Thank you for coming to the meeting Thursday night. It was helpful to hear your stories and wishes for the year, and I will try to touch on some of your questions and wishes and insights (such as young children and sharing, Waldorf education and brain and social development, and more) in the year ahead.
As I mentioned, I sing a lot throughout the day with the children and/or as we work. Because I am not the strongest of singers, I find that singing a lot helps my voice improve. This fabric of song throughout the day also nourishes children who seek a lot of musical inspiration while freeing children who may (as is age appropriate) find it too intense to be in a teacher led circle for more than a brief while. Here are lyrics to many of the songs I sing throughout the day.
As I mentioned in the meeting, I do my best to simplify the classroom to encourage freedom in play while maintaining an orderly environment. With some potential peril (because I am an inexperienced sailor and may mix metaphors), I use the image of the ship and the teacher or parent as captain frequently. The sea is not always calm, and the captain may have to adjust course, but the captain still keeps the destination in mind. The crew feels secure when the captain is confident yet flexible and willing to listen to concerns. I have also been using this image as I have been moving some perhaps treasured items (e.g., rocking chair) from the classroom and replacing them with what at first might seem idiosyncratic (a small couch). As on a small sailing vessel, I want everything in the classroom to have multiple uses and be adaptable. A small couch provides not only a place for mothers to nurse in parent and child class, it also allows me or Kim to sit with multiple children if saying goodbye is sad for them. At other times, it encourages our children in imaginative play. The couch can be a couch, a bus, a love-seat, a circus, and more; a rocking chair tends to have to stay a rocking chair. If your child hesitates to say goodbye and Kim or I are already sitting on the little couch with a child, do feel free to walk across the room and bring your child to us. In the past, it sometimes helps children to share a lap with others.
At the end of the meeting, I do not think I was able to reiterate that Kim, Dyanne, and I are experimenting with joining together for our closing circle at 12:25pm around the kindergarten sandbox. We thought this would be helpful to families with children in both kindergarten and the nursery. If the social dynamics seem nourishing, I will bring our nursery children over a little early so they have time to play with the kindergartners on the kindergarten playground. The teachers will have to see what works best for this year. Kim and Dyanne gather the kindergarten children under the shelter before joining with parents; this helps create a calm mood for the closing circle. While it will be wonderful if our nursery children can join them, I also welcome a different form for the nursery. My experience is that even after having a wonderful morning, many 3 and 4 year olds find it hard to be away from mom or dad after they see them. If your child seems to really want to see you, feel free to come join us even though this is a little different than what the kindergarten families do. Kim, Dyanne, and I will adjust and adapt to make the closing work well. Thank you for your patience and flexibility.
With warmth and light,
William Dolde
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