Our First School Class

5 March 2012

In January we asked six former Kindergarten and mainstream children to become our very first school class for two days. They were to be our sample class as we interviewed and observed our teacher candidates. Find out how they got on.

Isaac, Saran, Liam, Cathy, Lowri and Hera didn’t know what to expect. They had been asked if they would like to come to Kindergarten for the day and have a lesson from a Steiner Class Teacher. Have a day off school to… go to school.

We set up our beautiful hall at St Anne’s as a small classroom; six little desks and six little chairs. It looked lovely, a blackboard above the fireplace and all the equipment the candidates had asked us to provide – painting paper, drawing paper, coloured pencils, crayons, rulers, skipping ropes, beanbags – it was all looking intriguing.

Our first candidate greeted the wide eyed and wondering pupils with a handshake and a firm “Good morning Issac“. They responded slightly proud, slightly self conscious, unused to this polite formality. Quiet as mice with gloves on they sat at their desks. They had been asked to be polite and helpful, not overtly, this was expected of them and they responded. The teachers treated them with courtesy and respect, yet always there was gentle authority in the room.

The teacher introduced himself and they were immediately on their feet again, chairs neatly under desks, about to start the day with some tricky bean bag games. Soon they were laughing as they concentrated on throwing one bean bag whilst catching another. There followed times tables, skipping and more bean bag games.

Happy, relaxed and alert they were asked to sit back down and listen to a story. A story learnt by heart by the teacher, and delivered in that direct, human to human way that only a story told, not read, can. They listened in the beautiful way that children do, absorbed in the moment.

We had asked the candidates to do an artistic activity, rhythmic time with maths and to tell a story. Over two days the class did guided painting, form drawing, drew pictures from the stories they heard – of Trolls, Vikings, princes, dragons and St Dwynwen – made Viking shields, sang, skipped, threw bean bags in ever more complicated ways, were polite, worked hard and really enjoyed it.

They proudly looked at all their work and made parents carefully scoop it up and carry it safely home. They had had a great time, worked hard, concentrated beautifully, produced drawings and paintings they were proud of, had fun and wanted more.

Lowri told her mum at the end of day one that she hadn’t known school could be fun. Day two she was up, dressed and ready to go by 7.30, a thing she never does. Liam and Saran, having had no intention of leaving their present schools and friends, have both decided they want to go to this school now. Hera at home is still singing that lullaby the Troll mothers sing to their babies as they tie them up by their tails to put them to bed.