This is part 1 of a 6 article series highlighting Nek’il Kuxtal, is a Waldorf Initiative Kindergarten that began in the summer of 2021. Please follow their journey with us.
The School, Nek’il Kuxtal, is a Waldorf Initiative Kindergarten that began in the summer of 2021. At the time many of the schools in Merida Yucatan were closed due to the pandemic and families throughout the world were grappling with the question of how to best provide for their children during their formative years.
For Alejandra and Colleen Larkin, two single mothers, with 4-year-old daughters, living in Merida, Yucatan, this meant giving their children a nourishing space with a connection to nature and community; to do this, they set out to find a location that could house a small group of children and began the task of hiring a Waldorf teacher to accompany their children throughout the academic year.
After a lot of work and with the school year upon them, in mid-August after having found a teacher and a house everything fell through. Yet determined to bring this project to life, the two women persisted in interviewing potential candidates and scouting various spaces to give birth to this community initiative.
Slowly but surely the threads of the school and community started to weave together. The community started out with a small rental space with little character and over the past two years has grown into a bigger space; one that includes banana trees, an avocado tree, dragon fruit vines that wind up a giant tree trunk, and an interior space that is painted the color of sweat peaches, where each wooden or wool toy has its home; a place in which the magic of childhood is palpable and real for anyone who enters. All this is surrounded by the scent of a towering mango tree and the shade of sweet and sour orange trees.
Co-founder Colleen Larkin said “It is not a big space, but we decided on it because of the trees. Within the city we wanted to give our children as much connection to nature as possible. When we teach children to be stewards of the earth, we are teaching them to care for life itself and in turn you are going to have healthier food and healthier societies.” This is a foundational principle of Waldorf that is rooted in the anthroposophy of Rudolf Steiner, a writer and philosopher of the mid 19th century.
After so much time being disconnected from nature and one another, with pandemic lock downs, one of the things people were craving the most was community and connection, not just within the school but outside of the school as well. This initiative became a bridge back to human connection and community living.
Today the school is not only a thriving school, but it extends so much beyond the school and has become a community in the truest sense of the word. We are there for one another, one of the aspects of the school is that there is participation. All meals are cooked by one of the family members and we rotate this with a monthly calendar. We see each other outside of school, whether it’s a birthday celebration or a community camp out. This sense of togetherness is palpable, and our children feel this.
There is a quote by Rudolf Steiner that is reflective of the type of education the children receive at Nek’il Kuxtal is “Our highest endeavor must be to develop free human beings who are able of themselves to impart purpose and direction to their lives. The need for imagination, a sense of truth, and a feeling of responsibility – these three forces are the very nerve of education”.
The Waldorf environment is one where the essence of each child is nourished to unfold fully into themselves; where each child’s physical, emotional, mental and spiritual capacities are awakened, and their natural curiosity for learning and independent thinking is kindled.
Today Nek’il Kuxtal is a growing community of more than 15 families. They hold the vision of purchasing land to build a sustainable Earthship school. If you would like to become a part of this project or donate to this initiative, you can visit them at www.nekilkuxtal.org or donate at https://www.gofundme.com/f/EarthshipWaldorfMexico
By Colleen Larkin
