Thinking About the Small Things

As I think about opening this school, I'm thinking about a lot of big things: planting the trees, putting in the playground, installing a dishwasher... But I'm also studying pictures online of Waldorf preschool classrooms, and trying to think small. I'm thinking about corners of rooms and what interesting little things should be in them, and how a child might want to play there. I just love this picture I found of a little pre-school classroom at the Portland Waldorf School in Milwaukie, Oregon. The mom who posted it on her blog responded to my e-mail request and said she wouldn't mind me using it at all.

As with most Waldorf pre-schools, the toys are mostly made of wood, or other natural materials, and are purposely plain, so that the child can use his own imagination in playing with them. The walls are also important. Rudolf Steiner, whose philosophy of learning Walforf schools follow, believed that in early childhood, in particular, the environment should be homelike, with warm pastel colors used.

Our Space

I haven't gotten to spend much time in the space we've rented, so am glad I took a couple of pictures when I was there last week. I love to look at these and imagine what this room could be, and what it will be. I see pastel walls and sheer curtains and wooden toys... It's going to be beautiful.

Our little classroom at Calvary United Methodist Church, as it has come to us.

Meeting the Government

Alexandria and I had the first meeting with the county health department today. It was not that bad. The woman we met with, Nahami Noel, has a lovely soft way about her, and seems genuinely interested in assisting with information and guidance. But...we are starting from the beginning. So this is all going to take some time. We'll need a new floor, and new sinks put in, and dividers purchased... and a playground purchased and installed and trees planted. And then we'll have to get an architect to do a site plan and a floor plan...and then we submit everything and the process really starts. But at least we're getting a much better picture here of what will need to be done. It is all coming into focus.

Alexandria

I'm very happy to have Alexandria on board as the school's first teacher and my colleague in establishing The Bryant Park Pre-School. She just has the best temperament -- always calm, always logical, kind and dependable.

And I am delighted that she is coming with me next Wednesday to the first meeting with the Palm Beach County Health Department to look at the blueprints of the building...particularly since she knows how to read a site plan. What luck!

She doesn't like having her picture taken, but I wanted to put her picture up here, as she will play a big part in everything that happens over the coming months.

She's not only caring for my child during the day, working with him on letters and numbers and taking him to the library and around town, but she's imagining the school along with me, thinking how everything should be, AND is going to be taking classes at Palm Beach State College in the evenings and on Saturdays to get her childcare certification.

Waldorf Schools In South Florida

The other night I found a Waldorf school in Boca Raton that is opening opened a pre-school in January.

And just now, I found online a Waldorf school in Miami:

http://www.waldorfmiami.org/Our%20School.htm

So we would have neighbors to the south. Mentors, maybe. I'm going to plan some day trips.

Waldorf Schools on television, computers, etc.

I didn't grow up with a television in the house. And I've chosen not to have a television in the home now that I have a young child. I know there are good things on TV. But kids like to play with remote controls, and when they start changing channels, they begin to be exposed to a lot of things that change them, and chip away at their innocence.

So I was glad to see that Waldorf schools recommend no television for young children. But then I saw that they also would prefer young children not be exposed to computers...or recorded music. Hmmm...

My son likes music very much, and as I don't have much of a singing voice, or an instrument here at home that I can play, he would not get to hear music if we didn't play CDs sometimes and watch YouTube clips of Frank Sinatra and Bette Midler.

But maybe it doesn't mean no recorded music ever. Maybe it means that there shouldn't be music playing in the home and in the car all the time -- because that makes it harder to hear. And if kids can't hear, they can't learn language. I get it.

Planting Trees

The paperwork says the children must have a play yard. Fenced. We have that. But then it says it must have areas of shade. And we don't have that. So trees will have to be planted. There should be one very big one, I'm thinking. I think the children would like one like THIS:



A postcard from 1912(?) (State Archives of Florida)

Got the Space

I just signed the lease this afternoon on the classroom that will become The Bryant Park Pre-School. Thanks Tami and Calvary United Methodist Church! I know you'll be a great partner. We have a long process ahead and lots of paperwork to get through. But for some reason, I'm undaunted.

What is a Waldorf School?

I mention in the right-hand margin that I would like to maybe make the school a Waldorf school. Waldorf refers to a method of teaching children modeled on the ideas of an Austrian named Rudolf Steiner. It is similar to Montessori in its emphasis on each child as an individual, and also in the way classrooms are set up, with a lot of wood and natural materials and soft colors. You can read more by clicking on this link:

http://www.whywaldorfworks.org/

And here's a photo of a Waldorf pre-school classroom in Princeton, New Jersey. Isn't it lovely?

Waldorf School of Princeton

Paperwork

There's a lot of paperwork involved in setting up a  pre-school, even a small one. The first order of business, the paperwork says, is to get two copies of floor plans and two copies of blueprints. And then to get with the building department, fire department, health department, and a few other entities. Boy. It could take four months to get this open, instead of two. So glad to have Alexandria taking care of my child meanwhile, and a great space. The longer we have, the more beautiful we're going to be able to make it for the day when the other kids come.

The Very Beginning

I'm about to sign a lease on a wonderful classroom at Calvary United Methodist Church that will become The Bryant Park Pre-School. It's all happened so quickly that I'm sure someday I'll stop and wonder about the confluence of events.

But for now, I have no time to ponder this. I am thinking about Dawn dishwashing liquid, the blue kind, and how I need to buy a bottle of this pronto, along with toilet paper and paper towels and a few other sundries to bring over to the church once I've got the lease signed...because my two-year-old and Alexandria, who will be leading the pre-school, will be using this as their home base for the next three months as I work towards completing all the paperwork to get the space approved as a child-care facility.