Meet Gwendoline Pere-Lahaille of Venice

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gwendoline Pere-Lahaille.

Hi Gwendoline, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story at Ecole Claire Fontaine began when I was 12 years old. My mother, Joëlle Dumas, asked me to paint a sign on the sidewalk that read, “School, Now Open.” Here, my brother, “patient zero” as he calls himself, grew up surrounded by neighborhood friends on a daily playdate, sharing his toys, home, sister and mom. The idea of the school had inhabited our mom’s childhood dreams: creating a beautiful garden where children could explore, be joyful, safe and loved in order to grow to their full potential. Over the years, the passion for the school, and developing a perfect environment for the children to grow, has reached the hearts of the many people who work here. As we live with the children up to ten hours a day, five days a week, it is our home away from home and the great time of our lives.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Losing Joëlle hit us all the hardest. It was difficult to find myself in this position. I wanted to keep the school going and everyone happy – the faculty, families and children – while dealing with all of the administrative issues that preschools must abide by, and juggling the harmony. But really I found that no matter how difficult any situation, seeing the children flourish makes it all worth it.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am the director of Ecole Claire Fontaine, an Art, Language & Nature school for children. While we have made many changes and expanded the school since it began on just one campus in 1989, its foundation has remained. Our days are still spent in art, language and nature.

Continual exposure to diverse, artistic expressions and forms of communication expands our senses and remains the school’s aesthetic. Music is playing in the background, we sing together, learn instruments, take in the patterns in the shells, the floral art, calligraphy, dancing, movement, ceramics and painting. The creation and smells of the freshly cooking organic food is part of the artistic expression as well.

Nature surrounds us in our gardens where children blossom. We observe the seasons, follow the tints and colors of the leaves. This is our laboratory where we observe, birds, bees, earthworms and butterflies in their natural habitat. Here botany and biology classes mix with our gardening sessions. Seeds and petals can be counted while fresh peas and berries are divided amongst friends. We grow as engineers while observing the source of human inventions mimicking natural mechanisms, such as how the hinge of a door mimics an elbow extension, or how a shower hose is inspired by a roly poly.

All the while we move between three languages, allowing us all to deepen our roots and create new neural pathways. While speaking with the children, the faculty speaks their native language, French, Spanish or English. A French speaking teacher will be associated with various foods, songs and games through language, the culture will become intertwined, and a neural pathway will expand. We are always learning something, and by having a growth mindset we are able to appreciate several classics such as A.S. Neill, Piaget, Montessori, Waldorf and Reggio, an immensity of possibilities is open to us, allowing us all to grow with the children.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I was just listening to the Huberban podcast where Wendy Suzuki was sharing that neurogenesis happens at least until your 9th decade. Doing cardio three mornings a week for 45 minutes helps prevent mental decline as memory seems to dwell in the hippocampus, and exercise helps to keep it in good condition.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://LAClairefontaine.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecoleclairefontaine/