Posts

Intercultural Education Workshop with Genaro Vásquez

/in /by

P1050071

Genaro Vasquez, a speaker and workshop leader on issues including intercultural education, agro-ecological sustainability and indigenous movements recently led a workshop at Escuela Caracol on Intercultural Education. This event was led in a participatory style and attracted teachers from other local schools to learn along with Escuela Caracol’s teachers, parents and guests from our community. Our time together allowed for a strengthening of our foundation to ensure continued impact in intercultural equity.

Originally from the rural community of Tlahuitoltepec Mixe, Oaxaca, Mexico, Mr. Vasquez graduated in Agro-ecology Engineering from the Universidad Autónoma of Chapingo in 2009 and subsequently completed a Masters degree in Agro-ecology and Sustainability at the University of Cordoba Spain. He recently completed an MA in Research and Development of Education at the Universidad Iberoamericana Mexico. He is co-founder and partner of the Higher Institute Intercultural Ayuuk, Oaxaca Mixe area where activities have focused on the accompanying processes of intercultural education and agro-ecological farming.

Thanks to Genaro Vasquez for his support and for moving us towards a real, consistent and efficient intercultural education for our entire educational community. We hope that he will honor us with a visit again!

Biodynamics Course with Ferdinand Vondruska

/in /by

biodynamics

Biodynamics is a spiritual-ethical-ecological approach to agriculture, food production and nutrition. Today, the biodynamic movement encompasses thousands of successful gardens, farms, vineyards and agricultural operations of all kinds and sizes on all continents, in a wide variety of ecological and economic settings.

In this course you will learn:

• Scientific and Philosophical Foundations of BDA
• The Rhythms of Nature and the Cosmos
• Soil Revitalization
• Seeds
• Composting and Biodynamic Preparations
• Medicine for Men and Animals
• Artistic Activities and Field Practice

Ferdinand Vondruska

752798I am a trained Waldorf teacher with 20 years of teaching experience. I’ve started the now big Vancouver Waldorf School in Canada. I was involved in the start of the Biodynamic Society in British Columbia, Canada. I am making all Bio-Dynamic Preparations and I am trying to understand the world of the Devas, Nature Spirits, Gnomes, Undines, Sylphs and Salamanders, entities beyond the mere physical that need to be nourished. I’m running my own farm and community.

Date: November 7 and 8
Location: Escuela Caracol, San Marcos La Laguna, Lake Atitlan

Festival of Light and Courage

/in /by

The celebration of Archangel Saint Michael is traditionally celebrated as a religious holiday. In Waldorf schools it is also a time to consider reconnecting with the cosmic-divine. The same consideration occurs with all four festivals that make up the annual cycle: Saint Michael, Advent, Easter, Saint John, all linked to the seasons respectively: autumn, winter, spring, summer.

The Feast of St. Michael is preceded by the celebration of the autumn equinox, when the two ground poles are the same distance from the sun and light is perceived equally in both hemispheres. We can say it is a time of equilibrium for the earth. It is a time when day equals night.

In our atmosphere during this time of year meteoric iron falls to earth as rain of stars, it is a powerful healing force. In our blood iron is needed for strength. A person or small child with insufficient iron in their blood is anemic and lacking energy.

As teachers we help the children develop greater strength in many ways. Our students are encouraged to face challenges and enabled to overcome their own difficulties, overcome their fears, gain courage and confidence in themselves.

For us as teachers and parents this is a time that invites us to know our own limitations and fears, to find our own light and strength, to find our balance in life, to accompany our children with increasing success in this task that we have together to make them loving persons of good despite all the difficulties of the time.

Golden light is turning grey,
Mists begin to rule the day.
Bare the trees, their branches lift;
Clouds of dead leaves earthward drift.

Through the field the farmer goes,
Seeds of ripened corn he sows;
Trusts the earth will hold it warm,
Shelter it from cold and harm.

For he knows, that warmth and light
Live there, hidden from our sight;
And beneath a sheltering wing,
Deep below, new life will spring!

Deep below, deep below, new life will spring!

Fall Equinox Celebration

/in /by

IMG_14931

Saint Michael is celebrated near the autumnal equinox in Waldorf schools. We call the festival ‘Michaelmas’ and we celebrate the strong will and courage of the human being. In many parts of the world it is a time to prepare for the coming darkness which is a reminder for us to seek the light from within ourselves. At our school assembly there was singing and flute playing from both the teachers and the students.

 

K’iyb’äl Caracol: Wednesday markets at Escuela Caracol

/in /by

On September 10 we celebrated in Escuela Caracol our first K’iyb’äl (market) Caracol, which from now on will be held every Wednesday from 12:30 to 3:00 pm. The idea of this market is not only the purchase and sale of local products and services, it is also a way to create a space for social interaction for families and visitors in our school community.

Since we proposed this idea to the families, all were excited and began looking for ways to participate. When the day came, our school was full of products to the delight of the audience and the pupils and students, who also came to participate during recess and after school. Among the products, we saw food from different cultural backgrounds (focaccia, tamales, tiramisu, beans, quiche, pastries, breads, crackers, kombucha …) as well as crafts, natural products and other handmade items, some with clear Waldorf orientation.

The activity was a success of participation and marked the beginning of a new form of support for schools and families. Many thanks to all the families who have made this market possible. And please do not forget to participate every Wednesday!

Guatemalan Independence Day Celebration

/in /by

Like every year, Escuela Caracol participated in the parade of September 15th, Guatemala’s national day.

Our group met at the meeting point with other local schools and from there we began the parade. The event ended on the sports field where each school participated in various events and our children sang the beautiful song Lake Atitlan.

Check out the pictures. As you can see, they really enjoyed!

Getting Into Writing

/in /by

The 4th/5th grade students were thrilled to trade in their crayons and pencils for ink. In Waldorf education, we make an effort to present new concepts within a context. As such, before the students received their fountain pens, we talked about the history of writing. Students were asked to think about how it all began: from making cave paintings using fingers and natural pigment, to selecting specific feathers for quills. This exercise tied into our current Ancient History block where we have been looking at the development of human civilization and the different advances which accompanied each period.

We first experimented with feathers which the students collected from outside. As it coincided with our studies on Ancient India, we wrote our names in the Hindi script with the feathers and ink.

Then, with some help from our handwork teacher, we selected bamboo from the school grounds, took knives and sandpaper, and created our own pens from bamboo. During the process, the children were asking, “Are we actually going to be able to write with this?” They were surprised when they saw how the ink first flowed up the tip and then how smoothly it went down on the paper. They couldn’t wait to take their work home to show it to their families.

Finally, the parents were invited to come into our class to take part in handing out each student his or her fountain pen. Students were reminded of the importance of caring for their pens and using a proper grip when using them. The students couldn’t wait to start writing!!

  • Written by Karin Pogharian,  4th/5th grade class teacher

Emerson Waldorf School students visit Escuela Caracol

/in /by

Last week we had  the honor of welcoming a group of high school students from the Emerson Waldorf School, located in North Carolina. A group of 17 students came accompanied by three group leaders and volunteered all week, sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm with the whole community of Escuela Caracol.

In addition to teaching daily workshops on juggling, clay modeling, and charcoal drawings, the visiting students taught our students to make their own balls and stilts. The students from Emerson donated many useful materials so that our students can continue with the dynamic practices that began during this visit.

To the delight of all at Escuela Caracol the Emerson students also made a garden of culinary plants for use in our kitchen, built a wall cane area in Kindergarten and repaired and painted the walls of three classrooms.

On their last day they offered a small show for our parents and extended educational community to share the results of their visit. Emerson Waldof School students showed they are experts (some of them are geniuses!) in such diverse areas as chiaroscuro drawing, writing stories, illustration, juggling, singing, skipping (one of the students competes nationally in the United States)… and our children of Escuela Caracol also showed ​​they acquired knowledge and skills from this week. In addition, Kim, the teacher who accompanied this great group, explained in perfect Spanish all the advantages that these activities offer the children and the reasons why these activities are part of the Waldorf pedagogy. Valuable lessons such as overcoming fear through facing it, how knowledge and coordination are acquired through games, and most importantly that we all carry within us everything we need to successfully develop our gifts and natural abilities.

The students and Emerson Waldorf School served as models for our school. They are the representation of the true potential that every human being harbors within himself/herself and that Waldorf education encourages them creatively by promoting their full development. Students, through this rewarding week, learned that they carry a gem inside of them and our educational community will do everything possible to make it shine. Thank you very, very much to each and everyone for your visit, we are immensely grateful for your efforts and dedication. See you next year!

Our visit to Reserva Natural Atitlán and Mariposario in Panajachel

/in /by

Recently students of grade two and three made a visit to the Atitlán Natural Reserve and Mariposario (butterfly sanctuary). Our day began with a short walk from the school down to the lake. We had the good fortune to be accompanied by some of the student’s mothers. We took a boat 20 minutes across lake Atitlán to an idyllic enclave in the town Panajachel. The boat trip itself it was a unique and unforgettable experience for some of the children who had never taken a boat before.

The Reserva Natural Atitlán has nature trails surrounded by breathtakingly beauty. The roads have hanging bridges over ravines and waterfalls. One such path runs along the area where spider monkeys and coatis (members of the raccoon family) live in freedom. We had the great fortune to visit them during lunch, their caregivers provided us with bananas to feed them. This moment was very special for everyone, we had lots of fun and learned about the nature and behavior of these animals.

Everyone was captivated while visiting the beautiful dome full of water, plants and flowers where butterflies live and reproduce. The students learned about the species living in the dome, especially about the Pan Ajachel butterfly, native of this geographic area and amazingly beautiful.

Before returning to school, everyone enjoyed a snack in the playground area. The mothers enjoyed playing and laughing with the children. As you can see in the pictures, beauty, learning and fun were at every moment part of the activity! Opportunities like this reinforce the value of experiential education, and the memories will certainly enliven their minds and hearts as they journey further into their education and development. We are looking forward to finding our next destination!

 

Students go to horseback riding

/in /by

The 4th and 5th grade class recently completed the block on Zoology, the study of animals. After studying a variety of animals such as the octopus, the elephant and the beaver, the students had a first-hand experience with an animal they all love: the horse.

We took the boat to the neighbouring village of San Pedro, where each student had the unforgettable experience of riding a horse. The students anticipated the trip for weeks, and when they finally faced the horses for the first time, some commented “We didn’t think they’d be so big!”. The two girls were the first to get on! After a little bit of hesitation and nervousness from the boys, they also got on their saddles. Before long, they wanted to know how to get the horse to really gallop!

We steered through the narrow streets of San Pedro and got out to a more rural road on the shore of the lake. When it was time to turn around, one student exclaimed, “Time is up? It can’t be! We need to do this every week!”

Horseback riding has been noted to have a therapeutic effect on children, helping them with self-confidence, trust and learning boundaries, among other things. The teacher agrees with her students…. We should go horseback riding more often! We were thrilled to have three mothers from the class accompany us, and we hope to see them on the saddles next time!