July 2012 - Waldorf School Windhoek

© Norbert Seilheimer
© Norbert Seilheimer
Dear pupils, dear parents, dear friends,
8 1/2 years ago in May 2004 I was traveling on
the highway in Germany with my husband and he
suggested to me that we apply for a job in Bavaria.
I was in shock and answered spontaneously
that before I ever, ever move to Bavaria I would
prefer to move to Africa. This was without any
substance because I had no connection to Africa
whatsoever.
We arrived at our house a few hours later and
on the table I found a magazine from the Freunde
der Erziehungskunst with an article about the
Waldorf School Windhoek.
To make a long story short: 6 weeks later in June
I visited the school, in August I signed a contract
and began to pack up my house. I January 2005
I started my work here. Had I known about the
many challenges I was to face here, I do not know
if I would have had the courage to do this and yet
I am glad I did for I would have missed some of
the most wonderful years of my life.
The past 7 1/2 years have been a melting pot of
the most intense feelings: joy, surprises, excitement
and also many, many challenges. I do not
regret a single day I spent with the pupils at this
school.
The amazing trips I was allowed to enjoy: going
to Germany twice, to Capetown once, the Canyon
River, the many Parzival hikes, enjoying Namibia’s
amazing landscape.
All the theatre projects and showtime events we
did were always something I enjoyed immensely.
Just before I arrived I was asked to start with
teaching a biology main lesson – this was a totally
new subject to me and I was extremely worried
how I would manage – however always just one
step ahead of the pupils I somehow managed to
go forwards – biology and history becoming my
favourites...
Music has always been my passion and building
up the drumming as well as the choir is something
that meant very, very much to me. I know that
choir work is always a challenge when it is compulsory,
however this last project was so amazing
that I hope it has really planted the seed of future
music in the school. I am extremely grateful, that
I was able to experience something like this at
the end.
“Thank you pupils for sharing these years with
me and enriching my life” Simone de Picciotto
But overall I want to thank the pupils for the
amount of trust and loyalty they showed towards
me – I always felt welcomed by them and I enjoyed
going into almost every lesson I taught in the
past years.
I mentioned at the trimester festival, that I was
very naive when I came here and did not realise
what the situation in Namibia was, growing up in
the USA in the 1970’, when the civil rights movement
had just peaked and integration in schools
was a major theme, it was a surprise to me to
find myself in a similar situation here in Namibia
again.
However it seemed to meet my personality
which has always been to embrace youth and to
encourage every single young person to find his
place in society and to realise the importance
of every single individuality in society and the
impact his little deeds can have.
I explained to the pupils this week how I feel
the highest aim for every human is to become a
hero in his area meaning: A hero is one who gives
himself to something bigger than himself because
he has dreams and can make them reality
and grow beyond himself and thereby really
make a difference in this world.
Thank you pupils for sharing these years with
me and enriching my life – they were the most
© Katharina Wyss
passionate years of my life and I will never forget
them.
I also want to thank all the parents for their
support. Without you this would never have
been possible and I thank you for all the positive
feedback and goodwill you showed to me.
Of course the same goes to my colleagues who
entrusted me to build up the high school and
supported my ideas and tolerated my sometimes
very energetic and decisive approaches.
You are all wonderful people and I am sure the
school is in wonderful hands.
I leave you all to be with my daughters and to
bring a bit of quietness into my life, time to regain
new strength and conquer new fields. I will
be only working part time for the next year, will
commence further education as school mediator
and hope to start various projects with young
people, obviously mainly musical projects. And
maybe I can come back here to help in specific
areas as a guest teacher. I would love that.
Thank you all, you will stay in my heart forever
and dear pupils never forget my main line: let
freedom ring throughout your lives and always
know: you can do whatever you set your heart on.
Simone de Picciotto
www.hit-the-beat.org
www.facebook.com/hitthebeatconcert
www.youtube.com > hit the beat namibia
© Norbert Seilheimer