Before diving head first into the expanse of the trouble and turmoil, rupture and divorce, death and rebirth that brought about so much personal and spiritual growth for me these last 7 years, I thought I´d start on a grateful and positive note.
It was in late June, early
July of 2015… a little after my last blog entry all those years ago that I
discovered a Waldorf School in Guatemala.
This was around the time when Hannah would need to transition to a formal
school from the preschool she had been attending. I had already decided on the “best” option from touring the
schools recommended to me by friends and coworkers during that time. I write
“best” because I wasn't truly convinced by my decision. The aforementioned chosen
school was very much like the schools I had attended growing up in Houston… it
was the most academically challenging and competitive option available in the
traditional education system. A lot of good this form of education did me (*she writes with complete and total
sarcasm*)!
I did not want to subject
Hannah to this form of education, especially not after having committed to my own unique blend of parenting styles that
included baby wearing, extended breastfeeding, co-sleeping, and always attachment
parenting and positive discipline. A mainstream school was NOT a coherent
decision in light of all of the personal life choices and abiding principles
that have guided my life here since moving back to Guatemala. So you can
imagine how ecstatic I was when I saw an ad for a local Waldorf school show up on my Facebook profile (which was fully up and running at that time). I
was already familiar with Waldorf and Montessori pedagogies, as they were often
protagonists in the mommy blogs, forums and groups I followed that informed my
parenting mix. I immediately called Colegio Waldorf and discovered they were
hosting open house nights for interested parents. I reserved a spot for the
next open house and was barely able to contain my excitement leading up to that
night. Needless to say, I spent the entire presentation holding back tears of
joy brought on by the elation I felt at the realization that I was going to be
able to provide a truly “better” education option for Hannah.
According to Steiner (yes,
we´re back on Steiner, and I´m sorry not sorry because you´re going to have to
get used to seeing him pop up in my blog entries) the human being is a
threefold being of spirit, soul, and body whose capacities unfold in three
developmental stages on the path to adulthood: early childhood, middle
childhood, and adolescence. Waldorf education, also known as Steiner Education, is based on this philosophy. Now do you see the relevance of
bringing up Steiner and the perfect soundness of the decision to enroll Hannah
at this amazing school?! My lovely daughter is now going on her 7th
year at Colegio Waldorf, and I can´t
praise it enough. This school truly has been a God sent for us, especially through
all of the trying times in our personal lives. It has been Hannah´s haven and
oasis; her sanctuary full of love and light, warmth and peace, and never-ending
fun, excitement, discovery, and laughter. My child actually looks forward to
Mondays, and she hates vacations that keep her away from her beloved teachers
and friends for too long.
Hannah has blossomed into an
incredibly talented and creative artist, and writer of a never ending stream of books
thanks to this school. So far, she has made over 30 books of different sizes made out of cardboard, scrap paper, felt... you name it, complete with stories that she writes and illustrates. I am making sure to store each unique creation of hers away with great care as keepsakes for when she´s older. She loves
learning, enjoys every aspect of her school life, claims wholeheartedly that the
snacks and lunch provided to all of the students (in order to ensure a healthy
balanced diet) are a million times better than mine. Mind you, I am a damn good
cook if I do say so myself, but even when I painstakingly seek to recreate
these meals at home… her school chef´s version is always better *sigh*. Best of all, she
has had nothing but wonderful anecdotes to share with me at the end of each
and every school day... for the past seven years of her life! Yes, there is some
drama here and there, but it´s almost always related to the general struggles we
face growing up and upon entering preadolescence; or the behind the scenes
workings of the school´s administration. Colegio Waldorf is by no means
perfect, but the driving principles behind the methodology it adheres to make
up for the opportunities for improvement to be found. It is a relatively “new
school” in Guatemala when compared to the other popular mainstream options, so the
appearance of wrinkles that need to be ironed out is to be expected. Regardless,
the school, and especially Hannah´s teachers and meaningful overall experiences, still inspire the passionate
spokesperson in me.
Everything that made me fall
in love with this pedagogy is threefold. Waldorf schools seek to educate the whole child: head, heart and hands. They strive to develop a child’s
intellectual, artistic, and practical skills. This is carried out in an
immersive, experiential, and holistic manner. Lessons are taught
through art, music and story. There is strong emphasis on reverence, repetition
and rhythms. Daily, weekly and yearly rhythms that reflect the cycles of the
seasons, the rhythms of life, and important transitions in a child’s
development. All around the world in Waldorf schools, children cultivate
gratitude, faith, and respect towards their peers, their communities and the
world around them through blessings in the form of reflection, song, and verse.
They discover their passions, purpose and meaning in an enriching environment
where they are surrounded by art, nature and the infinite bounties of their
imagination.
I chose to write about
Hannah´s school because we are coming up on another significant and meaningful
moment in the cycle of the year. May Day is a public holiday celebrated on May
1 in many different cultures around the world and it is celebrated
in most Waldorf Schools. There are different meanings, festivities, and
representations of May Day, but the most significant meaning is that of
seasonal change. The festival honors the changing of the seasons, from darkness
into light, by celebrating the arrival of summer or the return of spring. May
Day falls between the March equinox and the June solstice.
Here in Guatemala, we
celebrate the return of invierno. Invierno translates from Spanish into the
English word Winter; but Invierno here starts when most people in America are
enjoying Spring / Summer… I know, very confusing! Let me explain, Guatemala is
in the tropical zone, near the equator. That means we only have two seasons
here, winter and spring. Our Invierno / Winter goes from May to October and our
Verano / Spring is from November to April. Guatemala is known as the Land of the Eternal Spring because the weather here, on
most days from morning until noon, is what you would expect from a pleasant
spring day…. breezy, perfect temperature, beautiful blue skies, birds singing…
regardless of the season. The difference being that, during our Invierno /
Winter (rainy season), it will start to downpour incredible amounts of rainfall
usually after or around noon and continue through the afternoon; sometimes even
raining all night. During our Verano / Spring (dry season), after mid-day the
weather here will either get too hot or too cold, depending on the month.
So anyway, back to the May
Day Festival… the tree of life has been an important part of this celebration
since ancient times, but it is now commonly represented by the Maypole. I
believe it was in the Middle Ages that people in English villages began using
maypoles in their festivities. Maypoles come in different sizes, so villages
would compete with each other to see who had the tallest one (yes, the phallic
meaning behind this is not lost on me, but I would ask you to kindly look
beyond that). The pole symbolizes male fertility and the baskets and wreaths
that form an integral part of the celebration symbolize female fertility. Today,
people who celebrate May Day in Europe and America do so with flower crowns,
maypole dancing, and by making flower baskets to share with loved ones.
The May Day Festival at
Waldorf Schools represents unity, togetherness, and rebirth (see how rebirth is
an overriding theme in my life at this moment? I love it!). This celebration is
always a joyful experience because all of the families in our community come
together to celebrate life with lots of fun, food, songs, and stories. At Hannita's school, the main attraction of the May Day Festival is the May Pole Dance. Every
year, we are invited to attend the Festival dressed up in our finest white
clothing. During the days leading up to the celebration we make the flower
crowns that will be worn by our children during the May Pole Dance or the kids
make their own, depending on the grade. Grades 3rd through 6th
(Hannah is currently in 4th grade) each perform the May Pole ritual
of weaving complex patterns with ribbons that hang from the top of a decorated pole
by dancing to song and music. These dances are remnants of the ancient dances that
used to be performed around a living “tree of life” as part of spring rites to
ensure fertility.
To me, the May Pole dance
also represents the intricate synchronicity of the passing of time, and the
beauty that can emerge from harmonious existence. Watching Hannah and her
classmates dance always makes me get teary eyed. Yes, I love the songs, I love
the setting, I love the aesthetics of it all… but beyond all of that I love the
meaning I see reflected in this ritual. Especially when there is an inevitable
misstep by one or several of the children dancing that leaves a knot in the
pattern they are weaving. The dance carries on and, as the song / music
continues, that knot disappears… merging into the gorgeous plait of color that
is created with each rhythmic upwards and downwards motion of their arms.
Life Lesson: Keep dancing to the music, in love and light, weaving from
all of your life experiences, be they highs or lows, a strong, unified, uniquely
special braid. Acknowledge and appreciate the unexpected knots that form as you
go, not with the desire to undo them, because that would require backtracking
into the past and lead to stagnation; rather, seek to learn from them and adjust
your actions accordingly in the present with the hope of avoiding repeating
knots in the future.
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