Waldorf teachers use the chalkboard as a way to welcome students to the classroom, render the information of their lesson with care and beauty, and spark curiosity and imagination in the children.
This art lives in the classroom for extended periods of time. It’s a mood-setter, a place for students to rest their eyes during a story, dream into a concept, just be.
Sometimes the art is progressive, for example Mrs. Weston’s first graders are represented as an animal they like, with one appearing each day in the scene on their board. The children treat the chalkboard and it’s art with an impressive level of reverence, it’s rare to see a student write on the board and it’s understood to treat the board as you would a painting on the wall at a gallery (admire with your eyes but not your hands).
You might think it would be difficult for a teacher to erase such a beautiful creation, but there’s a lesson there as well. Nothing lasts forever, continuing to grow and change is part of life. With the sadness of saying goodbye to one drawing, there is the excitement and mystery of a new drawing.
In a time when most other schools have replaced chalkboards with smart boards and white boards with the intent to relay information quickly and easily, the idea of a teacher investing time in creating a gift for students holds even greater value.
To see more examples of Da Vinci chalkboards:
