Welcoming the Young Child (June 27- June 30, 2023)

This course will support and enrich early childhood teachers working with families and children Birth-3. Instructors include Somer Serpe, Lynn St. Pierre, Holly Koteen-Soule and Angela Zhaawanongkwe Lindstrom.

9:00-10:15

The Young Child embedded in the Cycle of the Year, Holly Koteen-Soulé and Lynn St. Pierre

10:45-11:45

*Birth to Three Child Development, Somer Serpe

11:45-1:00

Ellersiek Hand Gesture Games, Lynn St. Pierre

2:15-3:30

*Intro to Found Senses and Developmental Movement, Somer Serpe and Lynn St. Pierre

3:30-4:30

*Parent and Child Classes, Somer Serpe

4:45-6:00

*Cultural Consciousness, Angela Zhaawanongkwe Lindstrom 

Differentiation and Individualization (June 27 - June 30)

A four day workshop with Nettie Fabrie & Wim Gottenbos.

“What are today's children asking from us as teachers? What is different since Covid? How can we engage every student  in a purposeful way? We hear these questions raised everywhere. We would like to work on ways to understand what today's students’ needs are and how we can serve them in an engaging way. Not through “blanket teaching” but through individualization and differentiation! How do we do that? This is what we will explore together through activities and conversation.

8:00-9:00 

Community singing, Willie Robbins

9:00-10:15  

Groundwork: Understanding the children before us, Nettie & Wim

10:45-1:00 

Individualization and differentiation, practical activities to engage every child, Nettie & Wim 

2:30-4:00 

Artistic activities, Angela Zhaawanongkwe Lindstrom 

Cultural Consciousness in the Grade School Curriculum (July 3 - July 7)

How do we identify and uphold essential truths of Waldorf pedagogy while meeting the children in their present environment? How do we harvest from tradition while practicing responsible innovation? How do we keep education alive and relevant? In this workshop we will explore the intersection of essential indications and traditions in Waldorf education with what our modern world and the children before us are requesting. Our pedagogical explorations will work through grades 2-8. 

8:00-9:00 

Community Singing, Willie Robbins

9:00-10:15 

Balance in Teaching, Daniel Packer

10:45-11:45

Painting, Angela Zhaawanongkwe Lindstrom 

11:45-1:00

Exploring curriculum in the light of Cultural Consciousness, Camille Hines

2:15-3:30 

Visual Arts, Angela Zhaawanongkwe Lindstrom (she/her)

3:30-4:30 

Improv and Rhythmic Activities, Camille Hines & faculty

4:45-6:00

Cultural Consciousness, Indigenous perspectives, Angela Zhaawanongkwe Lindstrom 

Bringing Cultural Consciousness through Stories and Puppetry (July 10 - July 14)

This course is designed for practicing EC and GS primary teachers who are interested in deepening their own awareness of diversity and inclusion and learning how to bring cultural consciousness themes to children through stories and puppetry. Instructors include Cecelia McCellan, Camille Hines, Somer Serpe and Holly Koteen-Soule, Daniel Stokes.

9:00-10:15

Exploring & celebrating our diversity of cultural heritages, Faculty

10:45-12:00

*Inner Work of Cultural Consciousness and Social Justice, Faculty 

12:00-1:00

Inclusive Puppetry, Cecelia McCellan

2:15-3:30

*Community Building, Holly Koteen-Soulé

3:30-4:30

*Speech, Daniel Stokes

4:45-6:00

*Bringing Cultural Consciousness through Stories, Faculty

Creative Speech Intensive (July 11 - July 13) 

A three day workshop with Craig Giddens, Daniel Stokes & Bonnie Freundlich.

Speech is the main instrument of the teacher whose speech patterns are absorbed by the children - every day, every hour, for years. When mastered, speech can be a most powerful means for guiding children through daily activities, making classroom management invisible, and can provide soul-spiritual nourishment, not only through enlivened images of story and poetry but through the very movement within living speech that enhances life forces and nurtures imagination.

9:00-10:15 

Speech and outer movement, Daniel Stokes

11:00-12:30 

Speech and inner movement, Craig Giddens

2:00-3:00 

Eurythmy, Bonnie Freundlich

3:30-5:00 

Telling the Story, Speech as pedagogy, Craig Giddens

The Essentials for the Grades (Jul 17 - July 21)

Betsy Weill and Camille Hines. This will be an intensive four-hour online class for individual grades, seeking to give teachers a grounding in the WHY, WHAT, and HOW for each grade. We will explore the physical, social, and soul development of the child that shines forth in that particular grade. We will look at the blocks that are indicated for each grade and gain an understanding of how those subjects support and nurture that child's development. We will speak about how those subjects can be brought to the class, as well as practical considerations. 

Participants will receive a list of resources to assist the teacher in exploring the subjects further and guide them in their preparations. There will be time for participants to bring their individual questions. In August there will be an additional two-hour online class as a follow-up time to explore these subjects and bring questions that may arise as one prepares for the coming year.

The fee for participation in one Grade level class is $150 including the four hour class in July and two hour follow up session in August.

Cultural Consciousness (July 3 - July 7)

Kenya Strong finds her deepest joy in helping others reach their greatest potential. She carries all of her life experiences into her services to help her connect with her students and colleagues. She has a Masters degree in Education and a Waldorf certification. As a Certified Life Coach and consultant to support families adjusting to our shifting social paradigm, she brings more than twenty five years of teaching and service experience. During her Waldorf teaching years, Kenya founded and chaired her school’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee to help move her community into relevant and timely transformation. She continues her growth and work to bring equality and social justice to the forefront of education.