The Odyssey

Dear Members of The Waldorf School of Santa Barbara Community,

Recently the 4th/5th Grades performed The Odyssey. The students, under Ms. Anderson’s direction, did right by the old tale, acting with discipline and enthusiasm. It was poignant to watch the scene where Penelope realizes the man before her, disguised as a beggar, is her beloved husband, the man she has not seen for twenty years. Odysseus --the great-hearted hero, the man skilled in all ways of contending, the wiliest fighter of Ithaka, the old soldier -- has finally made it home.

What is this tale about? Here's one way to describe it: a man is tested, punishingly tested for twenty years -- ten years of war and ten years of battering obstacles returning home from that war (Odysseus means "Son of Pain"). And why is he tested, why does he suffer the tribulations and pain? To make it home, to Ithaka. And what is Ithaka? Ithaka is a place of love, of union.

The ancient tale has numerous resonances this year. The last many months have been an Odyssey. We all have been on a journey, as individuals, as families, as a school, as a town, as a nation, as beings on Earth. And at its best, the journey, the odyssey we've been on, has been a love-wards journey, a journey towards union. At its worst, the journey has been one of acrimony and division.

In a newsletter more than a year ago now -- Monday, May 18th, 2020 -- we at WSSB "renewed our vows." For months theretofore, we, as a school, had been living in shaky confusion -- do we continue Zoom? do we return to live, in-person, on-campus learning? do we do a hybrid? do we discontinue for a year and let the storm pass? Like Odysseus (and every other private school), we wondered if we were going to be able to survive the storm. Like Odysseus, we were between Scylla and Charybdis. Like Odysseus, we were trying to find our way home. And after much struggle, much reflection, we did make it to a home of sorts. Our home became our primary values, our first principles, our vows, which we shared in that newsletter on May 18th, 2020. In that newsletter we recommitted ourselves to the following:

  • a love-based education;

  • a holistic education (the head, heart, and hands, the whole of the child);

  • an education that is healthy and reverent;

  • an education that is developmentally appropriate;

  • an education that is skeptical of needless screen-time;

  • an education that provides for children an oasis, a sanctuary, in a time of shrill complexity, fostering an appreciation for and trust in the beautiful mystery of what we call life.


The journey of living these vows has not been easy nor do we suppose we've effected these vows perfectly (of course not!). We also realize that the journey does not end. For as long as we breathe, there will be tests, surprises, and trouble. So why go on? Because love and loyalty to the children require it. And because this life of ours is so beautiful.

We are grateful for you, parents and caretakers, for trusting us with your children and for supporting us. Without your trust and support the wonders of this year -- a time of surpassing flourishing for the children -- would not have happened. We are also grateful for the faculty and staff. Without your trust and support the wonders of this year -- a time of surpassing flourishing for the children -- would not have happened. And finally, we are grateful for our 8th Graders (what a moving graduation we had yesterday!) who are starting another Odyssey, the Odyssey of high school and beyond. We send them forth with grief, love, and joy. And we are grateful for Ms. Nelson for shepherding them.

As a small valediction in honor of the 8th Graders (Jack McKibben, Gita Swenson-Majumdar, Satya Zumbroegel, Ava Ball, Maya Tuton, Ruby Witcher, Shemsu James-Lefevre, Solas McGettigan, Isabelle Garin, Sage Douglas, Liam Shields, and Kahlil Aguilar) we share the ending of Cavafy's famous poem about Odysseus on his way home to Ithaka (and the following lines are best read aloud):

Hope your road is a long one.
May there be many summer mornings when,
with what pleasure, what joy,
you enter harbors you’re seeing for the first time;
may you stop at Phoenician trading stations
to buy fine things,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
sensual perfume of every kind—
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
and may you visit many Egyptian cities
to learn and go on learning from their scholars.

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you’re destined for.
But don’t hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you’re old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.

Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you wouldn't have set out...

Have a beautiful summer,

The WSSB Admin Team

Alexis Schoppe