I think I began writing this blog a year ago.....maybe more. But since then I've only mentioned Waldorf Education once, maybe not even. I know that in one of my previous posts I wrote about how grateful I am to Rudolf Steiner and the lectures he gave about the Education of the Child; as well as the Nature of the Human Being in general (these comprise the body of knowledge called Anthroposophy). I have lived with his teachings close to 12 years now and what a journey it has been. What follows is an article that was written by a woman who has struck me to be quite modern in her approach as well as flexible without sacrificing the essence of what waldorf education has to offer. Incidentally, the title of the article is Waldorf Essentials.
Before you go on to read it, I would like to say that I have been through what she has described and I know how easy it is to fall into the trap of Materialism and Eye Candy. It's not easy since you pretty much find it out only in hindsight. I guess the important thing is you see it and do something about it. Also, there is another sentence when she says, "know your god, then your Self and then your children"--this struck me because all three of those...though easy to say... are WORLDS IN AND OF ITSELF. And each one alone can take years or days, or seconds in your mind and heart to happen.... and then she says......"cultivate the beauty there, then beauty will be everywhere"---this is an act of will--it must be created, and it comes from within.
Waldorf Essentials by Melisa Nielsen
What is essential? It is a question that Rudolf
Steiner
tells us to ask of ourselves. I have
been at this a long time and the word essential always stops me… cold.
Of course, like many moms, I love the beauty
of a Waldorf home. Simple, clean lines, beautiful
wooden toys, beeswax crayons, soft tones.
The stage is set for such a warming atmosphere – one where we
would all
love to curl up and stay. This isn’t
Waldorf though – this is materialism. Often when moms can’t have that
perfect
home they get down, feel depressed or spend every extra dollar on that
next
wooden toy. Is this essential? I say no.
I’ve been at this for many years and yes, we have beautiful play
things
that we have acquired, we have many of the material desires of the
Waldorf
heart, but it took me years to obtain them.
Looking back, while I was pining for the look of the Waldorf
home, I
really should have been working on me.
The spirit of Waldorf lies not in the toys, not in the trappings,
not in
beautiful blog posts and afternoons spent sorting through pages of
Flickr
photos. It isn’t in that wooden castle
or in the basket of perfectly sorted and folded play silks. It is in
YOU. It is in the striving and more importantly
the understanding of Rudolf Steiner’s desire for children. In
the book “Rhythms of Learning” by
Steiner, co-authored by Roberto Trostli, Robert McDermott writes the
foreword. He explains:
“The self-education of adults is essential for the
Waldorf
approach to educating children, because Waldorf does not consist solely
of
methods, techniques, or structures, but rather the development of human
capacities – those of the children but also, and more importantly, those
of
teachers and parents.”
This passage sends a strong message that Waldorf
education
is about really understanding Steiner and his work. The
beauty of Waldorf isn’t in what the eye
can see – it is in what the heart can feel.
When you tap into it at first, your senses are overwhelmed by the
visual
stimulus – the beauty of the Waldorf playroom or the wonder of the
children
dancing around when their other schooled peers are playing video games
or
pretending to be older than they really are.
When you begin to pull back the layers and really begin to study
the
method, your heart starts to understand something that your eyes and
brain can
not comprehend. Waldorf is a feeling, a
knowing and above all it is a TRUSTING.
Our mainstream culture does not teach parents to trust, it
teaches them
to question everything and to forget that faith plays a very large role
in
parenting. Faith and patience are
forgotten virtues in this world of “I-want-it-now” so we must work to
cultivate
it within ourselves. When we develop our
will in a healthy way, our children benefit and we can really begin to
live the
essentials of Waldorf.
How do we develop this?
Inner work is such a huge part.
If I had to hang my hat on anything, it would be my connection to
God,
Source, Goddess… what ever that means for you.
Steiner believed that children need this strong connection as
well and
in this world that continually dulls us, we need that connection to make
us
sharp again.
In “The Renewal of Education” Steiner writes:
“If one observes children who, through proper
upbringing,
have developed a natural reverence for the adults around them, and if
one
follows them through their various phase of life, one may discover that
their
feelings for reverence and devotion in childhood gradually transform
during the
years leading to old age. As adults,
such persons may have a healing effect on others, so that through their
mere
presence, tone of voice, or perhaps a single glance they spread inner
peace to
others. Their presence can be a blessing,
because as children they have learned to venerate and to pray in the
right
way. No hands can bless in old age,
unless in childhood they have been folded in prayer.”
This IS the heart of Waldorf. That essential
connection to
the Divine. This connection allows us to
then dream big, set goals, move forward – without the connection, it is
all
just stuff. In this world of
materialism, we must work harder to bring to our children a sense of
gratitude,
love and duty. A sense of Waldorf. It is in
the heart, not the eyes.
What is essential?
Steiner believed we all need three basic things: 1) our basic
material
needs met, 2) to learn how to get along with our fellow man and 3)
freedom in
education. These are Waldorf
essentials. The rest is fluff.
Now, now… I am hearing many of you already saying – “but
wait! This stuff is awesome! It is great!
Shouldn’t we have a wonderful
natural home?” YES! You should always strive
for those things
that make your heart sing, always! But…
know first your god, then yourself, then your children….cultivate the
beauty
there….then there is beauty every where.
A line from one of my favorite songs “there is
beauty all
around, when there’s love at home.”
May this method bless your heart and soul, may you
bless
others with the knowledge of what you have learned and may your children
bless
their children because of the great work you have begun.
Much love. Melisa
Nielsen
