Weeks Five & Six - 16th -18th & 23rd - 25th February 2021
Dear parents, As, I write this, we are coming to the end of our four-week Literacy/Letters Main Lesson. By the end of this week we would have completed eight letters; T, H, K, V, M, P, W, C. This is very impressive! Normally with a full term and with a five-day week, a Waldorf Class One group would complete between six and eight letters. The children have really worked very hard, and they have been fully immersed in their work. I think that they are very proud of what they have accomplished. Please praise them for their good work. So now the children in our story, “The Quest of Courage”, have found “the treasure that is royal blue” and can now head back home. Who knows what will happen next....? After our one-week break next week, we will start with Numberwork. That will bring a whole new feel and character to our work. I am sure that you will experience a difference in your children too. Before we get into mathematical operations, we will be working on the quality of numbers; what is ‘Oneness’ – being 1, being alone, being myself? and ‘Twoness’, like the sun & moon, day & night, or mom & dad or my friend & I? Where do we experience three/Threeness, etc... so together we will explore this. Like the Letters Main Lesson has given them the experience and feel and quality of the K and the T, M, etc....and also its sound, etc.... so too they will go through the numbers. We also bring an introduction to numerals, beginning with Roman numerals (as they are intuitively obvious (I, II, III, IIII, V, etc.) and comparing them with our modern Arabic numerals. In Numeracy over the rest of the year, we will explore the world of numbers through the introduction of the four processes: + - x ÷, which will be brought through the adventures of four helpers and problems solved through mental math, games, and in writing these processes out. More on all of this later. Alongside all of this the children are working with knowing the days of the week, the seasons, counting, what comes before and after, direction in space, left and right, Form Drawing, crafts, etc... But, within all of this I am constantly working on ‘how to be’. Discipline, structure and form are important for us to have a healthy, constructive and supportive learning environment. I was asked in an introductory session what my stance or approach was to discipline and I did not really give it an answer. So, here just a brief response. The word ‘discipline’ often conjures up negative responses. Through our experiences of traditional school, we often associate discipline with punishment, fear, conformity. There discipline works for a while, but eventually the suppression turns to depression. But the word “discipline” originates from the Latin word disciplina which means “instruction” and derives from the root discere which means “to learn.” The word discipulus which means “disciple or pupil” also stems from this word. So in a very fundamental sense, discipline can be considered systematic instruction given to a disciple/student. In the Greek, there are two words used for what we term in English “discipline” and “disciple”. The word MATHETES is Greek for disciple. It means “a learner.” The word SOPHRONISMOS is used for discipline, meaning saving the mind or self-control. So, when looking at the root words and their meanings, it becomes clear that the word discipline has something to do with learning self-control. So, I think of my approach as creative discipline. The word “creative”, means that something is original; it has to do with feeling, it brings and works out of warmth, is artistic, inspired, loves beauty.... So, creative discipline is discipline with warmth. It calls for inspiration and the ability to respond in the moment in a constructive way. The key is OBSERVATION. As a teacher I need to observe the child and the class environment so that the child/children in the class can ‘learn self-control’ and to regulate their own behaviour. I need to observe, teach, train, test and transform disciplined behaviour. By teaching, as the Teacher, I need to model good behaviour and show what is expected from the class. By training, I need to provide opportunities, routines and rhythms for the children to practise their new skills. By testing, I permit the children to try out behaviour to see which areas need to be corrected. By transforming, I need to correct the behaviour through creative, warm, wise interaction. The problem of discipline cannot be answered once and for all; it has to be met every day anew, and each teacher, out of her own nature and attainments, will deal with this differently. So, as every day is new and issues arise unexpectedly and situations change all the time, I need to rely on the wisdom of the curriculum, use the opportunity of reflection, get to know the children and I need to be gentle on them and myself. As teacher and parents, we all have valuable gifts to bring, and we all have some shortcoming that needs to be made good. Every virtue has its shadow. If we can appreciate each other’s qualities and work together, this will build a sound foundation for our work in raising and educating these children Our active collaboration, open communication, support of each other, respect and mutual interest will help the children to unfold their individual gifts and find their appointed tasks and destinies in the world. All the best. Teacher Beulah 23rd February 2021 Comments are closed.
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AuthorTeacher Beulah's 'Letter to the Parents' Archives
February 2023
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