"I Love My Job!": "Miss Roberta," Northeast Ohio's Beloved Waldorf Teacher
By Mary Palmieri
Every Tuesday and Thursday, Roberta Midday Haupt drives an hour from her home in Canton to the South Euclid Waldorf-method home school called Morning's Children, sponsored by and conducted in the home of one of the parents, Kristin Towner. The 13 children here, ranging in age from 3 to 7 years old, affectionately call their teacher “Miss Roberta.” Miss Roberta follows the Waldorf teaching method along with implementing her personal teaching philosophy as she nurtures and guides the children through a holistic-education experience.
Upon arriving at the home school, Miss Roberta sings as she directs the children indoors. Once inside, the children enjoy free play. They build cozy “huts” out of chairs and blankets, and fill and spill baskets with seashells, acorns, pine cones and pebbles. Other activities in a typical Waldorf day include baking and sharing snacks, rest time and tidying up, something which the children are encouraged to participate in as an important part of their learning experience.
At times, Miss Roberta guides her students through specific projects that often relate to a particular season of the year or a specific cultural event. For example, one spring day the children decorated plastic-container eggs with naturally dyed wool that had been stretched into ribbons. As the children worked, Miss Roberta moves around the table, guiding small hands, smiling and humming softly. She also instructs the children in learning activities such as games and song-and-movement play.
The Waldorf method is based on the pedagogical model developed by Austrian philosopher Rudolph Steiner in the early 20th century. It was Steiner's belief that a child's education should be approached holistically by fostering the spiritual, emotional and physical components of human development. Through imagination, socialization and active learning, the ultimate goal is to foster children's development so they evolve into free, moral and integrated individuals. With a focus on harmony, balance and experiential learning, the Waldorf method facilitates the development of both creative and analytical thought. A core belief of Waldorf's pedagogical approach is that a true learning process depends upon one's imagination and feelings as much as thoughts. Waldorf schools enrich children's learning experiences through storytelling and puppetry, as well as introductions to customs, beliefs and practices of different cultures.
With a calm and gentle approach, Miss Roberta creates a warm energy in the room. She frequently uses soft singing and humming to effortlessly move the children from activity to activity and to create a safe, loving environment where each child feels accepted. She has developed her own philosophy of teaching children. She explains that as part of her personal development and teaching art, she draws from “moving pictures” in her mind. She credits them for bringing life to her work, and she disregards things that do not authentically come from her inner vision. She speaks of the “story” inside her that comes through to the children as she interacts and communicates with them.
Although she clearly has a natural knack for her job, Miss Roberta was not always a teacher. She used to work in the insurance business; however, as a parent she became disheartened when her first two children had negative experiences with the public-school system. Disheartened with the status quo, she sought an educational method that would nurture her children's whole being – physical, mental and spiritual. Soon after, she attended a lecture about holistic early childhood education. This presentation drew her into a series of Waldorf seminars, which led her to enroll her third and fourth children in Spring Garden Waldorf School in Copley, Ohio.
This synchronistic occurrence coincided with a financial and spiritual crossroads she had come to in her life, and she felt herself called to become a Waldorf teacher. Redirecting her career, Miss Roberta enrolled in the two-year program at Sunbridge College in Spring Valley, New York where she earned her associate degree in Waldorf Early Childhood Education in 1996. She then went on to teach at Walnut Woods School in Green, Ohio. Later she became involved in the Stark County Waldorf Preschool Initiative in Canton followed by Kinderhaus in Akron. As well as teaching at Morning’s Children home school, Miss Roberta currently teaches at Spring Garden Waldorf School in Copley. In addition, she recently received a grant to fund a pilot puppetry program, demonstrating the way that Miss Roberta's career has blossomed to reflect her philosophy of holistic education and child nurturance while being true to her desire to live authentically.
“My hope is that a Waldorf education will help these children develop a sense of self-awareness and a love for what they do in life,” says Miss Roberta. “I hope they will discover a sense of purpose, help others and make wise choices.” To illustrate her point, she tells the story of a teenager confronted with a dilemma that many teens face today. At a party with high-school friends where drugs and alcohol were introduced as part of the festivities, this young woman experienced the peer pressure of her friends to join in. She recalled a Norwegian tale she had heard as a student in a Waldorf class about a man who stood at the crossroads of a decision that would change his life forever; like her, he had to think carefully about making the correct choice. This young woman placed herself inside the story's meaning as a way of guiding herself down the most sound path.
An example of what educational theory calls a “teachable moment,” this real-life tale exemplifies the goal of a typical Waldorf learning experience – creating opportunities for young learners to frame their own wisdom. With her gentle, yet powerful, guidance, the students Miss Roberta teaches will have many such moments. Miss Roberta also experiences teachable moments herself, explaining that she is inspired by and learns from what each child has to offer. She opens her mind and listens with her heart so that her educational approach continues to evolve.
One of the hallmarks of self-actualization is the ability to live, play and work in a way that resonates with one's beliefs and values. Miss Roberta's teaching practice is an example of that conceptual process. As a Waldorf teacher, she loves her job because it allows her to live authentically as she guides and teaches young children in meaningful learning experiences. Miss Roberta's hope is to inspire the minds and hearts of her students so they can grow up to discover their own harmony and passion for life.
For more information about Morning's Children home-school program, please contact Dawn at (440) 729-6729 or Roberta at (330) 458-0005. To learn about Spring Garden Waldorf School, visit www.SGWS.org or call (330) 666-0574.
