Anni - The Perfect Wisdom Web

a n n ivillage of Keilhau, population ninety, is picturesque andremote–it is accessible by only one road, which ends atthe end of the village – and Dr. Wächter was still consideredsomething of a newcomer. Not so his wife. HedwigWächter was the daughter and granddaughter of theschool’s previous directors, and the great grandniece of itsfounder, the philosopher, philanthropist, and educationalreformer Friedrich Fröbel.Fröbel, best known for establishing the world’s firstkindergarten, had opened the Keilhau school in 1817as a place where he could put his educational ideas intopractice. “A child who plays thoroughly and with determinationuntil he is too tired to continue will surely bea thorough, determined man, capable of self-sacrifice forthe promotion of the welfare of himself and others,” heproclaimed. Accordingly, unstructured play in naturalsurroundings formed an important part of the school’scurriculum. Anni’s older brother Reinhold, describinglife as a student, later wrote, “It is strange, but schoolwork was not important for us. At least, it was no moreimportant than our life together, both among ourselvesas pupils and with the teachers. Those were the thingsthat mattered to us. That is part of the nature of a Fröbelschool. Its aim is formative and educational rather thanmerely academic.”At the Keilhau school, academics were dealt with inthe morning. To start the school day, Dr. Wächter led abrief worship service, which was followed by lessons inconventional subjects. This done, all students formed aline in front of a table where Frau Wächter was cutting2