Waldorf News

The Mission of Live Education! — Spreading Waldorf Far and Wide

I remember having a distinct feeling that afternoon, one that truly confused me.  I was the first grade class teacher at Shining Mountain Waldorf School, and I was bringing the children out to meet their parents at the end of the day.  They usually waited in a cluster, anticipating the children’s arrival, and me telling them stories of the day.  That particular day was special, filled with “aha moments” that I couldn’t wait to share.  My confusion arose as I watched their faces respond to the stories I told of their children.  They were at once overjoyed and sad!  They loved hearing of the learning inspiration, but also felt that they missed something vital in their child’s day.  I somehow felt that I was given access alone to something the parents deserved to experience too.

Years later I was asked by a small group of parents in rural northern CA to begin a homeschooling co-op.  Their families lived too far away from a Waldorf school, yet they knew they wanted the inspiration that Waldorf brought for their children…..and they wanted to be involved too.  I reflected upon that experience at Shining Mountain and decided to forge ahead into uncharted territory.  We formed our little co-op, referred to it as “village schooling”, involved the parents to the degree they wanted, experimented with schedules and subjects, and spent an enchanted few years working and playing together.

Word spread, invitations came from around the country and the UK to speak about Waldorf homeschooling and forming little learning communities.  I led workshops and met families in Wales and Scotland, as well as throughout the east coast.  I was enlivened by the excitement so many parents had about having access to their children’s education, while at the same time forming groups to support their efforts.  It felt like we were creating a new movement that would challenge the dominant paradigm…..that education must be done in an institution, and that parents should unquestioningly give up their children to teachers.

When technology brought everyone living far and wide into contact via e-mail lists, I joined the initial One List started by Elizabeth in Golden, Colorado, for Waldorf homeschoolers.  It was the late 90’s and e-mail was new to many, especially to those of us in Waldorf.  The activity on that list heated up, people were so involved and appreciative, and I found myself contributing to the threads nearly daily.  I was invited to speak to a large group of homeschoolers organized by Elizabeth.  The enthusiasm reminded me of the early days of the new fringe Waldorf schools that formed in northern CA in the late 70’s and 80’s.  It felt like something quite powerful would be emerging.  When the One List moved to a Yahoo Group and numbered many thousands internationally, it was clear….Waldorf was spreading, being discovered and appreciated everywhere, and now it was incumbent upon us to meet the growing need.

Bruce Bischof and I formed Live Education! in 1997 with the expressed purpose of providing parents with support for bringing main lessons to their children at home and in co-ops.  Bruce and I had taught together at the Santa Cruz Waldorf School; his artistic merit was amazing, and I knew he would be the perfect person to help me launch a business that could eventually serve thousands.  We brainstormed the curriculum, Bruce started writing and drawing, and I formed a homeschooling component for a Waldorf charter school I served as administrator for in Monterey, CA.  We began by giving these charter school parents access to lessons that Live Education! was developing.  We started with the early grades and continue to write and research today, adding middle school subjects each year.  It has been a truly thrilling adventure!  I have traveled the world leading workshops for Live Ed families, from Melbourne, Australia, to Hawi, Hawaii….from Fairbanks, Alaska, to Memphis, Tennessee.

Not long after we began our homeschooling adventure, we recognized how Waldorf was ready to explode into the public sphere.  At the time I formed the homeschooling component for the Monterey Bay Charter School, there were only 6 public Waldorf schools.  Dan Dugan and PLANS had lodged a lawsuit, contending that Waldorf did not belong in public schools.  Many Waldorf schools and teachers were also wary of this expansion.  Yet the forces of expansion were unleashed!  When parents found out about Waldorf, they knew they wanted it for their families…..and the private schools were either too far away for most, or too expensive.  As homeschooling was expanding, it made sense that public Waldorf would be as well.  Bruce and I were both working in a Waldorf charter school now while we continued to develop Live Education!, and were well-positioned to see both the need arising and the critical mass forming.  New schools with new teachers were requiring more resources.  We started to produce Live Education! materials with classroom teachers in mind as well as homeschooling parents.  The mission of Waldorf education knew no bounds!

We found that we were now serving homeschooling families, classroom teachers, and parents who had their children in school but wanted to know more of the wonder of Waldorf.  The early years with the parent/teacher divide was destined to be transformed into a parent/teacher community instead, allowing for parents to be more active in their children’s education, even if they were attending school.  As I have always said from the beginning, all parents homeschool…..it’s simply a matter of degree.  When you are with your children, you are homeschooling….whether it is Sunday afternoon, or Wednesday evening…..and knowing more about the developmental stage of your child, being given appropriate stories to tell and artistic activities to create, will only deepen your understanding of, and appreciation for, who your child is.

Now, in 2015, with over 12,000 students in US public Waldorf schools, and literally tens of thousands homeschooling internationally, Waldorf education is a force to be reckoned with.  The Alliance for Public Waldorf Education successfully lobbied Sacramento for a waiver for Waldorf public schools for computer testing in the early grades—we can continue to use the paper/pencil option.  Homeschoolers everywhere are demanding a Waldorf option from their local school districts.  I speak with school district officials often about how Waldorf can support children in unique ways.  And parents, teachers, educators all hunger for the inspiration at the foundation of Waldorf.

Several years ago, to meet this growing need, we at Live Education! began hosting a Summer Seminar at the Santa Cruz Waldorf School.  Our idea was to create a community of parents and teachers who can learn and teach together, all in preparation for the coming school year.  Instead of a focus on a single individual, we rather adopted the Emerson College model of a group of colleagues each contributing and participating in community.  We formed a faculty of 11 experienced and inspired Waldorf educators to bring the foundations of Waldorf alive, as well as providing one-on-one mentoring sessions to each of the participants.  We have inner development discussions each evening to round out the experience.  We have two community meals each day that includes the faculty, the seminar participants, and the children attending the Waldorf camp.  It’s only four days and four nights, but the experience is rich; the feedback we receive emphasizes the inspiration felt by all going into the new school year.

The theme we are exploring this summer is Leadership.  The needs of the future require new forms of leadership, in everything from how we bring administration to our schools to how we, as parents, help develop those essential capacities in our children that allow them to take leadership of their own lives.

We would love to have you join us this year…..registration is now open on www.live-education.com.