Guest Teachers
As the weather finally brings an inward autumn chill, my colleagues and I notice how our students, too, are settling into the industrious work of education at Golden Bridges. Early Childhood students are beginning to anticipate the rhythms of their days. Lower Grades students are discovering social-academic engagement. While Upper Grades students are spending long stretches of time focused on classroom learning.
At Golden Bridges, we draw heavily on the descriptions of child development given by Rudolf Steiner to the teachers at the first Waldorf school. Steiner described inner human life with specific characteristics for every seven years. During the first seven years, we work with students through their physical development. This is achieved by offering opportunities for fine and gross motor practical skills. During the second seven years, we work with the students through their emotional interest in the curriculum. We do this by offering stories and artistry throughout our lessons. One of our tasks is to prepare our graduates for the third seven years of life, when they will learn best through intellectual inquiry.
These seven year cycles and their characteristics do not exist in isolation, but flow and influence each other in each growing student. Younger grades students are still very interested in the physical movement and imitation of their Early Childhood years. Upper grades students begin to inwardly anticipate the abstract analysis of learning in high school and beyond. These nuances and interplay across the seven year cycles of inner development are supported in our approach to teaching at every age.
One way we engage our students is through special programming offered by guest teachers. This fall we are delighted to share some current and upcoming programs offered by guest teachers with specialties in their fields. Read on to learn more about our guests.
Thank you for your continued support and engagement. We are excited about the enriching experiences our guest teachers bring to our school and look forward to the vibrant learning opportunities they offer our students.
Aaron Johnson: Restorative Singing Circles
Over the past week, Aaron brought restorative singing circles to our community at Hawk Creek Farm, to our upper grades choir, and to our faculty. He describes these circles as “creating a space where we can receive emotional nourishment by disrupting the notion that we can not sing together. We are firm believers that music, tears, and laughter are not separate. We treat them all as a critical part of the human voice. Singing together, creating sound together, and practicing listening together are a few of the ways in which we reach for each other.”
Aaron Johnson (he/him) of Holistic Resistance is an earth builder, teacher of closeness, and activist. He graduated from the California Institute of the Arts in 2007 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. He has made a lifelong commitment to use the skills he possesses to end racism. In addition to using intimacy and closeness to blackness as a primary means to that end, the tools he frequently uses are speaking, teaching, singing, photography, filmmaking, and minimalism. Aaron leads a mentoring program called Turn It Up Now that focuses on elevating the power, talent, love, and work ethic of youth. He believes that deep connection is one of the most powerful tools one can use in dismantling racism.
Natasha Singh: Sexual Literacy/Ethics
Natasha Singh of Sexual Literacy Education will return to teach our upper grades classes 5-8 for continuing instruction on Tuesdays in November. As an educational consultant and sexual literacy/ethics educator, Natasha believes that community-wide transformation can happen when parents, schools, and students have shared language, frameworks, and tools. For these reasons, her approach is multi-pronged and rooted in connecting to various parts of a community. She works with students to address a range of topics including sexual ethics, sexual harm prevention, sexual racism, effective communication, ethical friendships and relationships, consent, media/porn literacy, gender and sexual literacy, plus a whole lot more.
Nachshon Andrew: Eurythmy
Eurythmy is an expressive movement art developed by Rudolf Steiner, central to Waldorf education. It combines movement with music or spoken words to visually express the rhythms and sounds of language and music. Eurythmy supports intellectual, emotional, and physical development, enhancing students’ coordination, concentration, and social skills. This holistic approach aligns with the Waldorf philosophy of nurturing all aspects of a child’s being.
Nachshon Andrew enjoys sharing his passion for eurythmy and has taught at Waldorf schools from Kindergarten through 12th grade. After moving to Southern California in 2009, Nachshon Andrew taught at local Waldorf Schools, giving eurythmy classes and workshops in the greater Los Angeles area and beyond. He has also worked with adult training programs for over 15 years both in Europe and in the United States. He continues to work on new projects, offering classes and workshops for all age groups, and is always open to new partnerships with others to expand his love of art. Nachson Andrew looks forward to sharing his eurythmy experience with preschool through 8th grade in December during the three weeks between the fall and winter breaks. Please enjoy exploring his website.
Greg Nottage
Greg joins our middle school faculty annually to teach physics and chemistry to 7th and 8th grades. He is currently teaching 8th grade and will return to teach 7th grade in the spring. After a full career as a Waldorf class teacher and parent, Greg has officially retired, and generously brings his steadfast expertise to enrich our programming.
