| A Year Full of Changes by Diane Aurelius, Class of 2004 Ed. Various alumni were asked to write a brief eessay describing their experiences in the classroom and how the Waldorf teacher training has influenced them. Diane is currently teaching at Friends of Potrero Hill Nursery School. Before joining the teacher training, Diane was a yoga teacher. This past year was full of changes - both internal and external. The preschool where I work relocated to a public school. We are settling in and finding it to be an interesting experiment to be occupying a room in the middle of a public school. We are very happy to be surrounded by warm and friendly teachers and a school principal that is heroic in his commitment to the students and to the community. We have more children than we had in our previous environment, and I'm happy to report that more is merrier! In terms of the lessons of the teacher training and its application in my daily life, I believe that artwork and anthroposophy are what get me through the tough times. Knowing that there are subtle realms to work with in myself while painting, singing or playing music has helped me to calm my anxiety and to direct my energy. Reading anthroposophical writings enables me to keep my inner life growing and to deepen my thoughts, and my experience of life. I am currently enrolled as a student at San Francisco City College taking the core early childhood curriculum classes. I am discovering that some of what we practice as part of the Waldorf tradition is being accepted more and more into the mainstream. One of my professors said, "Teaching children to read before they have lost their baby teeth is a waste of time and energy," and she is a public school teacher, with no Waldorf experience. I hope that one day the principles that we learned in the teacher training are accepted and applied as part of the wisdom of our culture - without the exclusivity that we seem to have to endure for the time being. |
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