Center For Anthroposophy

The work of the Waldorf high school educator is to help adolescents slowly move toward forming independent judgments. Teachers are rightly nervous about being perceived as “political” or unfairly swaying students with their personal opinions. Nonetheless, we must create space in our classrooms to talk about challenging and potentially polarizing issues. How can Waldorf teachers bring topics such as abortion, transgender individuals, the wars in Ukraine, Gaza and elsewhere, the political reality in the US, income inequality, climate change, and more in ways that leave students safe to explore their own perspectives and free from having to conform to teacher, parent, peer, and community views? How do we achieve the balance in presenting information and fostering healthy student dialogue, discussion, and debate? How to help students find areas of agreement that allow for building consensus and community, without giving up individual beliefs? This final session will be a Starlight Rays community exploration after initial input from the presenter.

David Barham, M.Ed.

Executive Director of Center for Anthroposophy since August 2024 and Director of CfA’s Waldorf High School Teacher Education Program (WHiSTEP) as of 2022, David has worked in four North American Waldorf schools, including one in Mexico, both as a class and high school teacher. Before joining CfA, he taught humanities at the Maine Coast Waldorf School in Freeport, ME, for more than a decade. In the fall of 2021, he was appointed to AWSNA’s Leadership Council as Leader for the Northeast/Quebec region. David continues to teach, write, and consult with various Waldorf schools. 

In this talk I outline a batch of core Waldorf methods and distinguish between them, including phenomenology (Goethean science), symptomatology, art appreciation, performance, crafting, experiential learning, participation, emulation and documentation. For each method I offer a Waldorf anthropological perspective and example of good Waldorf practice. This talk is based on my long term research into methods of teaching and learning that are (or should be) used in Waldorf schools.

Dr. Martyn Rawson

Dr. Martyn Rawson started teaching at York Steiner School in 1980 as a grade teacher. He then taught English, History and History of Art in Stuttgart. On returning to the UK he taught these subjects and was school leader at Michael Hall School. In 2003 he returned to Germany, where he has taught high school. He currently teaches in a Waldorf high school in Hamburg. He has also been involved in teacher education and published widely on Waldorf education, including academic books and articles. He is Senior Research Fellow Alanus University and Honorary Professor at the National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan.

We will start our workshop with an embodied experience to explore how we can work together to address our students’ needs in a meaningful and developmentally appropriate way. How can we support the development of students’ stamina and explore ideas of safety versus comfort (and notice how those ideas connect to power and privilege)? Student leadership conferences are one model of empowering students, and the lessons from them are applicable in the classroom, providing a way for young people to be challenged, to stretch and grow, and, ultimately, to step into life. Themes of recent conferences we’ve led are Not All Speed is Movement: Redefining Community Through Action and Who We Are Shapes the Change We Make: Redefining Community Through Culture. At the conclusion of the workshop, we’ll offer an opportunity to return to the seeds of the embodied practice, and ask, how do we cultivate our gifts (and give others the space to cultivate theirs), doing hard work in real time, while modeling and supporting this for our students?

Vicki Larson

Involved in anti-racism and anti-bias initiatives and community organizing for social justice for more than 30 years, Vicki (she/her) has held positions in publishing, resource development, international women’s human rights, marketing, communications, and inclusion/belonging. She is a co-founder of Alma Partners and a founding member of the Sunbridge Institute Diversity Scholarship Fund Committee.

A strategist, facilitator, project manager, writer, and editor who loves working with young people and adults, she was a Waldorf parent for 16 years and has been a consultant to Waldorf schools in the US and Canada since 2014.

Before moving into full-time consulting, Vicki worked at Green Meadow Waldorf School for 14 years. She served as Director of Development for four years and then as Director of Communications and Marketing for 10 years, while also working as a part-time teacher in the High School (teaching ESL, Spanish, and Financial Literacy), Co-Chair of the Diversity Committee, and an advisor to student clubs.

Vicki is deeply interested in regenerative agriculture and sustainable, equitable food systems, and has supported Buttonwood Hollow Farm — a family enterprise in Chatham, NY that operates on biodynamic principles — with marketing and distribution since 2012.

Vicki graduated with honors from the University of Florida in Gainesville, with a major in English and minors in Religion and Women’s Studies. She also holds a certificate in English/Spanish translation and interpretation from Hunter College in NYC.

Heather Scott

A Core Faculty Member of Sunbridge Institute’s Waldorf High School Teacher Education Program and an Alma Partners associate since 2020, Heather (she/they) attends Union Theological Seminary, pursuing a dual master’s degree.

Heather served as Pedagogical Director at the Waldorf School of Lexington (WSL) outside Boston, earning WSL both their AWSNA accreditation and WECAN membership, and as a High School Humanities Teacher at The Waldorf School of San Diego (WSSD), where she also enjoyed being a Class Teacher for over a decade. She also spent time teaching at The Community School for Creative Education (CSCE), a public, Waldorf-inspired charter in Oakland, CA.

Heather has had a decades-long interest in African-American culture and literature, especially attuned to Black women writers. She is passionate about supporting anti-racism through a grounding in history and biography, and diversifying Waldorf middle- and high-school curricula.

Heather earned her BA from Sarah Lawrence College and her MA from The University of New Hampshire, Durham.

Often when high school teachers talk about the lower school, we begin with the right question but employ the wrong intonation. In focusing on all that we imagine may not have been adequately presented – some students still can’t seem to spell, some can’t make head or tail of the literature we read, some struggle to factor an equation or conjugate a Spanish verb – we high school teachers can tend to rush to judgment and incorrectly assume that students have been insufficiently prepared.

But of course, as high school teachers, our disposition should become one of curiosity and reverence when we realize that the curriculum of the lower grades is a golden seed, planted with care and thought and given all the right conditions for perfect germination. In those new ninth graders, who enter so enthusiastically into their freshman year, reside the experiences of early childhood and the lower school grades. To the careful observer, these earlier classroom experiences reveal themselves as archetypal forms which organically unfold throughout the next four years. We high school teachers are the final gardeners, charged with knowing the soil in which the seed was rooted and the conditions at work in the first unfurling of the leaves.

In our Saturday meeting, we will explore together key themes in the set of eight lectures that Rudolf Steiner gave in 1923 that comprise The Child’s Changing Consciousness. These lectures, written two years before Steiner’s death, trace how educational practices in all three areas of the school connect to one another and to a spiritual understanding of children in their organic evolution from one phase of development to another. The hope is for Upper School teachers to thus better understand what they have been doing in the lower school.

Carol Bärtges

Carol Bärtges teaches English, Speech and Drama in the Rudolf Steiner Upper School in New York City. She has also been a class teacher. Carol is a graduate of the school, as are her two children, Max and Sarah. Carol received her B.A in Literature and Theatre from Williams College; she holds an M.A in English from NYU as well as an M Phil in Comparative Literature from the Graduate Center, CUNY. For ten years Carol served on the Leadership Council of AWSNA as the representative of the Mid-Atlantic region and continues to be active in Waldorf teacher training programs and mentoring. She is the author of various articles in Renewal Magazine on Waldorf education, and the co-editor of the publication, Educating as an Art.

We are used to hearing about nutritional deficiencies if our food diet is too limited, but less frequently talk about how our sensory experiences directly impact our well-being. Our body of sensing and emotion—our astral body—is continuously formed and influenced by our experiences. It becomes imbalanced when only limited types of sensory input dominate our waking hours; it finds healthy orientation through active, multi-sensory activities (like “forest-bathing”).

Adam Blanning, MD

Adam Blanning MD practices anthroposophic family medicine in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Blanning is a co-leader of the Medical Section at the Goetheanum. He lectures and teaches nationally and internationally, co-directs the postgraduate physician training programs for anthroposophic medicine in the U.S. and is a past president of the Anthroposophic Health Association (AHA). Dr. Blanning is the author of Understanding Deeper Developmental Needs and Raising Sound Sleepers.

Burnout is real, and we know it, so let’s talk about it. But let’s also make sure we talk about why some teachers don’t burnout. What forces are present in them? What beings work with them? When might burnout be necessary, and when can its underlying forces be transformed? This talk brings together research on salutogenesis, the work of Dr. Lakshmi Prasanna and Dr. Patricia Reber, tried and true tales from the classroom, and you, in all your fullness.

Alison Davis

Alison Davis has been teaching in higher education and Waldorf schools since 2006 and 2014, respectively. Her work has been widely featured in scholarly and literary publications, and she is the author of three books of poetry. She still considers her willingness to be like Rumi and gamble everything for love as her greatest credential. Learn more at insistentsalmon.com. IG: insistentsalmon.

In a societal setting where secular values provide default parameters for personal conduct and societal vision, is there still an appropriate space for the spirit? What are non-religious spiritual aspects of justice, harmony, personal ambition and community, and do they fit into contemporary High School culture? Does the inner orientation of the teacher make a difference in educating adolescents? And how do we encourage each student in finding their personal Credo?

Sven Saar

Sven Saar gained his Waldorf Teaching diploma as a very young man. After moving to England, he worked as a class teacher for 30 years, eight of those in Germany. He also taught in the High School, specialising in history and drama. Now he works full time in Teacher Education and is on the faculty of several courses and universities in the UK, Germany, Australia, and the US. Sven gives lectures and seminars internationally and works as an active mentor and advisor to schools and teachers in many countries. He is a co-founder of The Modern Teacher: Education as Art (UK) and coordinates the Waldorf 360 platform for High School teachers. (www.modernteacher.org)

A primary societal function of schools has always been to sort and grade people at a young age, so that they can assume their proper role in society. We Waldorf teachers are often pretty uncomfortable with this. Like other schools, ours fulfill this powerful cultural role by creating official permanent records that supposedly matter enormously, determining what opportunities are available for the rest of students’ lives. How do we reconcile this with egalitarian ideals?

Personal attempts at constructing an internal narrative to justify this societal role as a “grader” are quite varied and colorful, sometimes explicit and sometimes half-subconscious. Some view it as a necessary evil or actively rebel against it. Others see it as essential for full and healthful development. Many feel both ways: “I hate writing grade reports, but know it’s very important.” When grading, most of us think of the individual student and their family, even though students and families themselves may see it more as a communication to college admissions departments than to them personally. This is a marked contrast: Graders are focused on one function and audience, while “gradees” are focused on a very different function and audience.

In this presentation and discussion, we will explore competing historical and contemporary views of “true equality” in relation to sorting and grading young people. How do societal expectations and actual practices interact with our own personal and community ideals?

Cedar Oliver

A science, math, technology, digital arts and design teacher in Waldorf high schools and middle schools for over 20 years, Cedar Oliver is also the author and co-author of numerous books and software titles and has worked with scientists, mathematicians, engineers and artists around the world. He attended the University of Maine and the University of Michigan in addition to the WHiSTEP Waldorf Teacher Education program and 5-year Spacial Dynamics training. He currently serves as a visiting teacher and faculty mentor at several U.S. Waldorf schools and is a faculty member at CfA’s Waldorf high school teacher education program.

What sustains teachers’ work? Active and responsible participation in the world, knowledge of the world, and an ongoing search for understanding the human being are the main pillars that legitimize the task of enabling children and young people to relate to the richness of the world’s reality. This contribution aims to develop perspectives on these grounding aspects, with particular reference to Rudolf Steiner’s pedagogical courses in England.

Constanza Kaliks

Born in Chile in 1967, Constanza grew up in Brazil. She studied mathematics in São Paulo and attended the Teacher Training Course at the Goetheanum. She worked for nineteen years as a mathematics teacher at the upper school of the Steiner School in São Paulo and as a lecturer at the Teacher Training Course. Doctor of Education and Post Doctorate in Education.

Leader of the Pedagogical Section at the Goetheanum.
Leader of the General Anthroposophical Section at the Goetheanum.
Member of the Executive Committee of the General Anthroposophical Society.

The development of Waldorf education in the US has been described as passing through several generations, each with distinctive characteristics, individualities, and tasks. In this presentation, we will “talk about” the impact of generations to gain a fresh perspective on our schools, including an examination of current demands and conditions and an attempt to describe and name the ‘Waldorf generation” of today.

Generational theory is useful for viewing Waldorf education overall, but its impact does not stop there. Insight into generational characteristics can be very helpful in understanding patterns in schools, between schools, parents, and society, and within classrooms. We will look at the sometimes-puzzling intergenerational dynamics within schools, starting with looking at ourselves through the lens of generations. How do generational groupings impact our students, our approach to our task as teachers, our agreements, our boundaries, and our expectations? Where do we see transitions from one generation to the next, patterns in holding on and letting go, and changes in roles within schools?

This presentation is an extension of typically lively work that Liz has undertaken with numerous school communities; work that has opened up dialogue, interest, and insight among colleagues.

Liz Beaven, EdD

Liz Beaven, EdD, has been involved in Waldorf education for over 40 years as a class teacher, school administrator, and teacher educator, and as a university professor and leader. She is a parent of two Waldorf alumni and grandparent of four Waldorf students. Liz took an early interest in the expansion of US Waldorf education into public schools and serves as the Executive Director of the Alliance for Public Waldorf Education. Liz is a member of the Pedagogical Section Council of North America. She is a “Boomer”, as shown in the title of her presentation.

Exploring the developmental transition between 8th and 9th grade, and how that window allows young teens to fully embrace note taking, essay writing, and the use of an academic planner.

Nathan Wilcox

Nathan Wilcox has taught English, history and drama at the Waldorf School of San Diego since founding its high school in 2008. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Pomona College in Claremont, California, and Jesus College in Cambridge, England. He completed his Waldorf High School teacher training in literature at Rudolf Steiner College under the direction of Betty Staley and John Wulsin.

Across North America, education is undergoing significant transformation. Declining birthrates are reshaping enrollment patterns and long-term sustainability. School systems are navigating staffing shortages, funding pressures, decreased interest in higher education, and increasing political and cultural polarization. At the same time, families are expressing new and sometimes conflicting expectations, seeking both academic rigor and emotional well-being, high-tech environments and creative thinking, structure and flexibility, innovation and tradition.

In parallel, schools are encountering increased competition, rising operational costs, and a growing demand for clear value propositions. New models of schooling – micro-schools, hybrid programs, AI-supported learning environments, career prep high schools and skills-based pathways – are expanding the definition of what “school” can be. While at the same time, the federal tax credit offers both opportunity and hurdles for public and private education.

This session will explore trends in the broader educational landscape and what these changes ask of Waldorf education today.

Beverly Amico

Beverly Amico, currently Executive Director, Advancement for the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America, has been working in Waldorf education for the past 25 years. In addition to her formal university education and teaching degree, she holds a marketing certificate for organizational leaders from Cornell University and a master’s degree in organizational leadership, Strategic Innovation and Change, from the University of Denver. She is a member of American Fundraising Professionals, a trained facilitator, and serves on the board of the American Council of Private Education and the National Council for Private School Accreditation. Beverly’s recreational interests include long distance trail running and thru hiking.