SEANZ OVERVIEW
The Spiritual World
Principle: Consciously, deliberately actively working with the Spiritual world
Steiner Waldorf education recognizes the existence of the spiritual world and that we actively work with it individually and collectively
In practice this means
Teachers bring both an openness to engage with the anthroposophical world view and a preparedness to follow a path of inner personal and professional development. They work with the concept that human capacities evolve over successive lives. One aspect of this is the recognition that there is a destiny connection between a teacher and a particular class group. Another is acknowledging the essential spirit of each child and their particular developmental journey.
The class teacher period is as much a journey for the teacher as it is for the child. To accompany a class for a number of years requires not only considerable personal commitment but also the ability to make the significant adjustments necessary to meet the needs of the maturing group, both in inner orientation and outer practice. This long-term relationship allows teachers to come to really know their children and for their teaching to be guided by deep insights into the nature and inner being of each child—their daily soul, spiritual and physical needs.
"The teacher’s role is to awaken the child’s latent faculties and allow its profound individuality to emerge and develop; they thus help the children to find the appropriate relation between their individuality and physical being, their environment and the present day society into which they are to integrate. It is this relation which will enable them to
make the appropriate use of their freedom. Young people are then able to enter into society not as passive spectators, but as conscious, sensitive citizens, ready to tackle the challenges of our times by taking an active part in the transformation of our world."
(Niedermayer-Tahri, 2001, p. 94)
The lower school class teacher aims to be a figure of moral as well as educational authority based on his or her commitment, responsibility, love of and care for the children. In this context, authority is understood as authorship or taking ownership rather than authority as power. The teacher is the captain of the ship in which the children can feel certain and safely guided. This manifests in the presentation of lesson material and in the social and pedagogical life of the class.
When the children are around 12 years of age, the teacher makes a conscious transition and becomes more of a facilitator.
The children begin to engage more in self-directed learning and more conscious goal setting. This shift in the teacher’s role is sometimes characterised as “from king to shepherd”.
The class teacher usually teaches the Main Lesson, generally during the first two hours of each day and some other subject lessons throughout the week. Subjects such as foreign languages, eurythmy, handwork, woodwork, gardening, gymnastics, art, music and te reo Māori me ōna tikanga may be taught by the class teacher or by specialist teachers.
High school students are taught by subject teachers. In adolescence the emphasis on authority shifts to the teacher as an authority in a given subject field. The adolescent is now learning to be the captain of his or her own ship, developing an inner authority.
While the mode of teacher in the lower school may be seen as that of an artist, the gesture of the high school teacher is that of a scientist on a quest for truth. High school teachers guide students to critically observe phenomena and support them to question, explore, evaluate, form judgements and make objective decisions. They teach main lessons in their subject areas while using an integrated approach.
Pastoral care is carried through collective responsibility and by the class sponsor or kaitiaki.
Pictorial thinking
When new concepts are introduced the lower school teacher will find ways of presenting these in a pictorial or metaphorical form using vivid descriptions and characterisations rather than defined ready made
concepts.
This not only brings things alive for the children but engages their feelings as well as their minds encouraging thinking that is mobile, flexible and creative and open to the world of possibility and further discovery.
