Introduction to Kindergarten
I visited to the wonderland that is the Kindergarten classroom at Sacramento Waldorf School for an orientation program. I had never been in the room before; I’ve only peeked over the fence to view the play yard. It was more dreamy and beautiful than I could have imagined. It was also very familiar, and I now see that the preschools Lucas has attended have modeled their design and décor on this perfect, enchanting classroom.
There are two Pre-Kindergarten/Kindergarten classes there (both comprising a mix of 4-, 5-, and 6-year-olds), and the two master teachers explained Waldorf education and provided a taste of the flavor, philosophy, and rhythm of their classes to a room full of curious, convinced, and/or skeptical parents.
After providing an overview of Waldorf education from Pre-K to 12th grade and the philosophy behind it, the teachers took us through a typical Kindergarten day. Then we got to participate in a typical circle-time—the very one that the students are currently experiencing each day at this time of year. It was a beautiful ritual/dance, with songs and poems, movement, emotion, and storytelling. Some of the parents looked uncomfortable, some wore rapt expressions on their faces. Some burly dads and pinched-looking moms followed the teacher with grace and devotion to the very end.
When circle-time ended, we were on our knees with hands resting in our laps. I didn’t mean to do it—it just slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it: “I want to go to Kindergarten!”
Everyone laughed at me.
I'm a busy freelance editor and writer, wife to Ian, and mother to two precious boys. I am living each day to the fullest and with as much grace, creativity, and patience as I can muster.
"Love doesn't just sit there like a stone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new." —Ursula K. LeGuinn
