Pacifica Journal #33 2008(1)
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Pacifica Journal A bi-annual newsletter published by the Anthroposophical Society in Hawai'i Number 33, 2008-1 China: A Phoenix from the Ashes physically, soul-wise and spiritually in a country that is in the process of re-inventing itself in an amazingly intense way. Susan Howard, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA Now, post-earthquake, we are deeply concerned with the situation in Szechuan Province. Two weeks ago we visited the city of Dujiangyan, 60 km west of Chengdu, en route On May 13th a powerful and devastating earthquake struck to hiking among the Taoist temples at Qincheng Mountain. in Szechuan Province in the area around Chengdu, home of Dujiangyan is one of two epicenters of the earthquake, and the first Waldorf School in China. I am writing to you today we are struggling to bring together two sets of images - one to ask for your support in the aftermath of the earthquake for the lovely, pleasant green city at the edge of the mountains the teachers, parents and children of the Chengdu Waldorf close to the Tibet border, away from the pollution of Chengdu, School. and the other the site of collapsed hospitals, factories and a I returned from China on the day of the earthquake after middle school where many children perished - children who, teaching in the Waldorf kindergarten training program hosted with the One Child Policy, were their parents' beloved only by the Chengdu Waldorf School. My husband Michael and I child and who now are gone. We can hardly bear to think of taught the nearly 100 kindergarten teachers from all over China the grieving taking place now, and the chaos of homelessness - mostly from Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong that has ensued. Kong, Shenzhen and Xi'an - who are enrolled in the part-time Of course, most of all, we are carrying in our hearts the Waldorf training. Then after a few days of holiday in the karst situation of our friends and colleagues and the families at the mountains near Yangshuo, we flew to Beijing to meet with kindergarten teachers and parents in Waldorf initiative groups and to visit several bio-dynamic farms north of Beijing near the Great Wall. Waldorf education has awakened tremendous in- terest in China in the past year or two and things are developing very quickly. We were deeply, deeply impressed by the spirit of the Chengdu Waldorf School - the brother- hood/sisterhood among the teachers and families and children there, and the intrepid efforts to in- carnate a Waldorf school Anthroposophical Society in Hawai'i, 2514 Alaula Way, Honolulu, Hawai'i Phone (808) 395-1268, Email1 [email protected] Waldorf School. From what we have heard from Li Zhang of North America), 285 Hungry Hollow Road, Spring Valley, there, no one was hurt. However, the buildings where the New York. Donations are tax-deductible and will be forwarded school is housed – a former tea house/summer retreat that to the Chengdu Waldorf School. was quite dilapidated when the school moved in – have been The phoenix bird, Fenghuang, is ubiquitous in China, a damaged. picture of high power, virtue and grace sent from heaven. We hope that like the phoenix, the life of Waldorf education will arise and fly forth out of the current devastation into the future, in part through support and care sent by others from distant lands who nonetheless feel very close to the Chinese people and to what they are trying to bring to birth. During our visit, we were deeply touched by how the grounds and buildings had been lovingly ensouled - a small bamboo "forest" garden planted where rubble had been, a pond created over an old debris-filled wetland, and home- made lazured walls painted with love and care, filling the old concrete buildings with life and color. The Waldorf School has become a lovely bustling community, filled with activity, The Chengdu Waldorf School where teachers and parents and children all carry one another By Harry Wong and the school's mission as they try to transform the physical environment and to incarnate Waldorf education under less The school master plan than easy circumstances. The school master plan has been layout after a year process. Since the earthquake, teachers, parents and children have Thank to Mr. Qing, a parent of our school who is an architect been living in tents and under canopies at the school, as the for a real estate company. The school authority has given their rains pour down. Several kindergartens and the offices have specification we can go ahead to build our classrooms. It will now been declared uninhabitable, and the school will need to meet the requirement to grant our full license to operate as an either rebuild or relocate. For the moment, the teachers and elementary school once the building is completed. The first staff are busy with immediate concerns such as sterilizing stage of building is build 12 classrooms. It will start to lay the contaminated water, offering support and consolation to those foundation by the end of March; we hope that the grade school most in need, helping with the relief effort- especially with will be able to move to the new building in this fall. the children in outlying areas devastated by the earthquake, and offering prayers. We carry in our hearts the question of how we can offer How we will build support in this catastrophic situation. Soul-spiritually, we can The kindergarten room must be over 65 square meter and carry our Chinese friends and colleagues in our hearts, in our with a nap room. The ideal is to have the main room build thoughts and in our prayers. The teachers have expressed how with a big bunk inside for napping. It will save a lot of space supported they feel by their friends around the world. Finan- and work for the teachers. We have to work it out with the cially, we can also offer much-needed support. We ask you to teachers and architect more in detail. We will need six more share with your colleagues and the families at your school the trained kindergarten teachers next year. We will be able to build news about the situation, and ask them to join us in sending although the fund is not yet in the place. We may collect the donations to the Chengdu Waldorf School. Checks made pay- tuition from those who are in the waiting list and build the able to “WECAN” and marked with a note “for Chengdu” can kindergarten before they can come. be sent to WECAN (Waldorf Early Childhood Association 2 The Kindergarten school. Of course, we still have a long way to get our teachers The kindergarten has expended to five classes. There are 63 training. It is a great that Guoming who had completed her children in the kindergarten. We have stopped the enrollment teacher training in Australia now is back in the school. She and register for next year for they are a long waiting list. We was the very early founder of the school. We also will get an do not have enough trained teachers and classrooms to take waldorf trained teachers to teach English from Canada in the those in the waiting list in. There is a high expectation for our fall. There will be six teachers going to attend 9 weeks course teachers. Most of parents are very happy with their children in Australia in the summer in our kindergarten though there was two children were pulled out this semester. Teachers are getting more experiences, but The training program they do not get enough support from experienced teachers. The kindergarten teacher training program is coming to We are expecting an experienced kindergarten teacher come the 4th modual. There are still 56 people coming to the course. from Europe for a Many of them had year in July. set up a home kin- The grade school dergarten to practice The grade school Waldorf education. has a few children The course really moved to abroad af- serves the need of ter the Chinese new them. Susan and Mi- year break. Some of chael Howard will them return. Some of come to conduct the them are not. But, we 4th model in May. will have a few more Marjorie Theyer will adopted Chinese girls come to do the 5th come from the Unit- model in August. We ed States join in the will complete the first grade school in the three years kindergar- fall. The population ten teacher training of English speakers is program next May. getting bigger in our small school. Some The teacher training program parents start to worry if we still teach in Chinese to their The grade school teacher training is coming to the 3rd children. The grade school is still in the process to grant the model in July. Ben Cherry will lead the course Elizabeth full license in order to be operated as an elementary school. Swisher will teach music and Kristin Ramson will teach Eu- We have got the promise from the government that as long as rythmy. We are getting too many students to manage it . We the classrooms and the sport field are built they will give it to do not have enough space to host more than 100 people in the us. So far, we are under some kind of protection. The major school. There is a first grade school in Guangzhou. There are work for this semester is to build the classrooms for the grade a few mothers are preparing for the first grade in Beijing.