In this article, originally shared in Pathways magazine, Kacie Flegal explores the neurological benefits that walking barefoot has on developing minds. In our Parent & Child program, parents and caregivers learn about child development through guided activities, group discussions and engagement with their little ones. Learn more about our weekly Parent & Child classes.
BAREFOOTIN’
How keeping little feet in the buff encourages a strong foundation for optimal brain and nervous system development.
By Kacie Flegal, D.C.
There is nothing more wondrous in life than watching with awe as babies begin to learn and explore the world in which they live. With innocent joy and excitement, the newness they experience allows for a profound connection within their surroundings and within themselves.
The sensory system is the primary system that sets the foundation for higher brain centers to grow upon. We are familiar with the five basic senses: touch, taste, vision, hearing, and smell. It is through these basic pathways that babies create neurological connections and the perception of life outside of the womb.
Two equally important sensory systems, which aren’t as commonly recognized, begin to take on a dominant role as babies begin to coordinate movements and have greater interactions with the world. These two systems are known as the proprioceptive system and the vestibular system.
Proprioception is the ability to perceive the motion and position of our bodies in space and is generated by receptors located within our joints, connective tissue, and muscles. When activated by pressure and movement, proprioceptors send direct signaling to the brain telling it how the body is oriented.
The vestibular system is the creation of balance and coordination as changes in center of gravity, posture, and head position shift. As babies gain awareness through the five primary senses, they begin generating deliberate movements and gradually learn to hold up their heads, roll over, sit up, crawl, and eventually start walking.
Encouraging enjoyable activities that stimulate the basic senses is, of course, important, yet we may underestimate the value in supporting proprioceptive and vestibular activities as well. One of the simplest ways to motivate proprioceptive and vestibular development is to let our babies be barefoot as much as possible!
Feet are one of the most sensory-rich parts of the human body. The soles of the feet are extremely sensitive to touch, and there are large concentrations of proprioceptors in the joints and muscles of the feet. In fact, the feet alone have as many proprioceptors as the entire spinal column!
This is exciting news, yet we live in a culture where wearing shoes through most of the day is the norm and, thus, we inhibit the establishment of strong neurological pathways and connections. Parents often put shoes on their babies even before the little ones start walking, which can keep little feet restricted from the normal movement and exploration that is needed to prime the pathway for when they become mobile.
Then, as babies begin to walk, they are accustomed to having limited movement and a barrier between the sensitive soles of their feet and the ground. Proprioceptors* are not allowed to be optimally stimulated, and vestibular input is inhibited as the little muscles and joints in the feet cannot accommodate to the changing terrain of the surface they are walking on.
When a child is allowed to be barefoot, her tactile pathways feel the surface of the ground, proprioceptors respond to pressure, and the terrain creates slight imbalances that create neuromuscular strength, spacial orientation, balance, and coordination.
It is obvious that when our littles one are playing in cold or harsher environments, we want to protect them and keep them safe, but with guidance and a soft patch of grass, dirt, or wet leaves available, encourage babies to discover how great it feels to tromp around with naked feet! As a result, you will permit them a great platform for the development of higher brain centers responsible for emotional control, problem solving, language, social skills, and self-assurance.
Another benefit to keeping babies barefoot is the encouragement of presence of mind and conscious awareness. As the little pads of babies’ feet feel, move, and balance on the surface that they are exploring, the information sent to the brain from tactile, proprioceptive, and vestibular pathways quiet, or inhibit, other extraneous sensory input. This creates focus and awareness of walking and moving through space; babies get more tuned in to their surroundings.
This is an important message for adults as well! It is never too late to encourage the proprioceptive and vestibular systems in our own bodies as we continue to grow new neural connections, even as we age. Often, it is the proprioceptive and vestibular systems that become inhibited as adults. We lose balance and focus in our bodies and our lives and, as a result, may lose profound connections to our environment, ourselves, and other people.
When was the last time you took off your shoes and walked barefoot in the dirt, the grass, or a puddle of water? Encourage yourself along with your children to explore, play, and be free to let the world tickle your senses! Not only does it feel amazing to intimately connect with the earth beneath your feet, but walking barefoot can whisk you back to your own childhood, where you can re-experience the world as a new and exhilarating place…just as babies do!
Dr. Kacie Flegal, D.C. is a vitalistic chiropractor and member of the International Chiropractic Pediatrics Association (ICPA). She specializes in pre- and post-natal care, pediatrics, and serving individuals with sensory integration challenges. Dr. Kacie is Webster Technique Certified through the ICPA a certified Doula through the Natural Birth Institute. You can learn more about her work at www.elementsofbeing.com.
What is Proprioception?
Proprioception is our body’s awareness of muscles, joints, and tendons as they move and give us information about the location of our body and body parts in space. Proprioception allows us to form a muscle memory of practiced movements, such as reaching for an object, running, dancing, riding a bike, using a hammer, a spoon or a pencil. Movement and lifting objects strengthen our sense of proprioception.
What is the Vestibular System?
The role of the vestibular system is to relay information to the brain as to where a person is in space, as related to gravity; whether they are moving or still, if they are moving how quickly, and in what direction. The vestibular system gathers that information from a set of fluid filled canals and a sac-like structure in the inner ear. These structures respond to movement, change in direction, change of head position, and gravitational pull. Without efficient vestibular processing, your child may appear to be clumsy and have trouble staying on their feet during routine play. The vestibular system helps a child to coordinate both sides of their body together for activities including riding a bicycle, catching a ball, zipping a coat, or cutting with scissors.
“What is a Waldorf School?”, you say,
While on your way to Opening Day.
You know there’s something strange and new
But you don’t know just what they do.
You toured campus late last week,
Each colored classroom, you got a peek,
Your kids are curious, and so are you,
Why is the fifth-grade classroom blue?
What’s all that yarn and colored thread,
The wooden swords and fresh baked bread,
Those funny books on every desk?
Do they read here? Do they test?
I don’t see laptops in the rooms.
They’re planting flowers with the moon.
And who is Loki, who is Thor?
I really must discover more.
So, Waldorf is a type of school
Where things are taught with different rules.
We try to teach with head, hands, heart,
And call on every single part.
We sculpt the body, train the hands,
So when the children truly can,
They take our stories deep inside,
And let imagination guide.
Through fairy tales and native lore
Of knights and kingdoms, dwarves and more.
Then when they’re whole, strong and steady,
The mind is waiting at the ready,
For thoughtful insights, deeper knowledge,
The kind they talk about in college.
Experiments with light and sound,
And magma lava underground,
Shakespeare verse, medieval chants,
St. George and dragon, Maypole dance,
The preamble of the Constitution,
And social change with revolution,
Discussions of life’s destiny,To find my place, “where will I be?”
A hundred years ago today,
A group in Stuttgart made their way,
To see man’s learning as a fire,
That kindled up a strong desire,
To focus on the critical thought,
And bring the truth to what they sought.
By working with the feeling soul,
And tuning up the thinking goal,
We’ll turn out conscious human beings
With new ideas and deeper feelings.
Their purpose clear is all unfurled:
To make this place a better world.
How Reading, Writing, Literature, and Language are Taught in a Waldorf Education
By Dianne McGaunn and Kat Marsh
The Waldorf approach to literacy is unique in two very important ways.
First, Waldorf education builds a foundation for literacy learning through attention to the physical body and its importance in learning and the significance of social and emotional health in education.
Second, literacy education in Waldorf schools is an elaborate, thoughtful sequence starting with speech development, listening, and only then more formal academic learning.
Underlying all of this is Rudolf Steiner’s unique philosophy of child development which, among other aspects, considers the importance of movement, imagination and healthy social experiences in developing a foundation for overall health and deep and lasting learning. In essence, the Waldorf approach to literacy is purposefully patient and thoughtfully builds a foundation for a life-long love of literacy, in its many forms.
A common misconception about Waldorf literacy education is that Waldorf schools do not teach children how to read until second grade. While it is true that decoding (learning how to read through a phonics approach) is not specifically taught until late first or second grade, early childhood educators and first grade teachers concentrate on building a strong foundation for literacy learning through drama, artistic endeavors, writing what students know by heart, healthy play and movement experiences, beautiful recitation of poetry and many other forms of learning that are multi-sensory experiences. Therefore, when students are taught a traditional phonics approach in second grade, they have a deep foundation to aid in the reading process.
First Grade Lesson Book
The Importance of Movement in Learning
In the early twentieth century, Rudolf Steiner, the creator of Waldorf education, emphasized the three faculties of walking, speaking and thinking (in that order) for their importance in healthy development and all learning (1). Waldorf educators understand that walking and coordinated movement requires a strong sense of proprioception (awareness of the position and movement of the body) and balance, among many other capacities. Walking, the ability to command one’s body in defiance of gravity, is a complex developmental milestone which signifies a new sense of spatial relationships which is critical to the learning process. The proprioceptive system is further developed by activities in the Waldorf early childhood classroom such as circle time, sweeping and pushing a wheelbarrow (2). Thus, the physical foundation for learning is being built through imitating the teacher’s purposeful movements.
Waldorf educators know that when children engage in these activities, nerve endings that develop spatial relationships are stimulated, which prepares students to sit still in class, remember the shapes of letters and numbers, and other important activities.
Of course, this proprioceptive capacity and sense of self in relationship to others is also needed for a child’s healthy social learning throughout the school years and beyond.
Kindergarteners develop fine motor movement skills by sewing.
Furthermore, Waldorf teachers understand the importance of developing fine and gross motor movement skills for writing and reading. In the early childhood classroom, activities such as cutting food for snacks, drawing with crayons, sewing, and modeling with beeswax help develop fine motor skills for smooth writing experiences.
Other gross movement activities such as cross-lateral skipping help develop the connecting “bridge” of the brain that orchestrates the processes between the left and right hemispheres of the brain (3), which is not fully developed until seven or nine years of age (2). This bilateral brain integration is critical for whole-word recognition and decoding words, two essential reading skills. Additionally, rhythmic exercises are an integral part of early childhood and early grades classrooms, as moving in rhythm teaches children to be aware of rhythm in literary works and to internalize the beat when they are being read to (4). Therefore, developing healthy movement patterns is a major focus of the Waldorf early childhood classroom in preparation for literacy learning.
Thoughtfully and Gradually Building Retention and Comprehension
In addition to the importance of healthy movement in brain development and learning, the Waldorf approach to literacy follows the course of literacy development throughout human history: oral learning (speaking and listening), then writing (as in hieroglyphics), and only then reading. This progression and sequence or order of skills (movement, speaking and listening as precursors to reading and writing) supports a child’s development because it strengthens inherent skills aforementioned, and only then introduces writing skills which are the next step toward developing a broad understanding of literacy. Children taught in this sequence have a better understanding of the meaning of print and will come to the task of reading with purpose, comprehension, and confident engagement.
For millennia, humans relied on oral traditions for learning. In fact, storytelling remains one of the most effective tools for teaching (5), and it is indeed one of the most important learning methodologies used by Waldorf educators. Early childhood educators cultivate a love of language in their students through playful nursery rhymes, poems, songs, and stories all spoken with beautiful articulation and vocabulary.
Through listening to these imaginative, engaging stories and subsequent story recall activities such as student retelling, drama and drawing, language comprehension is strengthened and the repetition of these stories develops memory, attention, and retention. Moreover, students develop a sense of narrative structure and style and the rhythm of language. Students make meaning of what they hear using their imaginations and non-verbal memory to construct their own pictures of the story while expanding their oral vocabulary. Thus, because students need to first develop word meanings and a broad understanding of language, listening and speaking are central to Waldorf nursery and kindergarten programs and continue to be a focus of language learning from the first day of first grade.
In a Waldorf Nursery or Kindergarten, the children listen to and experience the same story for several weeks. First the teacher tells the story to children for a few days. Then the teacher may create a puppet show out of the same story. Finally, the teacher will involve the children in a play of the story.
Research demonstrates the benefits of early emphasis on oral, narrative listening and comprehension skills, which are predictive of expository reading level and provide a basis for students to develop listening and reading skills for different genres of text (6). In addition, listening comprehension skills are a strong predictor of reading comprehension skills in later grades (7). The varieties of formal and informal language used in poems, stories, texts, songs, and by teachers when speaking in the Waldorf early childhood and first grade classroom is rich and varied, preparing students to more easily access complex texts when reading independently.
Furthermore, listening to and reciting poems, songs, and tongue twisters builds on the phonemic awareness (awareness of the sounds of language) that students have already acquired (8) in the early childhood years. Then, in first grade, letters are introduced along with the varied sounds of each as students become familiar with the basic phonological and morphological arrangements of letter-sound relationships. This progression of literacy skills in the Waldorf curriculum aligns with a fundamental connection between printed letters and speech sounds that are developed in the brain by practice with associating the visual information of speech with the mental representations of printed letters (9).
Additional research suggests that there is an interactive relationship between phonemic awareness and early reading skills such as those where students develop reading skills from personal experiences and oral language (10).
The Waldorf early grades curriculum is rich in phonological awareness and emphasizes holistic literacy skills along with informal print writing to give students a stronger basis for formal print reading.
Current research supports the idea that teachers can improve reading skills by having students write about what they are reading, teaching them writing skills, and increasing how much they write (11). In the Waldorf first grade classroom, writing the letters of the alphabet emerges from daily imaginative stories thus giving students a meaningful basis for linking printed letters with sounds (as in the early relationships to humans with hieroglyphics). Students write simple words that they know, and gradually the skill of writing words and recognizing word families is used to build simple sentences. The beginning skill of associating sounds with letters guides students to sound out and read basic words, and emphasis on the morphology of words (such as the meanings that come from prefixes and suffixes) gives students access to meaning as they attempt to sound out words in more complex texts. Later in first grade and in second grade, Waldorf students are introduced to word families such as “ag” and “at” and encouraged to build reading from a basis of sound-to-letter(s) relationships. The emphasis on students writing letters, words, and phrases that they know increases confidence and this propels them deeper into literacy learning.
All of this deep, elaborate learning and processing leads to better memory retention. Students process the shapes of letters and words least deeply, the sounds of letters and words more deeply, and the meanings of words most deeply (12). In addition, research supports the Waldorf approach of integrating movement skills with visual skills which link action and perception to enhance letter recognition and knowledge to prepare children for visual reading tasks (13).
Indeed, current trends of emphasis on academic tasks in non-Waldorf early childhood classrooms (preschool through grade one) are not well supported by research or by early childhood experts (14). Furthermore, recent research indicates that early reading gains dissipate by the end of first grade (17). In fact, current brain-based evidence supports a generous balance between play and academic work in early childhood and highlights the harm that can be done when academics are emphasized (15) or when reading is expected too soon (16), or earlier than when the brain is truly ready to read, which is around seven to nine years old (2).
The Importance of Play and Social-Emotional Health in Learning
Waldorf early childhood classrooms are largely play-based, and these activities further strengthen the foundation for literacy learning as well as executive function development. Current research is uncovering the crucial functions that play and social-emotional learning have in preparing children to engage with literacy.
In the Waldorf approach, play is essential to the social, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive development of children when they engage and interact with the world around them through self-initiated, imaginative and playful experiences. In an academic sense, play helps children adjust to the school setting, thereby fostering school engagement.
Play enhances children’s learning readiness, learning behaviors, and problem-solving skills.
In addition, play and recess may increase children’s capacity to store new information, as their cognitive capacity is enhanced when they are offered a drastic change in activity (18). Current research also shows that children’s executive functions and social-emotional learning are fundamental to academic success (21), and play is an important practice ground for the development of executive function skills. School environments that foster executive functioning emphasize caring adult-child relationships that guide children from complete dependence on adult support to gradual assumption of the “executive” role for themselves. Thus, early education policies that primarily emphasize literacy instruction are missing an important opportunity to increase their effectiveness by including attention to the development of executive functioning skills. Indeed, there is also evidence that emerging executive function skills contribute to early reading and math achievement during the pre-kindergarten years and into kindergarten (21).
Furthermore, recent research indicates that a teacher’s emotional support during preschool has a positive effect on children’s reading attitudes, which in turn has a positive effect on their reading and vocabulary learning outcomes in later grades (19). The emphasis on warmth and loving relationships in the Waldorf early childhood classrooms and in the grades (in which class teachers remain with their students for eight years) are consistent with these findings. As teachers and students develop strong relationships in the grades, literacy learning continues with beautiful speech recitation, many modes of writing, drama experiences (20), several public speaking experiences in school-wide assemblies and presentations, and other artistic experiences that further enhance literacy learning.
Even with all the above-mentioned modes of learning, it is possible that a minority of children will still struggle with reading. While most Waldorf students are reading by third grade, Waldorf schools screen for reading difficulties early, regularly, and informally so as not to trigger anxiety in students or parents. Teachers take an active role in developing individualized intervention activities and assist struggling readers to focus on and improve reading skills, all in the context of lessons that ground students in the purpose of and engagement with reading.
In summary, the unique philosophy of Waldorf literacy learning includes careful development of movement, listening and speaking, and play and imagination. All of this forms a mindfully tended, fertile ground for literacy learning and all future learning.
In this context, Waldorf students build a rich fund of literacy knowledge that includes a strong vocabulary and the ability to focus attention on stories while listening or reading. In addition, students develop the ability to attend to the structure and details of information while reading to gain the most meaning from texts and to leverage that knowledge when writing both academically and creatively. Literacy development in Waldorf schools cultivates awareness, appreciation, and skill in both the spoken and written word, following a developmentally sound approach that helps to ensure that students claim a love of literature, language and writing as part of their birthright.
2) Johnson, S. “Teaching Our Children to Write, Read and Spell.” You and Your Child’s Health.http://www.youandyourchildshealth.org/articles/teaching-our-children.html. Accessed 11 April 2019.
3) Hannaford, C. (1995). Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All in Your Head. Arlington, VA: Great Ocean Publishers
4) Block, B.A. (2001). Literacy Through Movement: An organizational approach. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 72(1), 39-48.
5) Steele, A., & Scott, J. (2016). Emotionality and learning stories: Documenting how we learn what we feel. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, 21, 106-124.
6) Diakidoy, I-A. N., Stylianou, P., Karefillidou, C. & Papageorgiou, P. (2005). The relationship between listening and reading comprehension of different types of text at increasing grade levels. Reading Psychology, 26(1), 55-80.
7) Cadime, I., Rodrigues, S. S., Viana, F. L., ´li Chaves-Sousa, S., do Ce ´u Cosme, M., & Ribeiro, I. (2017). The role of word recognition, oral reading fluency and listening comprehension in the simple view of reading: A study in an intermediate depth orthography. Reading and Writing, 30, 591-611.
8) Abbott, M., Walton, C., & Greenwood, C. (2002). Research to practice: Phonemic awareness in kindergarten and first grade. Teaching Exceptional Children, 34(4), 20.
9) van Atteveldt, N., Formisano, E., Goebel, R., & Blomert, L. (2004). Integration of letters and speech sounds in the human brain. Neuron, 43, 271–282.
10) Morris, D., Bloodgood, J. W., Lomax, R. G., & Perney, J. (2003). Developmental steps in learning to read: A longitudinal study in kindergarten and first grade. Reading Research Quarterly, 38(3), 302-328.
11) Graham, S. & Hebert, M. (2010). Writing to read: Evidence for how writing can improve reading. Education Week 29, 5.
12) Baddeley, A., Eysenck, M. W., & Anderson, M. C. (2015). Memory. London, UK: Psychology Press.
13) Bara, F., & Bonneton-Botte, N. (2018). Learning letters with the whole body: Visuomotor versus visual teaching in kindergarten. Perceptual and Motor Skills, (1), 190.
17) Soodla, P., Lerkkanen, M. K., Niemi, P., Kikas, E., Silinskas, G., & Nurmi, J. E. (2015). Does early reading instruction promote the rate of acquisition? A comparison of two transparent orthographies. Learning and Instruction, 38, 14-23.
18) Bedard, C., Bremer, E., Campbell, W., & Cairney, J. (2018). Evaluation of a direct-instruction intervention to improve movement and preliteracy skills among young children: A within-subject repeated-measures design. Frontiers in pediatrics, 5, 298.
19) Hu, B.Y., Wu, H., Curby, T.W., Wu, Z. & Zhang, X. (2018). Teacher-child interaction quality, attitudes toward reading, and literacy achievement of Chinese preschool children: Mediation and moderation analysis. Learning and Individual Differences, 68, 1-11.
20) Chia-hui, L. (Jun 2005). Literacy instruction through communicative and visual arts. Teacher Librarian; Bowie Vol. 32, Iss. 5, 25-27.
21) Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2011). Building the Brain’s “Air Traffic Control” System: How Early Experiences Shape the Development of Executive Function: Working Paper No. 11. www.developingchild.harvard.edu. Accessed 05 March 2019.
Now more than ever, as adults, as parents, as educators, we need to embrace the goodness in the world and celebrate the amazing people on this planet! Why? Because our children need it. A child’s connection to a parent is so powerful, it is as though the two are one. Young children can sense profoundly the joy and distress in our inner being.
In our lives, unfortunately, we will continue to live through tragedies, natural disasters, wars, and political turmoil across the world. This piece, written by Waldorf early childhood educator Susan Weber in 2011 following the tragedy in Japan, shows us how we can always create goodness for our young children.
How Do I Find and Create Goodness for My Children?
by Susan Weber
In difficult times such as these with environmental disaster of almost unprecedented scale and concern about friends and others in Japan at the forefront of our thoughts, it is not easy to feel the goodness in life. In an external crisis, our urge is often to listen and see the news and to share our feelings with other adults. As a consequence, it is easy for the children around us to be exposed to things that they cannot understand, to become fearful about situations they will never see and cannot change even if we think that the media or adult conversations are not attended to by the children. Even pre-verbal children can sense profoundly the distress in our inner being.
But nothing brings stamina for life and daily well being to our children more directly and strongly than surrounding them and immersing them into an atmosphere of goodness and joy. For us as adults, the message they seek from us is this:
“I am happy to be alive, I am interested in the world around me and I want to find a place for myself within it.”
Children are born with an openness to meet what their lives will bring. Despite their individual destinies and challenges, this openness is present and as the adults in the child’s world, we have tremendous potential to cultivate this openness.
For the child just beginning life, there is one single mantra that needs to guide those early steps and years: the world is good. No other belief will carry him forward through the tumbles and stumbles, through the mysteries of his encounters with confidence and eagerness. Without this overarching rainbow of trust in life around and above them, children shrink back into themselves, lose the shine in their eyes, forgo the impulse to experiment, to see things as the adults around them never have, to imagine new solutions to the simplest experiments – piling blocks, washing a dish, dressing themselves upside down.
The world is good – and therefore I enter into it, explore it, wonder, stop and look, touch, encounter, meet what comes to me with interest and growing confidence.
Fear paralyzes children – it reverses children’s natural gesture of trust, openness, and interest in the world. To develop in any way – cognitively, emotionally, physically – children need to be able to enter easily into life around them. They need to feel welcome, and above all, safe. For who of us is able to take risks, try new things, when we have a question about the safety of our surroundings?
There are times when circumstances beyond our control create uncertainty or worse for our families. In addition, we could also say that our times are, in fact, uncertain times. At the same time, however, our children are just beginning their lives. We owe to them their birthright: the world is good and I am grateful and happy to be in it. It is a safe place for me to grow in. And later, much later, I will be able to take on its pain and burdens. But give me time, peace, and space in which to discover the goodness in life for myself, in which to grow strong, capable, brave, and enthusiastic for life. Protect me from the challenges of adulthood until I am ready.
How can we do this for them?
We can protect them from information that they cannot comprehend or digest – saving our adult conversations for later, turning off televisions and radios in their presence.
Give them the strength building elements of rhythm, form in daily life, predictability, that reassure them of the goodness and security of each day.
I was once told that young children are very good observers, but poor interpreters. I, and many parents as well, have found this to be true.
Whether it be the large world and its sphere of difficulties, political situations near and far, our professional work and its daily challenges, our own personal frustrations, angers and fears – young children are not able to interpret any of these. None of these are a suitable menu for young children who cannot digest it. It all then goes inside of them to then be expressed in ways that we ourselves may not correlate with what they might have heard, for information about these realms of life will often bring anxiety, nervousness, fear, withdrawal, sleepless nights, or aggressive behavior.
As the adults in their lives, we have the possibility to stand there beside the children with confidence for life offering them a model for imitation. We lead them out into our world: we walk alongside them. We have seen much, experienced much. It is an amalgam of joy, of pain, suffering, discovery, celebration, disappointment – and at times of fear, questioning. All these experiences and feelings will have come to us by the time we reach parenthood. As adults, we have tremendous freedom to explore these feelings, to reflect upon our own experiences.
If we as adults listen to the outer world as it often presents itself, how do we then find our own paths to believing confidently in the goodness of the world? It is of utmost significance that we strive toward this belief, for our children look to us for signals, for images of where to begin seeking their places in the world. They imitate our deepest inmost feelings and beliefs, and these carry them far as pillars of strength when they require it.
Take a walk, find your way into nature, hold deep in memory the most recent good thing we have encountered. Begin and end your day with gratitude for the good in our lives – however challenging this may feel at moments. Pick a tiny bouquet of wildflowers or seasonal things from the nature just outside our doors – the wonder of one snowdrop or crocus in spring bloom emerging through the receding snow, a single acorn, one brightly polished apple – each of these can remind us of the wonder and miracles of the universe. Look up at the stars in the heavens, and ponder the miracle that all over the earth human beings are united by experiencing the same starry heavens above them. Find a poem, even if you have never thought of poetry as your interest – just a few lines – copy it onto a piece of paper and put it on your refrigerator. Recall a human relationship that has helped you along your way. And see if, step by tiny step, you can rediscover, in difficult times, that the world truly is good.
Rudolf Steiner offers us a verse that can bring us strength in difficult times:
Steadfast I stand in the world With certainty I tread the path of life
Love I cherish in the core of my being
Hope I carry into every deed
Confidence I imprint upon my thinking.
These five lead me to my goal
These five give me my existence.
Receive the children in reverence; educate them in love; let them go forth in freedom. – Rudolf Steiner
Being in school is a hugely social experience as children interact throughout the day with their same-grade classmates, teachers, teammates, coaches, recess buddies, aftercare group, younger reading buddies, and others. Even independent activities such as reading a book to oneself or visiting the bathroom are done within a social context where an awareness of others is at play. As they make their way from one social setting to another—from home to school, from the classroom to outdoor recess, or from math class to strings class—children are learning to navigate a range of individual personalities and social norms for the group.
How a child is able to get along with others in any situation and how she views herself has a great impact on the her overall success and happiness—not just at school, but in life. Since September, the fourth grade has been making beautiful progress in areas such as awareness of tone and facial expressions, stamina, self-confidence, supporting each other’s learning, discussion skills, and standing up to others, to name a few. In February, beginning with a class reading of Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel (see “Learning About Empathy Through Literature and Theater,” below), the fourth graders’ social-emotional learning came to the forefront as a unit of study in and of itself, with part of morning lesson and homework time intentionally devoted to the topic.
Showing Appreciation
At the beginning of February, the fourth grade discussed various ways to show appreciation for others and brainstormed the ways they could say thank you to seventh-grade parent and Assistant Conservation Director for the Snow Leopard Trust, Jennifer Rullman, for coming to the classroom to educate the class about her work with snow leopards and poachers in different parts of the world. Since Jennifer’s work includes educating others, the group’s final decision was to, first, show her how much they had learned from her presentation, and second, contribute to her cause in some way.
Jennifer Rullman, Assistant Conservation Director at Snow Leopard Trust, with 4th grade students.
The projects that the children came up with were meant to serve as teaching tools for Jennifer to use with other children, whether in California or Mongolia. Three students decided to write and illustrate a picture book, while the other two students created a fact-filled poster. The students were genuinely excited to share their gifts and further gratified by Jennifer’s heartfelt response.
On Valentine’s Day, following a homework assignment that asked the students to reflect on ways that others made their life better in some way, the class came up with a list about how to show appreciation:
Tell the person what you appreciate about them or something they did
Say thank you
Write a note/card/letter
Look at the person when they are speaking or when you are speaking to them
Compliment them
Tell them that you noticed what they did
Be positive
Listen to the person
Be kind
Be generous
Learning About Empathy Through Literature and Theater
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Empathy can start with tuning in to how someone else may be feeling. Expressing empathy can be a simple acknowledgement of what you observe. For instance, if a child looks sad and another child simply says, “You look sad,” he may be seeking connection and understanding of his friend’s feelings. Another way to empathize is by allowing someone to feel what s/he is feeling without expectations that s/he does or feels anything different. Just simply sitting next to someone who is angry or upset is an empathetic gesture if intended to understand or share in another person’s mood. As a parent, it can be hard to do this as our instinct is often to ask questions and try to make things better for our children right away when we see they are upset.
Illustration by 4th Grade Teacher Danielle Harrington inspired by the book “Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel” by Nikki Grimes
At the assembly just before February break, members of the fourth grade class performed two pivotal scenes from a book they read called Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel. The book centers on the main character, smart-as-a-whip Dyamonde Daniel, who has just moved to a new city and is courageously navigating the ins and out of being the new kid in the neighborhood. At her new school, Dyamonde meets another newbie, Free, who she sees as grouchy and unkind. Dyamonde doesn’t understand Free and his negative attitude and decides to get to the bottom of what’s bothering him.
The students took on acting out two scenes from the book that illustrate how moving beyond anger, digging deep, and finding genuine empathy for another person can lead to surprising revelations, a sense of understanding, and, eventually, real connection.
Mindset and Responsibility
Chalkboard notes from a discussion about how the students contribute to dinner time routines at home. The fourth graders assessed their own level of contribution to tasks as well as their own level of commitment and attitudes while completing these responsibilities.
Having an open or ” growth mindset” is essential to learning. It includes being positive about one’s learning and one’s abilities and is rooted in a belief that intelligence is a living, growing thing that a person can improve. Any skill can be improved through practice and commitment. Such an outlook may be expressed through honest, positive phrases like, “This is hard, but I’m working on it,” or “I’m not feeling confident. Could I have some help with this?” It is the opposite of a closed mindset, which may be heard through complaining, groaning, criticism, and fixed-attitude phrases like, “My brain can’t do this,” “I’m terrible at this,” or “This is pointless. Why are we learning this?” which all slam the door on experiences. A closed mindset is often based in fear and meant to protect the learner from struggling or from being exposed for not being good at something. A closed mindset undermines oneself and can also be disrespectful to others’ ability to learn. Negativity in the form of complaining may also suggest a lack of appreciation of others’ efforts, or taking things for granted. It is heard in phrases like, “Ugh. My dad forgot to pack me my favorite cheese AGAIN!” or “Gym class isn’t for gymnastics. Why are we even doing this?”
In an attempt to help the fourth grade students develop more self-awareness and a more positive outlook, part of their work has involved trying on a different lens; instead of seeing what’s missing (or what they are not getting), students are invited to think about how they can contribute—to their own experiences and to the experiences of others. Moreover, they are being asked to actively express appreciation for simple things and big things throughout the day, both at school and at home.
Why Is Social-Emotional Learning Important and Why Do We Teach It This Way?
“Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy towards others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.”*
At Waldorf School at Moraine Farm practicing a positive mindset on a daily basis, teaching the students methods to resolve conflict, and providing a platform to express feelings and emotions, are core principles and expectations that are established early on in the school year. This environment invites students to become self-aware of their feelings, actions and effect on others. Through modeling and practice, these “processes” become more and more inherent in the students, allowing them to engage more fully in their learning while growing into moral and compassionate human beings.
