Dear Parents, Class 3 Letter #1
We are well and truly into the first term and settling into a good routine. The children eager to work, getting down to various tasks eagerly. A brief look at the curriculum this year….and to prepare for our Parent-Teacher Meeting: TUESDAY 28th February 7pm. LANGUAGE WORK The Old Testament stories form the narrative basis for our language curriculum and will be woven through many aspects of our work this year. I have introduced cursive writing and Grammar Studies will begin in Term 2. In the morning we continue with songs, poetry and speech exercises. READING Tuesday Reading session with parents is working well. The children are at various stages, but they are positive and eager. This is good. The classroom library could do with some new books. If you have any to donate/lend to us that would be great. I think that a trip to the Library once a month would be good addition to our routine. I will continue to listen to each children read individually throughout the year to assess their progress, but your continued reading with your child is wonderful. MATHS Maths is very practical this year with measurement of Time, Distance, Mass and Money forming the main part of the work. Continued work on the 4 processes, multiplication tables and work on mental maths. NATURAL SCIENCE Farming/Gardening and House Building Main Lessons. More about this later in the year. HISTORY Stories of the Hebrew Scriptures draw together the cultural and metaphorical history of Western humanity and the biographies of real people, weaving together the mythic and historical cultures that is extremely age-appropriate for the children. ART & MUSIC Painting with watercolours, drawing and working with clay will form a big part of the artistic work this year. Recorder continues with Fiona. FORM DRAWING The children continue to draw running, symmetry forms and forms with strong shape gestures. They begin to work with metamorphic forms and forms based on geometrical shapes. GAMES This becomes an active part of the curriculum. Now the children need increased opportunities for active participation, teamwork, and collaboration. HOMEWORK Homework on a Thursday has added another good dimension and given the children an extra boost. The support of the parents will be vital to make this work. YEAR PLAN Term 1 Literacy, Cursive Writing Time Family April Holiday - Project: Making a working Clock Term 2 Grammar Measurement OT Stories – Creative Writing June Holiday - Project: Building a ‘House’ Term 3 House-building Class CAMP Gardening Term 4 Measurement – Mass and Money Craft Work Festival Warmly Teacher Beulah
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Dear Parents, #Welcome Letter
The new year has begun and we are getting ready to start Class 3 in a few weeks’ time. We would like to welcome Zara, Gracey and Nina to our class and hope that they will feel very warmly received and settle into our little class group with ease. We welcome their families and look forward to supporting and building the class together. This is going to be quite a big year, with lots of interesting things to learn and many new ways of learning. You will see a huge shift in the way your children will work on their own and with others and how they will wake up to the world in ever greater ways. Welcome Tea We will start off the year with an informal ‘bring and share’ Welcome Tea at 5pm on Monday 16th January at 44 Oak Street to get us all ready and settled for Class 3 which will begin the next day. Parent Handbook Please read through the handbook, either as a reminder of what our little school is about or if you are new to our class. You can go to our website: https://silverwillowcottageschool.weebly.com/ or get it here directly: https://silverwillowcottageschool.weebly.com/uploads/7/4/4/8/74488707/handbook2022.pdf Term begins Tuesday 17th January with the usual arrival time from 08h45 for 09h00 start. School days Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Starts at 08h45 for 09h00. Ends at 13h00 every day. Punctuality It is important that children come to school on time, so that they can be part of the opening ritual and the things that happen at the start of the day to get them settled and ready for learning. Tuesday Morning reading We will continue our 20 minute one-on-one reading sessions with a parent/sibling/granny, etc. The session ends at 09h20. Here again are the term dates for the year. TERM DATES 2023 Welcome Tea Monday 16 January at 5pm TERM 1: Tuesday 17 January - Thursday 29 March TERM 2: Monday 24 April - Thursday 22 June TERM 3: Tuesday 18 July - Friday 22 September TERM 4: Tuesday 10 October - Thursday 7 December Dress for school
Proposed dates for Parent Evenings: TERM 1: TUESDAY 28th February TERM 2: TUESDAY 30th May TERM 3: TUESDAY 22nd August TERM 4: TUESDAY 14th November I am looking forward to working with your children and getting to know them as they go into this next stage of development. All the best to each family as you step into this new year. May it be a good one, filled with all that you need to grow and flourish together. Warmly, Teacher Beulah 1st January 2023 Final letter Class Two
Receive the child in reverence, educate in love and send forth in freedom Rudolf Steiner Dear Parents, December 2022 This letter and reflection on the year is for you. I have written a personal report for your child, which she/he can read (with your help, where needed). This reflection on the past year and a glimpse into next year and your responses may contribute to us playing our parts more consciously, thoughtfully and hopefully resonantly amongst ourselves. “It takes a village…” is no less true for our community. Take your time reading through it. Maybe over a cup of tea or coffee and some Christmas cake…. The wholeness of fairy tale world of Class 1 made way in Class 2 for something more earthly, complex and nuanced. The children ‘came down to earth’ and connected more and more to the physical world around them, from the paradisal wholeness to something more differentiated, with more questions, uncertainties, dualities and polarities. The children explored and became more aware of complexities of feeling and expression as they began to experience and grapple with the polarities in human nature and the different and difficult choices they must face as a result. This has been quite a threshold for them! The more grounded and human elements in the stories helped to mirror the feelings and struggles in their own lives and relationships, and through those vicarious experiences they begin to learn about their choices and the consequences. The Saints Stories and Animal Fables The Saint Stories and the Animal Fables brought a key polarity into focus. The stories of Saints (and their struggles) appealed to the children’s moral sense of the journey to discover what is right and good, while the Animal Fables provided an opportunity for them to reflect upon the human foibles and characteristics like greed, boasting, meanness and foolishness in contrast to the characteristics like loyalty, generosity, steadiness and wisdom. Reflected in Fables they could ponder and debate without judgment upon themselves. Through these powerful narratives, their imaginations were fed with rich archetypal images, allowing them to live in the feeling realm while experiencing waves of empathy and antipathy. Whilst they are becoming more conscious through conversation and debates about the stories, the route to that is still through feeling and experience. These are the roots that will enable concepts to form in deeper ways in future. When I think back on all the Animal Fables such as The Hermit and the Mouse, The Lion and the Mouse, The Jackal and the Klipspringer, The Crow and the Peacocks, etc., and then the wonderful Spider and the Fly which the children recited so wonderfully, I realise how far we’ve come from the dreamy world of Class 1. Through the Animal Fables much humour came into the class. The children were active in the discussions around the stories and could make clear connections and links to their own lives. The children looked at good and malevolent behaviours, to judge for themselves which action was fair or unjust, to place themselves in the shoes of the victim and the perpetrator/victor, and to learn how to show empathy. The flip side of the Animal Fables was represented in the Saint Stories. The saints were people who, through self-discipline and often strict training, overcame their own lower natures. They endured hardships, displayed immense courage and showed the highest forms of love and compassion. They showed the children that spiritual strength is different to a physical kind and has to be gained in a different way. We lived the story of Saint Jerome (and the Lion), patient and wise. Saint Odilia was born blind and cast out of her home but was still able to show great love and forgiveness. Saint Zita, the humble servant girl, through hard work and dedication brought friendship and light into the lives of others. Offero, who later became known as Saint Christopher, overcame the forces of darkness, finding his true self by helping others. Finally, we travelled the dusty Italian roads with Saint Francis who loved nature and animals and gave us his wonderful Canticle to Brother Sun. Thinking back on all these stories and life lessons learnt, I realise how rich and deep our year has been. I remember the emotional and moral challenges, which we all faced, and the deep feelings we experienced; feelings of joy, sadness, anger, hope, disappointment, happiness… and I feel a sense of achievement and pleasure. We got through it! And then we could end our year beautifully with our play - a testament to the hard work and beauty of the year. Number work When I look back into Number work, and the stories of The Troll and the Red Baron and The Sea People, I see that through the stories, the word sums made sense to the children, because they were linked to something ‘real’ - the children could work out of a context and the numbers and operations were meaningful. I often wondered if I was placing too much feeling into Number work - was it too ‘soft’? - but then I saw the ‘ah ha!’ moments, the enthusiasm to work through maths sums and the progression from simple to more complex work and I am confident that I have given them what they need. Next year will be a more practical year, with lots of ‘formal’ maths to do. Writing and Reading Waldorf education is narrative-based, and real as such because our lives are stories, best represented by stories. Without a sense of story, we are left with fragmented pieces of “facts” which can be twisted into anything, whereas stories bring sense, roots, cause and unfolding consequences. Stories beg to be re-told and remembered and through them we communicate our realities. One way to retain the stories, to make them visible, is to write them down. Through our writing activities, the children have produced their own books, which they can read over and over again and so remember the stories, written by their own hands. This anticipates and prepares for the practice of the children writing their own textbooks in following years, co-producing their own representations of the knowledge they have gathered. They will not need government-standard textbooks, although they will eagerly learn to research books in the libraries. Some of them are already writing quickly and are able to complete vast amounts of text, whereas others would rather spend their time on the drawings which accompany the text. Each child is on their own journey of discovery, and we must not get quickly anxious if they appear to be behind. Remember the slow and steady tortoise! Nothing must be forced as it will likely have the opposite effect. The key at this stage is not quick progress in this or that skill but the cultivation of a deep and life-long love of learning. Through the phonics work, the writing and reading of stories and the Tuesday morning paired reading with parents, the children have become more confident and competent with reading. They are keen and motivated to read and are directing and pushing themselves. In class we read the writing from the board as a class, in groups, in reverse, jumping from one word to another. And they love the game of it. The books written for them by you, are treasures for life! Next year you will see leaps and bounds in ‘cracking the reading code’! Form Drawing Form Drawing is an integral and important aspect of our curriculum. It does not just involve drawing beautiful patterns. It is through form drawing that we bring the child to a real feeling of form, to a feeling of harmony, for symmetry, for relationships. Through form drawing we can guide the child toward experiencing the harmonies that exist in the world around us and inside of us. We worked with the three essential aspects of form drawing. Firstly, the goal orientated, thinking straight line, then the softly swinging, breathing, feeling forms of the curved line and also the dynamic, will-filled spiral forms. We applied these forms in the symmetrical exercises, gestures, and movement of animals, plants and the elements. These ‘mirror images’ again reflect the duality and polarity that the year brought. It is hard to adequately express or prove but I have a strong sense that form drawing helps to wire the brain in generative ways. The intense focus and concentration that they display must be doing something positive. Rhythmical movement, repetition and learning verses We are rhythmic beings. Without rhythms in our lives, we can often lose balance. Rhythms help us to gather, hold and mobilise our energies and to connect with each other through more organically sensed timing, as opposed to hard, static structures. We can also learn much in rhythmic processes. The Eurythmy sessions brought wonderful opportunities for such rhythmic and social movement. We thank Teacher Janine for the beauty, care and warmth of it all. Class 2 is the time when children are able to easily learn reams of words which are written in a rhythmical way. We saw this in the poem of the Spider and the Fly and then again, the St Francis play. They could hear and pick up the words just through rhythmic repetition. In Waldorf schools, children in the younger classes are not given scripts to memorise but learn through listening and rhythmic repetition. This strengthens their memory and capacity for listening. The same goes for playing the recorder. They learn to play just by watching, listening and repeating, so that it permeates their bodies and fingers rather than through a more intellectual or abstract activity of reading the notes. There will be time for that later. In Class 3 they begin to learn music notation – also through a story! Music and Singing Music and singing form a strong and important part of every day. The singing in the morning helps to centre the class, bringing a sense of community and an opportunity to express our appreciation for the world and nature. It helps start the day with joy and lightness. Playing the recorder and learning to express ourselves through a musical instrument adds a whole dimension to the musical life of the class. The recorder is a simple instrument to learn and one which a whole class can learn to play together is therefore very vital to our day. We have been so privileged to have Fiona Burtt teach the class. Next year we will start a wonderful aspect of singing – in rounds! Looking into Class 3 As we go into Class 3 new challenges await us. There is a much starker move away from the ‘fantasy’ world of fairy tales and ‘talking animals’, to stories which are even more real and earth bound. This is done very consciously. As the children come into their ninth year, many questions come from them. They are beginning to see the world and everything in it, as outside of themselves, facing them, instead of being part of it, as the young child naturally does. Their outlook starts to include greater familiarity with, and confidence in, everyday ‘earthly’ things (though without losing touch with the world of fantasy and imagination). This nine-year old threshold is one of experiencing their separateness from others, which can lead to a more conscious awareness of other people in relationship to themselves. The reaching and crossing of the threshold towards a more individual, independent state is often a painful process. Old Testament stories In Class 3 the children are given many opportunities to help them over this feeling of ‘looking-on’, with the Old Testament stories, a theme for the year. Through these stories one can convey morals arising out of situations the children have entered with their feelings. The story of Adam and Eve thrust out of paradise into the physical world is something with which the children can inwardly identify. The wanderings of the Hebrews in the desert, their endless quarrels, fears, and uncertainties, strike an inner chord with their own state of development. From the vast imaginations of the Old Testament stories, one comes right down to brick and mortar of how to build a house, which really is a picture of themselves. These material details give the children a confidence and awareness of the world about them. It reassures them about the ability of human beings to cope. We use these stories as epic tales, not for religious instruction. The children are now ready to express more in their own words, activities and stories. Events and visits will be described with precise observation, looking out at the world. This will become an important element in our work, as the children go beyond learning through imitation to observation and even reflection (a process already begun through our recall processes and many conversations on the stories this year). Next year we will be moving towards free writing of news, poems, and group activities. This brings a buzz into the class, which is so enlivening. We will move from lower case writing to cursive writing. Grammar, Maths and other activities We start Grammar in Class 3 because of the need to develop more conscious language. The fact of recognising whether a word is a ‘doing word’, a ‘naming word’ or a ‘describing word’ helps them in their awareness. However, as in Class 1 where they first learnt the quality of the number before going into the mathematical operations, here too they will first experience the quality and feeling of the Parts of Speech – only using the more technical/abstract words of Verb, Noun and Adjective in Class 4. Also, the precision of measurement, time, weight and money help them to come to terms with their surroundings; both literally, crawling round the classroom with lengths of string or weighing or measuring each other; or more abstractly by realising that time as we see it on a clock face, is only part of a bigger time including sun, moon and seasons. Within the farming lessons we can do a lot to help children master their feeling of a world that is beginning to change. While the child is starting to experience their separate individuality, we balance this with more grounded co-operative activities. This is also then the main theme supporting the newly awakened faculty of observation. The Old Testament stories describe the co-operation between humanity and the divine; farming has to do with co-operation between the farmer and the world of nature; building has to do with the co-operation between different craftspeople. The challenge, which faces us in Class 3, is about balancing the inner/outer individuality. It is about living within the world, which is now so real and stark and still finding the moments of joy and laughter. It is through co-operation, developing a love for words and poetry, working with the hands, creating beauty, that the child in Class 3 can move into the next phase of development with confidence. Life Verse for Class 3 You child will again be given a Life Verse, also known as Report or Birthday verse. This is an individual verse written or chosen for each child by the teacher each year as inner guidance for the following year. The child learns the verse off by heart and recites it on their own once a week in front of the class, for the whole school year. The verse speaks to a certain part of the child, whether a strength or a challenge. The rest of the class listens quietly and soon everyone knows everyone else’s verse and the whole class benefits from the words spoken and felt. Your child can spend the holiday learning it but does not need to have perfected it by the start of school. I will work through the individual verses with each child. Thank you! I would like to thank all parents for supporting me and the class throughout this year. This happened in many ways; through phone calls, informal chats, notes and cards, flowers for the classroom, flowers for me, arriving for reading sessions, letting me know of various happenings in your child’s life which could impact on the school day, being on time, a friendly smile and many words of encouragement. I really appreciate each gesture. Thank you too for my lovely Earthy gift voucher, I will certainly enjoy using it. Doug and I would like to wish you and your family a very blessed time over this festive season. Please be safe and we look forward to continuing this journey with you next year. Warm wishes Teacher Beulah 14th December 2022 Dear Parents, Letter #23
So, here we are….the last stretch of Class Two, with only three weeks of school left! A quick look back reminds us of Class One, where the children experienced the world as a wholeness, while in Class Two they became aware of the duality of human nature. The lemniscate was our image for the year – showing polarity and balance. Its rhythmic flow from one circle into the next, crossing over from one side to the other was deeply harmonising, settling and uplifting. In Class Two, this form symbolised the broad sweep between right and wrong, good and bad – a growing consciousness….that we experienced within ourselves and the world around us. The Saint stories and the Fables brought this duality into balance. The stories of Saints appealed to their moral sense of what is right and good and mystical and the Fables, provided an opportunity for them to reflect upon the actions of greed, boasting, stealing, meanness, foolishness of the animals – and ponder on lessons learnt without judgment upon themselves. Through these powerful narratives, their imaginations were fed with rich archetypal images allowing them to live in the feeling realm while experiencing waves of sympathy and antipathy. With all these feelings and new ways of being in the world, old friendships changed and unravelled - finding new forms of expression, while different configurations of connections were formed. ….. We are constantly finding fresh ways of engaging as we grow our relationships… Now as the year comes to a close, the children find themselves more settled and more confident, eagerly looking into what Class Three will bring. End of year Star Tree Festival We are very excited about our end of year festival on Thursday the 8th December in the St. Andrew’s Hall - 5.30pm for 6pm. We will be presenting our St. Francis Play and exhibition of work!! Next year Things will change quite a bit for our little class next year as we will have three new children joining. Enrolment for Zara, Gracey and Nina were confirmed this week. Having a group of nine children will change the class dynamics, giving it a fuller and more robust possibility of engagement and interaction. It will be good to talk about this further in our Parent meeting on Wednesday 23rd November at 6.30pm. TERM DATES 2023 Welcome Tea Monday 16 January at 5pm TERM 1: Tuesday 17 January - Thursday 30 March TERM 2: Monday 24 April - Thursday 22 June TERM 3: Tuesday 18 July - Friday 22 September TERM 4: Tuesday 10 October - Thursday 7 December Warmly. Teacher Beulah 20th November 2022 Dear Parents, letter #22
Spring is here and we are all emerging out of the chill of winter. I hope that you are all well and looking forward to the sunny days ahead. Again we are heading for the end of our 3rd term and getting ready to celebrate our Michaelmas Festival on the September 23rd at 10am. At the moment it doesn’t seem like we will have much to present on the day – things are taking a while to come together – but nevertheless it will be a lovely day just to celebrate all that we have achieved. Please could parents organise food to share, drinks and picnic blankets. MICHAELMAS – THE FESTIVAL OF COURAGE The Michaelmas Festival is named for the Archangel Michael, conqueror of the powers of darkness, the harvester of the deeds of human souls. It is at this time that the image of Michael with the dragon appears before us as a mighty imagination, challenging us to develop strong, brave, free wills, to overcome love of ease, anxiety and fear. This demands inner activity, a renewal of the soul which is brought to consciousness in the Michaelmas festival, the festival of the will, the festival of courage. Michael is often portrayed as the angel warrior, astride his powerful steed carrying a sword of light. The children hear stories of St. George, a brave knight, who with the help of the Archangel Michael tames the dragon. In the legend of Michael we find he offers four gifts: strength, courage, the will to do deeds, and love, to those who are willing to undertake self-transformation and look towards that which is divine in every human being. Both the transformation and the battle with the dragon are uniquely individual; they reside within our powers of thought, and we are the only ones to have access to them. Michael is the angel who hurled Lucifer down from heaven for his evil workings against God. Archangel Michael, warrior of courage, fighter against evil, rules the heavenly spheres; he guides and inspires us to take courage against darkness. St. George symbolizes the human aspect of this conflict; he is the knight who looks to Michael for strength and guidance. These images truly symbolise the challenges we face. They speak to our deep need to carry an inner light of wisdom and courage. In Africa, the image of Michael has been very prominent, especially in Ethiopia, where King Lalibela erected many churches dedicated to the Archangel Michael. Michaelmas Day which is celebrated on the 29th September comes with the astrological sign of the Scales (Libra) and a very near perfect balance point of daylight and darkness in the year. As human beings we also strive to find that balance in our lives. May we gain insight, courage and truth at this Michaelmas time, to bring light to our inner life, our community and to the world. Let us celebrate new beginnings and the taking up of a new task. We will discover new inner resources whenever we wish to take a new step on our inner journey – to raise ourselves a little above our nature. *Adapted for various articles Individual child discussions I’d like to have individual child interviews with parents, so that we can have an opportunity to discuss your child’s progress, any issues, possibilities for intervention and anything else that you may be need to discuss or share. I’d like to suggest Monday/Wednesday/Thursday afternoons. Please could you make a time with me as soon as possible. Date for The rest of Term 3 …. Week 9: 12th – 15th Sept Week 10: 19th – Friday 23rd September 10am MICHAELMAS FESTIVAL Warmly. Teacher Beulah 8th September 2022 Dear Parents, Letter #21
I hope that you are all well and enjoying these warm winter days. Maybe we will have some rain and snow soon? We start our new term on Tuesday 19th – with reading in the morning as usual. It is important to note that we are now well into Class 2 ½. In 6 months’ time your children will be ready for Class 3! This is how time flies! So…. I think we must enjoy these next six months to the fullest. We will kick off the term by continuing with ‘The Sea People’ - our Maths Main lesson (ML). Please try to have your child at school every day during this time. This week, I will start slowly as Ayden and Annabella will miss the first few days – but will go full steam ahead in week two. After the Maths ML, the rest of the term will be Saint Stories and Fables, where the focus will be on writing, reading and the continued phonics work. We will also start to prepare for our play in Week 9, which we will present on 23rd September. Eurythmy will start again on Thursday with Teacher Janine. I would like to start with recorder this term, so please could your children bring their recorders to school. We continue with knitting in Handwork – with stocking stitch (plain & purl), decreasing and casting off, etc. When the children complete their pocket doll, they will begin their knitted gnome, with arms and legs, etc., so that will be quite a lovely task for them. Please note that we will have a Parent & Teacher Meeting 17th August. Please let me know if there is anything you would like us to put on the Agenda for that time. I am including the Class 2 Curriculum and Goals. Term 3 19th July – 23rd September Week 1: 19th – 21st July - MATHS Week 2: 26th – 28th July - MATHS Week 3: 2nd – 4th August - MATHS *Week 4: 10th, 11th August – Mid-term break Week 5: 16th – 18th August -MATHS 17th PARENT/TEACHER MEET 17h30 – 19h00 Week 6: 23rd – 25th August - MATHS *Week 7: 29th Aug – 1st Sept - SAINTS *Week 8: 5th – 8th Sept - SAINTS *Week 9: 12th – 15th Sept – FABLES & PLAY **Week 10: 19th – 23rd Sept – FABLES & PLAY Friday 23rd September 10am MICHAELMAS FESTIVAL Wishing you a lovely week ahead. Warmly. Teacher Beulah 17th July 2022 *Mid-term Break *4-day Week **5-day Week Dear Parents, Letter #20
I hope that you are all enjoying the sunny autumn days and the last bits of warmth before winter creeps closer. Term 2 has begun with Saint Stories and blessings on our brand new 9 year-old, Nam. The children have slipped back easily into the term and are happy to be together and quite eager to work. On Thursday we are excited to start with Eurythmy (on a month’s trial as requested by parents) and are happy to have Teacher Janine leading us through a very unique form of movement – Eurythmy is speech in movement as Form Drawing is movement in line…. The day will end at 13h30. So, the Saint stories…. In Class 2 the Animal Fables and Saint Stories are juxtaposed as they mirror different qualities in the human being. The Fables mirror the soul qualities (feelings, reactions, motivation, desires, passions, instinct, intuition…) which are present in the human being, while the stories of the Saints mirror the ego (thinking, imagination, learning, transformation, clarity and focus….) which has developed to a higher degree in the human being. Many of the stories we will do this year are the legends of people we often call saints. “The essential nature of these stories is not one of hard facts. The sources of legends are varied and the embellishments many. In some cases, it is even debatable if the personality in question ever existed. So why tell these stories to the children? If they aren't exactly "real" events, or if the events are so embellished as to clearly push the boundaries of what is real, are we telling lies or perhaps manipulating the children to some agenda? We have to ask of these stories, "What is essential?" First, we are not telling these stories for information. We tell stories to connect with the children and through this connection bring them a way to connect with higher qualities within themselves. Deeds of goodness, selfless service, compassion, and love, this is the essence of these legends and the lives of the saints.” Michael Seifert With these goals in mind, I then rewrite and adapt many of the stories for Class 2. In doing so, I try to create the context for the events which the children would otherwise not understand. I try to keep the stories close to what they can relate to or are interested in – this will bring interesting conversations and questions. The stories are not told to try to make the children conform to an idea of what is ‘good’ or right’, but rather for them to experience, through the characters/saints an inner striving towards what brings inner healing and peace. So where does truth fit in? Can I make up any story I wish? The legends of the saints represent our highest ideals. However, within them, deeds and miracles are embellished. When we begin to ask, did this really happen (and the children will too), our intellects are confronted with this dilemma – ‘Is this story true?’ In order for the story to be believable, I need to believe it. Not in its factual truth, but in the truths that it holds. I need to look not only for the pedagogical impact, but for the possibility of ‘miracles’, wonder and human challenge and the chance for transformation within me and the children. “Each of us has gone through times in our life where we go through the "eye of the needle" – and we come through it having experienced a ‘miracle’. These miracles as transformations which happen on a spiritual level and may or may not have a physical component: - The death and rebirth we experience when we go through the dark night of the soul or an inner transformation - The healing of our bodies which did not seem possible - The healing of our hearts from unimaginable hurts - The opening of doors in our life which could not have been coincidence. The legends of the saints are reflections of these miracles, or transformations. It is the spirit of the transformation which is passed down through the story.” Michael Seifert Telling the Saint stories is not about any religious understanding of God or following any denominational scripture or teachings. Rather it is about the human being, coming to a moment of inner awareness and being open to transformation. My task, as their teacher, is to find within each of the many embellished stories, the essence of the transformations. This is what speaks to our souls and feeds us and the children. Looking at it in this way, makes the dilemma of whether this really happened or not, much easier to confront. Yes, the transformations really did happen. People were healed, new insights were gained, trust and goodness were restored and evil, greed, doubt and sickness were overcome. I look forward to all of this. **** Some practical things: 1.Paired Reading time I would like to set up reading aloud sessions in class. I need parents/grandparents who are available to read with your/any child in the morning – in class – for 15 minutes, from 9h00 - 9h15. We will all be reading at that time. Please could you let me know if and when you are available. It could be on any one or more of the three days. I would like us to start from the 9th May. 2.Being on time for school I know that sometimes mornings are tough and that ‘life happens’, but I would strongly urge parents to stick to the starting times – 8h45 for 9h00 start. When children are late, it is quite disruptive for all of us and it affects the rhythm of the day. 3.Term days for 2022 I have included the register dates for 2021 & 2022 on the next page – for your interest. I think there may have been some uncertainty about the number of school days structured for this year, etc. Please note that last year we had 111 days and this year we have 117 days scheduled (6 more than last year). Even though we had a longer Easter break (especially so that I could spend time with my daughter), the term days before and after were calculated so that we could get maximum days over the whole year and also the least amount of disruption. I realise that this was possibly not clear. 4.Expectations for the year I will soon be sending my academic, artistic and social expectations and goals for this year. I think that this may have been what Vic was asking for in the last meeting? I think it will help all of us be clear about what the children should be achieving by the end of the year and what we are working towards. Enjoy the lovely clear day. Warmly. Teacher Beulah 2nd May 2022 Dear Parents, Letter #19
Autumn is around the corner and slowly the days are getting cooler. The children are all in a good space and working well. I can already see such a wonderful shift in all of them – they are becoming a lot more self-directed, and independent. They are positive, eager and responsive and enjoying being together. At the moment we are working on our Maths Main Lesson. I wrote a story called The Troll and the Red Baron as our base content for the story sums, but alongside that we are also doing our reading programme and reading our chapter book The Little Wooden Horse – so much going on. I look forward to our parent-Teacher meeting on Wednesday at 5pm. Please make 1+ hours available for this. I am sending you two short articles on reading – which would be a good preparation for the meeting and any further discussion on reading in class 2. Silver Willow Term Dates for 2022 Term 1 -Sunday 16th – Welcome Tea at 3pm Term 1: 18th January – 31st March Term 2 - 26th April – 30th June Term 3 - 19th July – 23rd September Term 4 - 11th October – 8th December Enjoy the lovely cool day. Warmly. Teacher Beulah 14th March 2022 ARTICLE COMMON MYTHS ABOUT WALDORF EDUCATION: READING Is it true that Waldorf students are not taught to read until second grade? No! Learning to read is an entire process with many contributory facets. Waldorf education undertakes reading instruction in almost the opposite way that it is introduced in most schools across the nation Indeed, the foundation for reading instruction is laid already in the kindergarten. In South Africa, the mainstream approach to reading has been to introduce decoding skills as the first step in the reading process. This entails memorising the alphabet and its corresponding sounds through repetitive drills and then linking these sounds together to read simple words and sentences. This is the approach that is built into early readers. You probably remember: “See Dick run. Run, Dick, run. Run, run, run.” or some similar type of reading material when you were in school. Because the content of these early readers must be very simple to restrict words to those that can be easily sounded out, teachers are forced to wait until the middle and upper elementary years to work on more sophisticated texts. Then teachers must work hard to improve comprehension since the pupils at this age have already moved beyond the phase of where imaginative thinking is at its peak. There is a second concern about teaching reading skills in this sequence. This approach is difficult for many young children because, in many cases, their eye muscles have not matured to the point where they can track properly on a page. Thus, a number of children will be labelled as slow or remedial readers simply because their eyes may not have matured as early as other children. Waldorf Education approaches reading instruction from an almost opposite direction specifically so that instruction is synchronous with the development of children. Reading is much more than recognising sound/symbol relationships. For true reading to occur, there must be a corresponding inner activity that takes place as the child decodes words: that is, the child must form an inner picture of what he or she is reading so that comprehension develops. The rich life of the imagination is most potent in a child during kindergarten and early elementary years and is present at the same time that the child’s sense for the sound and rhythm of language is at its peak. To capture these capacities at the time that they are most present in the child is the rationale for a foundation of reading that begins first with spoken language. The rich language of fairy tales, the pictorial imagery of songs and poems and the desire of the young child to listen to stories and repeat rhymes and sing songs all become the basis for a language arts curriculum through which a child may come to love “the word”. Imagine how much more complex and imaginative are the stories to which a child may be introduced if they are orally presented rather than through the simplistic language of a reader. Imagine how much a child’s vocabulary can develop from listening to the content that the teacher brings. Imagine also how much more sophisticated a child’s understanding (comprehension) of the world can become through hearing the rich and complex language in the teacher’s presentations and stories. For all of these reasons, Waldorf students will be given a strong foundation in comprehension, vocabulary and in the sounds and meanings of their native tongue. Then students will be introduced to writing and spelling the letters and words that are part of their stories. And, as a final step, the students will read from their own texts describing the stories that they have heard. In this way, students have the proper time to develop all of the skills that are part of the complex skill of reading at the time when it is most appropriate for them to do so. When reading is approached in this way, children become voracious readers who love and understand what they choose to read. Adapted from the original Source : https://www.michaelmount.co.za/common-myths-about-waldorf-education-reading/ Literacy in a Waldorf School Myth: Waldorf Schools Don’t Teach Reading and/or Don’t Value Books Fact: Waldorf Schools teach literacy based on children’s natural developmental stages, so that they are taught as much as they are ready and able to learn, at the ideal age to be most receptive to what they’re learning. Many parents and teachers seem to think that reading is de-emphasised in Waldorf schools in general. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The Waldorf approach to literacy is Rudolf’s Steiner’s research and observations into how human beings learn most naturally. We learn best when we match the degree of what we take in to our own personal and physiological development. Taking it further, Steiner’s philosophy of literacy education is based on the evolution of language itself. As mankind developed language in certain organic stages, we learn language best in similar steps. The Evolution of Language As humankind began to interact, we needed to be able to communicate with one another. Sounds were assigned meanings. Soon spoken language developed. We could speak to one another. Next, we needed to record what was being said in some way. Marks, lines, and squiggles were used to designate words, thoughts, and ideas. Think hieroglyphics or cuneiform, as well as cave art and similar drawings. Naturally, if you have a written system of symbols used to communicate concepts, you need to be able to pass that system on so that others can use it, too. In other words: people need to learn to read what you have written. Children master language in precisely this sequence. That’s why language is taught in this sequence in Waldorf schools. From birth until a child’s seventh year, the focus is on the spoken word. We tell children stories of every kind, from lullabies to nursery rhymes, fairy tales to folk stories. Waldorf communities are encouraged to mirror the practise at home, so that storytelling and – more importantly – story hearing becomes a natural part of the child’s life. It’s very important that these stories are told as they were written, using the original language. There’s no need to simplify (or “dumb down”) the stories we tell our children. Teachers take care to tell stories this way, making sure to speak clearly and enunciate fluently – and we encourage parents to do so, too. This helps children enormously later on, when they start learning to write and spell. Language Lessons at Waldorf Young children learn through movement and play. For this reason, we incorporate various forms of movement and play into every day we spend together in those formative years. A typical Waldorf school day includes circle time, replete with songs, verses, rhymes, and poems. Through each of these, language weaves its foundation and becomes a natural part of each learner’s life. Repetition Circle time follows a sequence, and sequences are repeated every day over a period of two to three weeks. This means children learn the poetry, verses, and songs “by heart”. Most retain the memories for life. Incorporating the element of play into each lesson means that these memories are fond, fun highlights of learning, rather than the boring monotony so often associated with primary learning. Modern brain research confirms what Rudolf Steiner asserted in the 1920s: repetition aids brain development, and is essential for learning. This is because repeating what we learn and experience – whatever it may be – creates and strengthens neural pathways in the brain. Speaking At Waldorf, we believe that words are the foundations of spoken language – not sounds. We don’t spend hours singing the ABCs, or trying to hammer phonics into unwilling minds. We allow children to discover the beauty of language for themselves, via first-hand experience. We prepare their fertile minds to read and write by watering them liberally with the spoken word. This is why so many people are impressed by how articulate Waldorf children are. They tend to have large vocabularies and notable memory recall, often being able to recite long passages by heart, with joy and inflection. Writing While we’re training the language centers of our learners’ minds, we’re training their bodies, too. Fine motor skills such as knitting and craft prepare small fingers for the dexterity needed to write well. Even though reading is not taught formally in class one, the concept of letters and sounds is introduced. Letters are represented visually, in a highly imaginative way. Each new letter is linked to an element of the story being studied. For instance, a teacher might tell a story of great daring, involving a knight who needs to climb a daunting mountain to get to the valley at the end of his quest. Children then draw mountains in the shape of an M, and the corresponding valley in the shape of the V. In this way, the concepts are linked in their minds. The concepts are no longer abstract and remote: it is learning in a way that engages a child’s imagination. Once children have learned all of the letters in this way, they copy the teacher’s writing. Usually a teacher will have taught the children a verse, song, or poem that she then writes on the board. The class copies the poem into their “Main Lesson” books. Because they’re already familiar with the work, they start to recognise the words they’re writing. It’s so important to note that these children are making these connections themselves. Their minds are ready to absorb the information, and it takes root naturally and organically. In this way, the child develops a living relationship with each letter and the written word. It is not dry and abstract. Writing is taught in a way that engages the child’s imagination. Reading Just as reading is the final step in the natural evolution of language, it is the natural last step in basic literacy training in a Waldorf school. We typically see learners start to acquire the skill towards the end of class two or during the course of class three. One very important note is that, just as children learn to crawl and walk at varying ages, so reading happens at a range of ages. The main ingredient for a successful reader is a fertile mind. With that in place, reading unfolds naturally, when the child is ready. In the same way that a healthy child will learn to walk and talk without specific instruction, healthy children in the right environment can easily learn to read by themselves. The main requirement for reading is that healthy environment. And that’s what Waldorf offers. Books Those uninspired early readers and dry textbooks so popular in modern classrooms don’t find their way into a Waldorf school. Instead, children are nourished on a steady diet of rich literature from their earliest days at Waldorf. Once they have mastered reading, they have the opportunity to read classic literature and biographies, which most do with obvious pleasure. Dear Parents Letter #18
One week and we’re already well on our way into Class 2! Our first week went well, as we started off with Animal Fables, celebrating Annabella’s birthday and fishing of course! Looking back at Class 1 Symbol: The circle was the symbol for Class 1, representing wholeness and being connected, ONE – together, “the world and I are one”. Teacher relationship: “I love my teacher”. World relationship: The world is beautiful! Stories: Fairy & Folk tales. Fairy tales formed the core narrative text for this year, appealing to the child’s sense of wonder and inner imagination. Looking forward into Class 2 Symbol: The lemniscate is the symbol for Class 2. It represents duality and polarity, but also balance and movement. Everything is changing and constantly in flux, yet following an ordered course. At this stage, the children still feel themselves integrated and part of everything - things are still connected. They have not yet made a clear distinction between ‘me’ and the ‘outside world’. Teacher relationship: “Can you help me encounter the world?” World relationship: Gently emerging. Stories: Animal Fables & legends and stories of Saints. The wholeness and fairy tale world of Class 1 is making way for something more earthly, more real. As the children ‘come down to earth’, and are connecting more and more to the physical world around them, the world which they experienced as a paradisal wholeness is separating and opening up as they become more aware of the complexity of feeling and expression which they begin to feel and of the duality of human nature. Now they need a more human element in their stories which mirror their own struggles and feelings and can help them find balance. There are two kinds of stories which do this – the first is the Fables – in which animals not only speak and enjoy human powers as they do in fairy tales, but they personify some particular human quality, virtue or vice. Fables poke fun at weaknesses of one-sided temperaments. These stories are found in folk tales of nations all over the world and the temperament of the characters generally agree, sly fox or jackal; greedy wolf or hyena; powerful, slow bear; quick, sanguine naughty trickster of rabbit; steady but not stupid tortoise; powerful and easily angered lion; wise, aloof and majestic elephant. There is always a moral at the end of the story, but it is never told to the children, they need to come to the moral wisdom on their own. As a balance, Class 2s also work with the stories and legends of great and good saints who have overcome the weaknesses within themselves and show human qualities of love and wisdom (St Francis, St. Jerome, St. Lucia, St Odilia, ...). These holy people live in such sympathy with nature that they communicate with an authority over the elements and over the animals. The saints present the possibility of the transformed human being – bringing into balance our instinctive nature with our higher selves. Warmly. Teacher Beulah 23rd January 2022 Ps. Please see request for Mid Term Break date changes below: Please confirm these. Instead of *Week 6: 22nd – 24th February rather *Week 7: 1st – 3rd March, Instead of *Week 5: 16th – 18th August rather *Week 4: 10th – 12th August |
AuthorTeacher Beulah's 'Letter to the Parents' Archives
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