Week 1 — In Person
June 28 - Friday, July 3, 2026
Wilton, NH
Teaching Second Grade
Meeting the Child at the Threshold of Imagination and Moral Awakening
In-Person with Jen Persinotti
Second grade is a year of transition and awakening. Children stand at a meaningful threshold between early and middle childhood, ready to engage more consciously with a world that now reveals its contrasts – virtue and mischief, strength and vulnerability, truth and imperfection. Building on the self-assurance gained in first grade, second graders enter new academic, emotional, and social territory with curiosity and intensity.
Through story, humor, and imagination, children explore the duality of human nature. Tales of heroic individuals and traditional fables offer a developmentally appropriate mirror through which students can reflect on themselves and their relationships to others. At the same time, academic work deepens: reading instruction becomes more fluent, writing grows into fuller composition, and mathematics begins its gradual movement from concrete experience toward abstraction.
This Renewal Course offers inspiration, practical guidance, and artistic renewal for teachers preparing to meet the richness of the second-grade year with clarity, creativity, and confidence.
Participants will engage deeply with the essential elements of second-grade teaching, including:
Story and Moral Imagination
Working with stories of saints and heroic individuals, legends, and fables to support moral development, self-reflection, and imaginative engagement.
Movement, Rhythm, and Sensory Integration
Circle work, rhythmic games, verses, and movement activities that foster harmony, focus, and embodied learning.
Artistic Practice
Guided drawing, form drawing, beeswax modeling, and wet-on-wet watercolor painting as integral supports for academic, emotional, and soul development.
Curriculum Foundations
Language arts and mathematics through Rudolf Steiner’s indications, thoughtfully adapted to meet the needs of today’s second graders.
Nature, Festivals, and Reverence
Integrating seasonal rhythms, nature study, crafts, and festivals to nurture reverence and connection to the natural world.
Classroom Life and Social-Emotional Learning
Establishing healthy rhythms, supporting peer relationships, and creating inclusive classrooms where every child feels a sense of belonging.
Teacher Practice and Planning
Guidance for year planning, block rotations, classroom management, parent communication, and sustaining oneself in the work of teaching.
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 tools, and inspired ideas to guide their students through this year of contrasts – supporting growth, moral imagination, and a joyful love of learning.
As a second-generation Waldorf teacher and a former student of Pine Hill Waldorf School in Wilton, New Hampshire, Jen Perinotti has been connected to Waldorf education from her earliest years. She has been a class teacher at the Waldorf School of Philadelphia for eleven years, graduating the class of 2021, and now leading the class of 2029. Jen enjoys bringing the rich Waldorf curriculum to life and is passionate about creating spaces of belonging for her students, honoring the unique gifts that every child has to offer. She holds a BSE in Earth and Space Science from Millersville University and received her Waldorf teacher training certificate from Sunbridge Institute.
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.
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.
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.
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 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Daily Keynote
with Carol Ann Bärtges
Spiritual Cognition: How Wonder, Imagination, Inspiration and Intuition Inform our Work
Eurythmy
with Alexandra Spadea
Midday Community Singing
with Meg O’Dell
Evening Events — In Person
Monday, June 29, 2026
Evening Lecture : The Five Circles of Love and Friendship
with Kim John Payne
“Helping students navigate their class social dynamics and adults to calibrate the complexities of collegial relationships”
Join us for an illuminating evening lecture with Kim John Payne exploring the Five Circles of Love and Friendship. This thoughtful presentation offers practical insights for helping students navigate the social dynamics of their classes, while also supporting adults in skillfully calibrating the complexities of collegial relationships. Grounded in warmth, clarity, and real-world experience, this evening invites reflection, understanding, and renewed capacity for fostering healthy relationships in both educational and professional communities.
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Affinity Group Connections
with Renewal Faculty
Join us for an engaging session of mutual support and shared wisdom. Affinity group connections are dynamic roundtable forums designed to foster collaboration, exchange, and community among Waldorf educators. These interactive sessions offer teachers preparing to enter their next grade an opportunity to gain insights, ideas, and best practices directly from colleagues who have recently completed teaching that grade.
Teachers who have just completed a grade can share their experiences, challenges, and successes, providing invaluable guidance to those stepping into new roles. These conversations are also inclusive and supportive for special subject teachers, pedagogical leaders, and anyone wishing to deepen their engagement with movement practices, arts integration, curriculum development, or broader Waldorf pedagogy. Participants leave inspired, connected, and equipped with practical strategies to enhance their classroom work and professional growth.
Thursday, July 2, 2026
Live Music and Contra Dancing
with Carey Bluhm, Gordon Peery, and Diane Goodman
Join us for a joyful evening of live music and contra dancing with Carey Bluhm, Gordon Peery, and Diane Goodman. Come move, laugh, and connect through spirited music and shared rhythm in a welcoming, celebratory atmosphere. This lively gathering offers a perfect opportunity to unwind, enjoy community, and end the day energized and uplifted for a memorable summer start.
Care for the Body, Soul, and Spirit
Attending a summer course in person offers more than just professional inspiration and community connections—it’s an opportunity for deep personal rejuvenation. Take time to relax and nurture your well-being by indulging in some much-needed self-care.
Choose from a variety of wellness offerings designed to nourish your soul and body. Whether you seek quiet reflection, hands-on healing, or artistic renewal, these options are crafted to support your journey of self-care and rejuvenation.
Wellness sign-up options will be available in the spring—stay tuned to secure your moments of personal renewal!
Holistic Custom Facial
with Kira Atkinson
Healing Massage
with Lilliana Rivera
Restorative Yoga and Meditation
with Erin Brie