information about kindergarten for the future

Dear Rosebud and Dewdrop Families,

    As we discussed on Friday, a number of children will be old enough to join our 3 day Butterfly nursery next year.  That program will be the same as this year, Monday through Wednesday.

    The early childhood teachers thought you should also be aware of the direction of the early childhood program as a whole, and I am including an article written by the three early childhood teachers.  I apologize about the formatting.

Exciting programming changes in early childhood next year.....

 

As a Waldorf school and as Waldorf early childhood educators we are constantly looking at the question of how to meet the needs of children and families in our community and times in a healthy and sustainable way. Every day, as teachers we ask, what do the children need from us? What would help them in their development? How can we as a school best serve the needs of all the children, build strong programs and make changes that will build a strong foundation for the future of the school and all the children that attend here? How can we assist them in healthy development? How can we engage them in activities that will help grow and build strong imaginations and strong will and life forces? How can the children in our care build social relations and skills that will give them growing tools for their life so they can better communicate and potentially love each other more?" We live with these questions, consult with mentors, research programs at other schools, meditate, and ask questions.

This fall we had the honor of a mentoring visit from world renowned Waldorf early childhood educator Helle Heckman. We used our time together to review the programs we offer at our school and engaged in pedagogical conversations around the changing needs of today's children. We contemplated the basics of Waldorf early childhood pedagogy including a healthy rhythm, food, sleep, warmth, movement, spiritual intuition, mixed aged programs, full day and half day programs, protection and over protection of children, adults as role models, the importance of domestic and real willful work, story, care taking, play and continuity of care. Her insights were very enlivening and inspiring, and we were very grateful for our time with her.

We contemplated Helle's observations, ideas and comments, and then we began the work of looking at our community of children and what would serve them best. What changes could we make to enrich the children's experience? So we reflected on the experience of our current and previous kindergarten children, and it was clear to us that the children who stay for a full five days have a richer school experience than those who only stay for three days. The social connections and ease is stronger, the play richer as the week progresses, the children penetrate the rhythm of school fully. They seem to relax and breathe into our rhythm and they seem ultimately more "filled". The change in the play happened on the fourth day of school and then by the fifth the day we saw real penetration. We wondered why we had not considered a four and five day program before and were excited about the possibility of offering this to the children next year. We considered offering a three day, four day and five day option but after much consideration we chose simplicity and continuity as a priority for the children.

The kindergarten experience is such that a community is formed throughout the week, the seasons and the year.  This "community" is an essential element of the necessary socialization that is so age appropriate.  Through 20 combined years of teaching experience, as well as numerous sources from wise mentors along the way, we have learned that this "community" grows itself with the core strength of the teacher and the rhythm he/she provides.  This community is tender, in that its skin can be weakened by too many transitions, too many changes, and too many alterations in the "groupness" from day to day.  We might say that it is out of our desire to protect the children and their growing community that we would choose to offer two options for enrollment, and not more.  In other words, when the constellation of children changes too often throughout each week, the community skin becomes more fragile. We also considered only offering a five day option as most of the other established Waldorf schools do and decided this would be ideal but that this was too much change too soon for our community and that we would look at that question down the road.

We also are excited to continue our model of mixed aged kindergartens. The gift of having the older and younger ones together has many benefits and we have seen rich rewards from beginning this model four years ago. Our kindergarten will welcome 3 1/2 - 6 1/2yr old (some turn 7) children next year. The continuity of care and the long relationships that are formed between the children, parents and teachers is very rewarding and enriching for the child, teacher and parents.  Currently this relationship begins in the parent child and nursery classes with William and over the next year we will look at the question of ways to offer more of a mixed age experience, a longer school week to the younger 2 1/2 - young 3 year olds and possible ways to keep one teacher through the whole early childhood program, there is more work and research for us to do here. In the meantime we will continue with our strong nursery rhythm and program next year.

We believe that we have a strong early childhood program at our school, and our desire is to develop and change and be flexible with what will best serve the children. Sometimes change is uncomfortable. We need to adjust.  It will be a change for us as teachers, too, but we see the change as a positive step for the children, the community and our school. We will continue to reflect, tweak, study, observe and integrate all we continue to learn from others, the inspiration the spiritual world has to offer and look at what the children are asking from us. Annie Gross (WECAN board member) recently just visited our school and commended us on our ability to adjust, change, develop and remain open and flexible to what is being asked from us from the children, and we hope that you will join us in this endeavor to build the strongest, healthiest and vibrant early childhood program that will be ever moving and developing to meet the needs of the children and our changing society.

Please feel free to talk to an early childhood teacher if you have any questions regarding this programming change that will begin next fall. Pass on the word to friends, family and those you do not know yet.

Below is a list of all the early childhood programs available next fall at WIWS.

Blessings

Kim, Dyanne and William

Rosebud and Dewdrop Parent child classes

Schedule coming at a later date

Robin Song Extended Care For kindergarten aged children and "ready" nursery aged children.

 (To determine readiness for nursery extended care a conversation would take place between the nursery teacher and parents).

7:45am - 8:30am Morning Care (Four children need to be enrolled to make this viable)
12:30pm - 1:15pm Lunch Bunch (For siblings of first grade students)
12:30 - 3:00pm Extended Care
1:30pm - 3:00pm First Grade Extended Care

Butterfly Nursery 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 yr old's (must be potty trained)

 

For Children close to the age of 3 1/2 teachers will consider carefully the most appropriate placement.

Monday - Wednesday 8:30am - 12:30pm

Sunflower and Golden Forest Kindergartens 3 1/2 - 6 1/2 yr old's (some turn 7) (

 

For Children close to the age of 3 1/2 teachers will consider carefully the most appropriate placement. children near the age of 3 1/2, teachers will work to find the most appropriate placement)

8:30am - 12:30pm Monday - Thursday (4 days)

8:30am - 12:30pm Monday - Friday (5 days)

We ask that all children who are six or will turn six during the school year attend five days.
Once in a while an exception is made for the older child to attend less days because of the child's needs.
The teacher and parents work closely together to look at what is best for the child and typically a plan is

formulated which would include the child moving to five days after winter break if this better serves the child.

Acceptance, Hope, Abandoning Hope, Book Reviews

Dear Rosebud and Dewdrop Families,

      First, I offer this chapter from The Blessing of a Skinned Knee entitled, "The Blessing of Acceptance."  When Wendy Mogel wrote her book about using Jewish wisdom for sensible parenting, she wanted to entitle it The Blessing of a Broken Arm but was told it would not sell well.  I was introduced to Mogel's writing during a talk by Jack Petrash, a veteran Waldorf teacher in that other Washington on the East Coast.  Petrash asked how many in the audience were over 30 and then congratulated us for surviving even though we drank from hoses and ate snow.  Petrash and Mogel do a lot to free us from parents from feeling the need to be perfect, make things perfect for our children, or make our children perfect (I recommend reading The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller about this final topic; Miller argues that most of us as adults are still trying to be image of perfection our parents held for us).  In Waldorf Education:  Teaching from the Inside Out, Petrash clarified for me the need to realize that as a teacher, my strengths are also my weaknesses, that I have no hope of being a perfect teacher, and that my best goal is to find myself erring slightly in a couple of directions as I move toward a dynamic equilibrium.  Specifically, Petrash writes that some teachers will be very good at attending to every student need, but this does not lead to effective teaching for the entire class; interruptions can be constant.  Indeed, part of learning to be an effective teacher is learning when to ignore the ostensible need of one or a few ("No," "Not now," "Later") so that the ship of the classroom can stay on course (my metaphor; I use it in a few toddler specific pieces such as "Planning Ahead" and "Weathering the Storm When Your Child is Having a Tantrum").  BUT, teachers can become so good at keeping the curriculum going that they ignore too many individual needs of students.  My reading of Petrash is that all teachers (and all parents, since we are our children's first teachers) are striving to find the right balance between form and freedom, authoritative guidance and loving understanding, and the like.

      Recently a friend lent me When Things Fall Apart:  Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chodron.  The book is wonderful, and it helps me articulate a frustration I have with some otherwise helpful books on teaching or parenting such as Siblings Without Rivalry.  Chodron shares the meditative practice in which we abandon hope that things will get better or become perfect; rather than leading us into depression, this guides us to an aware and awake presence in the here and now (where our children need us to be).  While, yes, we should be helping our children when conflicts become stuck (I'm not advocating for teachers or parents to allow chaos or bullying to rage without checks and balances), to hope for siblings or classmates with no rivalry sets parent, teacher, and child all up for failure.  Many otherwise great books about Waldorf early childhood education, similarly, present such a perfect picture of what goes on in the classroom or home in which a parent has exactly the right nature table, silks, and pieces of wood (not that these things aren't wonderful) that they can, I find, turn some or all of us off because the ideal they portray seems unattainable.  I admire in Michaela Gloeckler's artricle on Non-Verbal Education (from last week's post) the comfort she has with messes, swear words, and imperfections.  When you read a book and the description of classroom or home life seems too perfect, remember Gloeckler and imagine that there are probably messy parts of the classroom or home, too (without trying to be sinister about it; indeed, we want to have loving kindness toward imperfection).

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Thoughts on Form and Freedom

Dear Rosebud and Dewdrop Families,

I had an enriching conversation with Annie Gross, our regional early childhood association chair, about the balance of form and freedom with very young children. We were discussing about how many teacher-led activities might be appropriate in a kindergarten to help children develop the inner form to prepare for first grade, and Annie reminded us that while order and form are good for children (for example, having these older children hang their coats and put their boots away; get dressed and undressed themselves), most of the form comes from what the loving adult--whether teacher or parent--does with peaceful consistency. Annie gave examples of the teacher always putting her tea cup just so, or folding a silk just so, or serving children in the same order. Nothing is obligatory; nor should it be rigid; rather, we as teachers should think about--instead of what we can compel the children to do--what we can do in small ways to share the beauty and joy of order and consistency with the children.

This conversation reminded me that I might not make it clear to you why I do things certain ways in the parent & child classes. Over the years I have added subtle elements of form to what I do (while being asleep to other habits I might do well to change, I am sure). I oil the bread pans, for example, with a star shape while singing "Twinkle, twinkle." In the nursery class, we always open the curtains while I sing "Rinca Ranca Rosy Ray." I treat carrying the hot soup from the counter to the ledge near the table not as something to be frightened of but as a chance to model strength and calmness and balance. Indeed, at one point years ago, I began to consider that walking through a room cluttered with toys was my chance to practice focus and balance. As a young teacher, I listened in horror as another young teacher related that his mentor did not even like the way he walked across the room; a decade later I realize that the way I walk across the room is as or more important than the music and verse and song I provide the children. The list goes on. This is not so that we do these things at home or feel like failures because we are not doing everything (the courage not to do something is important, too), but rather so you feel free and inspired to find elements of form that work for your family, even in the smallest way.

There are things I know I could do better. With Ellersiek games, for example, I could be more consistent. She emphasizes the value of always beginning with a child's right hand when playing games such as "Bind-a-bind-a band" (I always use Crispin's left because he sits to the right of me and I have yet to find an elegant way to get to the other side of him without having all the children stand up from the table out of imitation). This creates consistency, and it helps clarify for a child his dominance. When we make it easy for children to use their right hand in a dominant way (placing utensils, or crayons, or scissors to their right), we help them ground themselves in their handedness. A child who is clearly left-handed will consistently switch everything from right to left hand; we need not worry about squelching such children. Many younger children have not established a dominant hand yet, so if we can be consistent, this will help them to gradually--we need not correct them (e.g., telling them to shake hands with their right hand), but rather we provide the form and opportunities. This article by Dr. Michaela Gloeckler on non-verbal education provides insights to this, as well as much more to ruminate about. I would love to discuss your reactions to her article when an opportunity presents itself.

In the work of Emmi Pikler and the caregivers at the Loczy institute, and in the work modeled by RIE educarers in Los Angeles, the loving adult provides form for the child in many ways; when bathing a child, for example, the caregiver always goes in the same order (right ear then left ear, right cheek then left, right arm then left, and so on); when dressing, the order is always the same. Adults who have observed the infants and toddlers see who secure these children feel and how quickly the children gain freedom and independence because their caregiver's consistent approach has provided them a model to help themselves. While to help our children achieve freedom it may seem like we have to curb our own (rather than just washing or dressing our children as whim or mood strikes us), this mindfulness and inner discipline will, I believe, help free our attention and observation too.

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Assurances from the nursery blog

Dear Parent & Child Families,

I wrote the following for the nursery blog and wanted to share it with you.

"TO MY FELLOW SWIMMERS"

"We have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour
Now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour
And there are things to be considered

Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in the right relation?
Where is your water?
Know your garden.

It is time to speak your truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader.


There is a river flowing now very fast.
It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid.
They will try to hold onto the shore.
They will feel they are being torn apart and they will suffer greatly.
Know the river has its destination.

The elders say we must let go of the shore, and push off and into the river, keep our eyes open, and our head above the water.

See who is in there with you and Celebrate.

At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally.
Least of all ourselves.
For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.

The time of the lone wolf is over,
Gather yourselves!

Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary.
All that you do now must be done in a sacred manner
And in celebration."

"WE ARE THE ONES WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR..."
Hopi Nation, Oraibi Arizona

September, 2001

Dear Nursery Families,

A friend suggested that I read the book Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow by Elizabeth Lesser. As I read Lesser's book, received nourishment from it, and found myself opening up, I also noticed how much in concert her words are with so much of what he have discussed and written about in our parent & child and nursery classes. The Hopi Message to the Elders, for example, which I was given as a gift by Rena Osmer at a conference for Waldorf Early Childhood teachers, seems as if it could be an epigraph for Lesser's book. Osmer, and powerful teacher of children and teacher of teachers, was offering strength and courage (which Steiner offered his teachers at the first Waldorf School in Stuttgart) and helping us realize that just because we had lots of pink walls, silks, and soft toys, we did not need to be soft ourselves. Indeed, Osmer believes that parents and teachers of today need to look not just to Gabriel (the archangel of birth) but also to Michael as we nurture children in the challenges of today (remembering, of course, as Kim Payne will remind us, the way we will be effective teachers and parents is to love the times we live in). She described the model of the warrior-nurturer to us and exhorted us to use this as our image.

(A few friends and I had a grand time creating a skit about the warrior-nurturer [complete with sword to battle grades teachers or board members or administrators if a meeting got testy] as a gift when we graduated from Rudolf Steiner College, which Rena appreciated very much. Children and adults need humor and laughter as well as form and protection and strength).

In the middle of Broken Open are a few well-written chapters on children and parenting. You may be able to get a taste of these chapters and the entire book from this google book preview. Lesser's ideas work very well with Katrina Kenison's Mitten Strings for God (a book written by a writer turned mom who translates gifts of Waldorf education for her home life) and Polly Berrien Berends' Whole Child/Whole Parent (which is not about Waldorf education but works well in concert with the principles and practices of Waldorf education). While Mitten Strings for God is written for "mothers in a hurry" (Kenison's subtitle), Berends' work, as with writings by Steiner, takes time to digest. I really only began to understand the book on my 3rd time through or so. That being said, there are gifts we can receive from her book even if we dive in and dive out. Her assurances for new parents, for example, can give clarity and comfort to all of us, whether we are parents of infants or tending to ourselves and other adults. We have copies of this book in the Kathrine Dickerson Memorial Library; I recommend giving the book a try when the time seems right.

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Invitation to Help with Auction

Dear Dewdrop and Rosebud Families,

We want you to feel welcome to be part of the Whidbey Island Waldorf School community, and we do not want to burden you with tasks, volunteer responsibilities, and the like as you gracefully become part of our community. Despite this, I am including a message below from our early childhood parent council representative because some of you might have wonderful ideas or connections that you might feel inspired to share.

Every year, our school organizes and holds a major fundraiser to support the financial health of the school. This year we are holding an auction in hopes of raising $40,000. The date of the auction is April 24th. We face a greater challenge this year because we are starting our preparations late in the year due to circumstances that were laid out in Dane Anderson's letter to parents last week in the school newsletter. As in past years, each class is asked to contribute items for auction attendees to bid on.

There are many successful items, events, and experiences that have contributed well to the auction's success in years past. I believe a list of these things will be provided to us soon. Additionally, this is a unique opportunity for all of us to be creative. If you have any ideas or connections...a friend with a small plane who could fly passengers over the Puget Sound; a camping trip guided by an experienced outdoorsperson; a vacation home on Orcas Island; a team of people to help do yard work; a quilt that you would like to donate; a class in an area of your expertise...the possibilities are only limited to our imaginations, which are, like our children's, as boundless as we allow them to be.

We would also appreciate if there are two or three parents among you who feel called to steer and organize this effort. Preferably, these would be parents who are frequently at the school for pick ups and drop offs to help with questions and coordination. If you feel a desire to help the school at this exciting and important moment, please let me know as soon as you can.

Enrollment Options for Next Year

Dear Rosebud and Dewdrop Families and Others With Young Children,

With pleasure I will be teaching a 3 day nursery program (called the Butterfly Class) on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays for the 2010-2011. We will also be offering parent & child classes on Thursdays and Fridays throughout the year.

All of my current nursery children (12) will move into one of the mixed aged kindergartens. These are for children 3 to 6 years old and meet 4 or 5 days a week, with a full day option.

New children (perhaps yours) enrolling in my nursery class will attend 3 days a week for a half day. Although the ages in the nursery class change from year to year, children from about 2 and half to a young 4 are the ones who tend to be in the nursery class. The younger students should be fairly independent in the bathroom (the assistant helps and we understand accidents, but our licensing is such that we don't change diapers); for an older 3 or 4 year old, we would consider whether the nursery or the mixed age kindergarten would be the best fit.

Please contact me or our school (341-5686) to procure an application for the nursery next year (many of you will stay in parent & child; those brochures will be available in the summer).
Please share this information with friends and family. The shift in our kindergarten programming (going to 4 or 5 days) made some wonder if the Butterfly nursery would change. Next year it will be the same.

I look forward to seeing you in class this week. No classes next week.

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde