The Village Square
Dear Friends and Supporters of the Waldorf School of Santa Barbara,
In this turbulent, atomized, and often bewildering time, our community at the Waldorf School of Santa Barbara feels more important than ever. Many parents within WSSB say that coming to school is a crucial, even favorite, part of each day because of the feeling of out-breath, of haven, of friendship. In a sense, drop-off and pick-up are like visits to the village square.
More and more, it's apparent the village square of modern life -- the Internet -- is not adding up, is not enough, and often is dizzying and demoralizing. People crave a connection deeper and slower than the hyper-connectivity of the screen; crave connection that's face-to-face, that involves human touch, that's uncurated and authentic. People crave a connection, a way of relating, that does not hone one's sense of isolation but alleviates it.
Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh says, "We have to go back to our beloved ones, to nature, because electronic devices help us to run away from ourselves. We lose ourselves in the Internet...and we have no time to be with ourselves. We do not have the time to take care of our beloved ones and do not allow Mother Earth to heal us. We are running away from self, family and nature."
While electronic devices and the Internet can be enriching (indeed, we send you this message via the Internet!), they have their undeniable shadow side, too. This little documentary explores Waldorf education's grappling with the shadow side of our digital age:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge5G_cYpj8g
In other news, WSSB is very excited to announce the offering of Parent-Child classes for children 1 to 3! If interested, sign up soon as spots are going fast!
Introductory Parent-Child Class, Ages 1 to 3:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/introductory-parent-child-class-ages-1-3-tickets-52414440001
Winter Parent-Child Class, Ages 1 to 3:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/winter-parent-child-class-ages-1-3-tickets-52537481020
We also warmly invite you to our Winter Faire on December 8th from 1:30 to 5:30 (mark your calendars!) here on our campus. This reverent, joyous festival honors the spirit of the season, exemplifies our Waldorf values, and affords one an opportunity to do guiltless, Amazon-free, holiday shopping.
Also: if you're interested in visiting our village square, please sign up here for a personal tour:
https://www.waldorfsantabarbara.org/admission-packet-request/
And finally, we welcome all contributions -- however big, however bantam -- to help support our village square:
https://payit.nelnet.net/form/sn1QcMWw
With the deepest gratitude,
Carolyn Kaster and Teddy Macker
Administrators
The Waldorf School of Santa Barbara