Written by: Marisela Saenz and Caili Song
Students at Sunrise School of Miami, the Waldorf Education-inspired K-8 school in Palmetto Bay, made Chinese lanterns, Chinese knots and paper-cut window decorations to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. On February 4, students from each class dressed in red and presented a program of songs, verses and a puppet show, entirely in Mandarin, to the assembled school and faculty. The program was held in Sunrise’s oak arbor, next to Sunrise’s lush, organic vegetable garden. Fourth graders carried on the tradition of walking on stilts and shared with teachers the traditional foods that symbolize good fortune and blessings for the coming year.
All Sunrise students are taught Spanish and Mandarin, beginning in first grade. The Mandarin program provides a sensory, experiential language and cultural immersion experience, inspired by Waldorf pedagogy. Celebrating the traditional Chinese New Year is one of the best ways to offer this sensory experience to our students as they are all involved in the festival preparation in an artistic way.
Waldorf schools teach two foreign languages. The more different these languages are from students’ native tongue, the better. When children hear and practice a foreign language, they experience how different cultures, in their local language, express things in different ways, helping children to be more playful and flexible in expressing their thoughts. Learning a foreign language also generates appreciation and tolerance of the rich variety of cultures on our beautiful Earth.
The foreign languages taught at Sunrise, Spanish and Mandarin, are particularly relevant to students in Miami. Spanish is the prevalent language of South Florida, while China is on track to become the largest economy in the world, surpassing the U.S.
2019 marks the Centennial of Waldorf Education. Pioneered in Germany, Waldorf Education is now offered in over 2,000 schools in 80 countries around the world. Waldorf schools emphasize music, arts, handwork, gardening, foreign languages and movement, blending creative activities with academic subjects. For more information, about Waldorf education, you may visit www.waldorf-100.org/en
For more information about Sunrise, visit www.sunriseschoolofmiami.org or call 305 274 6562.
Happy Chinese New Lunar Year from Sunrise School of Miami!
Marisela Saenz is a member of Sunrise’s Faculty Council, which oversees the school’s pedagogy. Marisela is also a member of one of the founding families that launched Sunrise School in 2005, initially with nine students. Sunrise now operates on a peaceful, spacious, shady campus at 14920 SW 67th Avenue, Palmetto Bay, FL. You may contact Marisela at the Sunrise School, by phone at (305) 274 6562 or via e-mail at mariselasaenz@sunriseschoolofmiami.org
Caili Song, Sunrise’s full-time Mandarin teacher, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chinese Language Education and a Master’s Degree in Waldorf Education from Antioch College in New Hampshire.
