Caterina Cegin, Kindergarten Teacher

Caterina has lived in Ashland for nine years. She was born in Cicero, IL, a diverse city, rich with European immigrants. Her parents immigrated to the US from Slovakia. Caterina received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a focus on Ethnobotany and Liberal Arts from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. Her love of people and culture inspired Caterina to become a teacher, and she was drawn to Waldorf education due to the curriculum's focus on art and movement, healthy social growth and social responsibility. She completed her Waldorf Early Childhood Teacher Training through the Sound Circle Center in Seattle and Rudolf Steiner College in Sacramento. 

Caterina's appreciation and understanding for the gifts of Waldorf education has grown through her experience both as a teacher and as a Waldorf parent. Caterina feels Waldorf methodology and pedagogy allow a child to learn with their whole being, awaken the talents and capacities inside each child, and foster a compassionate global citizen worldview. She witnessed this flowering with her own daughter who attended Waldorf schools from kindergarten to eighth. Each year in her work with young children, Caterina marvels at how through curiosity and interest, her kindergarteners are able to find common ground to work and play together despite differences in language, cultures, or personalities! Fostering curiosity and open heartedness in the children is at the heart of her work with them!