Six Lectures by Eugene Schwartz
February 13 - 21, 2021
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The Theme
In 2019, Waldorf and Rudolf Steiner schools worldwide celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of the first Waldorf school in Stuttgart, Germany, in the fall of 1919. There was a lot to celebrate, and there were many ready to share their love of and indebtedness to Waldorf education.
A worldwide pandemic, political turmoil in the United States, and the overshadowing of education by concerns about /Climate Change, made that anniversary celebration anticlimactic.
When presented in 2016 this series of lectures set its sights on the year after 2019, when Eugene predicted that the Waldorf movement would wonder whether Waldorf schools have what it takes to thrive — or even survive — for a second hundred years. As Eugene notes, there are many challenges that today’s Waldorf practitioners acknowledge but are unwilling to face, and a significant number of challenges that they refuse to even acknowledge. And those are the challenges that will coalesce when “the party is over,” and the realties set in.
These lectures take a clear and incisive look at the issues living in the North American Waldorf movement. Eugene’s characteristic frankness and honesty come to the fore, whether he is discussing the role that “hindering beings” play in the spiritual life of a school or tracing the history of Waldorf fund-raising over the past century, whether he is describing the central importance of the school’s “Marketing and Communications Director” or taking a hard look at the role played by surveillance equipment in the Waldorf setting. Eugene’s insights into the future of our schools are unique.
In 2019, Waldorf and Rudolf Steiner schools worldwide celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of the first Waldorf school in Stuttgart, Germany, in the fall of 1919. There was a lot to celebrate, and there were many ready to share their love of and indebtedness to Waldorf education.
A worldwide pandemic, political turmoil in the United States, and the overshadowing of education by concerns about /Climate Change, made that anniversary celebration anticlimactic.
When presented in 2016 this series of lectures set its sights on the year after 2019, when Eugene predicted that the Waldorf movement would wonder whether Waldorf schools have what it takes to thrive — or even survive — for a second hundred years. As Eugene notes, there are many challenges that today’s Waldorf practitioners acknowledge but are unwilling to face, and a significant number of challenges that they refuse to even acknowledge. And those are the challenges that will coalesce when “the party is over,” and the realties set in.
These lectures take a clear and incisive look at the issues living in the North American Waldorf movement. Eugene’s characteristic frankness and honesty come to the fore, whether he is discussing the role that “hindering beings” play in the spiritual life of a school or tracing the history of Waldorf fund-raising over the past century, whether he is describing the central importance of the school’s “Marketing and Communications Director” or taking a hard look at the role played by surveillance equipment in the Waldorf setting. Eugene’s insights into the future of our schools are unique.
The Presenter
In the mid-1970s Eugene Schwartz co-founded the Otto Specht School, the first “helping class” in the North American Waldorf movement, and later went on to teach in the grades and high school at Green Meadow Waldorf School for twenty years. He is a former director of Waldorf Teacher Training at the Sunbridge Institute, and led summer conferences at Rudolf Steiner College for over a decade.
As a consultant, he has visited over 150 independent and private Waldorf schools worldwide, and he has given over 2500 lectures on Waldorf education. He is the author of ten books about Waldorf methodology and is the creator of both MillennialChild.com, the first Waldorf web site, and e.Theric, the first Waldorf app for the iPhone. The Online Conferences that he leads are the most widely-attended Waldorf summer conferences in the English-speaking world.
Unaffiliated with any school, training center, or schools’ association, Eugene is a truly independent voice in the North American Waldorf school movement. Teachers, parents, and their schools value and trust his advice, knowing that his insights are not beholden to any institution or “party line.” There are few leaders in the Waldorf movement as qualified as Eugene to responsibly predict the consequences of today’s decisions and actions on the destiny of tomorrow’s schools.
In the mid-1970s Eugene Schwartz co-founded the Otto Specht School, the first “helping class” in the North American Waldorf movement, and later went on to teach in the grades and high school at Green Meadow Waldorf School for twenty years. He is a former director of Waldorf Teacher Training at the Sunbridge Institute, and led summer conferences at Rudolf Steiner College for over a decade.
As a consultant, he has visited over 150 independent and private Waldorf schools worldwide, and he has given over 2500 lectures on Waldorf education. He is the author of ten books about Waldorf methodology and is the creator of both MillennialChild.com, the first Waldorf web site, and e.Theric, the first Waldorf app for the iPhone. The Online Conferences that he leads are the most widely-attended Waldorf summer conferences in the English-speaking world.
Unaffiliated with any school, training center, or schools’ association, Eugene is a truly independent voice in the North American Waldorf school movement. Teachers, parents, and their schools value and trust his advice, knowing that his insights are not beholden to any institution or “party line.” There are few leaders in the Waldorf movement as qualified as Eugene to responsibly predict the consequences of today’s decisions and actions on the destiny of tomorrow’s schools.
The Lectures
Lecture One:
The Waldorf School Between Light and Darkness
1. A welcome and a warning. (15:35)
2. The role of Lucifer and Ahriman in the Waldorf school. (28:30)
3. Awakening to Ahrimanic influences in today's schools. (22:15)
Lecture Two: The Three (and a Half) Stages of Waldorf Education
1. Private, public, and homeschooling phases of Waldorf education. (27:45)
2. Church, State, and "Free" schools. Michael and Gabriel. (15:45)
3. The next phase of Waldorf education. (27:50)
4. The "Security State" and the school setting. (39:20)
Lecture Three:
Who Speaks for the Waldorf School?
1. ”Front Door" and "Back Door" influences. From the Commune to the Corporation. (22:20)
2. Enrollment/Development/Communications Directors. (24:00)
3. The Bulletin Board, a mirror of what the school doesn't offer. Waldorfpreneurs. (29:20)
4. Waldorf for Sale? Our very own Monsanto. (39:22)
5. Ahriman's rightful place. The crucial role of the Pedagogical Section. (17:30)
Lecture One:
The Waldorf School Between Light and Darkness
1. A welcome and a warning. (15:35)
2. The role of Lucifer and Ahriman in the Waldorf school. (28:30)
3. Awakening to Ahrimanic influences in today's schools. (22:15)
Lecture Two: The Three (and a Half) Stages of Waldorf Education
1. Private, public, and homeschooling phases of Waldorf education. (27:45)
2. Church, State, and "Free" schools. Michael and Gabriel. (15:45)
3. The next phase of Waldorf education. (27:50)
4. The "Security State" and the school setting. (39:20)
Lecture Three:
Who Speaks for the Waldorf School?
1. ”Front Door" and "Back Door" influences. From the Commune to the Corporation. (22:20)
2. Enrollment/Development/Communications Directors. (24:00)
3. The Bulletin Board, a mirror of what the school doesn't offer. Waldorfpreneurs. (29:20)
4. Waldorf for Sale? Our very own Monsanto. (39:22)
5. Ahriman's rightful place. The crucial role of the Pedagogical Section. (17:30)
Lecture Four:
The Incredible Shrinking Class Teacher
1. Generalists and experts. Diminution of the Class Teacher's role. (22:00)
2. The Class Teacher between Lucifer and Ahriman. The modern path of initiation. (32:00)
Lecture Five:
The Media and the Mania
1. Hypocrisy and unconsciousness. How "wired" is your school? How Ahriman works. (33:30)
2. Embracing the modern world. Galileo and the Cardinals. Jesus and the Essenes. Ahriman's anger; Steiner's laughter. (21:10)
3. BigSIS and Big Brother. The world's oldest iPhone app creator. (21:40)
4. The lure of screens. Reflected light and radiant light. Stained glass. (32:00)
Lecture Six:
Festivals and Fundraising
1. Challenges to the Festivals in Waldorf schools. Private and charter school approaches to the Christian Festivals. (21:40)
2. Festivals as a bridge to helpful spiritual beings. (17:00)
3. Christian Festivals: depth, not window dressing. (13:15)
4. Fundraisers, their life and growth. (15:40)
5. The Marriage at Cana. Alcohol and the Waldorf teacher. (26:10)
6. The Agriculture Course. Wine and cheese, Scotch and soda. (19:50)
7. Waldorf fundraising in 2020: a preview. (13:25)
The Incredible Shrinking Class Teacher
1. Generalists and experts. Diminution of the Class Teacher's role. (22:00)
2. The Class Teacher between Lucifer and Ahriman. The modern path of initiation. (32:00)
Lecture Five:
The Media and the Mania
1. Hypocrisy and unconsciousness. How "wired" is your school? How Ahriman works. (33:30)
2. Embracing the modern world. Galileo and the Cardinals. Jesus and the Essenes. Ahriman's anger; Steiner's laughter. (21:10)
3. BigSIS and Big Brother. The world's oldest iPhone app creator. (21:40)
4. The lure of screens. Reflected light and radiant light. Stained glass. (32:00)
Lecture Six:
Festivals and Fundraising
1. Challenges to the Festivals in Waldorf schools. Private and charter school approaches to the Christian Festivals. (21:40)
2. Festivals as a bridge to helpful spiritual beings. (17:00)
3. Christian Festivals: depth, not window dressing. (13:15)
4. Fundraisers, their life and growth. (15:40)
5. The Marriage at Cana. Alcohol and the Waldorf teacher. (26:10)
6. The Agriculture Course. Wine and cheese, Scotch and soda. (19:50)
7. Waldorf fundraising in 2020: a preview. (13:25)