Founding Teacher Finds Authentic Relationships at Mountain Song

Ms. Shannon Lang’s story

Authenticity, depth, magic, sincerity… These are the words Shannon Lang uses to describe the relationships built here at Mountain Song.

Shannon was already a veteran teacher in Woodland Park when she heard about the Waldorf pedagogy from another colleague. She decided to learn more by visiting Shining Mountain Waldorf School.

“I loved the music, the watercolor paintings, and just how much the arts are naturally woven into the students’ days,” said Shannon.

Then, she connected with the group of parents leading the charge to create what would soon become Mountain Song Community School, who invited her to a Lantern Walk.

“I fell in love with the beauty of that festival,” said Shannon. “That’s when I just knew I was meant to be a Waldorf teacher.”

Before joining Mountain Song, Shannon didn't fully comprehend how deep these relationships with her students and their families would become. She couldn't wrap her head around what it would look like to carry a class through their childhood.  

Shannon started the 2013-2014 school year as a first grade teacher to the Willow Class and very soon fell in love with that group of children. She fondly remembers park meetups and their rose ceremony. Just as the children invited her into their lives, she invited them into her’s. 

She remembers how her young students waved ribbons at her wedding. Then, in a tragic twist of fate, those same students also attended the memorial service of her newborn daughter Nelia, who left this world without ever taking a breath. Her students, their families, and her fellow teachers and friends carried her through that time.

“I cannot express just how much these relationships have meant in my own life,” said Shannon.

A few years after saying goodbye, Shannon gave birth to Merlin.  As the Willow class was finishing up 5th grade, everyone understood that teaching full-time was no longer an option for Shannon.  She wasn’t willing to miss a moment with Merlin. 

The Willow Class gathered for their 5th grade farewell ceremony, which is not traditional of Waldorf schools, but seemed fitting in this case. The students walked through a tunnel of willow branches for one last hug with Mrs. Lang.

“It was a beautiful, but bittersweet day.”

The following school year, Shannon had the opportunity to teach part-time and share the Juniper Class with Debbie Ellington through their fourth and fifth grade years, another class she immediately fell in love with. 

Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. Then, after only one year with the Catalpa Class in first grade, Shannon found herself blessed with their newborn son Rhys and became the teacher of the Frontier Online Homeschool Enrichment Program, something Shannon didn’t see coming in a million years.

She once balked at our increasingly online society, even referring to a notebook where she had scribbled, ‘My mission in life is to build authentic relationships over virtual relationships.’ She laughs at how she even discussed that mission in her initial interview at Mountain Song more than a decade ago.

“It’s so ironic. Here I am, loving what I am doing, and feeling SO connected to these students. I love that I was put into my place!”

She reflects on the commitment and depth of her families in the Waldorf-inspired homeschool.

“It’s next-level Waldorf magic.”

Now, Shannon hopes to help grow the Frontier program and, ultimately, she would like to take a group of children all the way through 8th grade.

“How cool would that be?!” said Shannon. “I want to be able to say I carried a group of Frontier children through the grades.”