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