Rhythm and Repetition in Waldorf Education

Living in this world and have more and more question lead us about the truth of human being, Waldorf education helps to discover deeper. Rhythm and repetition are two factors that very reliable in our daily life. It started from the day we were born in this world, cardiovascular system, breathing, and digestive system. But not only its works for human beings also with all animals, our cosmic system, and plants. The plant gets life forces to grow and strength from the sun, soil, and water. In some season they bloom, show their best flower, and next season they let it go the leaves, sleep for one more season, and wakes up again in spring. This repetition has a big meaning that everything comes back with balance and synchronizes. It will be different when we attempt to cut the rhythm, creates unbalance and that’s what happens when we used a chemical protector that helps the tree overworked and even can lead to the death of the tree. When its flow then it will create a rhythm, which comes with the sense of security for the tree and all animals who depend on that tree.

In evident that happens in the human, which Waldorf concerned about the rhythmic system as an organic system. Education will arrive with the quality of the rhythmic system through the development of artistic quality. So, the art activities will make the child’s breathing and circulation is healthier. The term breathing in and breathing out activities are good examples of help children to find the rhythm which shaping the child’s whole being and take into consideration their well-being.

In my school we have a rhythm that tries to balance the need to be intellectually active through art or project, and free play or music time. We had one case that one mother had difficulty to apply rhythm in the house. Every morning they come late to school, in a hurry and sometimes the mother missed the chance to say a proper goodbye to her daughter. Day by day past and she looks more tired, dragged her foot towards the classroom, and most of the time forget to bring school stuff for her daughter. The daughter had difficulty especially in the morning to adapt to classroom, she chooses to play in the corner missed circle time and had a tantrum. I met with her parents and found that they never have a schedule or rhythm. They brought their experiences as nomad parents that make rhythm was impossible. In conclusion, they agree to make the new rhythm adapt to some activities that they feel need to be part of it. In a few weeks, the daughter came earlier in the school, had time to play with friends and with a better mood feels secure.

Rhythm and repetition connected with the sense of life which built our consciousness, interconnected with our senses. Those senses nourish physical senses will impact our well-being. The lacked sense of life will create a lack of recognition of their own feeling.  Astrid Lackner explained that from the lecture series of Rudolf Steiner he defines that sense of life as vital senses that create a feeling of freedom, energy, or faintness. The children need to expose with rhythmical, predictable morning, have enough rest, enough time to play, participate in practical work, etc. Then they can flourish and found a connection to the sense of life with trust.

Rhythm and repetition once again will help us to organize ourselves, train our sensitivity to the inner self and the world around us, and also bring discipline. The process to be part of our rhythm will not be easy and somehow need to be committed. Regarding the story before, the parents build up again the rhythm and sometimes it works sometimes is not. Being persistence and never giving their hope to help children connect with the new rhythm is to help the children to feel secure and confident. In rhythm and repetition, we know what we want to do, how effective it will be, and how it will affect our life.

“Receive the children in reverence, educate them in love, and send them forth in freedom”. Rudolf Steiner

Sources: Lackner, Astrid. The Sense of Life. https://www.waldorflibrary.org/images/stories/Journal_Articles/gw_71lackner2.pdf

                 Steiner, Rudolf. (1923). Lecture 7; Rhythm, Sleep, Imitation. https://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA307/English/RSPC1943/19230811p01.html

Let Me Introduce my best friend "Anxiety"

“My anxiety comes like every day in every situation I have”.

 At the beginning of 2011 when prepared to enter university, I studied very hard every day and exercise from many books. That situation made me frustrated, stressed, and had insomnia for almost one month. I never had that kind of feeling before. My self-esteem decreased and I am afraid to go out and meet people.

Luckily I have my family support me all the times. They pushed me to go out and socialize with friends. My family introduce me to yoga, meditation, and how to relax and just enjoy every moment I had. Then, I accepted in university and entered psychology major. But nothing was changed, I still got anxiety and panic attack.

In psychology, I learn many things about anxiety, the symptoms, how your brain works, impact your brain and behavior, treatment, and many things. Once, when I had psychopathology class and the topic was anxiety. I went to the bathroom to talk to myself that everything gonna is okay because I can’t handle it. At that moment I felt like losing my confidence. 

Anxiety actually is a common problem for all human in this world. Anxiety is an unpleasant feeling, often accompanied by nervous behavior, such as somatic complaints. We need to differentiate anxiety and fear because isn’t the same. Anxiety is the expectation of a future threat. Our behavior such us fight or flight response and defensive, or escape are related to anxiety.

But don’t be afraid if you have the same condition as me, sometimes we do need anxiety. This state helps us to cope with upcoming negative events. 

So what I do to overcome with anxiety? I’m becoming a friend with anxiety. Every time I feel a panic attack or anxiety, I take a deep breath and open it for them to come inside my house. But like a visitor, they will go afterward. Inhale and exhale, move my body to make it relax, and try to think just about the present. I try to focus on many people around and start to think that I love myself, my friends and my family always support me. So then the visitor will go. 

I’m also trying to make treatment for myself:

• meditation every morning (15 minutes is wonderful)
• stretching regularly 
•  I love art, and I try to make mandala to overcome it.
• walking and strolling around
• socialize and give me time for yourself.

I still learn and search for another way to overcome my anxiety. I believe when we make friends with anxiety and try our own way to cope with it. Anxiety will always be our “good” best friend. 

Becoming more critical in 21th century: RELIGION

For one week I had been exposed by news about war because of the religion in several places. The one of the example is Rohingya refugee who came to Sumatra to get help. Stories about Rohigya genocide have been massive in media since last year. According to Wikipedia, Rohigya are indigenous to Rakhine State that migrated to Myanmar from Bengal during British rule in Burma.  It is about 1.3 million Rohingyas live in Myanmar in 2013. Rohingyas received attention from international organization who related with peace and human rights. 

Then in 2015, thousands of Rohingyas tried to escape from violence and persecution by migrated to Southeast Asian and called as boat people. They used boat as transportation and several thousand more are remain trapped on boat in the middle of the sea. I actually don’t know what the main problem is but as long as I know, media always relate the war with religion. The majority religion tried to protect their existence, then limited access for minorities. But is that true? I mean don’t we get prime by what we hear and see from media. 

I tried to searched the truth, had religion as the prime cause to war and in objective perspective and like Huffington.post (2012) said that “Encyclopedia of Wars” authors Charles Philips and Alan Axelord showed document from 1763 wars only 123 have been classified to involve a religious causes, less than 7 percent of all wars. That fact gives me some release, that my hypothesis is true. I always think that war nowadays is the way to cover up the main problem. Religion is something sensitive and private to discuss. This is the one of misconceptions about religion, because many people think that faith is incompatible and religion claim to absolute truth. Some people still think that violence is the will of God to worship His power. In fact, this way of think actually make us walk back into the dark of past.

Human make connection to three aspects God, nature, and other human being. Those connections are the roots of the way living. First is God which indescribable and people believe that God or power is omnipotence, omnipresence, and omnibenevolent. That make human feel secure and always get help when they in the worse condition. Second is nature which we call it sometime Mother Nature, and divide as earth, fire, water, and earth. The third is our connection to other human being, which include animal too. If we realize and fully keep the harmony of three connections, I believe there’s no war. 

While I am in junior high school until senior high school, I was studied at private school. My school is based on catholic foundation and actively in many catholic activities. But, this school is still open for anyone with various religions and so I learned many things for that. We have religion subject and not like many religion subject in several schools, I learned about other religion too. For the first time its hard and excited, because I need to understand how many religion see about one theme. Then, in that time I remember that I always excited when learned about Buddhist because the explanation is simple and just one paragraph  . What I learned from that subject is fascinating, the perspective of many religion see about one problem is actually same. They have positive way to solve that problem and give advice for the people. The different is just the way and for several problems the different even just the term.

Based on my experienced, in 21th century we need more critical with what we see, hear, and talk. I saw the differentiation with children nowadays who still get study about their own religion. The way religion subject teach in my school maybe have several deficiency but this is the good way to make children learn about other religion. Children will build their foundation that all religion have good way to make better world. They will more critical with the fast information in this digital era. And not only about religion subject but also how school protect the freedom of speech, and destroy the wall of majorities and minorities is small step to decrease the opportunity of war in the future. Peace is the highest religious aspiration for which we must work.  

PS: This is what I want to tell after hear arise several problem in the name of religion in Indonesia. I hope we don’t get trap in utopia vision, that the problem start not because religion and must be solve in the name of peace and humanity. 

Thanks to

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-alan-lurie/is-religion-the-cause-of-_b_1400766.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rohingya_people 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God

WHAT ARE YOU DOING AFTER GRADUATE?

Really, what am I doing after graduate?

That question come repeatedly to my mind. What I am doing, what will I do next, how can I survive after graduate, what I really passionate about. If you ask me that question right now, I will say I don't know. I remember after graduated and get bachelor degree I joined with educator course in Bali, apply several jobs (sadly I didn't get), than apply for internship in special school, went to Jogjakarta to make little event for the children and learned jewelry, accompanied my parents for holiday, that's it. If you read my story probably you will disagree with me. I know, it's seems like I'm not gratitude with what I got. Unfortunately I still feel not enough, I am craving for new experience, new friends, and new places. I have plan for next one and a half years, but I still need to talk about my plan and what I feel.

That's why I called my sisters (Kak Buki and Kak Natti, my lovely friends from educator course) to get some inspiring and reflective thought. We met at Universitas Indonesia and got dinner together in Burgreen Restaurant (recommended !!). What we talk about? Many things from what we learned from educator course and how we implemented to our life and our project.  This conversation brought me to same feeling which I feel when I'm in the course. They always make me feel amazing and positive (thanks a lot to them!!). I asked Kak Natti, how is work life? she answer that work is fun if you passionate about it. I keep thinking that many people around me somehow choose to come back to school than work, they said that work is boring, the only thing they like is money which help them to enjoy their life. Then I try to summarize from what people say that money will bring you to the happiness. But from Kak Natti's answer, it's different. She said that money it's not everything, you become small if you just only work for money. Really, I didn't get it for the first time! MONEY WILL MAKE YOU SMALL, I thought that a lot of money will give you to what you want. 

She explained with short story about people who focus with money and he can buy everything he want. But we need to know that things like, clothes, bags, and gadget give you short pleasure. That things can be broke sometimes and always have limit to use. When we rich our self with many experience, friends, and knowledge those things will stay until we die. We can feel that happiness every time we share that story, that the authentic happiness. My friends also said night before I met with Kak Buki and Kak Natti, that money is just a paper which we believe that can help us to get what we want. The desire to get what we want and never satisfied also the other form of power make us trap into the hole of  money orientation. 

Then Kak Buki shared about her project which is so freaking cool. She really passionate about it, she learn many things to make her richer with the knowledge and connection. I can see, hear, and feel it from the way she talked, she work hard to make her dream come true. Kak Natti also do the same, she love writing and she did that, it's turn out that her book is inspiring many peoples. Kak Buki said that sometimes you need become water in the river, just let it flow. You will find difficulty and  make you  turn to other direction but that's okay. In that moment I try to understand what I'm really searching for and what I'm passionate. The answer need some process, I will stand with my idealism but still flexible and want to learn many thing from others people. That's why I can't answer it right now, but I believe whatever I take always help me to become better and richer with knowledge, experience, and friends. 

"Discover your passion and TAKE ACTION"- this quotes wakes me and push me to discover my passion.

This article just random conversation I had with people around me, I hope if you have same question with me this random conversation will help you :)

http://quotesgram.com/img/your-passion-quotes/7125658/

Special Needs Children with Special Story Behind

Hey everyone,

So I just want you to know that after I graduated I choose to do internship in special school for special needs student. I believe that this opportunity came with the plan of universe. So when I finished my last exam for my thesis, I did volunteer for Alzheimer Indonesia. This event accidentally introduced me to someone who owner of the school. First I thought that search and apply for job in Bali (what I really want) is easy, but it's turned out "Not really". Maybe people will call me that I'm so idealistic, I choose to work in school or Non- profit than in cooperate,  I choose to work related to education, special needs student than work which related to economic or politic, I choose to work which located in Bali, East Indonesia, or outside country than work in Java Island. I'm being to optimistic and my father told me that I need to realize my capability that I'm a fresh graduate who don't have many experienced about works life. 

I believe this year will be a special year. God and universe introduce me to wonderful peoples from around the world and convince me about my path. I learned many thing from courage, work hard, professionalism, opportunity, and all things in my 22 years life in this world. So, after I met the founder of the school I decided to take internship in school and clinic. And do you know what I get??

AMAZING CHILDREN!!!!!!

I start my internship at August 18th the day after independent day, they have little party and games. The head officer wanted me to do short observation and give me chance to look how happy students and teachers while play variant of games. The truth is for 3 hours being in school, I feel little dizzy because majority of students is running, jumping, and screaming. It's new experience for me, when some teacher said to me to watch out one student with autistic. I hold his hand, make him to sit comfortably and quite. Hey!!! I realized that just for two seconds after that he jumping in front of me, jumping, and make a weird sound. Then I try for the second times to make him sit again and try to do clap and high five with him ( I can tell u that this game is work out for introduction, please remember just for introduction #1minuteonly). Then he jumping and running again, for a second I said to myself it's too hard for me, I give up. The teacher came to me and said that " He can't sit and be quiet, because he have difficulty to control his own body. When people push him, he can get anxiety and vomit so let him free but still guide him". I felt like 10 tons weight fall to make me realized that what I did before is wrong. Okay! I learned exactly in the right place.That day give me strength to wake up early every morning and take public transportation for almost 45 minutes and motorbike for 15 minutes. So this is my story....

My first day came to workshop class

Workshop class basically class for student start from 18 years old to deeper skill and knowledge so they ready to face the real world and survive. This class consist of around 20 students, they have different skills. There are students who works very well in all kind instruments like drum, guitar, bass, and piano. Then students who master at painting and crafts, also student who prefer to dance and sports. The student in here come with different needs, but most of them is Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Down Syndrome. When I came to their class for the first time, they look nothing different (I thought my appearance in their class will be special thing for them, but I'm not). They still love to ask many random question which not related, jumping, screaming, or some children even didn't notice me. But one thing that they want to know me about me is..."What am I doing in this class?" Well, I can 100% sure that's a hard question for me, and I answered "I want to learn with them and make more friends". 

So I want to share what I'm doing every morning until afternoon (so please don't get bored and still read my future story). Every morning, students have morning workout and stretching with cute movement, that make me smile everyday hahaha.... Then after that the class start, every children have their own schedule. The class system is moving class, so children need to get from one class to other class consistent with their class. Sometimes when they aren't in mood to do that class, the teacher will find way to change the schedule cooperate with other teachers. For children with down syndrome, they have instability emotion tendency and easily get angry, sad, or happy. Teacher must be sensitive with their emotion, and help them to have stable mood again.

My jobs is to help teacher guide the students while they learn. For the example when I help art class, the teacher will introduce me with all the equipment and the variety of learning. He let me to take responsibility for two or more children and help them to find out what they want to do in that class. The method of teaching is simple, just give them freedom but gradually increase the difficulty. When the one of the children can make portrait painting in black and white, the teacher then encourage that children to coloring and learn about shading. The progress will show if we take step by step, so the student will realize what they actually do. This process take many minutes, hours, day, even years. How the key of success teacher who work for this are patient, love, and passion. Everyday is a new day with new experience and problem, take a time to teach children with special need refer to their capability.

That the summarize of my job, I learned about the precious of connection between family (especially parents and siblings), teacher, children, and society. The process to raise awareness and connection to develop the children with help for varies part is important. The children will learn holistic and become a better student with their special needs. It's take a time to cooperate with the society especially break the stigma about the condition of the children. Like Vygotsky believe that environmental give impact to the children and that's why we need to clarify that children with special need is not Karma, Dosa (Sin), or many negative perception.That children come to this world to make us realize to be grateful, encourage other to do positive think, and show the world that NOBODY IS PERFECT!

So I will continue about my daily live internship at next story~

https://id.pinterest.com/pin/532480355916516801/

  

Living Values

"Education is a process of search meaning and purpose that's why educates heart and minds are important" -LVE-

Living values education program is practical methodology and experiential values activities for educators, facilitators, parents, and caregivers to help them provide the opportunity for children and young children to explore and develop universal values, associated with intrapersonal and interpersonal social and also emotional skills. The curriculum includes of several main values such as peace, respect, love, cooperation, happiness, honesty, humility, responsibility, simplicity, tolerance, freedom, and unity. LVE support the development of the individual and a culture of positive values in each society and believing that education can help humanity flourish. You can get more explanation, with open this link 

(http://www.livingvalues.net/about/docspdfs/Press%20Kit%20Int%20Fact%20Sheet%202011.pdf )

I knew about living values education for someone who worked at Green School Bali (Pak Scholastica), and he so passionate with Living Values Education Program. At first, I didn't understand about living values. I thought that living values was focusing on understand and live with values in our self. I didn't understand how people live in their own values in our variety society. I remembered when I made my thesis and talked about moral, which is so confusing. Moral, values, ethics are different or same? Do we have same moral or values across the world? Even, there's so hard to find questionnaire who exactly explain about the morality across countries. If I found several journal, they will explain in term of job culture, but how we define our universal values. 

I search definition of values, moral, and ethics from  

(http://www.tcls.org.au/01_cms/details.asp?ID=39) 

- ethics describes a generally accepted set of moral principles

- moral describes the goodness or badness or right or wrong of actions

- values describes individual or personal standards of what is valuable or important

From this simple definition we can define that values is based on personal standards which come from our knowledge about society principle. Then we originally define our principle into good and bad or right and wrong action. We can conclude that our values is actually based on our society and our self. That's why I agree with how the living values education mission to understand their own values in our society. 

These are several ways I get from LVE website to apply this program in our class:

1. Take time before start the lesson (I would like to say it's better to take a time for mindfulness session with short meditation)

2. Help the children to reflect and get positive environment before start the class ( I agree with this one, because not only the children but also the teacher need to get positive energy before start the class and put their personal problem).

3. Help children to understand their freedom and build relationship with society and nature (If you have a garden you can walk a while with them or you can easily get them say "hello" to each other student in the class with beautiful smile)

4. Build their self esteem (Based on my experience worked with special need children, we really need to build their understanding to value their self and help them to understand that every people is unique and worth it)

5. Give them confidence to responsible for what they do (I love to make them confidence with themselves because it's increase their self esteem. For the first time, I thought that they need our help with their limitation. Then I realized that who build the limitation is actually me, they can do it very well if we give them chance to responsible for what they do).

6. Open discussion to share their ideas (This moment not use just for evaluate about subject in our class, but discuss about many thing from their life and a good time to evaluate teacher performance. I learn not to afraid of critics!)

7. The most important things to share and grow the understanding of values also living in values. 

I found the interesting point of LVE program, that they based on twelve values which I think can apply very well in every situation. If we take one example like love value which all peoples know in every places in this world. Every people can describe differently about love, but they will agree that how to love is like how to give, caring, being kind, sharing, and become lovable to everyone around us.  That's the clever thing to put universal values in our education system. Children learn to build their own values based on the universal values which is important to build the connection with other human being and nature around them. Living Values Education give attention to build good relationship with our mother nature. We can get those values also from unconditional love of our mother nature.

 (My class in Gerakan UI Mengajar , 2015)

(Social Project @GriyoSabinCommunity Jogjakarta, 2016)

I'm not specialized with LVE, I just a person who attract and want to know more about it. So if you have any recommendation for me to understand more about LVE, please let me know in comment below.

*Sorry for the wrong grammar or words, I'm on the process to make it better*

Green Course Educator: part 2

Breathe, breathe in the air,

Cherish this moment,

Cherish this breath.

Tomorrow is a new day for everyone,

Brand new moon, brand new sun.

When you feel life coming down on you,

Like a heavy weight.

When you feel this crazy society,

Adding to the strain.

Take a stroll to the nearest waters

And remember your place.

Many moons have risen and fallen long, long before you came.

So which way is the wind blowin',

And what does your heart say?

So follow, follow the sun,

And which way the wind blows

When this day is done

Xavier Rudd - Follow The Sun 

I will start my article with this beautiful song from Xavier Rudd, these song basically make us realize that be gratitude for this moment and all the moment you already passed. We need to believe that every day begin with new sun and end with new moon, so then we can reflect what we did today? How we solve every problem and shade all the worries? Come back with what your heart say not only your thinking. Being this moment, present, not past or the future. Then for every worries and uncertainty are seem like wind, sometimes they come or blow away.

I would like to continue my story and what I got from Green Course Educator. 

In second or third day (I'm sorry I forget exactly the date) we had discussion about what is connection of art and sustainable education. We begun with conversation about Gaia Theories " The theory asserts that living organisms and their inorganic surroundings have evolved together as a single living system that greatly affects the chemistry and conditions of Earth’s surface. Some scientists believe that this “Gaian system” self-regulates global temperature, atmospheric content, ocean salinity, and other factors in an “automatic” manner. " (http://www.gaiatheory.org/overview/). Gaia theories or paradigm related with our mother nature or Pachamama. The reason behind why we called our nature is mother because nature give us everything with unconditional love and nurturing every human being. From this perception I realized that what I get from nature is all free, everyday, every second we have. Then the teacher told us to make our own culture, that's the way for us to recreate our myths, symbols, and heroes to re new our connection with our society and nature. We can apply these ways to find our own school culture, although it might be weird, but it's wort it.

 In this course we also talked with the architect of amazing bamboo building. They begun the project with brainstrom about the shape and material from local resources around the school. Like no others architect who came up the idea with theories and make a model by computer. The architect team begun with a model of building, use same shape and material. So they build all the bamboo building based on that model. The concept of wall-ness seen in every aspect of the architectural building and give impact to the atmosphere of the education. Like what I got before from psychology-architecture subject, there is a connection between the human and space. Human can impact to the design and function of space, in the same way space can also impact to our behavior and state of well being. That time I thought that kind of connection is just explain from theories or book. One time, I tried to observe the children behaviors in Green School and found out that they can expand their knowledge, sensory motor, and increase their sensitivity and concentration in the condition of wall-ness. They more connect with their environment and have space freedom to express, feel, and understand with experiential method. 

I just imagine if I had opportunity to come back to my early life and got chance to expand my connection and knowledge with society and other human being. What I look like in my future time?