By: Becky Larson
Lori Daniels’ golden curls were a dead giveaway for this Guess Who- there were very few incorrect guesses! Our Willow Kindergarten teacher and I sat down to discuss how babysitting was an early indication of her love of caring for children and what she’s rediscovered about herself through her vocation as a Waldorf teacher.
Lori first encountered Waldorf education after a disappointing experience in Kindergarten at a public school. Her husband’s business partner had a daughter at City of Lakes Waldorf School and he effusively recommended it.
“He said, talk to Lee Stevens,” remembers Lori. “He’ll come over, and you can ask any question you want. So he did and he said, ‘You’re Waldorf parents and you don’t even know it.’ ”
They were intrigued, but there was no room in the first grade class for their oldest son. When it came time to choose a kindergarten for their younger boy, they knew they wanted to have a Waldorf early childhood experience. Lori says she noticed the impact on her kids right away, especially her youngest.
“He’s a real boy’s boy, really rough and tumble. But after one week he said, ‘Mommy I know what I’m going to name my new teddy bear. I’m going to name him Cookie. Isn’t that just the sweetest name?’ I thought, who took my kid? Because I like this new kid!”
The following year, she joined the staff as a classroom assistant, and not long after that began pursuing Waldorf teacher training. She worked at City of Lakes Waldorf School year for 3 years, and then life took her family to Iowa for a spell.
When she received a call about a job opening back in Minneapolis 3 years later, her husband was eager for the change, and she was excited at the prospect of having her own classroom. “I was happy to come back,” says Lori. “I’m happy to be in my classroom and with the children. If I’m having a bad day, it always turns around when I’m with them. They are so innocent and full of wonder and love.”
Lori feels that her role as a nurturer and teacher has always been a part of her. As a little girl, she loved babies and small children and was constantly playing house with her dolls. She started babysitting around 9 years old and by the time she was 14 she had babysitting jobs almost every night of the week. “Babysitting is how I kept out of trouble,” she says with a grin.
She describes herself as a difficult child, and believes that gives her greater compassion and patience when she needs it. “I find something in every single child to love, which helps me to see them with clarity.”
As she’s studied Waldorf education and deepened her experience in the classroom, she’s experienced a renewal of confidence and enjoyed reconnecting with nature. She enjoyed both as a child, but lost the connection somewhere along the path to adulthood. Rediscovering herself through teaching has been a great gift. “I feel like I’m the best me I’ve ever been, and this person that I am, the teaching brings it out.”
Those discoveries have only added fuel to her passion for Waldorf education. “I love learning and making the education better for the children. It doesn’t feel like work to me- it’s pleasure.”