Lakeside School: Reflections on Courage from the Elementary Classroom

"I know!" — “I know!” (Credit: Jen Zahorchak)

Lakeside School at Black Kettle Farm offers birth –2nd grade education based on the Waldorf philosophy on a working farm in Essex, NY.

Reflections on Courage from the Elementary Classroom

By Kelly McQuade, 1st & 2nd Grade Teacher

What is it that we are trying to cultivate in our children today? While there may be many answers to this question, I would argue that courage ranks high on the list of qualities we would like our children to embody by the time they are sent out into the world.

Why courage? The world that we live in, and the world that our children will inherit, is increasingly fraught with complex challenges that demand creative solutions. As the children grow into adults, they will need to draw on deep reserves of courage to step up to the plate and be positive change-makers.

Courage to Write (Credit: Jen Zahorchak)

In the elementary classroom we delve into rich stories that paint diverse pictures of courageous acts. We began the year hearing many tales of classic courage through archetypal heroes such as St. Michael who cast the dragon out of heaven with his mighty sword.

But it is important that the children begin to understand that courage is not always so flashy—courage can be found in the humble and quiet perseverance of small Snail who brought fresh water to the Navajo First People when no one else could, or in the selfless act of kindness that St. Martin showed to a freezing beggar when he split his cloak in two. The stories that we tell to the children give some examples of figures who answered difficult situations with courage, but also examples of figures who did not choose to rise to the occasion.

Standing tall to say the morning verse. (Credit: Jen Zahorchak)

Our second graders are working alternately with stories of Saints and heroes who are the embodiment of courage, and Fables that highlight characters who seek to address their problems with less than admirable means. As we all go through these stories, it’s clear that we can all relate with both the high and low qualities of humanity, but it is my hope that the children will find a greater affinity for acts of courage.

So while we are learning to read and write and work with numbers, of equal or greater importance is the ability to make choices that demand a bit of bravery. Every afternoon we remind ourselves of this task as we say our closing verse:

The Earth is firm beneath my feet
The sun shines bright above
And here I stand so straight, so strong
All things to know and love.
Be clear my deed
Be pure my heart,
And as the sun
True light impart.

Courage does not always come easily, so we must prepare our children to be strong in their hearts and minds. A Lakeside School education is a good start!