Author: Waldorf Moraine

Most adults would describe the middle school years as awkward and confusing, but also liberating and exciting. We base this description on our own experience and on observation of middle school students over the decades. Middle school students begin to face themselves and the world, and this can lead to some discomfort: the world does not look the same as it did when they were younger. In some ways, characteristics of the middle school experience have not changed much over time, but the world has changed significantly, and education must rise to meet the needs of children today. Now more than ever, the education of young children must fortify them to meet the challenges of tomorrow with grace, intelligence, and courage. In Waldorf education, we help middle school students meet the world and themselves gradually and thoughtfully. During the often-turbulent middle-school years, we care for students’ social-emotional well-being, overall health, and academic life, which provides a strong foundation for the secondary school years and beyond.

The curriculum in Waldorf schools honors students’ whole experience of their expanding world and finding their place in it. Every aspect of learning in a Waldorf school middle school curriculum is designed to stretch students to explore a topic through several modalities, thereby increasing the depth of learning rather than just a surface approach or memorizing. This multi-faceted approach also helps students learn about themselves, their own learning style, and allows them to explore aspects of themselves they might not explore otherwise. For example, students study mechanics in seventh grade by exploring and creating mechanical structures, calculating mechanical advantage with math, and expressing the salient points of experiments through writing and drawing. When studying the industrial revolution, eighth grade students learn through stories about people and events that spark the imagination, and even perhaps through a dramatic production in which the class will engage. To further deepen their understanding of the human experience of that historical time period, handwork classes include the creation of clothes with a sewing machine which was once cutting-edge technology, and learning about how this machine changed the world forever. Poetry, song, and movement activities often accompany geometry and mathematics lessons so students have a multi-sensory approach to learning mathematics. This integrated approach to learning in all subject areas creates rigorous experiences that demand many modes of engagement from students. This facilitates deep, meaningful learning that lasts a lifetime.

In addition to the academic rigor experienced through many modalities, middle school students play sports and participate in orchestra classes several times per week; they complete complex handwork projects such as shoemaking and shirt design; they produce classic plays for large audiences; and they sing and explore art daily. In the adolescent season of brain development, unused connections are pruned from the brain; if students continue to engage in art, music, and movement in the middle school years, they will be more apt to lead rich, well-rounded lives in later years. Often, Waldorf alumni are characterized as “Renaissance people” because they remain competent and confident in many areas. Waldorf students in high schools and beyond are often not only high academic achievers but are also involved in the arts, athletics and many other pursuits.

Surrounded by adults and classmates who support them through these experiences, students are comfortable making mistakes in this safe, familiar environment. The several-year journey that students have together is an experience that changes students’ lives forever, as friendships are often built that last a lifetime. The ups and downs of the middle school years are tempered by these close relationships with peers and caring teachers who teach, care for, and support students for many years. When Waldorf students finally emerge from their eighth-grade year, they move into secondary schools with confidence, self-assurance and genuine interest in the world. The end of a Waldorf middle school journey will include a foundation built of care and compassion, creativity and confidence, and this serves as a fortification for the years ahead. Students need this uniquely sturdy foundation more than ever, as they will be called upon in ways that we cannot even imagine today.

By Dianne McGaunn, Faculty Administrator

The reports are out and they’re conclusive. Teen anxiety and depression are at an all time high. There is something amiss in our children’s worlds and perhaps our adult ones as well. As psychologists look to explain the trends and help people cope, educators should look within our school walls and ask: Does modern education contribute to this problem? And, if so, how can we change school culture and methodology to help our children gain a sense of well-being?

The Research

The National Institute of Mental Health reports that, in 2016, 31.9% of adolescents had an anxiety disorder and 12.8% of them were depressed. That’s nearly a third of all teenagers being classified as not being occasionally anxious, but as having an anxiety disorder.

In 2016, the journal Pediatrics released a study of national trends in depression among adolescents and young adults that supported these numbers and marked the upward trend. The number of teens who reported depression in 2014 was up 37% from 2005.

And these studies show these are not just “at-risk” children, but kids from all demographics — suburban, rural, urban, rich, poor, college-bound, and not.

But what about college kids? Do these teens pull themselves together as they age? Unfortunately not. The American College Health Association found that 61.9% reported feeling “overwhelming anxiety” during their school year and 39.1% felt “too depressed to function.” Of those, 19.7% with anxiety sought professional treatment and 15.6% got treatment for depression.

Sadly, the effects of these numbers extend beyond paper surveys. The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that the number of children and adolescents admitted to hospitals for suicide or self-harm has “more than doubled in the last decade.”

The Causes

What has changed in the last decade that would make such a marked difference in the mental health of our young people? Dr. Jean Twenge, author of iGen, thinks the answer is pretty clear. She has been doing research about anxiety and depression for 25 years with a particular interest in generational differences. When 2011 – 2012 hit, she saw a trend that was marked and significant. It was the year when those having iPhones went over the 50% mark. It was also the year that clinical levels of anxiety and depression jumped and continued to climb.

While Dr. Twenge is a proponent of screen limits, she also notes that the Smartphone itself is less the issue than the larger culture of adolescence and how teens interact with one another via social media. And, she notes, it’s not all bad. After all, these same teens, on their couches and engaging one another via text, are less likely to engage in risky behavior — smoke, drink, and have multiple sex partners — than their peers from decades before.

If this issue is, as Dr. Twenge says, largely cultural, we should ask what else about our culture has shifted in the last decade, as we all have become more connected and more vulnerable to changes brought on by technology.

Adults also are susceptible to our always-on, hyper-connected media culture. We know about every act of terrorism, the moment it happens, as alerts pop up on our phones. We spend our free time in very different ways than generations before us. And our economic and job landscape shifts greatly from year to year. How does this then influence the way we teach our kids in school and parent them at home?

The Role of Education

According to the 2016 Time Magazine report — Teen Depression and Anxiety: Why the Kids Are Not Alright

— school pressures also play a key role in the increasing anxiety, depression, and the stress modern adolescents face. Parents and teachers place pressure on students to do well in class, and on standardized tests, to help ensure their college and career success. This goes along with often overscheduled extracurriculars, also deemed essential to be accepted and do well in the competitive adult world.

“‘The competitiveness, the lack of clarity about where things are going [economically] have all created a sense of real stress,’” says Victor Schwartz of the Jed Foundation, a nonprofit that works with colleges and universities on mental-health programs and services.” The article goes on to say that: “The strain on school counselors has increased since No Child Left Behind standardized testing protocols were implemented in the past decade.”

There are other stressors at school as well, like that of appearance, social media involvement, peer groups, and bullying. School anxiety often presents itself as school refusal, a problem that affects between 2-5% of kids.

In the New York Times article, Why Are More American Teenagers Than Ever Suffering From Severe Anxiety, Lynn Lyons, a psychotherapist and author, believes schools can make changes to help students reduce their anxiety: things like later start times, reduction of homework, normalizing failure, and relevant learning. She believes these measures will help build the resilience students need for school and beyond.

Perhaps there are even simpler ways to reduce the culture of anxiety within schools. What if schools focused on activities proven to enhance well being? This is certainly an approach that Waldorf educators have pursued as their mission to focus on a child’s “heart” as well as “head” explicitly implies. Activities like exercise, mindfulness, good nutrition, and time outside are a part of the Waldorf curriculum for a reason. That reason is not to ease anxiety, but to establish a sense of well being through connection with learning, self, peers, and the greater community.

Exercise

When it comes to movement, Waldorf educators understand the importance of using our bodies to connect with ourselves, the world around us, and the academic material at hand. Considering that studies have shown that as little as a 10 minute walk can relieve anxiety and depression, it won’t take much to help students lift their spirits. Keeping gym class, recess, and sports in the daily curriculum should be enough to help our students’ well-being.

Mindfulness

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD found 47 studies showing that mindful meditation can help ease psychological stresses like anxiety, depression, and pain. What does mindfulness look like in a Waldorf classroom? It looks like attention brought to a task, such as sitting and drawing a tree for 30 minutes. Or a morning stretch with breathing to begin the day. Beauty and ritual also speak to mindfulness — an opening verse with a candle, traditional festivals and ceremonies, or even journaling can all bring mindfulness to students.

Nutrition

The Harvard Health Blog recommends several nutritional strategies to ease anxiety. For example, a diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, and fruit will metabolize more slowly to “maintain a more even blood sugar level, which creates a calmer feeling.” Also food higher in magnesium, zinc and Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce anxiety.

While it is difficult to require students to maintain balanced diets, it is not difficult to create a culture of respect for wholesome, fresh food. Starting with preschool snack time, fresh vegetables and fruits and whole grains are offered to Waldorf students. Students can connect with better food through gardening programs and through direct lessons in curriculum about the importance of food for mental and physical health.

The Outdoors

Study upon study has shown that time in nature reduces stress, depression and anxiety. One study even found that people who move to greener areas, even in urban settings, receive sustained mental health benefits. Time outdoors is essential to our children, and schools should consider making time during the school day to offer students green spaces for mindfulness, exercise and just being.

Sleep

Lynn Lyons goes to bat for later school times because she knows that adequate sleep is a stress buster. People low on sleep are more likely to be depressed and are more prone to negativity and anxiety. Helping teens and their parents to put away their smartphones before bed can also make a huge difference in sleep patterns. Schools can encourage families to keep bedrooms technology free zones.

Connection

Ultimately, what well-being comes back to is a healthy sense of connection both with self and with others. In the New York Times article — Why Having Friends is Good for You — Emma Seppala of the Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, and author of the 2016 book “The Happiness Track,” says, “‘People who feel more connected to others have lower levels of anxiety and depression. Moreover, studies show they also have higher self-esteem, greater empathy for others, are more trusting and cooperative and, as a consequence, others are more open to trusting and cooperating with them.

“In other words,” Dr. Seppala explains, “social connectedness generates a positive feedback loop of social, emotional and physical well-being.’”

We must help our children see the long term value of all these pillars of well being. More importantly, we must teach them, in school, how to connect genuinely with themselves and others. If we can do that, then they will have the skills they need to advocate for the peaceful and fulfilling lives of their future selves.

By Beverly Amico
Originally published on Essentials in Education in February 2018

 

Waldorf Kindergartens are unique. Waldorf kindergartens are intentional. Waldorf kindergarten methodologies are now backed by science. They are also unlike any other school setting, both public and private schools alike.

When you first walk into the classroom the difference is palpable. The first thing you might notice is how wonderful it smells. Each day the teachers and children create their snacks and lunches together; from homemade bread to pizza to soup; they all work together using wholesome and organic ingredients and child-friendly cooking utensils. In doing so the children not only practice their fine motor skill development but they learn how to contribute to the good of the whole group as well. The second thing that stands out is the beauty of the physical environment. The walls are painted in calming tones, there are live plants and no plastic or electronic toys; the toys are made of all natural materials such as wool, silk, wood, cloth, and stone. They are open-ended and can become anything the child can imagine. There are very little restrictions on how they can be used during play. Nothing is off-limits when fort building, including the furniture!

But what makes Waldorf Kindergarten so successful?

Waldorf teachers understand the now scientifically proven importance of unstructured free play for the developing young child. They understand children need, and are given, large segments of time for play both indoors and outdoors. Free-play is an opportunity to stretch the child’s imagination, a time to explore the boundaries of the social experience, to process what they’ve seen, heard or thought in a healthful, full-body way. It is where the foundations of creativity are built.  

With free play as the main stage for social skills development, the teachers actively work with the children on enhancing their social graces throughout the day. Much time is devoted to working through conflicts and allowing other children space to feel their feelings. It is important for every child to feel heard and seen. Waldorf teachers see conflict as a healthy opportunity to brush off rough edges and to learn more about one another’s feelings.

Free play in nature is imperative and a cornerstone of Waldorf education. Not only are elements of the outdoor world brought into the classroom through nature tables and as content for daily movement circles and story times, but children are brought outside each day, in all kinds of weather, and once again offered both structured and unstructured playtime. The Waldorf kindergarten playground is equipped with play structures that encourage a wide range of gross motor movement (spinning, swinging, digging, climbing, balancing, running, sliding, etc.). Additionally, frequent nature walks allow the children to explore nature in a free way; the children are free to move in unconscious, instinctual ways to meet the demands of the varying terrain that they encounter in wooded areas, forests, meadows, beaches, riversides, and more! All these opportunities for full body movement develop good core strength, balance, proprioception, and stamina, all in an unhurried, child-centered way that nurtures the child’s curiosity, creativity and a sense of wonder. Children are allowed to take healthy risks, such as climbing trees. Even going outside in inclement weather is considered a healthy challenge for the children. There is value in being outside in all weather as it allows children to develop resilience and fortitude. In her article, “Children that Play Outside in All Weather Grow up Resilient,” Andrew McMartin states that  “(k)ids who play outside in challenging weather are more positive, more creative and more adaptable. They don’t let challenges stop them. They rise to challenges and find ways to carry on in spite of them.”

While the bulk of movement is brought to the children via the above mentioned free play, the teachers also bring specific gross and fine motor movements to the children by way of a daily morning circle. This group experience is filled with rich language brought through song and verse, which is matched with articulated and developmentally challenging movements. Not only are the children experiencing a fun and imaginative “movement journey” but the teacher is helping the children to gain mastery over their bodies. This is an economical way for the teacher to lay the important foundation for later academic success. If a child can learn to be in control of his body, he can be inwardly still enough to take up the academic content of the grades curriculum.

By Cristan Vineis, Kindergarten Lead Teacher

This past Saturday, March 10, nearly one hundred members of our community, and friends of our school, gathered in the main hall to enjoy a morning of learning and dining together in support of the third grade farm trip later this spring.

Early in the morning, the school was a-buzz with third grade parents and friends flipping hundreds of pancakes, crisping many pieces of bacon, and brewing coffee. Smells of the delicious breakfast food wafted through the halls, and around 9:30 am sweet, golden syrup was poured onto pancakes as we sat together to enjoy the fruits of the maple harvest.

 

Miss Ryan, Science and Nature Coordinator, opened up the program with an introduction to the Science in Nature program and its current focus on the science and math of maple sugaring. She told a legend about the origins of maple syrup, and we were reminded that it is only in this part of the world that maple syrup is harvested. I shared the tradition of “sugaring off” parties of yesteryear, and how Miss Ryan and I envisioned a renewal of this special community tradition tied into our Science in Nature program, focusing on the unique gifts of our own Moraine Farm area. Most importantly, students talked about their class contributions to this maple season. Beyond the collection of the sap (done by early childhood and grades classes), students have also been measuring and charting the sap totals and high and low temperatures daily. We will look at this data for trends and patterns that will inform this and future year’s understandings of the maple sugaring process.

For this special event, we collaborated with Valley View Farm, a small, family-owned farm in Topsfield. Farmhands from Valley View came to help us tap the trees, and each day Miss Ryan and students collected the sap. They analyzed the weather and sap production using math and charts. Each day Ms. Ryan or I delivered the sap to Valley View Farm, where it was evaporated, or cooked down, into syrup through a very efficient process. At Valley View Farm, the farmers use their creative thinking in physics, chemistry and math to find unique solutions and improvements to the process of transforming sap into syrup. This was a wonderful community process of collaborating to create the optimal conditions for the finest maple syrup possible. This time of year is well-loved by my family and local friends as the “sugar shack” heralds the spring and brings us back together after a long, New England winter.

Valley View Farm truly understands optimal conditions for best sap production leading to the highest quality syrup. Radiational cooling during the spring (the evening cooling of the earth’s surface through weather and surface conditions) is an important factor in sap production: cool nights and warm days help the sap flow more easily, and this yields more syrup. In addition, sugar content of the sap is affected by many factors, including sun exposure. Although the weather in the last few weeks has not been optimal for harvesting the sap, we should be experiencing much better conditions this week and students might even be able to take a field trip to the “sugar shack” to see the process in action!

We are so grateful to be part of the Moraine Farm community and to partner with Valley View Farm to learn more about our environment through the Science in Nature program. Our maple sugar breakfast on Saturday was a celebration of these opportunities, and a wonderful way to come together to break the monotony of winter weather and look forward to the spring. Thank you to supporters of our Science in Nature program, through which all of this could happen; to Valley View Farm for helping us in creating the spectacular syrup that we delightedly ladled onto our fluffy pancakes; to Farmers to You and the Wrinn family who donated bacon and apple cider; to third grade parents who cooked tirelessly; to Marshunda Smith for her delectable pancake recipe; and to all of you who came out to enjoy and celebrate the bounty of nature and warmth of our community.

If you would like to purchase a pint of the maple goodness that students have been part of creating, please see Stacia Chamberlain in the school store. Valley View Farm has given us roughly a dozen bottles to sell – or rather pass onto you, at cost, for $12 per bottle. Payment can be made in cash or a check can be written out directly to Valley View Farm.

By Dianne McGaunn, Faculty Administrator

Marshunda Smith’s Fluffy Pancake Recipe!

Prep 10 min ∙ Cook 10 min ∙ Makes 8 pancakes
Ingredients
· 3/4 cup milk
· 2 tablespoons white vinegar
· 1 cup all-purpose flour
· 2 tablespoons white sugar

· 1 teaspoon baking powder
· 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1 egg
· 2 tablespoons butter, melted
· cooking spray

Directions
1. Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to “sour”.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into “soured” milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.
4. Enjoy!

Nutritional Info
Calories 230 kcal 12%
Carbohydrates 32.7 g 11%
Cholesterol 72 mg 24%
Fat 8.2 g 13%
Fiber 0.8 g 3%
Protein 6.4 g 13%
Sodium 650 mg 26%

 

When you visit a Waldorf nursery or kindergarten, you notice something unique about it. There are no worksheets in hand or sight words on the walls. Waldorf teachers know language skills are built through the repetition of stories, songs and verses. They are preparing children to read and write through the spoken word.

The process of learning to read starts in Kindergarten with a focus on comprehension first, reading and writing second. Strengthening a child’s ability to create mental images of what is being said will strengthen their ability to comprehend the written word later. Deep understanding of language is the focus in the early years, rather than rote memorization of sight words or phonetics which are taken up in the early grades.

How does a Waldorf teacher build reading comprehension skills?

How does a child strengthen the ability to make mental images inwardly when stories are told? In the early childhood years, the teacher tells stories through puppet shows, stories, poems, and songs with props. The stories are told more than once: sometimes a story will be told five times using the same language, word-for-word. Waldorf teachers understand that repetition aids a child’s brain development, and the connections of billions of neural pathways in the brain are strengthened through repeated experiences.

Gradually, the puppet shows and stories will have less props until by mid-winter there are very few. As this happens, the child begins to use his/her imagination more to make inner pictures of the story. This practice of inner picturing develops over time and later is an essential part of comprehending the written word. It also aids in strengthening attention and the ability to focus.

 

Building language comprehension skills prior to reading skills is important. If one knows how to listen and comprehend what is being heard, one can then learn to read well. Rules about language will be better understood therefore more easily followed. If a child is able to make inner pictures of what is being read or spoken, comprehension will be strengthened. Reading words is not the ultimate goal at this stage, understanding them is.

In summary, Waldorf education focuses first on many modes of deep language comprehension prior to learning the specifics of reading and writing. This allows students to have a deep appreciation for and understanding of language, thereby creating confidence and deep language competencies. Ultimately, through learning in this way, students develop a strong connection with the written and spoken word.

By Anita Warren, Grades Teacher