Rudolf Steiner in the Waldorf School (Foundations of Waldorf Education, 6)

256 Pages·1996·0.6 MB·English

by  Rudolf Steiner

Introduction / i
R U D O L F S T E I N E R
IN THE WALDORF SCHOOL
ii / RUDOLF STEINER IN THE WALDORF SCHOOL
[VI]
FOUNDATIONS OF WALDORF EDUCATION
Introduction / iii
R S
UDOLF TEINER
I N T H E
W S
ALDORF CHOOL
Lectures and Addresses
to Children, Parents, and Teachers
1919–1924
Translated by Catherine E. Creeger
Anthroposophic Press
front iv Fri Mar 22 13:48:39 1996
iv / RUDOLF STEINER IN THE WALDORF SCHOOL
The publisher wishes to acknowledge the inspiration
and support of Connie and Robert Dulaney
❖ ❖ ❖
This book is a translation ofRudolf Steiner in der Waldorfschule: Ansprachen für
Kinder, Eltern und Lehrer(volume 298 in the Collected Works) published by
Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach, Switzerland, 1980.
© Copyright Anthroposophic Press, 1996
Published in the United States by Anthroposophic Press
RR 4 Box 94-A1, Hudson, NY 12534
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Steiner, Rudolf, 1861–1925.
[Rudolf Steiner in der Waldorfschule. English]
Rudolf Steiner in the Waldorf School : lectures and addresses
to children, parents, and teachers. 1919–1924 / translated by
Catherine E. Creeger.
p. cm. — (Foundations of Waldorf education : 6)
Includes bibliographical references (p. 228 ) and index.
ISBN 0-88010-433-3
1. Waldorf method of education. 2. Anthroposophy. I. Title.
II. Series
LB1029.W34S73713 1996
371.3'9—dc20 95-51541
CIP
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form
without the written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations
embodied in critical reviews and articles.
Printed in the United States of America
Introduction / v
C O N T E N T S
Introduction by Gayle Davis ........................................................... ix
1919
Essay: The Pedagogical Basis of the Waldorf School ......................1
September 7 / Speech by councilor of commerce Emil Molt
at the opening of the Independent Waldorf School ..................... 11
September 7 / Speech by Rudolf Steiner at the opening
of the Independent Waldorf School ............................................14
December 21 / Address at the Christmas assembly..................... 28
1920
June 10 / Address at a monthly assembly.................................... 34
June 11 / Lecture given at a parents’ evening ............................. 38
July 24 / Address at the assembly at the end of the first
school year ................................................................................. 52
November 23 / Address at a monthly assembly........................... 60
1921
January 13 / Address and discussion at a parents’ evening .......... 64
June 11 / Address at the assembly at the end
of the second school year ............................................................ 85
vi / RUDOLF STEINER IN THE WALDORF SCHOOL
June 17 / Address and discussion at the first official
members’ meeting of the Independent Waldorf School
Association ................................................................................ 91
June 18 / Address at the assembly at the beginning
of the third school year...............................................................100
December 16 / Address at the foundation-stone laying
of the Waldorf School’s new building.........................................113
1922
May 9 / Address and discussion at a parents’ evening.................122
June 20 / Address at the assembly at the beginning of
the fourth school year.................................................................147
June 20 / Address and discussion at the second official
members’ meeting of the Independent Waldorf
School Association ....................................................................153
1923
March 1 / Address at a monthly assembly after the
burning of the Goetheanum .....................................................166
April 24 / Address at the assembly at the beginning
of the fifth school year............................................................... 170
May 3 / Address at a monthly assembly.....................................173
May 25 / Address at the third official members’ meeting
of the Independent Waldorf School Association.........................177
June 22 / Address at a parents’ evening: Issues of
School and Home......................................................................190
Introduction / vii
1924
March 27 / Address at a monthly assembly............................... 203
April 30 / Address at the assembly at the beginning
of the sixth school year.............................................................. 207
June 1 / Lecture given at the fourth official meeting
of the Independent Waldorf School Association ....................... 210
1925
Rudolf Steiner’s Last Words to the Faculty and Students
of the Free Waldorf School in Stuttgart .................................... 226
Index ....................................................................................... 233
viii / RUDOLF STEINER IN THE WALDORF SCHOOL
Introduction / ix
I N T R O D U C T I O N
It is December 21, 1919, and Rudolf Steiner is addressing a
Christmas assembly of teachers, parents, and students of the
newly formed Waldorf School. “Do you love your teachers?” he
asks the children. “Yes,” comes the resounding reply. A few
minutes later in his talk he repeats, “... I would like to ask you
again, ‘Don’t you all sincerely love your teachers?’” “Yes, we
do,” shout the children. These earnest questions and fervent
answers are repeated many times in the next few years on his
frequent visits to the school.
Many who were present on such occasions have described
how Steiner would make his way across the school grounds
besieged by a sea of children clinging to his coat and trousers.
How many Waldorf teachers today, while seeking insight into a
pedagogical problem, planning a parent meeting, or preparing
a public presentation wish to have before them this founder of
the education! How many dream of having Rudolf Steiner
present on their campuses to provide inspiration and direction!
In these addresses English-speaking readers can share a bit of
the enthusiasm felt by those who experienced the presence of
this remarkable Austrian philosopher and spiritual scientist. All
of the talks in this collection were given between September
1919 and June 1924 at the first Waldorf School in Stuttgart,
Germany. The addresses to students, teachers, and parents were
offered on such occasions as the opening of the school year,
Christmas and Easter assemblies, parents meetings, and the
opening of a new building. One particularly poignant talk was
delivered immediately following the tragic burning of the Goet-
heanum, the newly constructed center of the anthroposophical
movement inaugurated by Steiner. Other lectures were delivered