Alys Mendus – artist, academic and educator, parent of a 6 year old. Alys has worked in Education for the last 20 years. After qualifying as a teacher in England in 2005 she taught Science in high school, before ‘retiring’ at 27 and deciding to dive deeper into teaching pedagogies!
Alys completed a 2 year part-time Steiner Teacher Training course 2006-2008, Forest School Leader training, 2010, Steiner Upper School year training, multiple Steiner Early Childhood intensives (2009-2012), MA in Learning and Teaching (2012) and her Early Years Professional Status 2012 to teach and manage Early Childhood Settings in the UK. Alys combined her skills to use Steiner and Forest School pedagogies in Mainstream EC settings. Alys has worked with home ed families to create a Class 1 group three days a week for a year, taught Main Lessons at 5 different Steiner schools in the UK, worked extensively in Special Needs schools, run independent Steiner Playgroups regularly since 2010 in the UK (including Lifeways Family Festival at Emerson College for 7 summers) and in Australia (Northern Rivers, North of Brisbane and near Rockhampton before Geelong).
Alys completed a PhD on a scholarship in Freedom to Learn where she visited over 180 schools in 23 countries including over 50 Waldorf schools. Her book Searching for the Ideal School Around the World (2021) shares her autoethnographic adventures and reflections of education. In 2025 Alys completed her Steiner Kindergarten Training at Sydney Rudolf Steiner college to refocus her work in Early Childhood and learn more about Steiner Education in Australia. Alys has VIT registration for Primary and Secondary schools. Alys also works as a Casual Academic in diversity and inclusion teaching and research at Uni Melb and Deakin and brings this passion and drive for safer and inclusive spaces into her work with young children and their families.
Emily Paternoster – Kinder teacher, mother of 2 (5 & 2). Emily has worked for the past 6 years as a Primary School Teacher, and now working as a kinder teacher 3 days/week in a Reggio Emilia inspired kinder. Emily has completed a certificate in Steiner Education (1 year full time) at the Melbourne Rudolf Steiner Seminar, as well as Forest School Leader training. Her passions are arts and crafts, connection to Country, nature, and risky play. Emily has a Bachelor of Education and Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education, and current dual VIT registration.
I am inspired to work with children and families, to carve out and protect a place where young children and parents/carers can be present together in rhythm, ritual, creativity and play. Where the most important thing is here and now. A place of reliability, respect for childhood, and parenthood, filled with joy and song and nature.
The longer I worked in primary school, the easier it was to see how essential the foundations laid in early childhood are for the child’s ability to connect with others, find joy in learning, and believe in their own capabilities. In Steiner Waldorf education, these are known as the Vital Years. It has been incredible to see, through my current work in Kindergarten, how important even these young children’s previous years, from birth – three years are, for developing a strong sense of identity and relationships.
Currawong Collective 