The Art of Teaching, Teaching as An Art
Waldorf Seminar 2007
by Lisa Sargent, Waldorf Music Teacher and Alumna 2006
When I registered for last year’s seminar, I would not have believed that 30 colleagues would be sitting in a circle with Christof Wiechert so hysterically laughing at our re-telling of “Little Red Riding Hood” that many of us, including Mr. Wiechert, had tears in our eyes. Our assignment that day had been to use the lens of the temperaments to fashion a new telling of the tale that allowed the essence of one or all of the four temperaments to shine through. Some of us improvised, some prepared, some panicked, and others just did it. (Can you guess which temperaments?) We learned from each other, and from engaging in the process. In addition to thought provoking, challenging, and lively lectures given by Christof in the morning, we were treated to a full day of artistic activities that included Eurythmy, sculpture, speech, singing, and painting, where we explored each one’s polarities and the movement between them. As a recent graduate of the Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training, I felt the familiar challenges; with my first year of teaching behind me, I quickly recognized the benefits from simply engaging in the doing and not being so focused about the outcome. I witnessed, shared and learned from my colleagues’ successes and struggles as well.
Christof challenged us to challenge our assumptions about how Waldorf education is “supposed to work.” He encouraged us to look at the canvas of our time with the students to create a healthy and hygienic rhythm which honors the natural chrono-biological pace of the human being in the stream of daily educational life. We worked with the musical and pictorial aspects of speech, and recognized our own tendencies. Mr. Wiechert encouraged us to become more intimately connected with nature as one way to open ourselves to possibilities for imagery in language. And, of course, he was enthusiastic about the study of anthroposophy as a way to develop these skills.
We came together to form an alliance of Waldorf educators — class teachers, and subject teachers — working in partnership with the leader of the Pedagogical Section and the director of the Bay Area Center, both of whom clearly understand what Waldorf education needs to be for today’s children.
Our work in the arts developed our capacity for the inner flexibility to constantly reinvent ourselves and respond to the needs of the children who are in our care. As we created and recreated our sculptures, coaxed the paint onto the paper and then took it away again to create the music in a painting, formed the stream of singing and speech by sculpting sound and breath, and moved to music and speech with lightness and weight, we came into contact with that which strengthens us as teachers and informs our teaching each day.
Christof Wiechert identified this theme as one that does not need to be changed from year to year – it will live on into the future. I look forward to the deepening of our work together and to sitting in that circle of colleagues and leaders of Waldorf education to be challenged, and to enjoy a really good laugh!
The Art of Teaching, Teaching as An Art, by Wendy Baschkopf, Waldorf Eighth Grade Teacher
Why would a Waldorf teacher sign on for a one-week intensive seminar after a full year of teaching, year-end report writing and training for the upcoming year? Surely we need respite and rejuvenation to prepare ourselves for the coming school year. And that is exactly what the Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training’s Seminar offered us.
Our day was filled with the arts – Eurythmy, speech, sculpture and singing. A gifted faculty worked together with the seminar theme “The Art of Teaching; Teaching as an Art” in every class. Christof Wiechert’s morning talks and afternoon conversations delved into this rich topic. His openness and spontaneity were a model of fine teaching and social working. By giving us homework, such as telling “Little Red Riding Hood” via the four temperaments, we each had a stake in making the art of teaching come alive. And it was fun too! What a delight it was to get to know new colleagues and see familiar ones in a new light. Between artistic endeavors, we had time for breaks and delicious meals to talk over our impressions. Waldorf teacher-trainees shared artistic performances in speech and singing to further fortify us. The spacious setting of the East Bay Waldorf School hosted this year’s seminar. The adjacent Wildcat Canyon Regional Park beckoned us for after lunch hikes. We set off with our teachers, enjoying an informal camaraderie and spectacular views of the San Francisco Bay.
As I write this, it is a mere 48-hours until I enter Class Eight. I look back at the Waldorf Seminar with gratitude for preparing me to teach as an artist.
