Following the publication of the article ‘An alternative school model’ (The Sunday Times, January 29), a large number of parents and education professionals contacted us expressing interest in participating in, or supporting our initiative to create an alternative kindergarten and school in Malta.
Our aim is to start the kindergarten in April this year and the primary school in September
We would like to share some of the comments we received from people living in Malta who are looking for an alternative to the mainstream educational model for their children. The names have been omitted to preserve privacy.
One parent wrote to us saying: “We have been having a difficult time with our six-year-old, who clearly feels a little lost and demotivated within the school’s system.
“We are also worried that our two-year-old, who is currently benefiting from a generally healthier approach at… playschool… is going to get a bit of a shock when entering the much less flexible routine of a large institution.”
A number of families who contacted us are considering leaving Malta because at the moment they can’t find an educational option that matches their vision for their children.
For example, one parent wrote saying: “Such an initiative is worth a try. Shame it wasn’t happening when my son was very young.
“I am not sure the UK has excellent schooling, but certainly there are far more opportunities there for him in senior school than here, so I will probably have to head back there for eight years while he does secondary school. Then, I doubt I’ll ever come back to Malta.”
Another parent wrote: “My son will be five years old this year, so I will need to enroll him into some school. As I do not want to enroll him into any state school, we have decided to move from Malta… and enroll our son into the Waldorf school (elsewhere).”
These comments clearly indicate that there are people in Malta who would love something different. Thanks to the internet, we have been contacted also by a few families throughout Europe who said they would move to Malta if only there was an alternative option to schooling in Malta for their children.
Our three-year-old daughters have already experienced one term in a Waldorf kindergarten and it has been a magical experience for us all.
It is our clear intention that our three-year-olds will have the confidence to follow their dreams and passions and to always take forward steps, however small they may seem.
Martin Luther King Jr once said: “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step”.
We are following his advice and taking the first step in faith. We are trusting that the path will emerge as we step forward, that we will meet the people with whom this idea resonates and attract the support that will allow it to flourish.
As Malcolm Forbes says, “Success follows doing what you want to do. There is no other way to be successful.”
While we are not at all attached to a purely Waldorf approach, there are many components of Waldorf that we would love to use as the foundation for the alternative schooling option we are proposing to create in Malta.
We hope to hear from other people who are interested in helping this initiative to be a success story for our children, the education system and, of course,for Malta.
Needless to say, we have received many questions from those who have contacted us so far. The following are our answers to some of the most frequently asked questions:
Q. When will the school start?
A. Our aim is to start the kindergarten in April this year and the primary school in September. We know that some time is needed to get all required permits and prepare proper installations to comply with the law.
To begin with, for the kindergarten, we are open to start with a small, informal group like a pilot project or a kind of home schooling experience and let it evolve from there.
Q. What are the fees the parents will have to pay?
A. Since we are still in the very early stages, connecting with parents, teachers, looking for proper place, and so forth, fees have not been determined. Our aim is that the fees would be affordable. We intend to explore initiatives such as investors, foundations, funding from philanthropic organisations, and so forth.
Q. Where will the school be located?
A. We haven’t decided on the location yet, but we are considering places easily accessible from all the island, so any parent can bring children to the school. A place close to the countryside is a must for us. Contact with nature is core to Waldorf pedagogy but, more importantly, this is what we would love for our children.
For more information or to be involved in the new school, e-mail Julián Sáez at waldorfmalta@gmail.com.
In Waldorf pedagogy, child’s play is work
Soft cloth dolls with a minimum of facial features allow for open-ended imaginative play.• In Waldorf pedagogy, play is core to the learning experience and the healthy, positive development of the child.
As Joseph Chilton Pearce wrote in his book Magical Child, “The great rule is: play on the surface and the work takes place beneath”.
So, for example, letters, reading and writing don’t feature at all in kindergarten. Nor do copybooks, pencils or books make an appearance until after age of six.
Storytelling and fantasy are core to the practice of ‘teaching’ and facilitating a child’s development. Toys are used to help children recreate experiences as they really happen in life. They are not concluded so as to facilitate the imagination.
The toys are made from natural materials and include rounds of wood cut from birch logs, seashells, lengths of colored silks for dressing-up or building, and soft cloth dolls with a minimum of facial features so as to allow for open-ended imaginative play.