Norse mythology can deepen the identity of children from northern and central European cultures. But do these stories also fulfil children from other cultures in the classroom?
With regard to the worldwide spread of Waldorf education, I find Neil Boland's article «Education is always political» very important and informative. I would like to briefly add to this with my own experiences.
During my visits to Waldorf schools in India, China and various countries in Central and South America, I regularly experienced a long period of Nordic mythology in the fourth grade. When I asked why and what for, I got the answers: Because it's in the curriculum! Or: Because it corresponds to the children's development! In Northern and Central European cultures, Norse mythology can enrich the pupils' world view and deepen their identity with their own culture as part of the narrated legends and myths that accompany the main lessons. But what identity-forming function should Norse mythology offer children in non-European cultures?
Teachers in India, Mexico or Peru should look for myths in their local culture for the fourth grade, especially when preparing local history and geography. But that means creativity!
For form drawing on the Spanish-speaking continent, together with teachers from Chile to Mexico, I was able to develop motifs for this fourth-grade lesson from the wealth of pre-Columbian design, deviating from the Celtic and Longobard braiding patterns still favoured there, and document them in a book in Spanish.
The cultural epochs mentioned by Neil Boland with the perspective of further development in Europe for 5th grade history lessons are another topic of a European-centred world view. I have great doubts about understanding this in analogy to the development of children's consciousness.
To geographically localise the Urindian, Urpersian, Egyptian-Chaldean, Greek-Latin and Germanic-Anglo-Saxon cultures characterised by Rudolf Steiner as world and consciousness development to India, Persia, Babylonia, Egypt, Greece, Italy and Central Europe is already questionable if this is to be viewed from the perspective of other world regions.
How could this, localised differently, be developed from the perspective of China, India, the Inca or Mayan cultures? From settling down to agriculture, river and city cultures, the invention of writing etc.? There, however, we have no continuous development. This was radically interrupted by European colonial and imperial endeavours, especially on the American continent.
History «narratives» for pupils in the classroom would have to be sought and created anew. For this, however, teachers need help from historians.
Thomas Wildgruber
Translation: deepl.com