TEACHER, PARENT and STUDENT COMMENTS

PORTLAND WALDORF SCHOOL, USA - 2006

The faculty debriefed after Amrita worked with all the high school students.
It was a very positive discussion.  People were greatly impressed with her energy and
approach to the students. 

Things said: 

    She built an instant rapport with the students and led them powerfully and
    wonderfully.

    Amrita has a direct and meaningful way of approaching students about subjects
    teens often find difficult to talk about with adults. Many of our students are
    clamouring to have her back. They're asking, 'When can we work with Amrita again?'"

    She is warm and friendly, yet able to be respectfully confrontive when necessary

    I was amazed at the drawings the tenth graders did exploring issues of gender and
    sexual identity.

    She works so deeply with students it would be important to have her work with them
    longer, a series of days or weeks, so that what is uncovered can be thoroughly
    explored.

    Many of the 11th graders were so open and seemed to benefit greatly from the kind
    of group communication Amrita inspired in them.  Others said they would have opened
    up more had they known the work would have gone on for a longer time.

KELOWNA WALDORF SCHOOL, Canada -  2006

The session Amrita did with the class, in my opinion, was extremely valuable.
This was a class in crisis and in desperate need of intervention. Fortunately she was
just what the doctor ordered. The sessions Amrita did with the children were kind
and tender and the children responded to that in a very positive way.

I felt that the class was like a jigsaw puzzle strewn all over the place and she was able
to put the pieces back together with peace and harmony. Not only did she guide the
children but the school community as well, the parents learned the importance of
banding together with and for the children. There is a quote that says
"A school system without parents at its foundation is like a bucket with a hole in it."
Thankfully Amrita repaired the bucket and all is well, most of the time, at
Kelowna Waldorf. 
Betty, a parent who assisted in the workshops.

The dynamic of the Grade 5/6 was unhealthy. Amrita helped children realize that they were harming others and they stopped, also that real connection is a personal and emotional one. Child-to-child interactions have become more positive. Behavior problems no longer occupy so much time.
I have not issued detentions since Amrita’s visit. I am much more focused and less frustrated. 
Casey, Class Teacher

                               
VANCOUVER WALDORF SCHOOL, Canada 2006 

Teenage Relationships and Gender
Amrita worked with a group of Grade 10 students for a full day.
She was able to beautifully and caringly create an open and trusting environment
that supported the kids to open up to her and to each other about many topics including
male/female sexuality, self-esteem and self image. It was an invaluable experience for
the entire class. It brought the class together in a way that had not happened before.
They still talk about it!
Jane Henry Parent Vancouver Waldorf

SILKWOOD STEINER SCHOOL,  Australia - 2003

Teenage Relationships - Class 7
Amrita's wisdom and knowledge was most beneficial to the students as they begin their journey into adolescence… I thought the class received her very well and it was terrific to hear them open up and share their inner feelings, doubts, challenges and positive affirmations.
This workshop certainly helped us explore further issues in class as part of our Taking Care of Ourselves Main Lesson, with honesty, trust and empathy.
As a teacher, it was wonderful to connect with the children on a deeper level and to really hear their concerns about entering adolescence. I really appreciate Amrita's work and continuing inspiration.
Kalindi, Class teacher.

Understanding Gender -  Class 6 children (11 - 12 year olds)
Recently Amrita Hobbs conducted a session on children growing up in the world and understanding each other.

Amrita kept the children engaged with her lively and intelligent presentation about growing up in this world. She demonstrated a thorough understanding of the issues facing youths today and was able to gain immediate rapport with the children by presenting many 'real life' situations.

Amrita was able to stimulate the children’s thinking through the use of many group activities. She provided an emotionally safe environment for the children to express themselves.The children completed the session with a greater understanding and empathy for the other gender.

I would have no hesitation in recommending Amrita to conduct similar sessions. She has a broad understanding of current youth issues and a manner conducive to informing children of them in a meaningful way.
Sean - Class teacher

SOPHIA MUNDI STEINER SCHOOL - Melbourne Australia 2002

Amrita's workshops are fun, informative and creative in their approaches. The openness about sexual relationships and meeting the student's needs, was great, while at the same time voicing caution, care and safety. The emphasis was on positive caring relationships and finding what is right for the individual. Fantastic to see students fully engaged and feeling positive about themselves and their relationships.
Alison Seabrook,  Class 9 Teacher.

I thought Amrita was perfect, warm, and open, accepting of student, their ideas and their language. The activities seemed to bring into the open what the groups needed at that time. It was pleasant to see the children so open, free, happy and relaxed.
Catherine, Teacher.

My children loved Amrita's workshops and wanted more. They talked and talked about it
- seriously and also with lots of laughter. I hope she comes back soon.
Anna mother of 11 and 15 year olds.

My son came home and told me he loved Amrita and what they did in class with her.
I think it was vitally important that the young people had this opportunity to explore
their relationships with each other.
Natalie, Class 6 parent.

CHRYSALIS STEINER SCHOOL - BELLINGEN AUSTRALIA 1998

TEENAGE RELATIONSHIPS AND SEXUALITY with 14 year old girls. Their comments:

        I loved the songs. They were suitable and I could relate to them.
        Going around the circle and sharing was great because you weren't
        pressured and could just say as much as you wanted to.

        Amrita was cool, non judgmental. She had a lot of wisdom and valuable
        things to share. Open and caring. She is great.

        The stuff on menstruation was informative, shocking, interesting and funny.
        It was good to be able to talk about it. It made me more aware of my body
        and cycles. I learnt things I'd never heard about and we also could laugh about it.

        It was valuable to learn about sexuality and sensuality. I learnt a lot.
        I think it's special getting together with women and sharing and to revive
        connections. The day was valuable and special.

Thankyou for your workshop I gained so much - a chance to recognise my loss - what might have been and should have been there for me. A chance to connect with my daughter and best friend. Inviting her to share something new and more fully.

Every parent I spoke with had similar positive feelings. For the majority of students I know the day was worthwhile and special as well as confronting and challenging.
We were very impressed by your skill, that you could take the girls that far. Yours is a powerful path.
Chris, a teacher, Chrysalis. 

Silkwood Rudolf Steiner School in Australia

Written by Roanna, a student teacher after the workshop with Grade 5 students.

We were honoured with the presence of the world renowned and multi-talented guest speaker
Amrita Hobbs.

She visited our Year 6 class and invited us to join her in a workshop concerning gender roles in pre-teens. Initially I must admit to being rather wary of this subject  due to the rather young age of the children and their obvious ‘childish’ approach to such matters. However this fear was soon replaced with deep respect and appreciation once the session began.

The workshop commenced with Amrita easing the children into the subject matter in the form of a beautiful song and the all-telling story of ‘The Sun and the Moon’.
As a similar method is used in Rudolf Steiner Schools to introduce new material, this suited this class down to the bone. Comments were made on Amrita’s stunning vocal performance and the story was readily lapped up.

The girls were asked to stand on one side of the room and the boys on the other. They were asked to face away from the centre and scream out all of the negativity and frustration they felt towards the opposite gender. As you can imagine, this became quite a loud affair, but proved very successful in letting out all that they had bottled up.

After a break, we resumed focusing on what exactly was different and why.
After much heated debate on a topic that is generally seen as taboo by most of these children due to ‘uncoolness’ and the fact that you simply ‘cannot talk to boys’ and vice versa, it was finally accepted that the two genders are simply different. Over the morning the differences we were looking for were becoming more and more obvious.

The children came up with some wonderful examples such as ‘strong headed and anger’ for the boys and ‘friendship and hormones’ for the girls. It became clear that the only real solution was to try and understand and accept each other.

The two groups were united again and a discussion followed as to how these differences in gender could become a tool for learning about and from one another, instead of continuously fighting over things that will simply never change. The message was clear to all; try and understand the other instead of seeing difference as a reason to continuously disagree. The children were told that they could change the world, if only in a small way, by not following in the same footsteps as those before them. They have the power inside them to make this possible by accepting difference.

What a lesson for life!!

Silkwood Steiner School would like to thank Amrita Hobbs for her inspirational session. We will continue to offer the children similar lessons once a fortnight. The first follow up class was already a huge success and has liberated the children into talking about subjects that were formally ‘taboo’ and ‘simply not talked about in school'.