Announcing a new publication:
“Meeting the Needs of the Child Today” was chosen as a theme for our first world conference in Wilton, New Hampshire, USA last August. The conference was attended by nearly 300 Waldorf educators from 33 countries. Keynote speakers were Dr. Michaela Glöckler, Renate Long-Breipohl, and Dr. Johanna Steegmans. The fruit of their years of intense study and experience in the fields of medicine and education is shared in these lectures.
To order copies of the lectures, contact the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America at info@waldorfearlychildhood.org or IASWECE Council member Janni Nicol in the UK at JanniSteinerEY@aol.com.
Dr. Michaela Glöckler, from Dornach, Switzerland, represented a European voice as she spoke of the archetypal roots of Waldorf education. To educate properly we have to be aware of archetypal physical stages of development, of the unfolding of consciousness and learning capacity through time, of the development and importance of relationship, of the unfolding of ego development, and of the spiritual orientation of the human being. Each of these is fundamental in educating the child and in educating ourselves as well.
Dr. Johanna Steegmans from Seattle, Washington, represented North America as she spoke the following two days on sensory development of the young child. Using the autistic child as guide through this bewildering landscape, she described how the tender nature of the young child is bombarded and even traumatized by the overwhelming onslaught of sensory demands. This bombardment affects everyone, child and adult as well. Looking to the deep sources of anthroposophic spiritual science, she also provided sources for practical tools and meditative insight to help us meet these challenges.
From Sydney, Australia and the southern hemisphere came Renate Long-Breipohl, Ph.D. She reminded us that healthy education for the child depends upon continuous and intentional self-development by the adult educator. She brought cosmic images from the zodiac to illustrate virtues toward which the adult must strive. Other images from the zodiac described archetypal human activities—hunting, farming, trading, for example—which still manifest in our lives but now in transformed, subtle ways. Understanding these impulses and activities in ourselves and the children can help us guide Waldorf education more sensitively, intentionally, and joyfully.
This collection of lectures is a rich feast that calls to be shared with a wider audience than the early childhood educators who were able to gather in New Hampshire. May these thoughts reach out to invite others into the circle of inspiration created at the conference, and encourage those who are striving valiantly to love, protect, and educate young children.
Nancy Blanning, USA