Kids and Home Management

Kids and home management WRITTEN BY SARA KELLY

Let us start with the premise that your home is an organization. Your kids, no matter their age, are entry level employees (payment is totally up to you!). One day your kids will be their own Home CEOs and will need to learn every trade in the organization. I’m not asking your five-year-old to make a four-course meal or pay the bills, but no matter the department in your home, there is a task that can be broken down far enough for a pre-verbal, mobile tiny human. A study was conducted looking at how children contribute in the home and how that looked in different countries. The take away was this… children in the United States, on average, did not help as much because parents weren’t as willing to let them do it incorrectly at first. In the long run, this translated into older children not helping. Being told ‘No’ 50 times results in ‘I’m not even going to offer’ later down the road. Parents in other countries who encouraged their young children to pitch in, mess it up, but keep going, resulted in older children who figured out how to do the task and were more willing to help without being asked. I get it, doing the chore with a child takes 3 times as long as doing it by yourself. But the time you put in now is a down payment to future chores you don’t have to do. If we choose to edge our little ones out of contributing, they will have little knowledge of how to manage their own living situation when they are out on their own. So where do you start? Break the task down. If it is taking out the garbage, ask the child to open the door for you while you carry it out. Clearing the table; ask the child to pick up one item and bring it to the sink. Doing laundry; have the child pick out all the white socks and make a pile. There is always a support role to be played. If it doesn’t fit the child’s current abilities, scale it down even smaller. Then scale it up as they are more able. It takes time and it takes patience. Both of which most parents have very little of these days. This isn’t an all or nothing situation. It is an opportunity to look at the role your children are taking in helping to manage the home. And then deciding if that is working for you now, and if that will work for you five years from now.

Share with me… How do your children help at home? How did you help out when you were young?

See page 5 for my bio! SF

Celebrating 40 Years and the Future

AT WALDORF OF SARATOGA SPRINGS

The heart of the Waldorf method is that education is an art - it must speak to the child's experience. To educate the whole child, his heart and his will must be reached, as well as the mind.” ~ Rudolf Steiner

WRITTEN & PHOTOGRAPHED BY THERESA ST JOHN

I hadn't heard of the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs before May last year. A man I know from the local YMCA was chatting with me one day, talking a bit about the private school he'd enrolled his three children in. He explained Waldorf as a unique way of teaching, how much of the school day was spent outside. The halls were filled with music, learning science and math were approached differently, and teachers met the students where they were in their individual development.

Today I'm meeting with Astrea Ravenstar. She teaches 8th-Grade but has spent a good portion of the current year transitioning into her new role as administrator come August 2022, when Abigail Reid retires. "What drew you to the school in the first place?" I ask as we sit across from each other during a break in her hectic morning. Astrea smiles with the memory. "Friends told me about the Parent/Child class when our daughter Maitreya was about 1 1/2. Now she's 19." I listen to her soft chuckle. "Seems like such a long time ago." She murmurs. "Our youngest, Alahna, was, let's see, two weeks old, maybe?" As a young mother, Astrea enjoyed being part of a community, getting to know other parents while watching her daughters relax in playtime. "I don't know," she tells me. "There was something magical about the positive energy, how people teaching the group were willing to share simple parenting tips. I loved how Waldorf encouraged prolonging childhood innocence." Astrea explains how the curriculum at Waldorf is both diverse and global. "Waldorf works to strengthen relationships with the whole world through various lenses: Sometimes it's looking at the history or art of another culture. Other times, we learn about the world through math, music, or movement. Waldorf strives to have a positive impact on our local community as well. We feel it is imperative to nourish both local and global perspectives." The first Waldorf school opened in 1919 in Stuttgart, Germany. The three Waldorf campuses in Saratoga offer K-12th-grade and celebrate their 40th anniversary this year. How exciting! In North America, Waldorf Education has been available since 1928. One of the fun facts I learned while working on this piece is how the Lower School building on York Avenue was built in 1892 as a grade school. John Morrissey – a prominent and beloved racing authority at the time, funded the project with gate receipts from the race track. He wanted the money to be used for education. Because I've written a few articles about him – but never knew this, it was exciting to discover! In 1987, parents joined together with funds, a sense of community, and enthusiasm over having Waldorf education available in the Spa City. Mark Strauss was instrumental in finding the building and initiating the sale. "What did you do before coming to Waldorf?" It's a question I often ask when interviewing someone. I learned she was a successful massage therapist before immersing herself in Waldorf education. She worked on her Waldorf foundation studies locally, alongside other parents and a teacher affiliated with Antioch University in NH, where Astrea subsequently enrolled. "My internship was with Ms. Crandall during 2008-2009. I've also been a substitute teacher." Ms. Ravenstar says. She taught Grade 1 for one year, then Grade 2 the next, following those students through Grade 8. Presently, Astrea is a middle Grades teacher, looping through Grades 6-8. "I've been with the school full-time for the last 13 years, and they've been great." "I'm excited and extremely grateful for the opportunity ahead of me as administrator," Astrea shares as we end the interview. "I'm looking forward to bringing my skill set to the table, continuing collaborative leadership at the school." When I speak to Abigail Reid, who the school and its community will sorely miss, she has this to say: "I'm so happy Astrea is taking on this position. She's so passionate about Waldorf Education! Intelligent, practical, energetic, and visionary – she is just what we need for the school's future. I wish her the very best."

And this last quote, from Rich Frank, Board Chair:

"We are grateful for the wonderful years of service from Ms. Reid, we couldn't have done it without her, and we wish her well in her retirement. We are fortunate to welcome Ms. Ravenstar into her new role at the school. With her many years as a lead teacher, Administrative chair, and school parent, combined with her educational journey, life experience, and a strong sense of community, she's the right leader to bring the school to the next octave. We couldn't be happier." SF