By Torin Finser & Karen Atkinson
On May 14, 2022, CfA’s Waldorf Leadership Development Program launched a new cohort for independent and public Waldorf school administrators, staff, trustees, and pedagogical leaders. This low-residency program is designed to support, guide, and inspire current and developing Waldorf school leaders. With a blend of face-to-face and online professional development and training, attendees build skills, capacities, and understanding of their key roles in Waldorf schools.
The program features workshops, guided exercises, case studies, mentoring, and presentations in areas such as group dynamics, role clarity, communication, conflict resolution, navigating change efforts, strategic vs. tactical decision making, community development, and collaborative leadership.
Images from the in-person week of a summer retreat on the idyllic hilltop setting of High Mowing School in Wilton, New Hampshire, with Torin Finser and Carla Beebe Comey.
Program options include an opportunity for both new and seasoned school leaders to gain a more in-depth understanding of the role of anthroposophy and the arts in Waldorf pedagogy. This current cohort has drawn Waldorf personnel from across the continent and many time zones, including international students from as far away as Nepal and Dubai.
Torin Finser, director and original architect of this one-year program, launched the latest cycle in May with the assistance of Karen Atkinson, the program’s coordinator. In October, participants will gather for their first face-to-face long-weekend residency in Keene, NH. The question to be considered will be: How can school leaders and administrators help build the social architecture of a school? Just as we need a building that is sound (and follows best practices of engineering and conventional architecture), how do we each best contribute to the health of the social organism, the life forces, the human interactions within a school community?
We have ordered the best of New Hampshire’s fall foliage for this special weekend in Keene and look forward to welcoming participants from both independent and public Waldorf schools.
To learn more about this program, click here to visit the program’s webpage.
