‘When I look out of the classroom window, my gaze falls on the first graders; they are kneeling on the ground. With pinecones in their small hands, they carefully mould the word آب for ‘water’ into the earth - the first two-letter word in Farsi that they have learnt today! I look through this window into our garden, into nature. It invites us all to be part of the living world...’ (A. Rezvanmanesh)
It began in 2017. Two teachers, an educator and a group of parents came together. We had often criticised the education system; a system that, in our view, excluded a considerable part of diversity - be it in terms of gender, religion, culture or the individual way of ‘being’. A child, as unique as she or he was, hardly had the opportunity to discover him or herself. We wanted to put people at the centre and understand what a child really needs for its development. So, we went in search of alternative education systems worldwide. None of them convinced us - until we came across Waldorf education.
While one of us completed her training as a Waldorf teacher in Berlin, the coronavirus measures meant that many courses took place online. This gave two other local teachers the opportunity to take part in these courses in order to familiarise themselves intensively with Waldorf education.
After completing our training, the time had come to share our knowledge with a wider circle of people - people who had the same concerns and questions as we did. So, we started organising our own Waldorf courses in 2022. Thanks to the support of German educators and lecturers, we were able to realise this work.
Classroom as a sacred place
We wanted a place for our children where they could be themselves and develop all aspects of their being. A classroom is not an ordinary room with four walls where children and a teacher happen to meet - it is a sacred place. Our place with the classrooms and the garden has become a place of learning and living where people can grow and flourish together.
Over the course of three years, we have built a house with three classrooms in this garden – one for the kindergarten and first grade, each of which only come to the garden three days a week, and two more rooms for grades two to five, which are here four days a week. Unfortunately, we don't have enough rooms for all classes. We are therefore forced - against our own wishes and those of the parents and children - to reduce the number of days on which each group can use the garden and the rooms. In this way, we still manage to give all the children the opportunity to learn in this special place.
Everything we have learnt from Waldorf education has been carefully and gradually woven into our local culture - supported by patience and a deep respect for our own roots. Part of our social culture is the cycle of national festivals and rituals that were on the verge of being forgotten. We discovered their hidden values, brought them back to life and celebrated them in a way that was in harmony with the culture of our community.
A home for Waldorf education in Iran
The parents accompanied us on this journey with remarkable motivation. The costs for the garden and its expansion and further development would not have been affordable without the support of the parents. The children were not just silent observers, but active co-creators. They dreamed of their school, drew construction plans for the classrooms and carried small sandbags. Their enthusiasm and imagination gave us a lot of strength to realise our plans.
Despite political and economic challenges, an inflation rate of 41 per cent, the lack of trained specialists and many other hurdles, we have come a long way. We have tried to create a home for the Waldorf idea in Iran. A safe place, not only for the children and their parents, but also for around 420 educators from all over Iran, some of whom come to us after completing their online courses to do internships, or take part in face-to-face training. We have developed an approach that allows us to accompany other children's centres and share our experiences with them. Our wish is for this community to endure, remain sustainable and grow.
Your support for the purchase of the garden
This community, which we have built up with hard work and without any support, is now facing a major challenge: the garden that has enabled us to glimpse this dream is to be sold!
So far, we have been able to rent the space, but in order to continue this dream and preserve this space as a place of growth, community and learning, we need your support. Only with your help can we buy this garden and preserve it for the children of today and for the generations to come - as a place where dreams take root and community thrives.
We therefore ask for your donation.
Arefeh Rezvanmanesh