Dear friends and colleagues,
Almost a hundred people stood on the stage at the end of the Goetheanum World Teacher Education Conference. Everyone said a few words about one of the educational institutions represented at the conference.
A kaleidoscope of pictures from five different continents on how to prepare for life as a Waldorf educator.
Video recordings of the lectures will gradually be made available on our website and via goetheanum.tv. Some of the topics covered at the conference will be discussed further at the monthly «International Teacher Education Forum» on Zoom (formerly ITEP). All educators who would like to participate are warmly invited and can find the necessary information below.
As an example of the proposals formulated at the conference, here are a few sentences from the panel discussions:
«A wish for all teacher educators: more lightness, humour and joy.»
«Every time we learn something new, we re-enter the world.»
«It is important that we present anthroposophy not as a collection of facts or concepts, but as a possibility for transformation and healing. How it lives in us as mentors is what the students see and take in.»
«Training courses and international conferences should provide an opportunity to take note of the latest research findings.»
«Seminars could be places where the seeds are sown for transformation processes and the growth of skills.»
«May Waldorf education develop everywhere like a plant - always in connection with its environment, the time and the changing atmospheric conditions.»
«Wonder is not just for the children, but also for the teachers.»
In this issue you will also find an article by Dušan Pleštil (Waldorf teacher in Semily, Czech Republic), on the subject of environmental education: «A new scientific mindset», which can be supported during the school years, and which establishes a healthy relationship with nature. The article was written as part of the meetings of the «Hague Circle - International Council for Steiner Waldorf
Education», which is currently focussing on the topic of «spiritual ecology».
The annual report on the activities of the Pedagogical Section in 2023, and «Reflections on Waldorf Education» – a text written by Albrecht Schad, Henning Kullak-Ublick and Christof Wiechert on the central concerns of our educational practice – round off this issue.
With warm wishes, on behalf of the Pedagogical Section
Philipp Reubke
