Although the first Waldorf kindergarten was already operating during the First Republic of Estonia, Waldorf pedagogy entered the wider educational landscape in Estonia in the early 1990s. At that time, this movement was driven by the enthusiasm for liberation and the creation of new opportunities. The emergence of educational diversity was part of a broader social change. Today, over thirty years later, teachers and parents face completely different questions. Yet one principle has remained the same: a child’s development cannot be accelerated without losing something important.
13 Waldorf kindergartens and daycare centers have currently registered as members of the Estonian Association of Free Waldorf Schools and Kindergartens. Very significant in a country with only 1.3 million inhabitants. They are located in Tallinn, Aruküla, Tartu, Viljandi, Rosma near Põlva, Võru, Pärnu and Rakvere.
The first Waldorf kindergarten in Estonia was founded in 1926 in Tallinn, Nõmme, Lõuna tn 19 under the leadership of Linda Kirusk-Kasemets (1891–1958) and operated despite difficult times until 1944. The culmination of this activity was the creation of the first class of a Waldorf school. During the Soviet era, the development of such a pedagogical direction was naturally not possible, and only after the restoration of the independence of the Republic of Estonia in 1991 could Waldorf pedagogy be applied again in education and upbringing (Gustavson, 2019).
In 1929, Kirusk-Kasemets translated Rudolf Steiner’s work “Child Education from the Perspective of Spiritual Science” (Steiner, 1929). Linda Kirusk-Kasemets wrote fairy tales for children, which can be found in library archives, and translated children’s books from English and German. Linda Kirusk was also the publisher and editor-in-chief of the children’s magazine Päiksetar.
After regaining independence, the development of Waldorf schools and kindergartens in Estonia was greatly supported by the Estonian expatriate Tiiu Bläsi-Käo. Since the first Waldorf schools and kindergartens were established in Estonia in the beginning 1990s, she considered supporting their development to be her passion: she organized the publication of specialized literature, advised teachers, and conducted numerous lectures, courses, and trainings, inviting renowned foreign experts to teach (Vapper, 2015). It was she who sent the one of the first Estonian teachers, Kristina Rosin, to study in Germany in 1990-1991. Upon her return, Kristina Rosin immediately founded a Waldorf kindergarten group on Mai Street at the Nõmme Private School (which was the first Waldorf school in Tallinn) in 1992. Kristina Rosin is currently the director of the Ilmapuu Waldorf Kindergarten in Tallinn, also a member of the board of the Association of Estonian Free Waldorf Schools and Kindergartens and one of the first Waldorf teachers in Estonia.
Maaja Kalle and Heli Kudu founded a kindergarten in Põlva County, Rosma, at the Rosma Waldorf School in 1992. Viljandi Waldorf Kindergarten was established in 1993 at the Viljandi Free Waldorf School. Karmen Püü and Helvi Üprus founded a kindergarten group at the Aruküla Free Waldorf School in 1994.
Below we share our thoughts from Estonia’s oldest Waldorf kinderkarten teachers, Heli Kudu and Kristina Rosin.
Heli Kudu, one of the first Estonian Waldorf kindergarten teachers who started the first kindergarten group in Põlva, recalls that people were not looking for a specific methodology at the time so much as an opportunity to think about education differently. In her opinion, the situation today is almost the opposite. “If in the 1990s there was a lack of opportunities, now there are more opportunities than ever before. There are many educational choices. There is a lot of information. At the same time, I see in my work that parents often experience more confusion and uncertainty than ever before. We need to ask again what is really important,” says Kudu.
Challenges of the Digital Age are actual also in Estonia. The position of Waldorf kindergartens is not anti-technology. Rather, it asks when and in what form technology supports a child’s development. Heli Kudu puts it simply: “The main developmental task of a young child is first to develop their body, senses and nervous system. This requires real experiences, not virtual ones.” That is why digital devices have not traditionally been part of the daily learning environment of Waldorf kindergartens. According to Kudu, this does not mean clinging to the past, but taking into account developmental needs of children. “Everything has its time. We do not give a baby potatoes and gravy until the baby is ready to give up breast milk. We need to think about technology in the same way.” Similar questions are increasingly being encountered in the broader education debate. What experiences cannot be digitalized? Teachers today are thinking about these questions regardless of their pedagogical background.
In this sense, the value of educational pluralism does not lie solely in freedom of choice. Its value lies in the opportunity to hold a social dialogue about people, learning and education. Different pedagogical approaches help formulate different answers to the question of what kind of person and what kind of society we want to shape. However, the viability of educational diversity is ensured by the support and approval of local governments: does the municipality support a child attending a Waldorf kindergarten on an equal basis with a child from a family that has chosen a municipal kindergarten?
Educational diversity is also supported by a discussion between different pedagogical trends. There is certainly something to learn from each other. Kristina Rosin said that we should support each other more in education. “We could be benevolent towards diversity, not opposed. We have open doors, everyone is welcome!” added Kristina Rosin.
She acknowledged that there are also many parents for whom this pedagogy is important, because it sees the world as a whole. Rosin said that Waldorf kindergartens actually do the same thing as other Estonian kindergartens, but just a little differently. The difference is the view of the person and the child. “We look at the child as a whole: physical, mental, spiritual development. We develop all these aspects and, like any kindergarten, serve the triangle: child, parent and teacher.”
Rosin acknowledged that she is still very happy that Waldorf kindergartens have existed in Estonia for more than 30 years, and it is significant that those teachers who received Waldorf training in the 1990s and were the founders of the first kindergartens are still working as teachers, kindergarten directors or mentors. “This is a sustainable and continuous process.”
Authors:
Katrin Soon, Võrumaa Waldorfkindergarten Terve Pere Aed
Kadri Allikmäe, Ilmapuu Waldorfkindergarten
Marelle Tann, Aruküla Waldorfkindergarten
Website of the Waldorf Association in Estonia