Ms. Mason and her family come to us from the Madison Waldorf School in Madison, WI. While her partner, Seth, and daughter, Laura, are new to WSD, Ms. Mason is a bit of an old friend. She was a student here as a child and was taught by the iconic Ms. Naomi Studebaker.
When asked about her return to WSD, Ms. Mason shared several things she’s looking forward to including: returning to the land (the forest and "the bowl" hold some of her favorite childhood memories), getting to know the community, attending class plays and celebrating festivals, and the opportunity to do meaningful work!
How has Waldorf education shaped her?
When reflecting on memories from her time at The Waldorf School of DuPage as a child, she shared that there were many things she still cherished, like “learning to throw a javelin”, or “seeing an orchid for the first time during 5th grade botany”. She mentioned that there were even moments from her time at WSD that she didn’t think much of at the time, or even resisted, like “practicing drawing a ‘perfect’ circle by hand” or “dictation lessons”, but that as an adult she appreciated for the perseverance, focus, and care for detail that it instilled in her.
She went on to share that,
“As a child, Waldorf Education nourished my soul. As an adult, studying the philosophical foundation of Waldorf Education has given me a framework through which I can expand my soul. Rudolf Steiner's insights into the development of human consciousness and humanity's place within the cosmos has helped me to locate mySelf in this day and age. Working in Waldorf Education has given me the opportunity to do what matters most to me in this life: creating spaces where children are safe, seen, cherished, and allowed to unfold naturally into their truest selves. There is nothing more I would rather be doing than supporting Waldorf communities.”
Leadership – what does Ms. Mason bring to The Waldorf School of DuPage?
Prior to joining The Waldorf School of DuPage, Ms. Mason worked in the arts as a sculptural welding instructor and a Handwork teacher; in education as a Waldorf Grades teacher and leadership training coach; and in spiritual self development as a parenting and intuitive coach. Her passion for administrative work came from working with faculty and school leadership through the Covid years and other general school upheaval, strategic planning, and restructuring. She worked closely with the administrator and board president at the Madison Waldorf School and had the opportunity to contribute to much of the social and structural changes that have helped their school to thrive.
She’s collected many rich experiences and meaningful lessons in her adult life and has used that wisdom to inform her leadership approach. Ms. Mason described her leadership styles as four-fold: “part facilitation--gathering input from everyone and listening for the common goal; part mediation--building bridges between people and groups; part strategic vision--working backwards from the goal to take the exact action steps needed; and part intuition--meditate, pray, and sleep on it...the guidance will always come!”
Ms. Mason After School
Ms. Mason and her partner Seth are getting married in April of 2025. “We have known each other for a long time”, she says, “we met through a meditation group and then quickly realized we had several overlapping communities, friends, and interests.” They have an 11 month old daughter, Laura Raven (Laura Rae, Laura), who is an absolute delight. Ms. Mason admits that, “we sometimes call ourselves ‘The Joy Family’ because we feel like we are the happiest we have ever been, enjoying each other's company and laughter.” Seth makes a lot of dad jokes, Ms. Mason frequently makes up new lyrics to old tunes, and Laura is charming and talkative. In their free time they like going for hikes, spending time at the lake, traveling to Door County, WI, frequenting the farmers market, and creating meaningful pauses together.
Fun Facts About Ms. Mason
Temperament: Choleric/Sanguine
Favorite colors: Magenta and light purple
Favorite song: "Woodstock" by Joni Mitchell
Favorite season: Flowering, wet, muddy, moody-skied, sweet-smelling SPRING!
Favorite flower: Orchid
Favorite food: Lemon chicken piccata (“it's like chicken fingers for adults”, she says)
