Renewal In-Person Fourth Grade
Week 1 — In Person June 28 – Friday, July 3, 2026 Wilton, NH REGISTER NOW Teaching Fourth Grade: Exploring Individuality, World, and Belonging In-Person with Irene Richardson The first-grade year is a momentous and imaginative threshold. Children step fully into grade school life, encountering learning through story, movement, rhythm, artistry, and meaningful work. The first-grade teacher carries the essential task of forming a cohesive class community while laying the foundations for reading, writing, and arithmetic in a way that nourishes the whole child. This Renewal Course offers inspiration, practical guidance, and artistic renewal for teachers preparing to meet this pivotal year with clarity, confidence, and joy. Participants will engage deeply with the essential elements of first-grade teaching, including: Story, Myth, and Cultural Imagination Working with myths and Native American stories to explore themes of individuality, strength, moral choice, and relationship within community. Human–Animal Studies and Natural World Exploration Animal studies that invite careful observation, comparison, and reflection, supporting intellectual curiosity and a growing sense of relationship between humanity and nature. Geography, History, and Sense of Place Local geography and history studies that strengthen students’ connection to their environment and foster a grounded sense of belonging. Movement, Rhythm, and Classroom Life Supporting focus, social development, and healthy learning through rhythmical lesson structures, movement, and practical classroom activities. Artistic Practice Form drawing, painting, and artistic work that deepen understanding, support integration, and provide expressive pathways for cognitive and emotional development. Curriculum Foundations Language arts, grammar, literature, mathematics (including fractions), and social studies presented through developmentally appropriate and integrated Waldorf frameworks. Classroom Life and Social-Emotional Learning Guidance for navigating peer dynamics, fostering inclusion, supporting social awareness, and creating a classroom culture grounded in respect and belonging. Teacher Practice, Planning, and Wellness Practical tools for lesson planning, assessment, classroom management, parent communication, and sustaining a healthy work-life balance. Additional Course Offerings — In-Person (Grades 1–5) This course also includes Eurythmy with Alexandra Spadea, offering developmentally appropriate movement experiences that support embodiment, balance, and learning readiness across the grades. Participants will also engage in Teaching Music and Singing with Meg O’Dell, providing practical and inspiring approaches to cultivating a rich musical life in the classroom, as well as Artistic Engagement with Narsingh Khalsa, offering immersive artistic experiences that strengthen teaching practice, creativity, and inner renewal. By the end of the course, teachers leave with renewed confidence, practical resources, and inspired clarity to guide students through this year of growing independence—supporting curiosity, courage, connection, and a strong sense of belonging. Irene Richardson is the gardening, woodworking, and middle school history teacher at River Valley Waldorf School. She has served as class teacher to three groups of Waldorf students in Princeton, Tucson, and Philadelphia. A love of mythology and folklore, the natural world, and growing things runs as a common thread through her undergraduate degree in comparative religion from Bard College, her master’s degree in education from Sunbridge College, and her certificate in biodynamics from the Pfeiffer Center. When she is not teaching, Irene supports collaborative leadership and self-development in Waldorf schools through her work as an AWSNA delegate. She is enthusiastic about carrying Waldorf education forward into its second century and toward liberation for all. Irene balances her professional life with time spent exploring forests and museums with her child—and collecting stacks of books she hopes to read eventually. Irene Richardson Each Renewal Course, Grades 1–8, Includes: Eurythmy with Alexandra Spadea — Offering developmentally appropriate movement experiences that support embodiment, balance, and learning readiness across the grades. Teaching Music and Singing with Meg O’Dell – Practical approaches to cultivate musical life, rhythm, and singing in the classroom. Artistic Engagement with Narsingh Khalsa – Guided artistic practice in drawing, painting, form work, and creative exercises to inspire teaching and inner life development. These offerings provide teachers with practical tools, inspiration, and experiential learning to integrate the arts, rhythm, creativity, and science into classroom practice while supporting their own professional and personal growth. Alexandra Spadea grew up in a Waldorf school in Germany, where her lifelong love of eurythmy began. She trained at the Elena Zuccoli School in Dornach, Switzerland, and graduated from Eurythmy Spring Valley, NY, in 1994 under the directorship of Dorothea Mier. Alexandra taught high school eurythmy at Green Meadow Waldorf School (1994–2000) and has been a member of the Rudolf Steiner School, NYC community since 2009, teaching grades 7–12 and serving as a class advisor. She earned her postgraduate B.A. in Eurythmy Pedagogy in 2015–16. Alexandra Spadea Meg O’Dell loves helping people access their innate capacity for wellness, vitality, and connection. She does this as a somatic coach, supporting individuals and couples in growth, transformation, and healing, and also as a music teacher and vocal mentor. She teaches music at The Bay School, a Waldorf school on the coast of Maine, and leads a large intergenerational all-comers chorus called Misty Mountain Singers. Meg serves as faculty for Antioch University’s Waldorf Teacher Training and CfA’s Waldorf High School Teacher Education Programs. She is a regular instructor for CfA’s the Renewal Courses and introductory Explorations program, and she has taught with LifeWays North America. She received her M.Ed. from Antioch University New England in 2008. Her great joys include spending time with her growing children and visiting the small, misty mountain that rises out of the sea near their home. Meg O’Dell Narsingh Khalsa is a Waldorf educator and artist with a degree in Education from Prescott College and teacher training from Sunbridge Institute. Currently teaching a combined 2nd and 3rd grade class at the Waldorf School of Princeton, Narsingh brings 18 years of experience teaching fine arts to students from 1st through 12th grade. Passionate about creativity, she enjoys making children’s books, developing Waldorf curriculum for homeschoolers and teachers, and engaging in handwork. Outside the classroom, Narsingh loves hiking, yoga, and exploring the beauty of nature. Narsingh Khalsa Community Gatherings In-Person, June 28 – July 3, 2026 Community Gatherings bring together participants attending Renewal Courses and the Mentor Training Program, twice daily, at