Other reasons to love Waldorf education:
Reason #1 The children take nature walks.
Neve's class is really really cute. They have this cool loft where the girls go to play house and give birth or the boys go fishing off the railing. And sometimes the girls give birth while the boys go fishing. (Men.) Classmates rotate spending individual time with one teacher working on a piece of their craft projects, while the other children (who aren't fishing, sewing god's eyes, or giving birth) spend individual time with the other teacher chopping vegetables or kneading dough for the class snack. When it all goes well, it is like a microcosm of Richard Scarry's Busy, Busy Town. But when it isn't going as well... they take a nature walk.
They take their gnome pouches (bags made from felted wool sweaters) to the adjacent park to pick up treasures for their nature table. (Gurrrrl, you know you can't have nunna my acorn bling.) It is there that the kids disperse within the confines of unmarked tree boundaries to shoot their stick guns (you can't keep a boy from doing it, so why try?) or give birth to their stick children (I told you we should start a preschool contraceptive program, but no one listens...).
Her teachers are amazing. I tease Ms. Michelle that I think her and her family live under a mushroom. (In the good way.) Her room always smells so good, like essential oils and fairy dust, while her kids always seem to listen and randomly break into song about their favorite flavors of tea. "This is the way we pour chamomile tea, chamomile tea, chamomile tea..."
I know her teachers were responsible for this:
The other day, while outside working in the yard, a chicken hawk is circling overhead. I thought it was agreed that hawks are bad, seeing as how they've torn over half our flock of chickens to shreds.
Neve: "Look to the sky! It's a hawk! It's a gift!" (cue awkward smile.)
Reason #2: It Gives Children A Voice
Song and story are a big part of the learning day. The kids do a morning circle where they alternate spoken verses with sung verses, hand gestures and all. It's like a 4 year old Liza Minnelli's dream come true (or Neve's). Life is a seasonally-appropriate cabaret, right? Right? Hello?
Thursday, I was approached by both her teachers. "We have something we need to tell you."
I immediately begin to panic over what (WHAT?!) she could have shared with her class. "Mommy called the dog an asshole last night"?, or "Daddy puts apples in his shirt to make us laugh*"?, or "We watched Spongebob Squarepants yesterday"?... please, let her not have said anything about SPONGEBOB! (We secretly watch it, and I'd put money on it that the school is not an advocate for the show.)
Dera: (sweating) "Yeah?"
Teachers: "Neve wanted to share this with our class today:
'My Daddy went to war. While he was gone, I had many chores, like washing the clothes, making dinner, and cleaning.'
Terry went to Iraq!?"
Dera: (whew!) "Um, no. He's a web designer.
I have no idea where she came up with such a story, but... what a relief!"
Teachers: "Relief?"
Dera: "Uh, nothing."
Other than the fact that the story sounded like Mommy was too busy crying over Daddy to get out of bed and I don't know how she knows what war is, it could have been a lot worse!
Oh yeah, and her voice. She found it. That's good too.



