Reflections for Escuela Caracol

Hello dear friends of Escuela Caracol,

I have been home for more than a month and finally I can speak about my experiences as a volunteer for 5 weeks at Kinder Caracol just as the new school year began. I knew it would be a special opportunity to return to a Waldorf classroom, to observe the opening of school, the welcoming of new children experiencing school for the first time. I did not know what a profoundly healing and life changing experience it would be for me personally. I got in touch with Life itself, with each living plant and each human being and the sacredness of all of our relationships.

These lines from John O’Donahue’s poem ‘In Celebration” capture much of my experience:

“Now is the time to free the heart/Let all intentions and worries stop/Free the joy inside the self/Awaken to the wonder of your life. Open your eyes and see the friends/Whose hearts recognize your face as kin/Those whose kindness watchful and near/Encourages you to live everything here.”

This is what your school offered me. This is what the children experience everyday. There is love and warmth in all that you do. It was magical for me to stand as a colleague in the spiral labyrinth every morning in a circle of dedicated teachers sharing Steiner’s verses.

It was transforming for me to be greeted every morning with such love and respect. And then my heart filled with joy as I observed Maestra Maribel and Maestra Sandra greet each children every day with such reverence, love and honor. I saw even the most scared children on the first day of school relax in a few short weeks as each child found her/his place into the group. 

Thank you Maribel, Sandra, Wendy and Ceci for the joy and caring that imbues every one of your deeds in the kindergarten classes. The children are blossoming in your classrooms and I did do.

Muchas gracias,

Caro