Featured Article: Ritual, Tradition And Ceremony In A
Waldorf-Inspired School - Part 2
1-23-2009
By Susan Simon, Principal
Rituals
are actions or types of behavior that are regularly followed.
Traditions are repeated rituals (e.g. graduation exercises)
that eventually become integral parts of the culture and
history of a school. They give a solid and well-established
feeling to the school climate. Creating new traditions
and building upon the old is one of the fun growth processes
in schools. Schools that have been in existence for many
years have developed meaningful and lasting traditions,
often passed from one generation to the next.
Students involvement in school traditions nurtures and
expands their feelings of pride in self and in their school.
Feelings of belonging come with participation in classroom
or school-wide traditions. Belonging nurtures our need
for community and purposefulness and makes the daily school
experience more meaningful. Traditions enhance relationship
building, provide motivation for learning and validate
students as important members of the Desert Star school
community.
Newer schools like Desert Star don't yet have rich histories
of traditions to fall back upon. Rather, we have the exciting
opportunity to create new rituals and traditions each
year as our school grows and matures. Parents play a vital
role in developing and supporting classroom and school
traditions, in conjunction with the class teachers. This
is an important role of the Parent Council or PTSA in
most schools.
We have a few burgeoning traditions at Desert Star School.
These include:
- first graders bidding farewell to sixth graders at
the end of the school year by presenting them with a rose
- each class performing an annual play for parents, friends
and family
- fifth graders competing in the Greek Olympics
- upper grade students serving as "buddies"
to younger students
- a fanny-pack hike once a week out on the land
We won't have a rich panoramic history of Desert Star
traditions until we have a few more years behind us.
Whether a well-established or newer school, tradition
ought to become a valued part of the school culture, as
it will encourage student achievement and increase parental
involvement. If ritual, tradition and ceremony together
define the heart of a school, then schools should place
a high priority on developing and maintaining programs
that create and support classroom and school traditions.
