk
‘I am eight years old and the telephone poles are down. The telephone
poles at the end of town spitting electricity.’

22

(pan from her shoes to
face)

VO - Baker
Clip 0014
00:08:30:02

Clip 0004
00:08:36:24
Mendoza reading the
poem at her desk (close-
up)

Kids definitely leave and graduate from here and from other Waldorf
schools with a better understanding of who they are.

VO - Baker (on screen at
end)
Clip 0014
00:08:35:00

Clip 0031
00:08:37:16
School fireplace still shot
(student artwork and
crystals on top)

But it’s an understanding that’s not necessarily connected, directly
connected, or directly attached to like, I don’t know, a subject that they
want to pursue. You know, it’s something, it’s something a little bit
deeper.

VO - Baker (on screen at
end)
Clip 0014
00:08:47:02

Clip 0004
00:09:08:13
Close-up pans of each
student reading poem
(end on Mendoza)

They do have an understanding of their passions and interests. But I think
that they understand themselves as kind of living, breathing, and ever-
evolving individuals that might encounter new sources of inspiration along
the way. Which I think is a lot more accurate to our experience as humans
rather than benign like, ‘I’m gonna be a dentist’, you know.

NAT – fade in Mendoza
playing piano

VO - Mendoza (on
camera at end)
Clip 0001
00:09:20:19

Clip 0009
00:09:21
Growing up now, I see more that art isn’t about kind of having the whole
world see you.
23

Mendoza playing piano
(wide shot)

VO - Mendoza (on
camera at end)
Clip 0001
00:09:29:04

Clip 0009
00:09:36:01
Mendoza playing piano
(close-up on hands)

It’s about just expressing yourself and letting the world see you as you are
and letting it be there and just exist in a way.

VO - Mendoza (on
camera at end)
Clip 0001
00:09:40:27

Clip 0009
00:09:54:28
Mendoza playing piano
(close-up pan from hands
to face)

That confidence helped me find myself when I’m around other people and
how I express myself around other people. And just being my real
authentic self and not pretending to be somebody else.

NAT – piano
Clip 0009
00:09:55:00

Fade to black

24

Script Bibliography

Parsons, Elena “Bean”, interview by Renee Whalen. 2022. Pasadena Waldorf,
12th-grade student (March 5).

Grueber-Mendoza, Yasmine, interview by Renee Whalen. 2022. Pasadena Waldorf,
12th-grade student (February 6).

Immordino-Yang, Mary Helen, interview by Renee Whalen. 2022. USC Rossier School of

Education & Center for Affective Neuroscience, Development, Learning and Education,
Professor of Psychology, Education and Neuroscience (February 22).
https://candle.usc.edu

Baker, Daniel, interview by Renee Whalen. 2022. Pasadena Waldorf, 12th-grade
Creative Writing and English teacher (March 3).

Grueber-Mendoza, Martina, interview by Renee Whalen. 2022. Pasadena Waldorf,
Yasmine’s mother (February 12).

Abstract (if available)

Abstract Discovering Self is a short documentary that follows the lives of two high school students at Pasadena Waldorf School, Elena Parsons and Yasmine Grueber-Mendoza. The thesis draws on the research of USC professor of neuroscience, psychology and education, Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang. Immordino-Yang’s findings make the connection between holistic learning environments and adolescent brain development. Waldorf education is a holistic educational approach that prioritizes students’ social and emotional needs above curriculum standards. At Pasadena Waldorf School, students learn through experience rather than theory. The stories of Parsons and Grueber-Mendoza reflect the individualized impact of this alternative education.

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University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

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Asset Metadata

Creator Whalen, Renee (author)

Core Title Discovering self

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Journalism (Specialized Journalism)

Degree Conferral Date 2022-12

Publication Date 09/12/2022

Defense Date 09/09/2022

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag adolescence,documentary,educational pitfalls,High School,OAI-PMH Harvest,Self-discovery,Waldorf

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Birman, Daniel (committee chair), Jenkins, Henry (committee member), Patall, Erika (committee member)

Creator Email rewhalen805@gmail.com,rwhalen@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC111992649

Unique identifier UC111992649

Legacy Identifier etd-WhalenRene-11199

Document Type Thesis

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Whalen, Renee

Type texts

Source 20220917-usctheses-batch-980 (batch), University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright. The original signature page accompanying the original submission of the work to the USC Libraries is retained by the USC Libraries and a copy of it may be obtained by authorized requesters contacting the repository e-mail address given.

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA

Repository Email cisadmin@lib.usc.edu