Would you like to become a sponsor?

Waldorf News

Please donate: Brazilian Waldorf schools struggle to recover after mudslide devastation

January 27, 2011

The catastrophe of the mudslides has hit the poorest people in Brazil, destroying much of their few possessions, their land and their homes. Over the past few days we have been in contact with the director and teachers from two Waldorf Schools in Nova Friburgo, which is in the hardest hit area. The Association Crianças do Vale de Luz (Children of the Valley of Light) was founded by two teachers, Mariane Canella and Tião Guerra, in the city of Nova Friburgo, which lies up in the mountains of the state of Rio de Janeiro. In 1991, Mariane and Tião created the school “Vale de Luz”, in a rural area located near one of the biggest favelas (slums) of the city. There are now two schools, with about 300 children between the ages of two and twelve. The schools include children with special needs and teach children from the favelas (80%) and the cities (20%). More »

Michael Schmidt: Raw Milk Warrior

January 23, 2011

Michael Schmidt’s grandfather was part of the Agriculture course with Rudolf Steiner in 1924, his family fled their ancestral biodynamic farm in Germany in the middle of the night from occupying Russian troops at the end of World War II, and he has fought tirelessly for the rights of farmers and consumers in Ontario for the better part of a generation. In November 2006, Michael Schmidt’s farm in Durham, two hours north of Toronto, was raided by over 20 armed officers. They weren’t looking for drugs or guns. They were looking for milk. More »

Tara Performing Arts High School: For Those Who Do Not Wish To Remain Anonymous

January 20, 2011

Tara Performing Arts High School was initially established in 1994 as an after-school performing arts program. Since celebrating their first graduating class in 2001, they've grown to over 50 students this year. They focus on the performing arts as an opportunity for growth and renewal for all of their students, paired with a rich and varied academic program, and they have a substance-free policy that works. So how do they do it? What's the school really like? David Kennedy sat down with Betsy Barricklow, Tara's co-director and one of the founding teachers. More »

The Heart Bell: Community Building Through Artistic Creation

January 16, 2011

Schools are sometimes lucky enough to experience an artistic impulse that can serve as the foundation for community building. Bringing such a project to fruition is one of the most gratifying experiences a group can have. In tradition with the casting of bells at Ruskin Mill and Glasshouse Colleges, Freeman College was guided by Frank Chester and his ground-breaking discoveries in the casting of their bell on June 11, 2010. An artist, sculptor and geometrician from San Francisco, Frank explains his work and connection with Ruskin Mill Educational Trust in this interview with Ralph Sixsmith, a teacher at Freeman College. More »

Rethinking the Threefold Division of the Main Lesson: Christof Wiechert

January 3, 2011

"To a large extent it is a question of the teacher finding equilibrium. Just as in the experience of music there is an equilibrium between tension and the easing of tension, quiet and loud, fast and slow, high and low, in teaching also there must be an alternation between poles and a balance between them. If the teacher achieves this, the children’s will to learn, their desire to learn, as well as their good learning habits will be fostered. If this equilibrium is not present, what is done on a daily basis with the intention of forming good habits, turns into an empty ritual." More »

Recent Jobs

View more jobs »

Newsletter Archive

See all newsletters »

Join the Mailing List!

Stay Connected…
Each week receive the Waldorf News Weekly Update, full of news, events, and more. Keep abreast of what's happening with Waldorf education.

Add a Job Listing

Post a job opening Seeking a position?