I meant to post this earlier, because the first workshop was tonight.  But better late than never — Next week, Judy King from the South Shore Waldorf School in Nova Scotia (the closest Waldorf School to us) will be presenting a talk on “Rhythm, The Root of Discipline: Insight on Healthy Daily Rhythms.”  Details and registration at fredkid.com.

Tonight’s talk was by Marieka Chaplin, a local Frederictonian who has taught at the South Shore Waldorf School.  She’s also part of a local group looking into the possibility of starting a Waldorf School here in Fredericton.  I imagine a huge part of that is just finding out if there’s enough interested parents who could afford it.  And so, spreading the word about Waldorf, in order to get parents interested, is a primary undertaking of theirs right now.

Anyway, the talk was advertised as being about Movement in Early Childhood.  And she did talk about it.  But I’ll be honest — the talk was more an advertisement for Waldorf in general.  Which is fine, I guess, but I was hoping to get more specific and practical stuff about how to incorporate Waldorf-style movement into my childrens’ lives.

On the plus side, though, I had the great thrill of being in a room filled with like-minded people, including several homeschoolers.  Despite being back here in Fredericton for nearly two years now, we still don’t know very many other homeschoolers, so it’s reassuring to know that they are out there.

I even got up the nerve to introduce myself to one young lady who wants to homeschool her young daughter, but is understandably nervous.  It’s such a great leap to take when you don’t have strong resources around you for support and encouragement… and heck, just plain old information.  We ended up talking for a long time and will keep in touch.

Would I send my kids to a Waldorf school if one opened up here?  Probably not, I’ll be honest.   Especially for preschool/kindergarten.  The speaker tonight was making it very clear how the kindergarten environments are designed to emulate, as much as possible, a warm and loving home environment.  Why would I choose a mere emulation when I can provide a real warm and loving home environment?

But, would I take advantage if they offered day programs as an option, rather than only full-time enrollment?  Hmm.  That, I would most certainly consider!!!

Tweet This Post  Plurk This Post  Buzz This Post  Digg This Post  Reddit This Post  Stumble This Post