Nell Smyth

A colleague of mine, who is going through the Waldorf teacher training program in Ireland, has Nell Smyth as his mentor and I'm incredibly jealous!

The Breathing Circle:
Learning Through the Movement of the Natural Breath

We were talking last week about Class Play Scripts for grade 7 -- by the way, there are a lot of good ones in 25 Plays Inspired by Waldorf Teachers, edited by David Mitchell, available FREE as a downloadable PDF from the Online Waldorf Library -- and he told me that he had a conversation with Nell about it (I still can't believe she runs the teacher training program there and he gets to just stand around and talk to her!!!) and she told him that she is working on publishing a new book of Class Play Scripts. I'm really excited!

Of course, I can't tell you any more than that because I don't have early access to it, but watch this space because when it comes out I will definitely share the info!

Here is her current book on teaching theater:

Drama at the Heart:
Teaching Drama in Steiner-Waldorf Schools

The summary of it is as follows (from the Rudolf Steiner Book Centre):

"Drama, well-integrated into a curriculum, can bring empathy, excitement, expression and engagement into any lesson. This book will help teachers to work successfully with drama in their classroom in a rewarding, holistic way.

"Beginning with a consideration of what it means to be a drama teacher -- whether for one lesson or a whole touring production -- this comprehensive book guides teachers through the challenges and the details, starting from breathing exercises and ice-breaker games to finding the right play for your age group and all aspects of rehearsal and staging. Packed full of sensible, down-to-earth advice, helpful tips and funny stories based on Nell Smyth's extensive experience, this is an invaluable one-stop handbook.

"Throughout, this warm and practical book never forgets what truly makes a successful production -- a joyful, thriving child or teenager at the heart of it.

"Nell Smyth has been a Steiner-Waldorf teacher and trainer for over twenty-five years in Europe and America. She has taught at primary, secondary and tertiary level and is involved in national education reform in Ireland, spearheading a cross-curricular active learning-based approach with drama at its heart. She has written many plays for children which have been included in the Irish National Association of Youth Drama repertoire. She currently teaches at ALFA (Raheen Wood Steiner Secondary School) in East Clare, Ireland."

This post contains affiliate links to materials I truly use for homeschooling. Qualifying purchases provide me with revenue. Thank you for your support!