News

During this winter season at the Center for Anthroposophy (CfA), the directors of our seven programs––a record number!––are forming new courses and line-ups of faculty in preparation for the spring and summer terms ahead. In this issue of Center & Periphery, CfA’s thrice-yearly newsletter, you can read about the latest selection of our in-person and online courses and services. Continue reading…

During this winter season at the Center for Anthroposophy (CfA), the directors of our seven programs––a record number!––are forming new courses and line-ups of faculty in preparation for the spring and summer terms ahead. In this issue of Center & Periphery, CfA’s thrice-yearly newsletter, you can read about the latest selection of our in-person and online courses and services. Continue reading…

In late October 2024, the newly formed Kairos Emergency Pedagogy Without Borders team conducted their first crisis intervention in Asheville, North Carolina, following the devastation of Hurricane Helene. Led by Emergency Pedagogy founder Bernd Ruf and Argentinian team leader Alicia D’urso, a 16-member team of trained specialists worked with children, parents, and educators across multiple sites in the Asheville area, including the Asheville Waldorf School, SOLA, and local Latino communities. The team provided trauma education and healing through Waldorf pedagogical methods, helping communities still reeling from widespread destruction and displacement. Through artistic activities, movement exercises, and specialized trauma support, they worked to strengthen the resilience of affected families while establishing their presence as part of the international Emergency Pedagogy without Borders network. Read the full report on Kairos Institute’s crisis intervention work in Asheville →

Help Fund Emergency Pedagogy Team USA—For Immediate Release   Healing in a World of Need “Traumatized children and adolescents require stable and competent teachers schooled in diagnosing and averting disorders brought on by physical and emotional trauma. Emergency pedagogy is a field that provides immediate pedagogical support to children and youth in the acute phase after experiencing traumatic events.”  Bernd Ruf   In the summer of 2022, Kairos Institute opened its doors. It began offering training in Emergency and Trauma Pedagogy and in Art Therapy. Educators from across the country gathered for the inaugural opening of Kairos Institute at the Center for Anthroposophy in Wilton, New Hampshire, to learn from Bernd Ruf, author of “Educating Traumatized Children.” Ruf is a master Waldorf educator and traumatology expert who founded the Parzival Center and co-founded The Emergency Pedagogy Center in Karlsruhe, Germany.  He has personally led over 130 crisis interventions since 2006 and trains groups such as ours worldwide. There are presently 23 trainings. Subsequent trainings in Certified Modules (we work with the Freunde of Waldorf Education and support their work) were held in the summers of 2023 and 2024.  With three years of completed Modules, dozens of Waldorf educators are certified to participate in crisis interventions and want to help bring the tools of Emergency Pedagogy and artistic therapies to children, families, and communities, both domestically and internationally.  In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, members of the Waldorf community in Asheville have asked Kairos to bring members of our newly formed Emergency Pedagogy Team USA to support their community through this intensely devastating and traumatic time. We quickly identified a team that feels prepared to go, and we are actively seeking funding. We will send our team at the end of October and will work with a professionally trained leader.  Financial support is urgently needed to launch support for domestic crisis intervention in the USA.  In addition to Asheville, we are witnessing the need for Emergency and Trauma Pedagogy in Waldorf communities nationwide that have experienced climate and human-made disasters. We are preparing to support our schools now and into the future.  We need your help.  Please help us bring Emergency Pedagogy to the communities that have experienced trauma so that these communities can be empowered to become increasingly trauma-resilient. Emergency and Trauma Pedagogy is Education as Preventative Medicine. It is intended to prevent the onset of PTSD and help restore health and well-being to students, teachers, and their families. Children, adolescents, families, and school communities are counting on all of us to support their need for a healthy and trauma-prepared childhood. Please consider donating on behalf of these communities in need NOW.  Thank you so much for your support!  To donate: In gratitude and community of hearts… with Emergency Pedagogy Team USA Karine Munk Finser Founder & Director of Kairos Institute

Click the image for the full newsletter: Center & Periphery September 2024: Special Douglas Gerwin Appreciation Issue —————————————————————————————————————– From the Editor’s Notepad October 2024 Dear Friends, Greetings, and thank you for reading our Center & Periphery newsletter. Please allow me to introduce myself: I am David Barham, and after having led the Waldorf High School Teacher Education Program (WHiSTEP) as Director these past few years, I am now also serving as the Center’s new Executive Director and the editor of this triannual newsletter.  Today’s special edition is dedicated to our dear friend, Douglas Gerwin, who after serving CfA so magnificently for so many years, recently stepped back from his work as the Executive Director and as the Editor of this publication. On Tuesday, July 2, before a large and enthusiastic crowd of well-wishers, we gathered at the High Mowing School in Wilton, NH to celebrate Douglas with heartfelt talks, live music, spoken word eurythmy, a hilarious skit, and lots and lots of laughter, hugs, human warmth (and cakes and cookies!)  Please read on for glimpses from that special evening honoring that special man, our own “Captain Waldorf,” Douglas Gerwin. It truly takes a global village to honor Douglas’s lifetime of devotion to the Waldorf movement.  With warm regards, David BarhamExecutive DirectorCenter for Anthroposophy —————————————————————————————————————– Introduction to the Evening from new Center for Anthroposophy Executive Director, David Barham Good evening and welcome everyone. My name is David Barham and I will be your MC for tonight’s festivities, and I want to warmly welcome all of the Center for Anthroposophy and Antioch alums who are here with us tonight. While we have over 150 people on campus for our live week of Renewal and for the residency for our brand new Mentor Training program, it is a delight to have our alumni with us as well. It is always wonderful to have our alumni back on Abbot Hill to reconnect, catch up and share stories.  We are also delighted to welcome all of the friends and colleagues of Douglas Gerwin who have come this evening. And of course, it is especially wonderful to welcome Douglas and Connie back to Abbot Hill!  For tonight is an incredibly special event. Tonight we come together to honor our friend and colleague Douglas Gerwin. I’m only going to speak briefly here as we have an extraordinary group to honor Douglas in words, music, eurythmy and more. They will share and celebrate Douglas’s endless accomplishments and lifetime of service to Waldorf education, and especially Waldorf high school education. Whether it be CfA/Antioch, the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America, the Waldorf Research Institute, the Hague Circle/International Forum, or the Pedagogical Section Council, Douglas has given deeply of himself and deepened the impact of Waldorf education.  Everyone in the Waldorf movement, here in North America, and all over the Waldorf world, knows Douglas. Douglas created and served as the Director of the Waldorf High School Teacher Education until just a few years ago, and also led our entire organization as Executive Director. You will hear tonight of the incredibly combination of skills, insights, tireless energy, depth and profound human care and kindness Douglas brings to everything he does.  It is my honor to now serve as the Director of Center for Anthroposophy’s Waldorf High School Teacher Education Program. Beginning in August, I will also begin serving as CfA’s Executive Director. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that I would hold these two positions that Douglas has been identified with for so long. Douglas’s shoes are big shoes to fill indeed- bigger than mine as you can see, and leave me with so much to grow into.  I could speak all night about my respect and admiration for Douglas, how he has mentored me and made it possible for me to step into this work. I will let the others do so. But there is one thing I need to do here, in front of Douglas, and you all: I want to state my intention publicly to serve Center for Anthroposophy, the high school program and Waldorf education as faithfully and with as much passion and devotion as Douglas did for all of those years, and give everything I have to be worthy of filling these big- and much fancier- shoes.  Thank you for all Douglas. For the hours of your time, your stories, your multi-part answers to my endless questions, your patience, your inspiration, and especially for your trust in me to carry on your legacy of work and care for this movement and our organization.  —————————————————————————————————————– A reflection from Tuesday, July 2, 2024 from Deborah Dornemann On Tuesday, July 2, 2024, friends, family and alumni of Antioch and the Center for Anthroposophy gathered together for a farewell tribute to Dr. Douglas Gerwin, a renowned leader, researcher, writer, teacher and promoter of Waldorf education.  A joyous mood filled the hall at High Mowing School in Wilton, New Hampshire. It was a reunion of like-minded souls, warmed with memories of shared endeavors, hopes, and years of collaboration. The evening featured music, eurythmy, skits and a heartfelt sentiment of gratitude. Oh, and there were props…many props, as well as fun with word play! The event started with the image of Douglas’s shoes, which David Barham, the successor of Douglas with CfA, will undoubtedly try to fill with steadfastness and earnest striving.  It was acknowledged that Douglas’s shoes are larger and fancier than Davids. It is also evident that both walk the same path of integrity and purpose.  David Sloan, a long-time colleague of Douglas, used many words to describe his friend: writer, educator, acclaimed speaker, Godfather, pastor, patron, counselor, regal eagle, fast care driver, treasured friend and, possible oxymoron, ‘Witty Anthroposophist’. David gave Douglas a cap that read, “Captain Waldorf: Wiltin’ in Wilton.” After many deep belly laughs, the pendulum swung in another direction, and we were gifted with hearing the very talented pianist and composer, Matt Witherow perform Brahms, Intermezzo Op 118, a favorite of Douglas. It […]

We are thrilled to announce the release of Listening to Our Teachers, a profound exploration of the Waldorf educational experience by esteemed author and educator Torin Finser. Now available through SteinerBooks, this book offers a unique and intimate look at the thoughts, philosophies, and experiences of Waldorf educators, providing readers with invaluable insights into the essence of this transformative approach to education. Pick up your copy today and embark on a journey of discovery, reflection, and inspiration, guided by the expertise and passion of Torin Finser.