June 26-July 1
A Year of Awakening and Exploring ~ Preparing for Grade 7
with Wendy Kelly
Seventh graders arrive with a bold show of personality and self-assurance, at least on the surface. They really don’t have much patience for school anymore. They believe they never learn anything anyway, and the teacher is so unfair! Woe unto the seventh grade teacher who is unprepared for displays of gross disrespect and indifference. However, the seventh grade teacher has the antidote to these attitudes, for the students can hardly contain their delight, bewilderment, and wonder at the deceptive simplicity of perspective drawing; the myriad examples of the Golden Mean all around us; the breath-taking masterpieces and biographies of Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael; the audacity of Martin Luther; the marvels of chemistry and mechanics; the daring stories of exploration around the globe; and the unique geography and cultural expressions of people on distant continents. The teacher need only add a healthy dose of humor, and success will be assured!
In this course, we will consider strategies for approaching the daunting period of history covered in the seventh grade curriculum. Materials will include a sample block rotation along with suggestions for classroom activities. Presentations will include hands-on practice of perspective drawing and sacred geometry, as well as suggestions for homework, independent projects, and recommended books.
Wendy Kelly, a native of South Jersey with family roots in Estonia, earned a B.A. in both Dance and Psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park, an M.F.A. in Dance from Temple University, and an M.S.Ed. in Waldorf Education from Sunbridge College. She performed professionally with two different modern dance companies before starting a family and training to become a Waldorf teacher. Ms. Kelly was a class teacher for ten years at the Green Meadow Waldorf School in Chestnut Ridge, NY; since 2011 she has been teaching at the Rudolf Steiner School in Manhattan, where she is currently the 7th grade teacher. She has also led a number of teacher training and grades preparation workshops at Sunbridge Institute.
