Support Learning at Chrysalis Praccal Ways to ... - Chrysalis School

eMeRGeAutumn issue 2013A publicaon ofChrysalis School forRudolf Steiner EducaonInside:Support Learning at ChrysalisPraccal Ways to Support your ChildMusic and the Evoluon of ConsciousnessA Picture of Music at Chrysalis 2013There’s More to Educaon than Manufacturing ResultsPage 1Storytelling and Memory

Autumn is a-comingAutumn wind came stealingThrough the woods one day,And creeping round the tree, he stoleTheir beauty all away.He tore their russet dresses,Combed off their golden hair.He blew away the taered bits,And le them brown and bare.Autumn winds are sighing,Stealing through the forest brown,As they soly pass the tree trunksLile leaves come falling down.But a stronger gale is blowingAnd then the leaves themselvesRise and dance about the forestJust like lile elves.Faster, faster see them whirlingTill the gale has passed.One by one the red leafletsSink to rest at last.Kytka Jezek(Kytka is also known as the founderof Waldorf Homeschoolers)Front Cover Credit: Gardening in KindyPhoto by Gail Spro.Chrysalis School: PO Box 425 Bellingen NSW 2454 Ph~6655 8616 fax~6655 8561email ~ admin@chrysalis.nsw.edu.au website ~ www.chrysalis.nsw edu.auPage 2

Table of contentsSome Seasoned Thoughts Page 5Educaon Reflecon Page 6Report from the Board Page 6College Report Page 7Playgroup Page 8Lile Kindy Page 9Kindergarten Page 10Praccal Ways to Support your Child Page 11Class 1 Page 13Class 2 Page 14Class 3 Page 15Empathy for the Child Between 9 and 12 Years Page 15A Picture of Music at Chrysalis 2013 Page 16Class 4 Page 19Class 5 Page 19There’s More to Educaon than Manufacturing Results Page 20Class 6/7 Page 22Class 8 Page 23Support Learning at Chrysalis Page 25In the Garden with Jane Page 26Music and the Evoluon of Conciousness Page 26Christopher Clouder and the European Council Page 28Storytelling, Memory and the Evoluon of Consciousness Page 30Back Cover: ‘St. Michael and the Dragon’Detail from the Bell Tower: the 2012 Class 3 Building Project. Page 32Mandala by Tallulah: Class 6 - Geometry Main LessonPage3

Some Seasoned ThoughtsEditorial: The Educaonal Manager is the Editor of eMeRGe on behalf of the College and Faculty.As eMeRGe will be educaonal in nature it will include; class informaon concerned withthe main lessons, arcles of interest for parents, drawings, poems, stories from students, aswell as informaon from pernent organisaons involved in Steiner Educaon. Comments onthe layout and informaon are welcome. Email – educaon@chrysalis.nsw.edu.au.Flood waters Page 4at Hobarts’s Bridge near Chrysalis this autumn

Have you noced...........The change in the breeze,The new coolness in the airThat the light is changingThe shortening of the days…That night approaches a lile quicker…..That a new energy abounds?…….and so the memories of those cooler transionalmonths are revived. Although the many shades of greenare sll strong for us here in the Bellinger valley.....whilesll somewhat waterlogged. The last cropping of thefields have just about been completed and one can beginto find the occasional autumn coloured leaf on the rainsoaked ground.Summer has almost expended itself…. The garden ispeaking and will need renewing .....as do we…………a good me to inwardly and outwardly take stock andbegin preparaons for the winter to come…….In the days of yore the harvest was an important me……it was all about preparing for the outer winter when foodwould grow scarce …. The cellars would be filled with allof the non perishables & fruit preserves, while things likeeggs and root vegetables were stored in such a way thatthey would last longer. The animals were brought closerand the wood was chopped in preparaon for the comingmonths. Every family was dependant on what they hadgrown harvested or traded the whole winter through.For most of us, our lifestyles have changed, and yet wesll have the same needs as those of our forbears ….weare just further removed from seasonal realies….. Manyof us do not know where the wild crops grow, or evenwhat they look like , nor do we work the land, or collectfresh spring water or share communal wells. Others nowdo the farming and it is possible to receive food fromfaraway places regardless of the season. .….In fact it would be easy to forget the importance of ourconnecon and interdependency with nature totally unlsomething happens which puts a halt to what we havebecome used to......We are very fortunate to be reminded of this wheneverthere is a flood, power cut, when we run out of wood orcandles.....We can though, as adults, choose to hold an atude ofreverence and thankfulness for all we have .....but ourchildren need “real” first hand experiences in praccalways to grow a love for the earth and all that it holds ...weare aer all made up of the elements found here.We can help them to do this in simple and praccal waysin every season of the year by helping their senses comealive by being out in nature and to experience fully whatis happening....This could include running through fallen leaves ...rakingthem up in mounds ...composng scraps, having animals....digging in the garden, growing vegetables, eang whatyou grow, enjoying the flowers and picking them andarranging them for your table . Create small ceremoniesof thankfulness at every meal and with every season andof course every me they come running in with somethingnew to show you that they have found.The list is endless....So during this changing of the seasons I encourage youto go on a special adventure with your child/ren andsupport them to find some gis from nature for ourHarvest fesval table which is already being created.Now is also a wonderful me to begin your own fesvaltable …..Or reinvigorate your own nature table at home.So to begin ….Firstly, find a place that is central but not in the way fordaily acvies … clear the space/surfaceSecondly, find a piece of natural light coloured fabric tocreate the space….iron if necessary and spread it out in anorganic fashion… covering the area you have given over tothis special acvity.Thirdly, bring a candle and candle holder and then let thewonder begin by you finding something connected to theseason. This could be a picture or a……?Fourthly, now watch and see what comes ….I am sure your children as mine did will bring manywonders for you to enjoy through the years to come.P.S Yes you will need to carry it …re enliven it …it is allabout us as adults creang the space for the childrento fill with life. You also might need to direct how manywonders from each walk comes in …eg.”…They are allbeauful, Choose two to take inside ….”Then of course you can have an outside nature corner too.I am sure, sewing these seeds now, and helping thechildren stay connected to nature will help to bring newideas and deeper understandings of this world for thefuture .Enjoy the turning of the seasons,Much love, Gail SproChrysalis Kindergarten TeacherPage 5

ing a presence within Bellingen. TheBoard’s decision to support a richcurriculum in areas such as musichas allowed Chrysalis to con-nue to offer a unique andhighly regarded educa-on alternave withinour community. Weconnue to investin our teachers,offering professionalexperienceand mentoring,believing theirdevelopment isfundamental toproviding a qualitylearning environment.We also investin our infrastructure.In recentyears the Schoolhas made a strongfinancial commitmentto ensuringour facilies are wellcared for and that theyconnue to be a nurturingenvironment for ourchildren. The opportunity ofgrant funding and capital investmentin things such as the SchoolHall needs to be supported with acommitment to maintaining those faciliesin a challenging environment.New roofs and refurbished floors protectour assets and maintain a specialplace for our children’s development.I’m told that it’s an old Chinese cursethat “May you live in interesngmes”. With educaon funding beinga major naonal issue, there willconnue to be challenges; however,the Board is confident the School iswell placed to take advantage of thedeveloping opportunies. Watch thisspace!Tim FryChairLife isMaintenanceCollege ReportWhat a favour we dofor our children whenwe show them the joyof everyday tasks. Youngchildren love to mimic us inour daily routines. Sharingthe rewards of our daily worknow will help them enjoytheir maintenance dutieswhen they get older. It mayalso teach them that thegoal is not to be finished,but rather to determinethe right balance ofwork, play, andrest.The College Of Teachers is a groupof teachers who meet weekly,aspiring to uphold thespiritual impulse of WaldorfEducaon and tosupport the school’smanagement on issueswith a strongpedagogical basis.It goes withoutsaying that thisyear has begunwith a SPLOSHand a WHOOSH!Rather then aBANG!We shouldthough all begrateful, that nosignificant damagefell on ourlile town andcommunity. Thosewild winds and roaringwaters certainly remindedus of our place inrelaonship to the forces ofnature. May we show them andthe higher powers the respect theydeserve.For teachers, flood school has had asignificant impact. Just like parents,we did not know unl each morningwhere we would be teaching and thisrequired a great amount of flexibilityand resourcefulness to plan lessonsand acvies with minimal resources.This was especially true of thelower grades.The short length of the day is the onlyway a teacher in these grades wouldbe able to run engaging and meaningfulacvies for the students.Teachers at Chrysalis School takegreat pride in delivering lessons whichengage their students. This takes aparcular flavour in Steiner Schoolsas we work to enliven a child’s thinking,feeling and willing.With each of our lessons there arethree components.A willing or acvity component, whichusually involves wring, moving,painng, singing, acng or drawing,is the outward aspect of the learning.The element that requires the child tophysically do something.The feeling component is the story(which may be directly connectedwith the outcome or perhaps just astory that the children love) or engagementin an arsc acvity whichsmulates the child’s emoonal life.This is an important part of the lesson,as when children’s feelings areengaged they can take the wholelesson more deeply into themselves.Most of our strongest memories areof experiences in which our emoonswere engaged.The thinking component of the lessonis that which challenges the childto problem solve or engage morestrongly in recalling previous relevantmaterial. This takes on different ageappropriate forms. In Class 1 for example,simply asking a child to recallthe previous day’s story or the nameof a leer, engages their thinking andcan be taxing enough on some children.From what I have heard teachers reportback from their me at floodschool, an excellent job was done inconnuing to deliver these three aspectsto the children in exceponalcircumstances and without our muchloved art and cra supplies.Well doneto all and let’s hope those tropicalweather paerns stay out to sea.Warm regards,James DeeoltsCollege ChairPage7

PlaygroupPlaygroupWe have started the year with onlyone playgroup on Friday mornings. Ithas proved very popular though andour numbers are up to the limit. It’s awonderful happy group and when allthe families are together and the lilechildren are having their playme theroom seems to hum.As always, the baking of bread rolls isa favorite acvity, followed closely byplaying in the sand pit. The story is alwaysmuch enjoyed especially by theolder ones. With all the wet weatherwe have some rainy songs and mudverses along with our sunny ones(mud rhymes so well with flood)Now Easter is on the way and MotherHen has laid three eggs. Off she goesto tell her friends in the farmyard. LittlePig is rolling in the mud, Lile Duckis swimming on her pond but LileRabbit understands this special eventand so together they jump for joy.For our Easter celebraon on our lastmorning, we will go out for an Easteregg hunt through the trees, wherelile baskets of felted wool eggs willbe hidden in suitable places for veryyoung ones to suddenly find. No explanaonwill be needed as MotherHen has already provided a suitablepicture for the young ones to hold intheir hearts.I would like to say something aboutthe Three Rs of Early Childhood andPage 8how our playgroupacvies are moldedand informedby them. They are:Rhythm, Rouneand Regularity andthis term I’ll writeabout the playgroupRhythm.We are most familiarwith rhythm inmusic and poetry. Itis most useful hereto think of thoserhythms which change, the short,short, long of the waltz. For instance,how light it makes us feel, as if wecould float around the room and almostbe swirled away by the music.The heaviness of a march with a strictunvarying ming is very different.In our own bodies we have manyrhythms; heartbeat, breath, the metabolicrhythms of each organ, ourday/night rhythms and so on. Forthe young child all these rhythms areirregular and unseled. They havenot had me yet to develop into thesteady healthy pulse of life that asadults we take for granted. In ourplaygroup, we endeavor throughthe sequence ofacvies togradually beginto bring orderlinessinto thechild’s bodilyrhythms.Through themany differentacvies duringthe morningthere is acontractingand then an expansive quality. Likebreathing in then out again. Bakingthe bread is an in-breathing moment,while inside general playme is anexpansive, out-breathing me duringwhich it is good for them to feel thatthey can play according to their ownfancy and enjoyment. Although theymay seem to be quietly concentratingon sand pit play, their ideas arecoming from within themselves andare not imposed from outside (hopefully).This is quite different to themoments of bread making when theyare asked to sit up to the table andgradually learn to copy the adult’smovements. Here the idea comesfrom outside the child.The morning circle and story are alsoin-breathing, concentrated momentsand although the children enjoythese mes it is necessary to keepthem short and release the childreninto an expansive acvity before theyre.The sequence of our acvies can beseen as our rhythm. The benefits offollowing such rhythms are like thoseof the waltz, they have the abilityto li and carry the young child onwardsthrough the day without toomuch bodily exhauson. Therefore,we can see that as well as givinga gentle example or guide, the inbreathingand out-breathing rhythmsof the morning are refreshing and ina sense a form of nourishment, whichmay be felt by adults as well as thevery young.BlessingsKathy

Lile KindyWell here we are at the end of termone and all of our new children haveseled into their school life very well.It is wonderful to see the way thedaily rhythm carries the children sostrongly and brings a sense of securityand confidence to each one asthey transion through the day. Thechildren move between focused ac-vies - morning greengs, painng,baking, cra, morning circle and storyme, and free play me both insideand out, like the ebb and flow of ourin and out breath. We have also startedto hear the children connecngwith the weekly rhythm as they talkof each day in relaon to their morningtea - “Painng day is rice day, andmuffin day is birthday celebraonand sewing day”.On each day our morning-focus ac-vies see the children developingboth their gross and fine motor skills,following direcons and working creavely.Baking our buns on Tuesday isa creave and tacle exercise, in whicha ball of dough is transformed into ahuge variety of three dimensional objects.As we bake, we sing our bakingsong, helping the children to focus onthe acvity. As we conclude our bakingsession, we see the crumbs disappearfromPage 9the tablesand flooras the childrenworkindustriouslywithdustpansand brushes,beforethey foldup theirapronsand headoutside forplayme.On Wednesday, the childrenhave been working with thefluidity of water colour witha ‘wet-on-wet’ painng technique.Painng is also a teacherfocused acvity and conductedin a quiet way, so that the childrencan experience the moodof each colour without distrac-on. Each painng session beginswith a colour story which helps thechildren build a picture of the quali-es of each colour. It has been a joyto watch the children in their discoveriesas they play with the colouron the wet paper. The children alsopack away independently from paintingbefore they go to outside play.The children have been developingtheir fine motor skills on a Thursdaywith cra circle. We began the termwith a straight stch (dolphin stch)around a felt fish, which the childrenthen stuffed and completed with aback stch in another colour to adddetail to their finished piece. I couldonly wish to be a fly on the wall whenthe very proud children presentedtheir completed task to their families.Well done everyone. We have alsomoved on to pom-pom making, andwet felng. With a short 15 minutesession the children are able to applythemselves with concentraon andcommitment to the task, a great willstrengthening acvity.Aer our outside play experiencethe children return to the Kindyroom for Morning Circle. This termour morning circle theme has beenfocused around the seasons. At thestart of the year the children thoroughlyenjoyed our seaside circle asthey skipped, hopped and ran downto the sea, jumping over waves, lookingin rock pools and digging in thesand. The children imitate the gesturesand learn the circle by heart. Incircle me we are working with botha physical movement component aswell as language development. Therich imagery that comes from themorning circle helps to provide thechildren with wholesome pictures totake into their play experiences. Nowwe are in autumn the children havebeen working on a harvest theme. Wehave been riding our ponies aroundthe gardens and orchards, collecngapples, digging potatoes, searchingfor pumpkins and picking corn. I dohope some of these verses and songsare finding their way home. By theme you read this arcle we wouldhave celebrated the harvest fesvalwith all our friends up at the ThoraCampus. Thank you to Gail and Karenand all the big Kindy children for welcomingus into your beauful room.I would like to take this opportunityto thank Anna for taking on the roleof class carer and all of our parenthelpers for the term. Your assistanceis greatly appreciated.Warm wishes, Paige

KindergartenGreengs to all !The new school year began with anew room, new children, new parents,new colleagues and new me…but thankfully also lots of familiarfeelings and warm hearts to supportthe many processes that had to getup and running quickly…..Thank youto everyone for moving with the energyrequired to help the kindergartenfind its point of newness for this,my very first year back at Chrysalisand with Karen since my departuresix years ago .Now six weekslater, with a roomfull of children whowere born the yearof my departure, sixyears ago I feel verymuch at home…and it seems thatthey do too!At first all thoughtswere focused ongeng this magnificentkindergartenspace harmonized in the best possibleway to welcome the childrenand the parents on the first day…aseach day passes our work has connuedto strengthen and the substancebetween us to grow. I feel the weeklyand daily rhythms are now beginningto be inscribed in the space andin all of us. We begin the day witha short physical acvity and a snackthen the children come inside to do aguided acvity each day of the week.Our weekly rhythm includes drawing,sewing, wool work, baking, painng,a walk and soon to come birthdaycelebraons and wax modeling.As usual for all Steiner kindergartens,the morning tea is delicious and nutrious,aligning where possible tothe planetary grain of the day. Thechildren love to be involved in helpingeach day with the preparaon ofthese culinary delights and it is need-Page 10less to say they meet it with heartyappetes.The children have adjusted well tothe newness too! They have foundnew friends with the combining ofthe younger children, from the intown campus and the Thora campuschildren from last year and I am happyto say we will be welcoming morefriends in the near future. Cubbiesare built each day by different childrenalong with the home based play,and wonderful panoramic stories arecreated and told. Woodwork has alsoproven a wonderful acvity with all ofthese rainy days that have come ourway. Flood School worked well withthe combining of both kindergartensand created an unscheduled intown fesval of ‘meeng and being’with each other, opening the way formes together during the year . Thiswas followed by the Harvest Fesvalcombined with the Living Classroomday at Thora.This group has taken on the theme ofsummer with the sewing of lile feltsea creatures withgusto. These lilefelt puppets arecharacters fromour story ‘Hermitthe Crab’. Whenthey take themhome at the endof the term I amsure the childrenwill enjoy retelling the story as wellas make up new ones for themselves.From the ocean waves and all theyhold….. we have now moved on toour Harvest circle of songs, poemsand games along with a quaint storyabout turning plums into apples…..Today we went on a walk in searchof things to harvest……what an assortmentof edibles and useful herbswe found…. a banana palm, guavas,grapefruit and ice cream bean trees.We sniffed some thyme, sage, lemonscented geraniums, and pineapplesage. We nibbled on some asparagus,rubbed some aloe veraon our arms, harvested somelemon grass, picked some leavesoff the macadamia trees, weate the lillipillis on the spot andshared our buckets full of starfruit with Class Five. What a wonderfuladventure and we haven’tgone past the kitchen level yet!In the days to come we willconnue to have harvest walksaround the school and a lile beyondto Alice’s farm up the bush trackand the Homelands Bamboo foreststo harvest bamboo to use in the outsideplay area. There is me now todevelop the outdoor space, so wehave begun to pick up where we leoff last year with the planng of flowersthat you brought to the transionfesval. More flowers and vines havebeen planted and an outside kitchenhas been established which is in dailyuse with the making of many poons…while fairy gardens abound in thequieter reaches. The sandpit is also

a hub of involvement with much diggingand making of great engineeringfeats ….oohs and ahhs accompanysome magic moments as they standspellbound watching what happensas the water cascades through whatthey have made.In the near future I will be calling forthose who would like to help in abamboo harvest…I would love to tryand build a boat with the children….oh yes and before I almost forget,are there any “kniers” out therewho would love to help us in someoutdoor aesthecs?Best wishes to all GailPraccal ways to supportyour child - Pung ourchild’s needs firstSteiner Educaon aims to provide adaily rhythm which renews and invigoratesa child, incorporang a con-nued balance between acvity andrest as well as thinking and creavity.Here are some praccal ways thatyou can connue working with theserhythms at home, focussing on restand rhythm. Hopefully these pscan help with your parenng role ofbringing balance to the child aerthey have gone out into the world.The world being the academic andsocial realm of school life. Most behaviourissues can be traced back toa child who is not receiving enoughrest & nutrion or a rhythm (eitherin class or at home) that is not heldstrongly.Page 11RhythmRhythm is an essenal part of keepinga baby healthy and connues tobe important in children of schoolage. Our vital bodily systems relyon rhythm in order to funcon. Allteachers recognise the importanceof a strong rhythm in the classroomand this can be further supported bya strong rhythm in the home. Imaginewhat a classroom would be likeif lunch and recess were at differentmes each day and where the childrenand the teacher didn’t knowwhat subject was going to be taughtnext!There is quite a difference betweenrhythm and roune. We can look toour bodies for guidance on what thedifference is. What does it mean tohave a healthy digesve process ormenstrual cycle? – It is not abouteverything happening at exactly thesame me, but it is something lesstangible. Rhythm is breathing andalive while roune can become deadand empty. Rhythm relies on an intui-ve sense while roune can be like aset of empty rulesRhythm includes:• Time apart - me together• Predictability• Repeon• School rhythm• Sleep rhythmTime apart/me together – Schoolacvies work on many rhythms,there are mes for group work, independentwork and partnered work.A rhythm in the house hold can usesimilar rhythms: me for independentplay; me for reading a bookwith dad; me for playing with a sibling.Whilst these rhythmsare useful in your householdfor their own sake,they will also support yourchild to be prepared forthe rhythms that exist atschool. It is also useful toarculate to your childwhat acvies they cando. This becomes especiallyimportant as the “I’mbored” statements begin.Predictability and security - emo-onal security comes from the predictabilitythat rhythm brings. In thehome, when a child knows that storycomes aer dinner or quiet playcomes aer breakfast, a child experiencesstability. Anxious children areparcularly supported by the predictabilitythat comes with rhythm. Thechildren in our class need this explicitlyat school, not just verbally, butalso in pictures and words. Childrenalso find security in knowing what ac-vies are available for them to do:“You can now play outside with yourscooter, read a book on your bed orplay with your doll’s house.”Repeon – as we have experiencedwhen our child asks us to re-readtheir favourite story again and again,children are reassured and nourishedby repeon. The repeon of ourdaily rhythm and parcular acvieswithin that rhythm (such as a blessingbefore meals, or washing handsbefore dinner) whether in the classroomor the home supports and preparesour child for the next acvity.School Rhythm –It is useful to knowwhat the rhythm of the school day isas your child’s eang habits will beauned to this. School rhythm: bus

me- 8.30; morning fruit me– 9.15;recess – 11.15; lunchme 12.45; andschool finishes at 2.45.Sleep rhythm – how easily our childgoes to sleep is oen determinedby what kind of rhythmwe have for ending theday and the sllnesswe hold in thehouse. Shungthe blinds, dimmingthe lightsand adopnga sense ofquiet, are allexternal ac-ons whichreflect theinternalprocessesour childneeds to gothrough inorder to sleepwell and berested for thefollowing day ofschool.RestIt is essenal for a child’s vitalforces that they receive adequaterest. It is useful for this to becomea pracse in the household as this isan important way that we bring balanceto our child aer and during theschool week.Rest includes:• Adequate sleep• Reduced smulaonand emoonal digeson me• Convalescence• A Sabbath• External treatmentsAdequate sleep - On average a 7 yearold child should be sleeping 11-12hours per night. Sleep is a vital andrejuvenang part of a child’s day.A new roune may need to be setso that our child goes to bed earlierin order to awake early enough forschool.If you are having difficulty with achild’s (under 9) sleeping habits orwith keeping rhythm in the home,Page 12please consult Melanie Deeolts forsupport on 0407 327 812. Many behaviouraland emoonal difficulescan be solved through working withsleep and rhythm.Reduced smulaon – Thisinvolves ensuring thatour child’s senses arenot bombardedby acvies thatover smulatethem without“down me”following. Ifyour familyhas hada day fullof acvity,ensure thatthis is followedbya rest day.Our schoolday revolvesaround thisprinciple – wefollow each smulangacvity by aninward acvity. Thisteaches children how toexperience both inward andoutward acvity and teaches themhow to bring themselves back tosense of equilibrium.Children that are over smulated orwho have not learnt how to bringthemselves back to equilibrium aeroutward acvity, find it difficult toconcentrate at school.Children digest or process their experiencesoen through play, and soquiet me playing, drawingand reading is really usefulaer the school dayfor them to process theiracademic and emoonalexperiences. You will findthat you will not really beable to engage your childin conversaon about theirday but that through quietme, they will digest theday in their own way. Thisleads to resul sleep.Convalescence – This isone of the most importantmes during illness which is seldomhonoured in our busy society. Thisis the period immediately followingsickness where our body rejuvenatesaer the bale that it has just had.This is especially important in ourchildren.A Sabbath – With capitalism replacingreligion in our society, the Sabbathor rest day has disappeared. Ihave fond memories of childhoodSundays when the shops were closedand our family didn’t go anywhere!Mum and dad would do gardeningand I would play. We can sll createthis for our family and a quiet Sundayis perfect preparaon for a Mondayfilled with learning.External treatments – treatmentssuch as lemon footbaths, spaghnioils, camomile compresses and nutrionalbaths are excellent ways ofsupporng your child to rest, especiallywhen they are struggling withthis. Next year Chrysalis will be runningworkshops on these and FionaMackenzie (an anthroposophic homeopathwho consults in our areaand with many families in our school)can also provide guidance with these.Bookings can be made with her on6687 2207.If you would like to work more deeplywith any of these areas, I am happyto direct you to therapists or literaturethat can deepen your parenngpracce. My email is jimmyinbello@bigpond.com.With Blessings,James Deeolts

Class 1Term one has been an excing introduconto formal learning for ClassOne. I have enjoyed gently stretchingthe children in different direcons.When given a challenge, the childrenhappily accept it and revel in theirachievements.We began the term with a FormDrawing main lesson, which was afantasc way for me to establish goodwork habits – posture, pencil grip etcand to assess areas in which individualsneed support.We then launched into the Introduc-on to Capital Leers main lesson.This has been excing for the groupas we explore the leers, throughstory, movement, gesture and modelling.The same story character from ourfirst main lesson, Prince Valiant, hasconnued his adventures in the secondmain lesson and I am oen metwith “that’s too short” when I completeeach instalment.It’s excing to watch the childrenbegin to see the world around themwith new eyes. At the bus stop oneaernoon, a child began to namethe leers in the word HALL on thesign post. He then managed to putthe sounds together and worked outwhat it said! He was happy with himselfto say the least!The children have also been busy withcra. Our first cra project for theyear is completed- a library bag. Thechildren were parcularly movatedby the news that once everyone hadPage 13completed their bagthey would be ableto borrow books.In maths, the childrenhave beenworking with patterns,in prepara-on for their Introduconto Numbersmain lesson. Thechildren have usedmovement, song and found objectsto create paerns of various sizes –AB, ABC, ABCD and even ABCDE patterns!Class One’s painng lessons have alsobeen delighul! The lessons have revolvedaround the beginning of mewhen there was no colour – therewas only black and white. The ColourAngels were sent to the earth and inour painngs we are exploring howthe colours interact. So far we haveworked with lemon yellow and goldyellow – Colour Angels of the samefamily, and how even though they arepart of the same family, theyboth have different qualies.A last note on the floods….Ihave learnt a great deal fromthem. Namely, that I can’tcontrol everything, and in theend there are forces muchgreater then me at work. Themore I try to fight against thisfact the harder life becomes.Materialisc thinking tries toconvince us that we can be in chargeand influence outcomes but this oftenleads to a more painful journey.So I would like to publicly thank therain, the silt, the wind and MotherNature for geng me down on myknees in surrender.JamesThe Floods - By Rudyard KiplingThe rain it rains without a stayIn the hills above us, in the hills;And presently the floods break wayWhose strength is in the hills.The trees they suck from every cloud,The valley brooks they roar aloud--Bank-high for the lowlands, lowlands,Lowlands under the hills!The first wood down is sere andsmall,From the hills--the brishings off thehills;And then come by the bats and allWe cut last year in the hills;And then the roots we tried to cleaveBut found too tough and had toleave--Polng down the lowlands, lowlands,Lowlands under the hills!The eye shall look, the ear shall harkTo the hills, the doings in the hills!And rivers mang in the darkWith tokens from the hills.Now what is weak will surely go,And what is strong must prove it so--Stand Fast in the lowlands, lowlands,Lowlands under the hills!The floods they shall not be afraid--Nor the hills above ‘em, nor the

hills--Of any fence which man has madeBetwixt him and the hills.The waters shall not reckon twiceFor any work of man’s device,But bid it down to the lowlands, lowlands,Lowlands under the hills!The floods shall sweep corruponclean--By the hills, the blessing of the hills--That more the meadows may begreenNew-mended from the hills.The crops and cale shall increase,Nor lile children shall not cease.Go--plough the lowlands, lowlands,Lowlands under the hills!Page 14Class 2Already we feel the crispnessof Autumn mornings. The childrencollect the harvest bountyfrom around the schoolstarfruits and macadamianuts being very popular! I seethe fruing of last year’s workin my beauful class reflected in theirlove of learning. It is excing to watchthem devour books, solve problems,play recorder, sing and play act. Theyare a vibrant and enthusiasc group!!We had a joyous beginning to theterm with a Science based main lessonwhich explored the elements ofwater and air, and provided the opportunityfor lots of outdoor workand visits to the river. The childrenthoroughly enjoyed learning aboutthe Water Cycle through Droppo, alile drop of water who lives a life ofadventure! They conducted experimentswith celery and dye,made bubbles and watched thewhole water cycle (in one day)when the sun evaporated thewater in their dishes and therain filled them up again! It tooksome commied team work tobuild dams down at the river.The children also experimentedwith channelling water andadding their water wheels. Theyhad fun leng their bambooras go and catching them again!! Itwas humbling to see how quickly theriver changed from our place of play,to a swollen, raging torrent. A greatway for the children to learn aboutthe power and beauty of mother nature– and a perfect ending to an excingmain lesson.The children experienced the excitementof flood school, where theyheard the story of Tiddalik the frogwho created a drought/flood. Wemade masks and later came togetherto dramase the story and have agood laugh with all the animals fromthe story. Good medicine really!!!We have since moved onto a Mathemagicsmain lesson. The childrenare exploring the links between numberpaerns in mulplicaon throughthe eyes of the 12 healing gnomes.The healing gnomes gather healingherbs and provide first aid to all thecreatures of the forest. Each plantcorresponds with a mulplicaonpaern. The gnomes learn the secrethealing chants that correspondwith the herbs (and with mulplica-on paerns) and so do Class Two!!Teaching mathemacs is fun! There islots of movement and exploraon ofnumber through games. The childrenrespond so beaufully to exploratorybased learning and to lots of smallgroup and partner work. There areso many opportunies for taking it inturns, sharing and helping each otherout. A metaphor for life really!As you are reading this arcle wewill have begun to have some funwith animal fables. This is essenallya wring main lesson which meetsthe children’s stage of inner development.At this stage in their developmentthe children relate to animalsas brothers and sisters who can speakand act as human beings. Throughstory and drama we will explore thenature of many animals and in doingso will allow the children to exploredifferent aspects of themselves. Thechildren thoroughly enjoy taking onanimal characters through play act-

ing. So we will be sharing lots of fablesand bringing them to life throughdrama and verse. We will also createa gorgeous lile book of fables whichwill have lile animal puppets thechildren can move to retell the story.The change in seasons and all theflooding makes me appreciate evenmore the natural beauty surroundingthe children and I every day. It is magicalto look out at the waterfalls andthe ever changing mist on the mountainswhilst being cocooned in such abeauful room. We are blessed.Warm regards,LizClass 3Happy autumn!Class Three have seled beaufullyinto their new classroom environmentthis term. We welcome ourthree new children and their families;Catrine, Lydia and Mahew. We areall looking forward to a very praccalhands on year with all of our farming,gardening and house building acvi-es, which are part of the class threePage 15curriculum.Our first main lesson block for theyear was “Creaon Stories”. We allenjoyed the imaginave world ofthe seven days of creaon and thejourney of Adam and Eve to Earth.Aer each story was told and thenre-told the children drew their ownbeaufully illustrated pictures andpracced their cursive wring. Wehave been painng the seven daysof creaon during our weekly paintinglessons and are learning someexcellent painng techniques. Thishas been a valuable experience todeepen and further solidify the creaonstories.Other groundbreaking news this termhas been the introducon of violins.There was great excitement the daywe got our violins (me included). Wehave been enjoying counng in BahasaIndonesia andlearning some Indonesiansongs duringmorning circle. Thechildren in the classlove to read andare enjoying keepingtrack of theirreading with theirindividual readinglogs. The childrenlove doing BothmerGym, as theirbodies connue togrow rapidly duringthis me. Crawith Kamala is progressingbeaufullyas we master the art of crochet andwe love our weekly recorder sessionswith Cathy and singing sessions withKym and Class Four. We are very busyindeed.A big thank you to all the parentsfor your warm welcomeat the beginning of the yearand support during the term.It is much appreciated. I amlooking forward to all thatnext term has to bring in ClassThree!Warm regards,AllieEmpathy for the ChildBetween 9 and 12 yearsBy James DeeoltsBetween the ages of 9 and 12 ourchildren begin to experience life quitedifferently than before. This periodmarks the beginning of the developmentof their feeling life. For parentsthis can be a me of confusion especiallyif too much emphasis is placedon the child’s changeable feelings.Developing a repertoire of soul experiencesIn the first stage of childhood (0-7years), children are busy developingtheir physical body. They engage inmuch physical acvity and learn howto use their body and speech in theworld. To them, they are unconsciousand unclear of their feelings. Childrencan learn to arculate the most basicof feelings related to the physicalbody, like anger andhunger but they areunable to truly havean individual, consciousexperience oftheir feelings. Whenwe compare thecomplexity of theteenager’s experienceof the feelinglife with the youngchild we can seethe sophiscaonand maturity yet tocome.Between the ages of9 and 12, the child’s feeling life goesthrough an upheaval in preparaonfor the coming sophiscaon of adolescence.We see polaries of feeling– one minute extremely angry or upset,the next singing and playing quietlyby themselves. These polariescause confusion for the child and theadults around them.Removing ObstaclesAs parents we want to take awaywhatever is causing our children grief.These “obstacles” though are reallyopportunies for growth and(connued on page 18)

A Picture of Music at Chrysalis 2013Ifyou weredrawn to wanderaround the upperreaches of the School onany Wednesday afternoonyou would find your visionsof waterfalls and forestedescarpments accompaniedby magnificent raw andfocused soundscapesLizzy Sco and the String Ensemblecomprising of 36 violin, viola andcello players…………and Ethan theone and only piano virtuosoCharloeLow andthe brandnew ChrysalisSchoolQuartetLucas Dollisson and the Class8 Ukulele EnsembleCathy Bowerand theRecorderExtravaganzaPage 16

Jessamin Briner and the funky poec rappers!SeanDaniel andthe class4 JugglingMarimbaBandIf it were a Wednesday morning, youwould find Class Three children teachingtheir class teacher to play the violin…Or showingtheirbeaufulviolinposturesand bowholds…Or having a lile concert……..or making fiddle mandalas…. maybehavinga lessonwithJannelleTaylor……Even Bach’sMinuets areable to riseevocavelyfrom themould of agood flood!Page 17

preparaon. This period from 9-12 isthe me when our children need toexperience many different feelings.As adults we understand that feelingscome in many colours and hues and,difficult as it may be, this is the mewhen our children begin to learn thisfor themselves.Allowing our children to experience arange of feelings at this stage of lifeprepares them for when they will inevitablymeet these feelings in laterlife. Our children at this age are ableto be nurtured and held close whilstthey deepen their range of emoonalexperiences, which is much moredifficult to do when they are adolescents.Children need to experienceand understand: loneliness, acceptance,exclusion, anger, hurt, joy andlove. The best way we can supportthem is not to take away the learningopportunies provided by theirrelaonships, but to support themlovingly through them.Empathy not sympathyLet your child know you understandwhat they are experiencing withoutlosing objecvity. Adults need toshow the child that they will becomethe master of their feelings and thiscan only be modelled through empathynot sympathy. When we are insympathy, we pour ourselves into ourchild’s experience and lose objecvity.Our child’s feelings become theonly truth. When we are in empathy,we understand what our child’s experienceis but also see that this ispart of a bigger process. We can thenreassure them that this will pass andthat this experience is a natural partof life.Page 18Put your ‘self’ asideAs parents we strive to beselfless in our love of ourchildren. yet it is easy forus to put our own emo-onal baggage onto ourchildren’s experience ofthis stage of life. Whenwe see them experiencea feeling that we are notat peace within ourselves,we find it difficult to standstrong for them in a stateof empathy. In doing thiswe are no longer serving our individualchild’s needs but are pung our‘self’ onto their experience. Exclusionis a great example of this – when wesee our child upset about being excluded,it is common for parents torevisit their own experiences of thisfrom their childhood which blurs howthey deal with this situaon.Losing faith in the teacherAs children pass through the stage of9-12 years, they begin to not only experiencetheir personal world of feelingsin all its hues but also the worldaround them. They begin to see theadults around them as having faultsand inadequacies and push themaway. As parents this can be confrontingand can make it even more difficultto stay in empathy rather thensympathy. When we are in sympathywe are experiencing a bonding withour child which may feel nice but itis a bonding based on something thatis untrue – i.e a feeling experience ofa 9-12 year old. The truth of this experienceis that it is a passing feelingexperience to help deepen our child’sunderstanding ofthe range of emo-ons of life.It is common forparents of class 3children (the mostdramac peak ofthe 9-12 year oldperiod), to seekthis bonding experiencein theirchild’s experienceof school, theirclass and theirteacher.At Chrysalis’ Regional Conference,Lisa Romero described how parentsof children in Class One join in theirchildren’s love of the teacher but oftenby Class Three begin to experiencethe fears and concerns of theirchildren and can oen band togetherin a “witch hunt” against the teacher.It is important at this me of thechildren’s lives to show them consistencyand understanding for theother. What do we want our childrento learn about when it comes to recognisingpeople’s inadequacies? Ifwe want them to develop an understandingof what uncondional loveand support looks like, then we needto model this in the way that we dealwith our response to our child whenthey begin to idenfy inadequaciesin the other. The way that we handleconcerns about class teachers is anopportunity for this. It’s also importantto again see the big picture andrealise that concerns that arise at thisme will pass as they are a necessarypart of the 9-12 year old experience.The period of childhood aer 9 yearscan be one of the most tumultuousfor parents and children. If we, asparents, strive to stay in our “bigger”self, we should be able to meet ourchildren with empathy, consciousnessand most importantly love.References:Between Form and Freedom- Bey StaleyPhases of Childhood– Bernard LievegoodEncountering The Self– Herman Koepke

Class 4Term 1 has tested and taught us manythings especially about each other.The class connuesto grow as individualsand as agroup. They constantlyhelp, care,learn and respondin posive andnegave ways asthey socially andemoonally wonderat and constructtheir 9-10year old universe.We have beenplaying co-operave games such askings and queens, dodge ball, handball,lions den, buzz, pop/zap andtheir favourite the Viking game.They began the year with a NorseMyth English main lesson “Gods,Giants and Heroes”. They were soexcited to listen to the stories andthen express their imaginave understandingon paper by drawing, painting,wring or reading short stories.Our second main lesson has beenextended due to the makeup days offlood school; the mathemacs mainlesson that introduces Fracons. Thisis such a fun main lesson, we beginby learning about the whole andhow this can be fractured into manypieces/slices. Duringthis parcularme (Rubiconcrossing) childreninternally experiencethemselvesas a whole withmany parts. Theyare singular, yetalso belong toa family, class,Page 19school, community and theworld. Children deepen theirunderstanding by looking at familiarfracons in everyday life,like their physical body, seasons,me, cooking and music. In classchildren have made pizzas, muffins,cakes and pies and havecut up watermelon, bananas,chocolate biscuits and oranges.They have also been introducedto adding and subtracng thesefoods too with eager aenon, especiallywhen they subtract it into theirbellies!Children enjoyed flood school andbeing stationedmainly atmy house,Pos especiallyenjoyedtheir company.Theyvisited thelibrary,p l a y -groundand the local museum. They lovedseeing the old machinesused for prinng a newspaper,the buer churners,nursing equipment andphotos of Bellingen town.Our final main lesson relatesto history and exploresthe white selement ofAustralia and the history ofthe indigenous people. Theclass will have a one day excursioninvolving acviesin Coffs Harbour and a sleepover at avery special place. It has been a greatterm filled with many warm hugs,highlights, insights and love. Fromthe beginning children have askedto record the length week by weekof the baby and have been amazedwhen comparing the measurementson their rulers. They’ve laughed eachme to think of it as a prune, orange,broccoli or a leuce.They all want tofeel it move and light up when theydo, it’s wonderful to know the lilebaby is very loved.Have a fabulous break and keep warm.Hasta la proximaClaudia xoxClass 5We have started off very well thisyear with our Ancient India main lesson.The children have been keen andhave embraced this epoch with theirusual flare. The class has always enjoyedhistory/language based mainlessons since I first met them. Theyrevelled in the Old Testament storiesin class 3, vied with the Vikings inclass 4 and this year will have themspoiled roen with the class 5 curriculumwhich focusses on four ancientcultural epochs – Ancient India, Persia,Egypt and Greece. How excing isthat? Very excing if you ask me! Ofcourse, I am biased, as I have a passionfor cultural epochs (not to men-on a double major in Ancient Historyand Anthropology). Our end of mainlesson excursion to the WoolgoolgaSikh Gurdwara (temple) was very special.John Arkan (who you might knowfrom the Bello markets – he sells Indiancurries and samosas near thestage area) and his wife Surinder werevery lovely and very accommodang.John and Surinder spoke about Sikhismand its history to our spellboundchildren. It was very moving for me

to hear John speak about Sikhism’semphasis on honesty, equality, charityand their ideals about healthy livingand healthy community. I thinkthe children were equally moved. Ijudge this from their transfixed andcapvated nature in the temple onlymind you as their thank you cards toJohn mostly menon the bueredchicken. Surely it entered in moreways than the mouth but perhaps Iam being overly senmental.Our Indian kirtan performance wasalso a wonderful experience atthe last assembly. Lucas Dollisson(Class Eight, language and musicteacher) recently returned fromIndia with many saris and other Indianclothing. The children lookedradiant and performed beaufully.Thanks Lucas! And well done ClassFive!We have recently begun our nextmain lesson on decimals and thechildren are unusually (surprisingly?)movated. I have experienced a greatdeflaon in the past when we havefinished with one cultural epoch andplunged into a maths based main lesson,but so far their hearts and mindsremain wide open to this importanttopic. I have tried to keep the storiesalive (which can be difficult withmaths based MLs) and always referto real life situaons which help to inspireand movate them. I must havestruck a chord with some of our newstudents today as they commentedon how great the maths lesson wasand how boring it always was in theirprevious ‘main stream’ state schools.These are their words, not mine, sothat is encouraging. I endeavour toconnue in this vein.Aer deci-mals we will journey backPage 20in meto thefirst settlersofSydneya n dinvestigatesomeof Australia’sinland explorers. I lived in the BlueMountains for several years, so I especiallylook forward to this historybased ML. I am also looking forwardto planning next term’s camp to theSydney/Blue mountains area. Have Imenoned that I am excited about allthe history in the class 5 curriculum?I will sign off with a big heareltwelcome to our three new families– Miraciah (Kiah) and her mum Jessamine,Che and his mum Kate, andBella and her Mum and Dad (Dee andNick). Due to flooding, at this point inthe proceedings we have had neitherour Indian feast nor our class meeting,so we have yet to gather as aclass. Hopefully by the me you readthis blurb the situaonwill havebeen recfied.Namaste,SeanThere’s More toEducaon thanManufacturing Resultsby Dave RichardsMul-media journalist, writer andAlice Online website editorThe Australian Principals Associaon(APPA) is right to queson the Government’sgrowing obsession withramping up reading, maths and sciencein the school curriculum.It’s an issue which has special relevanceto educaon in the NT, but unfortunatelyits subtlees seem to beeluding policians and educaonalistsalike. Meanwhile, the FederalGovernment is also right to beconcerned about poor standardsof literacy, numeracy and scienficcomprehension among schoolchildren.Where the Government seems tobe going wrong is in its reasoningthat the way to address theskills deficit is by simply givingkids more reading, maths and science– and, axiomacally, less ofthe “airy-fairy stuff”. Its simpliscapproach is betrayed by its statedaim for Australia to be ranked inthe top five countries based onstudent scores in reading, mathsand science. This approach threatensto create a mechanisc, result-orientedmodel of educaon, which mayparadoxically fail to produce the kindof high achievers it seeks to manufacture(‘manufacture’ being the opera-ve word).Some crics of the much-touted Singaporeeducaon system say that despiteits oen spectacular ‘results’, it

isn’t encouraging the kind of lateral,creave thinking young people needto parcipate in an increasingly dynamicglobal culture and economy.Belmont Lay, an editor of Singapore’sNew Naon, wrote in 2012:“Anybody who has gone through15 to 20 years of studies in Singaporewill tell you the same thing.There is an overbearing focus ongrades, and paper qualificaonsare elevated to unholy heights andworshipped.“Students are taught to be riskaversein our rigid and conformisteducaon environment. Plenty ofprecious energy and aenon isdiverted to praccing answeringquesons correctly.“The school curriculum runs on asyllabus with answers to quesonsthat are either right or wrong. Andthere is limited upside to being toocreave when taking exams.”Of course, the Singapore and Australiancultures are very different, perhapstoo different in some senses.You don’t have to go to the My Schoolwebsite to see the “results” of Australia’seducaon system; they’re with usin everyday life. Our newspapers andnews websites, notably including thenaonal broadcaster are choc-a-blocnot only with poor and misleadingsentence construcons, but failuresof logic and raonal thought, mathemacalcomprehension and scienficunderstanding.The widespread and uncrical acceptanceof quesonable and oen contradictorystatements about climatechange by journalists reveals just onedanger of a scienfically illiterate society.Our lack of innovaon in scien-fic discovery and technology is ofcourse another.Meanwhile, a disregard for historyand historical facts exacerbates aPage 21dangerous misunderstanding of boththe past and the present.Unfortunately, some educaonalists’prescripons for the future sounddisturbingly amorphous: “a muchbroader knowledge base; skills suchas creavity, crical thinking, communicaonand collaboraon; character-relatedtraits in both moral andperformance domains; and a metalayerof learning”, is one quoted inThe Australian today from a recentAPPA blog discussion.As an ambit goal, this is a worthy one.The problems arise in how it might beachieved.The primary reason the Australianeducaon system oen fails childrenis that it lacks a true understanding ofthe nature of the child. Our kids aretreated as blank slates on which toscribble the latest pedagogy dreamedup by educaonalists who have spentall their lives in educaonal instu-ons themselves. They are oen –but thankfully not always – served byteachers who also lack a perspecveof the world beyond the classroom.My experience as a parent at the AliceSprings Steiner School showedme that children benefit from a curriculumdesigned from a clear understandingof the nature of the child asa developing human being with dis-nct cognive, emoonal and physicalneeds at each stage of his or herlife.It’s true – to paraphrase the Qantasair safety video – that “subtly, everychild is different”. But an educaonbased on a broad understanding ofhow children develop into adults canlay the basis for that “meta-layer oflearning”. On the other hand, rushingchildren prematurely into theabstract thinking that reading andwring requires can undermine theirexperience of the physical world, andall the complex relaonships it involves.Meanwhile the rich oral tradionsthat have existed in all cultures sinceme immemorial are disregarded.For example, parents are advised adnauseumto read to their very youngkids, at a me when those childrenplace all their faith and trust in parentsas the all-knowing guardians oftheir physical and emoonal safety.As a young child, my elder son oenimplored me: “Tell me a story fromyour own mouth!”Too oen the result of their prematureintellectualisaon at home andschool is anxious children who havelost the ability to explore the worldthrough play and their senses, or otherwise‘know-it-alls’, with lile capacityfor imaginaon, make-believe or asense of wonder. It’s a phenomenonthat is being exacerbated by the useof television and computers as “educaonal”child minders.Another significant outcome of aneducaon system that puts ‘art’, ‘scienceand maths’ and ‘the humanies’into separate boxes is a society splitinto specialist groups, each notablefor its ignorance of the other groups’specialty.Steiner educaon shows clearly howart, music, movement and storyneed not be separate elements fromscience and mathemacs, but themeans of culvang a sense of curiosityabout the physical and abstractworlds they encompass. Both educa-onalists and government ought to behaving a close look at its capacity tonurture independence, responsibility,creavity and competence in our childrenat a me when those qualieshave never been more needed.

Class 6-7We welcomed in the new year, with alesson called “ Wish, Wonder andSurprise”. This English main lesson, isa way to speak to the growingawareness of the inner feelings, thatbegin to bubble up in young peopleof this age. The lesson aempts tofind a bridge between these feelingsand the outer world, throughexploring novels and poetry. Thestudents also explore and expressthemselves, using figurave languagetechniques, such as simile,metaphor, onomatopoeia, alliteraon,rhyme and poetry formssuch as Haiku and Diamante.What is the inner mood of a wish,a prayer, a longing? Secret wishesfor oneself or for others, can be expressedin an atmosphere of trust andlistening. We play with definions forwonder and wonderful. One is ques-oning and the other an exclamaonof amazement. Through reading andspeaking we discover how much ofpoetry and literature is filled with thissense of wonder?Then there are those surpriseevents that break in upon usunexpectedly from the outerworld and take us by surprise.How does that feel?How can we convey inwords, such momentsin language? How haveothers done so beforeus? Dramacally, humorously,regreully?Next we delved into theworld of Algebra. We beganto work on the basic processesof algebra, by first exploring numberpaerns, using concrete materialsand then tables. By the end ofthis block period, the students hadexplored and worked with; devising aformula out of a given situaon, usinga substung formula, solvingequaons using any of the 4 opera-ons, solving problems by ‘translating’from words into algebra.As I write this Emerge issue, we arePage 22launching into outer space, to discoverand learn about our Solar System.Astronomy has been a keen interestand science for human beings forthousands of years. We will discussthe early astronomers and the contribuonsthey have made to help us tounderstand more about our own blueplanet and our Solar System and theboundless universe beyond. Studentswill invesgate our star ,…. the Sun,and all the planets that orbit aroundher. We will revisit our understandingof the phases of the moon andhow and why seasons occur, as theearth spins and orbits around thesun. With the arsc support of WillDouglas, the students are drawingsome beauful planet-scapes.We have enjoyed hanging out at theHub on Fridays before venturing toSawtell for Surf School. The beachis always a fun playground and theyoung surfers have indeed grown incourage and skill.Blessings, CathrynClass Six and Seven PoetryThe green tree frogsChirping away in their pondBring me happinessManukaWhat is a key?A key is the entrance to the unknownand the unexpected.ManukaDown in the valley,Green is the forest.Out in the open,Quivers the grass.Up in the heavens,Grey are the rainclouds.Sweet is the airQuiet is allNadjaA golden striped fishTail cung through cool waterSwims towards the reef.TallulahEang ice- cream is like eatinga bit of heaven.BillWhat is a snow flake ?A snow flake is a snowprincess falling from thesky.CocoSilently a frogSits by itself on a branchby the slow riverMonteFireHot, burningcrackling, glowing, warming,smokey, orange, freezing, icey,cold, white, melngcool, waterIceGraceDrawing by Akayrii Class 6 Geometry ML

Class 8As their last year at Chrysalis begins,the Class 8 students involvethemselves in the many acviesand learning experiences preparedand organised by myself, Danielleand the school. The richness of thecurriculum meets the 14 year old…They tend to be realisc and objec-ve in their judgements. They canlook at two sides of issues.They like to reason andare capable of independentthinking. These skillsare sharpened in class debates/discussionsand inlooking objecvely at otherpeople’s way of thinking. Itis also a me of idealism. Itis important to encouragethese teenagers to valuetheir own individuality andgis. The Class 8 projectoffers an opportunity forthem to discover that thereare striving adults (parents,teachers, mentors) around them toinspire and support them.Page 23The main problem facing the 14 yearold is their urgency to push boundaries,through their exuberance, oenfinding them in a tangle and confusion.They want to include too muchin their thinking and in their doingand get swamped by it all…They needto be checked and planned with. Thisis part of what we do in supporngthe Class 8 student. With the rightamount of humour and energy, workingwith this age group can be a joy.The main lessons this term have beenbrought to the students with this inmind. The richness of the Renaissanceperiod (renaissance means‘rebirth’ in the French language) focusedon the quesoning of power,the re-discovery of classical knowledgeand art forms, and the birth ofhumanism. This is an empoweringmain lesson where students furtherappreciate the power of knowledge,art and humanity.The Shakespeare main lesson stepsdirectly out of the Renaissance andfocuses in on the English language,the power of words, and the legacyof Shakespeare’s arsc and linguis-c genius.“All the world’s a stage,And all the men and womenmerely players:They have their exits andtheir entrances;And one man in his meplays many parts,”As You Like It Act 2 sc.7There is a focus onculture and performingarts in generalin this main lesson,which is basedaround Romeo andJuliet, where studentsengage withthe words and contentof the playthrough various dramacacvies. Itis the perfect mefor students to really come toappreciate the power of theirown words and their effects onothers, to employ words wiselyand responsibly, and also to listenfor the meaning in others’words.What follows is A medley ofwords by class 8 students reflecngon their recent ShakespeareCamp to Sydney and Gloucester.Day 1This camp was the Shakespeare camp.It was an amazing experience, full oflaughs and I enjoyed it very much.We drove to Sydney. The bus trip feltlike watching a long endless coal traingo past for hours on end, but we gotthere. Strangely enough, thebus trips of our camps alwaysseem to be fun. I heard the sohum of chat shi around thebus.I read for a bit and tried togo to sleep. That didn’t work,so I dried off into the land ofdaydreams. It was interesngto see how the floods affectedother towns and cies on thebus trip.We were staying in a scoutcentre which was situated nextto a forest on a hill. For somereason I always choose thetop bunk, which is unfortunate becausethen when you finish readingyou have nowhere to put your bookwhich means that you have to sleepwith it under your pillow and that isnot hugely comfortable.We put our nice clothes on, nicejackets that the boys wore and nice

dresses that the girls had broughtwith them. It was cool, seeing us alldressed up fancy for the Sydney OperaHouse. We caught the train tothe city. We arrived early and decidedto take a leisurely walk aroundthe Opera House. It reminded me ofa very large and abstract polar bear.Up the steps we went, everyone mesmerisedby the sheer beauty of theOpera House. We walked through theOpera House and into door fourteen,where ‘The Reef’ was playing. Thisbeing the first me that I’ve been, itlooked very rich inside and must havecost a fortune to get all of us in there.I loved how there’s this one part atthe back of the building looking outon the harbour, where the floors arecovered in bright purple carpet, theroyal kind; its dark but bright.The teacher asked us if we neededto go to the toilet and when I gotin and finished my business, it tookme ages to work the tap at the sink.There were lile tap handle lookingthings that I thought would turn onthe tap so I turned it round and inthe endI ended up pulling the thingoff. Anyhow this guy came out andsaw that I was trying to put it back onand told me it was a soap thing and ithad a sensor thing that automacallyturned on the tap.We filed into our seats and waited, asthe sound of other people’s conversaonsfaded, the lights dimmed andthe show started.The musicians cameout and the conductor gave a lilespeech and then they started playing.The performance was the AustralianChamber Orchestra playing music toa film called “The Reef”. The musicwas really good, had beauful harmonies,and deep bass. The orchestrawas amazing, there were violins,cellos, violas, guitars, didgeridoos,drums and during one point, some ofthe strings players began to play wineglasses with their bows. I think thescreen in the background was a goodidea, it gave a story to the music. Thefilm was a group of people out in thedesert on a surfing trip. My favouritepart of the film was when they wouldgo under a breaking wave, even forPage 24me, just sing there, it felt magical.There was one part of the film wherefor about half an hour all it showedwas a very slowly moving scene of thedesert. During this not so interesngpart of the film I stopped watchingthe film and focused my aenonon the musicians. I mainly focusedon the violinists, I don’t know why,but they were amazing. The speed inwhich they moved their fingers andthe way they moved their bows withsuch grace but with also such force, itwas just wonderful.Day 2We woke the next morning as quickas a sloth on sleeping gas. I mayhave menoned before that I detestwaking up early, I put 7:30 under thecategory of early. Whoever inventedwaking up early I shall add to my listof people I very strongly dislike, theycan go underneath Pythagoras andthe person who invented shoes.Aer we had got all ready we startedwalking to the train staon, the trainride was as busy as a city street andso was the staon we got off at. I likewalking around cies, but somemesit is kind of overwhelming. There areso many things to see, hear, smell.The noise always seems to be a constantbabble of cars, buses, voices,traffic lights and somemes music.The smells are always changing, fromrunning water from the park fountains,to cigaree smoke, to countlessdifferent types of food, to warmgrass in the parks, to salty sea air inthe quay, and lots of exhaust fumes.Once we had got to the main partof Sydney we walked to Hyde Parkwhere we had some lunch and aplay around, it was really fun walkingaround in the Archibald fountain.Afterthat we walked to Art Express.Art Express is an exhibion of art doneby the Year 12 students for their HSCin Visual Art. At first when I walkedinto the room I was amazed at howmany people were there but thenonce I started looking at the art thatdidn’t even maer. The exhibionwas absolutely amazing! It’s crazyhow good all the art there was! I wastouched by numerous art works,but my favourites were a stack ofbooks with a small semi-circle ofleers that also dripped down thefront, a collage with a small boyplaying with his airplane on thetop and another kind of collagebased around the images of birds.All the artworks were filled withdetail that felt like it would breakif you stared too long. Aer the artgallery we went off in three lilegroups, one for each teacher/helper, and had to navigate ourselvesback to the wharf where weneed to get our next ferry.The next thing on our agenda was totour the marime museum. All theboats at our desnaon looked likebig clumpy metal things that lookedas if they could sink at any moment.We toured the submarine, it was oldand filled with lots of buons. I smelt,felt and saw dust.Aer the marime experience wewalked to an awesome park near Chinatownwhere we ran around and hadheaps of fun. I took the first swing.They were good swings and went superhigh, my feet were free! Aer theswing there was a big steep slide andone of those flying foxes that you siton. Aer the fun of the kids’ playgroundwe went and sat on the grassand did some geography. Aer geographyand super fun playgrounds wewent to Chinatown for dinner.Walking through Chinatown wasa visual overload. Everywhere Ilooked were explosions of colour inthe shop windows and the people’sclothes. The jewellery shops were

especially striking: row upon row ofdazzling sparkly objects that seem toshout with their sheer blindingness.I’ve never been to a food court so Ithought it looked prey cool. I walkedonce around the food court trying todecide what to get, I did another circuitand another, it took me foreverto decide. I had people telling mewhat their menu had to offer fromevery direcon. I found it a bit awkwardsaying “No thanks.” In the endI seled with a nice miso soup withrice and satay pork and some salad,that tasted good, it was a sweetenedsauce that they put on the pork Ithink to balance out the rice and thespice that they put in the sauce. Afterdinner I was full but not as full assome of the others in the class.The weather during this me wasmoody. It was a hot summer’s dayone moment, then it was a prepara-on for a storm.Day 3We woke up at a more reasonablehour that day. Aerbreakfast we loaded themini buses then we hadthe liberty to explore thescout centre bush tracks.That’s when we went feral!Running around likemad chasing each other,we ran around the bushlike there was no tomorrow.We split up and mygroup decided to sneakaround try to find anyother group. We felt reallysneaky, like we werea tribe hunng down ourprey. Somehow the othergroups knew what we were up to andstayed hidden from us. Our secretcall was kakakakaraaaaaaaww, in theend, they figured that one out too.We didn’t catch any other group, butin a way it was good because if wedid catch another group, we wouldn’tknow what to do.We then did some stuff on our mainlesson, acng out parts of the Romeoand Juliet Play, a very funny sight beingMinty’s act with herself playingboth parts.Very amusing.We piled back into the bus andPage 25headed to Gloucester. We arrivedat a farmstead where we stayed thenight. We ran around unl the sunwas low in the sky before headingback for shelter. Aer we ate weseled down to do some more mainlesson , which included some hilariousexercises which made us all havethe giggles. Then it was me for bedand Lucas sung us a Romeo and Julietsong that was really nice and I fellasleep instantly.Day 4Aer packing up, we were on our wayto see one of the main events of ourtrip, Romeo and Juliet.I got a bit of a surprise because Ithought it was going to be set in theme Shakespeare wrote the play,but instead on the stage were somecamping chairs and a barbeque. Thenwhen the actors came on stage, theywere just wearing prey casual modernclothes. It was set in Australia,but they spoke all the original linesof the play. Another thing I wasn’texpecng was that the actors wereyoung people; I thought they weregoing to be older. I thought the fightingscenes were done very well andthe whole play was very dramac. Iespecially liked Mercuo . He had excellentstage presence and was veryentertaining.Overall I thought it wasincredible!So now it was me to head home. Ihad a lot of fun on this camp. I arrivedhome with a whole lot of newexperiences and memories that I’llnever forget. (Class 8 students, compiledby Lucas)As we head into the last few weeks ofterm 1 the students, the last main lessonwill be learning about their physicalstructure through the study ofthe bones and muscles of the body.They will mould skulls and bones withclay and learn all about their growingbodies through the human skeleton.The full curriculum we offer is completedwith the music program, creavearts program, French and ITlessons and the wonderful Friday afternoonsurf school.Warmly,Lucas and DanielleSupport Learning atChrysalisThe second Naonal Steiner SupportLearning Conference was held at thebeginning of March at Cape ByronSchool and Jacqui Dutson (LearningSupport Teacher), Alison Scheef(Extra Lesson Specialist) and JamesDeeolt (Class 1 Teacher) aendedthis wonderful event.Meeng with inspiring,passionate and dedicatedprofessionals who sharea strong relaonship withthe area of learning supportwithin a Steinerpedagogy was indeed anoverwhelmingly beneficialexperience. This was anexcellent opportunity tomeet other professionals,sharing their experiencesand insights and a chanceto work collaboravely towardfuture iniaves.An underlying theme through theconference was how we as educatorshelp children in engaging their willforces. In very simple terms, withoutmovaon and inspiraon, learningwill not be meaningful, relevantand enjoyable. Children want to seein us a role model for the constantlyquesoning, invesgang, learningand changing human being whichwe were created to be in the world.We need to be enthusiasc, flexiblein our thinking and have a sense of

humour. Of course there is so muchmore ......It is essenal that we make our educaoninclusive of all children rightfrom the beginning. The dedicaon toone single child carries such a desnythat it needs the intense aenon ofa carefully considered group of adultsin the school and home environment.At school this would include LearningSupport, Extra Lesson and the Collegeof Teachers (in Child Study). Theremay also be other professionals involvedsuch as Occupaonal Therapists,Speech Therapists, EducaonalPsychologists, Osteopaths etc. Mostimportantly there is the play and workwith peers and groups in and out ofthe classroom and of course the rela-onship with the class teacher.As educators we are mindful of theneed to crically and construcvelyreview and reflect upon how we canbest meet the needs of children – individuallyand inclusively.We need to:Keep looking deeper within thechild (much more than he/sheshows on the surface).Look at different perspecves,taking risks, new adventures andworking to solve the puzzle of thechild.Keep looking at ways of removingobstacles and hindrances to thechild.Keep searching for ways of modifyingthe Main Lesson and teaching/learning strategies to beer accommodatethe needs of childrenwith addional needs.Everyone needs to work together forthe good of the child as by workingcollaboravely with teachers, LearningSupport teachers, Learning Supportaides, Extra Lesson specialist,external professionals (OT, Speechetc) and of course parents, who knowtheir child beer than anyone, wecan help them grow and develop asunique, purposeful and confidenthuman beings in our ever changingworld.You will be hearing more about theways in which we are working todevelop our support structures par-Page 26cularly in relaon to Individual EducaonalPrograms for children withaddional needs as well as for giedand talented children.Jacqui Dutson, Learning SupportTeacher at Chrysalis. March 2013In the Garden with JaneGardening with Classes 3, 6/7 and 8The first term is an interesng one inthe garden that begins full of possibilityand plans, in the scky warmthof summer. We generally begin in theclassroom as the days are too hotand the gardens sll wild from thesummer growth. This term as thedays have cooled we have had ourplans changed by Mother Nature asthe force of the river carved her paththrough the valley. Now in Week 7, asI write this on the Autumn Equinox,on the eve of the Autumn Fesval,the day and night are today of equallength, and from now the nights willbecome longer as we head towardsthe Winter Solsce.Now is the me for garlic planng-Class 6/7 have been learning aboutthe requirements of garlic, a popularand hardy crop to grow in theseparts. In the next weeks we plan toplant a crop in the garden just outsidethe classroom. Also, on the boilis learning about the rehabilitaon ofthe gully areas. What is nave? Whatare weeds? We will be planng someseedlings soon to add to other plantingsthat have been done by previousclasses.Class 8 have been learning soil formaonand compost, with the culminaonbeing the creaon of a BiodynamicCompost. We plan to collectsome manure locally and make ourown rich soil.Class 3 have been amazing gardenersthis term. With the support of Allieand also Kate, I am able to workwith smaller groups learning aboutgrowing from seed, green manurecrops and mulching. We have two differentgarden areas that will be fullof lile plants growing by the end ofterm, parcularly our winter crops ofbeans, beetroot, cucumber and carrots,YUM!Happy Equinox and Autumn planng!Jane NoackEnvironmental Science TeacherMusic and the Evoluonof ConciousnessThis research paper has been reprintedwith permission from Liam Waterford,Graduate Cerficate in Steiner Educa-on, University of Canberra.“That which is Below correspondsto that which is Above, and thatwhich is Above corresponds to thatwhich is Below, to accomplish themiracle of the One Thing”from The Emerald Tabletof Hermes Trismegistus“How does the ‘evoluon of consciousness’inform and enrich acurriculum area in which you work?From the dream-like picture,through fully conscious abstrac-on to an equally fully consciousimaginaon: this is the evoluonarycourse of human thinking.”(Rudolf Steiner citedin Childs, 1996)The developing consciousness of ahuman being is a delicate and wonderfulthing to experience. As aneducator it is of primary importancethat its development be understood

correctly so that it can develophealthily and allow a true expressionof freedom for the individual. With atrue understanding of the developingconsciousness comes a curriculumthat meets children where they are.Within that curriculum, each year,each subject and so on down to eachday and each lesson, views the growinghuman being as a child of the cosmosand allows them, ulmately asfree individuals, to fully parcipate inHumanity’s evoluon, as well as theEarth’s.Underpinning the ‘Curriculum’ forSteiner schools is the idea of the‘Evoluon of Consciousness’ and‘Recapitulaon’ (Mazzone & Laing,2010). These ideas show that the developmentof a single lifeparallels the developmentof the species, that certainphases in a life-me meethistorical phases (Mazzone& Laing, 2010). Steinerthought “that children inthe west advance physically,intellectually and spirituallyin ways that roughlyparallel the evoluon ofWestern sociees (Mazzone& Laing, 2010, p. 87).”This evoluon starts witha collecve spiritual consciousnessthat gradually evolves intoa consciousness of individual separateness(Mazzone & Laing, 2010).This loss of group spiritual consciousnessallows for a new kind of thinkingto develop. As human beings“we carry within us the work that hasgone into the whole past evoluonof the world, upon which countlessgeneraons of the spirit have worked(Steiner, as cited in Mazzone & Laing,2010, p. 88).” This cosmic lawof recapitulaon then has two majorimplicaons for educaon: what isneeded to help this recapitulaon/development? And what is newly developingfor future evoluons of theEarth?Within the three great cosmic cyclesof Old Saturn, Old Sun and Old Moon,Body, Soul and Spirit were being developed,along with the higher Spirit-Page 27Human, Life-Spirit and Spirit-Self (Debusschere,1997). The current Earthevoluon unites these two separateparts of the human being together,and a central task of this Earth incarnaonis to develop love (Debusschere,1997). Now, within the consciousnesssoul age (the 5th epochwithin the 5th Great epoch of theEarth incarnaon – which is beaufullyjust past half way – the Christimpulse), the tasks are to gain a newatude towards the material worldalongside a conscious knowledgeof the spiritual world; to be able toreconnect with the spirit as an individualconsciousness without losinga connecon to the material world(Debusschere, 1997).The Waldorf Curriculum tries to helpchildren as they move from ‘spiritualone-ness’ and incarnate to an ‘earthlyalone-ness’ by giving them innerexperiences with appropriate imagesand content (Mazzone & Laing,2010). The child’s developing needsand consciousness guide the curriculumchoice of different ages. Thestories and content are an encapsulaonof the changing consciousnessof humanity and meet the child in itsown developmental path towards becominga free individual (Mazzone &Laing, 2010). Music has a special partto play in this development.Music is experienced as a whole humanbeing, which inspires one to experiencethe musical essence of theworld itself in a living way (Steiner,2000[1919]). Music, as opposed tosculpture and painng, is creave, itcreates something new rather thanimitang the cosmic celesal orderand out of these creaons, out of thisact of creang, the Jupiter, Venus andVulcan evoluons of the world willarise (Steiner, 2000[1919]). “Throughmusic we rescue in some way whatsll has to transpire; we rescue it outof the present nullity of its existenceand give it life (Steiner, 2000[1919], p.45).” If the task of the ConsciousnessSoul Age is to “gain a new atude towardsthe material world and to gainconscious knowledge of the spiritualworld (Debusschere, 1997, p. 72)”then this must surely begin throughmusic!Musical hearing must be perceived asa gesture which points oneto one’s innermost being,one’s spiritual centre, this isthe only place music can live(Ruland, 1992). In ancientAtlans the experience ofthe seventh was the essen-al musical experience. Thisexperience transported humanbeings, it made themfeel free of their earthboundexistence: it could have beensaid – “I experience music – Ifeel myself in the spiritualworld” (Steiner, 1983). However,as the human being wanted toincarnate more deeply, this becamea painful experience and human beingsbegan to find the experience ofthe fih more pleasant. This slowlybecame a pleasurable experiencewhere the human being could say:“The angel in my being is beginning toplay music, the Muse in me speaks”(Steiner, 1983). This came about inthe early post-Atlantean epochs.Today’s experience of the third beganin the fourth post-Atlantean epoch,and is sll in process (Steiner, 1983).It began at the same me as humanbeings began to feel music in rela-on to their own physical organism,when they felt as an earthly beingfor the first me when playing music(Steiner, 1983). This is the transi-on from “It sings in me” to “I sing”(Rawson & Richter, 2000). “[T]he fih

corresponds to an imaginaon whilethe third corresponds to a perceponwithin man’s being. This is the transi-on of the musical element from themore spiritual age to the later materialiscage (Steiner, 1983, p. 74).”This gradual fading of the spirit allowsphysical replicas to be fashionedinto the spaces that remained. Thesespaces became the instruments(Steiner, 1983). These instrumentsshow that one experiences music as awhole human being: the wind instrumentsfor the head; the string instrumentsfor the chest; and the percussionfor the limbs (Steiner, 1983).These brief understandings can giveindicaons for musical instrucon inthe classroom on a curriculum level,as well as an individual level: The‘mood of the fih’ before the ageof nine; the introducon of nota-on; when to introduce instrumentsand which ones; the developmentof melody and harmony and so on.This is all incredibly important whenone is faced with the guiding of adeveloping human being (who isrecapitulang the evoluon of consciousness)through the musical element.It shows fundamental trendswhich need to be acknowledged, inmusical teaching, musical aims, musicalinstrucon, musical aesthecsetc. As the pain of incarnaon becomesgreater, and the conneconto the spirit more distant, music willplay a part in allowing the individualthe freedom to take up their desny,and work towards the evoluon ofmankind and the world. However,the depth of this topic cannot be expressedin full here; it will need to berecapitulated at a later date!Page 28Christopher Clouder andthe European CouncilSteiner/WaldorfEducaonThis arcle was presented by TraceyPuckeridge, CEO of Steiner Educa-on Australia to the SEA delegatesmeeng in 2011.Being a teacher demands so much ofus, emoonally, spiritually and physically.Christopher has been a Waldorfteacher for 25 years in Europe andEngland. In his work at the momenthe has two roles. He is in charge ofthe European Council for Steiner/Waldorf Educaon which he foundedsome 20 years ago. It is a great challengeto work with 27 separate culturesand many languages. Respectingthe richness and diversity of eachculture is valuable, as is reaching outand finding our common humanity,respecng the difference and findingoneness. It’s easy enough to think it,but more difficult to do it. We all dothings differently and that’s wheremiscomprehension and misunderstandingsarise.Christopher’s second role is his workwith the Bon Foundaon; a Foundaonconnected to a Spanish bank.His work is Waldorf inspired, butalso brings Christopher in touch withmany other educators around theworld. Somemes in our schools weare so busy that we lose focus withthe outside world. Steiner’s originalvision was that we have to take responsibilitybeyond our classroomand beyond our school. Our schoolsare the incarnaon of that impulsebut not the only ones. There are otherswith a deep spiritual wish to servechildhood with love, care and respectfor what the child brings to earth withthem. This doesn’t dilute our work,but strengthens and deepens ourwork if we reach out to the world andget others to help us.Christopher is currently in Australiaresearching Social and Emoonal Educaon.The first volume, “Social andEmoonal Educaon: An InternaonalAnalysis” has chapters from the UK,Sweden, The Netherlands, Spain, USAand Germany. The second volume hasan Australian chapter wrien by JenniferGidley on social and emoonalwork for educaon in the future, aswell as reports from Finland, Canada,Portugal and Singapore. This will beavailable in October.What will be the key concepts wherewe can change policy to work for thewell being of children so that they arenot solely there as economic cizensof the world? The key word is “creavity”.So a third area of work is Creavity.They have asked Christopherto explore this, research and bringpeople together who can extendand inspire this work in the classroom.Anne Bamford, an Australianresearcher is one of those helpingChristopher in this work.An example of others working alongsideus is Christopher’s visit to DebdenPrimary School in Melbourne.This is a small school teaching mainlyrefugee children. Funded and organisedby The Songroom, they place 200teaching arsts in schools throughoutAustralia. Christopher saw a celloteacher in Melbourne working in suchan inspired way with traumasedimmigrant children. Her gestures,what she exuded in the classroom,showed someone working out oflove. Although she was not a “Steinertrained” teacher, she was working ina loving and creave way.In the Australian survey they foundmuch work is being done on socialand emoonal educaon for children.There was a shock in the 90’s whenresearch showed how prevalent suicide,drug abuse and teenage mentalhealth issues were. Many wonderfuliniaves arose. In the MelbourneDeclaraon on Educaonal Goals forYoung Australians, creave and socialaspects are now included. It is mutuallyfruiul to share insights with eachother from those outside the Waldorfworld. Christopher stands betweenthese two worlds.The salvaon of the human worldlies nowhere else than in the humanheart, in the human power toreflect, in human meekness and humanresponsibility.Vaclav HavelA sense of humility is very important.We have to go into the worldto learn, not just to teach. In globaleducaon the shi has changed fromteaching to learning. There needs tobe a balance. We have to be life longlearners. Steiner educators can learn

alongside others. We somemes shutothers out. How others perceive us isimportant. Eg. parents oen say “I amjust a parent.” Parents are important.Aending non-Steiner conferencesis also important. It opens your eyesto a completely different dimension.We talk all the me about the evolu-on of consciousness – this meansconstant metamorphosis and changethroughout the epochs. But our communiesand ourselves evolve tooand we must remember this. Evolu-on means change. Why are so manyWaldorf schools restructuring themselves?Why is this happening acrossthe world in over 1000 schools? Christopherbelieves the evoluon processhas sped up. Humanity is changingand this is impacng on childhood.Children today are certainly not thechildren at the beginning of the 20thcentury anymore.Quote: It is our task to let the futurework in us.The future rays in on us and works inus as rebellion. Hellenism and Romanismare rife in the educaon system.We have to be conscious of the oldsoul forces of the past and not holdon to them. The consciousness soulrealm means we have to let the oldthings go, but this can leave us lonely,alienated and in constant struggle.We have to struggle with our problemsin order to move forward andthe way of the future is through love.Many educaon policies are basedon “banking” educaon – economicraonale which takes away the dignityof being human. Outcomes aredefined to create producve cizens.Educators have to ask quesons. Inasking quesons, we create problemsbecause the same quesons at differentmes in our lives obtain differentanswers. Networks and relaonshipsare constantly changing, which is whyeach school is so different, regardlessof structure. We are being taken tothe edge of our capacies.Waldorf schools are full of fear of anAhrimanic aack – teachers oen feelinadequate – how can they be super-Page 29human? There is insecurity in ourmovement and rightly so, becausethat is an example of the consciousnesssoul. Taking risks in uncertaintyfinds creavity and the light in thedarkness.The Edge of Doubt -There is always that edge of doubt.Trust it, that’s where the new thingscome from.If you can’t live with it, get out, becausewhen it is gone you’re onAutomac, repeang somethingyou’ve learned.Let your prayer be:Save me from that tempng certaintythat leads me back from the edge,That dark edge where the first lightbreaks…Albert HuffscklerThe future is accelerang into ourwork. It’s the children that bring it tous and teachers need to find the courageto connue their work and notlose their inial inspiraon. What isit that drives us to “do good” in theworld? Our vision of the future is oneof the main influences of what inspiresus in the present. Our imagina-on of the future is always there asthe basis of our judgement of whatwe do here and now. What is living inthe original spiritual seed in a schoolcan go on for generaons and relatesto the vision of the future that wasmade in the past when the schoolfirst started. This can affect the schoolon many levels for years.What do the children of today ask ofus? Children don’t let us stagnate. Weare facing in the world global destruc-on of the old ways, which is why everygovernment is bringing in somethingnew. There is exhauson in theteaching profession. Many demandsare being made of teachers. However,this is also good, because governmentsrealise they have not gotit right and so they are copying eachother and exchanging ideas. They areall looking for something excellent.This gives us an opportunity to shareour work and have an influence in theworld.How can the Australian Steiner CurriculumFramework be used, not justfor ourselves, but for others? Weare living in the moment and always“becoming” Waldorf teachers andso schools are “becoming” Waldorfschools. This is the joy, we are exploringnew territory and experiences.That is the work of the evoluon ofconsciousness. 1989 was a significantyear – convenons of the rights of thechild arose. It showed a new changeof atude to children. Children todayhave a voice, which manifests itselfin many different ways; gestures, behaviours,feelings. Teachers engagein child study and deep observaonto further understand them. Waldorfteachers have a contribuon to maketo the educaonal debate as we understandthe child is incarnang fromthe spiritual world.Trends Shaping Educaon 2010 OECDThis research states that childrenwith greater cultural resources willbenefit more.If you are rich and affluent, you can’tignore the rest of the world as you arein the world. People need to respondgenerously to each other whereverthe needs arise. Greed and unfairnessis not the way for a future society.(Professor Wilkinson)Empathy is a basic human characterisc;babies are born with empathy.What is so important today is ourcapacity to connect with and understandothers and make their situaonour own. Do we reach out to minori-es? Where are the Roma children inour European schools; those that arenot fing in with the rest of society?The European Council are conducngresearch on this.Effect on childhood todayChildhood mortality has reducedword-wide by 33% in ten years due tothe Millennium Development goalsand shows that that concerted ac-on can make a difference Extremesbetween expectancy and reality willemerge. Extremies between wealthand poverty.Urbanisaon – 50% of human be-

ings live in cies. Where is nature forsome children? They lack of experienceof the natural world.Pressure – a 4 year old in Hong Konghas 10 separate subjects apart fromKindergarten; their leisure me is oftenbeing dragged around shoppingmalls. The number of these childrenin large cies is increasing. Sustainabilityof urbanisaon and the childhoodexperience will be issues for all.Social and emoonal educaon is aterm we can use as Waldorf educatorsto relate to the world in languagethat is becoming universal.It is important that people have a lovingdevoon to what they are doingand an interest in what others are doing.It is not the instuon, but theperson that is important.See Pedagogical Pracce (20thApril, 1923 Rudolf Steiner). Who isthe teacher? What sort of personis the teacher? There is no recipe,it depends on who we are. It is thestruggle, the risk, the creavity thatis involved. We are part of an interdependentworld. How do we workwith that? Children will see if we areauthenc or not. It takes courage toallow new things to emerge.The image of the child is what remainscentral to our work and bringsus the gi that we can work together.We need a sense of humility, devo-on to what we do and interest inwhat others do. We can only be goodteachers when we have a living interestin everything happening in theworld. (Rudolf Steiner, Study of Man)Christopher would like the Steiner/Waldorf educaonal movement tolook around the world and say “Yes,I will work with you” to other educators;to be interested in each otherand know that we are not alone.There is a change in the air and manypeople in Australia and the world seethe children of the world today arenot having their needs met. We musttake up the challenge in the world.We will find new sources of energyPage 30and inspiraon and support.Doubt is a teacher – Thiago De MelloIn the past I travelled on a road(some me has passed since)Made of certaines, hard as stones.Now I tread a track of mud(carved by me):Wet, damp with doubts.As I cross it (carefully)I am certain that only loveIs worth the tripThe role of governments is to ensurethat children are protected andcared for, therefore they are jusfiedto make us accountable. We have togive them trust and be honest andopen with them about what we standfor, alongside with others. We have toengage in dialogue with them, makea contribuon to show them whatwe do, not just in the middle classschools, but to schools in other countrieswhere they can see we meet theneeds of many children on many levels.Storytelling, Memoryand the Evoluon ofConsciousnessThis research paper has been reprintedwith permission from Tracey Puckeridge,Graduate Cerficate in SteinerEducaon, University of Canberra.McIntosh (2007, 10) defines humanconsciousness as “our experienalawareness, consisng of feelings,thoughts, intenons, and our personalsense of identy”. A teacher’s roleis to know their students and howthey learn, therefore an understandingof the ‘evoluon of consciousness’both informs and enriches the way ateacher works. As a teacher workswith children in different stages ofdevelopment, they are in fact workingwith different levels of consciousness“directly related to the stages ofhuman history” (McIntosh 2007, 29).The progression of the Steiner curriculumfollows the world historicalview of the evoluon of consciousnessfrom a spiritual science perspec-ve and the stages of human consciousnessin world evoluon relatesto the child’s development and recapitulaonof the evoluon of humanconsciousness during each historicalepoch. For example, the young childis developing its physical body andpossesses a dream-like state of consciousness,just as Steiner describesthe development of the human physicalbody in the Seventh and last AtlanteanEpoch (Childs 1996). Throughthe telling of stories, the teacher recapitulatesthe historical evoluonof humanity throughout the epochs,starng from fairy tales in Early Childhoodand Class One, the recapitula-on of the stages of Lemurian andAtlantean consciousness.Archetypal stories progress from fairytalesand folk tales in Class One,to fables and legends in Class Two.From Class Three, Creaon storiesrecapitulate Old Saturn, Old Sun, andOld Moon evoluons of the Earth(Debusschere, 1997). Stories of theFall (Lemuria), Old Testament stories(Atlans), then the great floodstories, mark the transion to thePost-Atlantean Epochs (Debusschere,1997). Aer experiencing the storiesof the Norse myths where Old Saturnand Lemurian epochs are once againrevisited with the creaon storiesand the nine worlds in Class Four, theClass Five child is ready to experiencestories reflecng the Post-Atlanteanepochs.Stories of the hero and the heroine,the adventure of the prodigal son areall stories of healing. When given atthe appropriate me, they are hiddenmedicines for the unfolding ofthe soul (Klugman, 2010). Childrenrespond to stories in a creave way,working their memory and obtaininga deep experience of their soul life,leaving them free to create their ownresponse. “Educaon towards freedommeans that we are educangthat human part that is free to findwithin oneself the creave responseto find one’s way through life” (Klugman,2010). As these stories followthe evoluon of consciousness, theeffect on the developing child’s soul

life cannot be underesmated. It isone of the most powerful teachingtools that a teacher has – telling richstories based on the evoluon of humanconsciousness.The stories develop from the Archaic(archetypal fairy tales) to Magical,Mythical and finally to Mental/RaonalThought (Klugman, 2010). This sequencefollows the different forms ofconsciousness as they evolved. Theeleven year hears stories that recapitulatethe evoluon of consciousness,from the oneness of the AncientIndian people with the Gods; the dualnature of the Ancient Persians andtheir belief that they must work inthe world and farm the earth; theEgypan belief that the Gods walkedon the earth (their Pharaohs); to thehumanity of the Greeks, their strivingfor beauty and belief that the Godsmeddled in human affairs. In ClassSix the ChristImpulse in theRoman periodand the evoluonof ra-onal thoughtmeets the child’s needfor fairness,jusce andability to understandcause and effect (as in theFall of the Roman Empire) through toClass Seven, the Fih Post-AtlanteanEpoch, with all the wonderful storiesof exploraon, expansion, art and architecture.The Class Eight child experiencesstories of revoluon and thecurriculum connues to follow thepath of humanity to reach modernmes.For teachers, the curriculum bringsabout profound understandings ofthe unfolding consciousness of thechild. When a teacher tells a story,they must do so with this deeperunderstanding of the evoluonarypictures they are bringing. Knowinghow the child’s memory, feelinglife and emerging thinking develops,is crucial. The three-fold process ofstory, arsc acvity and thought,combined with sleep, awakens andworks memory in a healthy way. Thisrhythm is integral to the educaon ofPage 31the child.Steiner relates the stages of the evoluonof memory with the evoluonof consciousness. He connects theepoch of localised memory, (rememberingconnected with place) (Steiner1997, 16) (Klugman, 2010) to the 0-7year old child. The next stage, rhythmicmemory as belonging to the periodof development from 7-14, thestage of the primary years, wherethe imaginaon is strongly working,together with memory and also forgeng.Verse, choral speaking andpoetry incorporate rhythm, imagina-on and speech and work the child’smemory (Steiner 1997, 17). The thirdstage, 14-21 develops the memory weuse today – temporal memory whichis more abstract and does not rely onpicture consciousness (Steiner 1997,17). This table below relates the evoluonof memory to the evoluon of consciousness:This week I was teaching my Class Sixstudents a new poem I had wrienfor our main lesson which covers thehistorical period from Julius Caesar,the birth of Christ, fall of Rome, riseof Chrisanity and Islam through tothe Crusades. In three weeks I haveto cover 1000 years:The might of Rome gained by thesword,Aer me fell to the barbarianhordes,The Empire vast, no longer held,Men on the borders, their bloodcurdlingyell.The West fell harder than the East,Where the Byzanne Empire flourishedin a feast.Differences in opinion became differencesin religion,As the rise of Islam fought the Chris-ans.Sword against sword, blood fell inthe sands,As Crusaders marched to far offlands.Kings overthrown, treachery and lies.Jesus Christ! Mohammad! They didcry!Each side fought for their hold place,In their hearts no rest, revenge ontheir face.Aer only working for three days onthis poem, they could recite it exactly.I reflected on how working with stories(retelling of the story each day),speech, morning circle work and eurythmyhave assisted their memoryprocesses. Their rhythmic memoryis now transforming into temporalmemory; they will soon begin tothink abstractly. The children listen tothe stories with deep engagement.They drawstunning pictures,writewith imagina-on and cre- ate maturereflecons ofthe stories.Their strongdevelopmentof rhythmic memory will assist theminto the future as they move throughhigh school. As we begin rehearsalsfor their incredibly long end of yearplay, I know they will memorise theirlines with lile effort.This deep understanding of the developmentallevel of the children andhow their development relates to theevoluon of consciousness, is crucialto enable the teacher to bring theSteiner curriculum in a creave andconscious way. The mosaic on the back page was created as part of the Class 3 2012 Building Project: The Bell Tower.

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