with Karen Atkinson Artistic Engagement, with Lyssa Beshears

Karen Atkinson, M.Ed.

Lyssa Beshears

Lyssa (she/her) brings a lifetime of experience as a student of Waldorf education. She attended the East Bay and San Francisco Waldorf schools. She holds a BA in Geology from Occidental College, an MS in Geological Sciences from Ohio University, and her Waldorf teaching credential from Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training. She holds numerous certificates in Social Justice training through RISE Center for Social Justice at San Francisco University and SF-CESS. Lyssa has worked as a Waldorf early childhood and grades teacher, and in death care. She has three teenage children, the oldest of whom is off at college. Lyssa loves hiking, camping, gardening and crafting. She lives in Oakland, CA on unceded Ohlone Huichin land with her family and their three cats.

with Sven Saar
Artistic Engagement, with Lyssa Beshears

Sven Saar

Sven gained his Waldorf Teaching diploma as a very young man. After moving to England, he worked as a class teacher for 30 years, eight of those in Germany. He also taught in the High School, specializing in history and drama. Now he works full time in Teacher Education and is on the faculty of several courses and universities in the UK, Germany, Australia and the US. Sven gives lectures and seminars internationally and works as an active mentor and advisor to schools and teachers in many countries. He is a co-founder of The Modern Teacher: Education as Art (UK) and co-ordinates the Waldorf 360 platform for High School teachers.

Lyssa Beshears

Lyssa (she/her) brings a lifetime of experience as a student of Waldorf education. She attended the East Bay and San Francisco Waldorf schools. She holds a BA in Geology from Occidental College, an MS in Geological Sciences from Ohio University, and her Waldorf teaching credential from Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training. She holds numerous certificates in Social Justice training through RISE Center for Social Justice at San Francisco University and SF-CESS.  Lyssa has worked as a Waldorf early childhood and grades teacher, and in death care. She has three teenage children, the oldest of whom is off at college. Lyssa loves hiking, camping, gardening and crafting. She lives in Oakland, CA on unceded Ohlone Huichin land with her family and their three cats.

with Karen Atkinson and Jason Child
Artistic Engagement, with Lyssa Beshears

Karen Atkinson, M.Ed.

Jason Child

Lyssa Beshears

Lyssa (she/her) brings a lifetime of experience as a student of Waldorf education. She attended the East Bay and San Francisco Waldorf schools. She holds a BA in Geology from Occidental College, an MS in Geological Sciences from Ohio University, and her Waldorf teaching credential from Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training. She holds numerous certificates in Social Justice training through RISE Center for Social Justice at San Francisco University and SF-CESS.  Lyssa has worked as a Waldorf early childhood and grades teacher, and in death care. She has three teenage children, the oldest of whom is off at college. Lyssa loves hiking, camping, gardening and crafting. She lives in Oakland, CA on unceded Ohlone Huichin land with her family and their three cats.

with Sven Saar
Artistic Engagement, with Chenoa Pelligra

Sven Saar

Sven gained his Waldorf Teaching diploma as a very young man. After moving to England, he worked as a class teacher for 30 years, eight of those in Germany. He also taught in the High School, specializing in history and drama. Now he works full time in Teacher Education and is on the faculty of several courses and universities in the UK, Germany, Australia and the US. Sven gives lectures and seminars internationally and works as an active mentor and advisor to schools and teachers in many countries. He is a co-founder of The Modern Teacher: Education as Art (UK) and co-ordinates the Waldorf 360 platform for High School teachers.

Chenoa Pelligra

Chenoa Pelliga is a Waldorf alumni as well as a certified Handwork teacher with 18 years of teaching both in the USA and in Mexico. Chenoa fell in love with fiber crafts while attending Waldorf school and her upbringing on a biodynamic farm allowed her to raise sheep and really dive deep into all things handwork. She currently splits her time between New Hampshire and Playa del Carmen Mexico where she has spent 11 years at Ak Lu’um Waldorf Community. Chenoa also shares her love for handwork online and offers interactive classes for adults and children worldwide. Chenoa is faculty for teacher training institutes such as YaxKin Formacion Waldorf, Lifeways, and the Threefold Educational Center. Chenoa completed the Mentoring in Partnership program and is looking forward to sharing some practical, meditative, and heartwarming ways to connect with your mentee not just through the thinking realm but also through feeling and willing.

with Sarah Nelson
Artistic Engagement, with Chenoa Pelligra

Sarah Nelson

Sarah Nelson graduated from Antioch New England Graduate School more than twenty years ago. Since then she has taught at Haleakala Waldorf School in Maui, Hawaii, where she worked with students from pre-K to Grade 8. In addition to class teaching, she served as Leader for the Southern California and Hawaii region on AWSNA’s Leadership Council for several years. In 2021, after completing an eight-year journey with her class in Maui, she returned to British Columbia and currently serves as a visiting teacher and mentor.

Chenoa Pelligra

Chenoa Pelliga is a Waldorf alumni as well as a certified Handwork teacher with 18 years of teaching both in the USA and in Mexico. Chenoa fell in love with fiber crafts while attending Waldorf school and her upbringing on a biodynamic farm allowed her to raise sheep and really dive deep into all things handwork. She currently splits her time between New Hampshire and Playa del Carmen Mexico where she has spent 11 years at Ak Lu’um Waldorf Community. Chenoa also shares her love for handwork online and offers interactive classes for adults and children worldwide. Chenoa is faculty for teacher training institutes such as YaxKin Formacion Waldorf, Lifeways, and the Threefold Educational Center. Chenoa completed the Mentoring in Partnership program and is looking forward to sharing some practical, meditative, and heartwarming ways to connect with your mentee not just through the thinking realm but also through feeling and willing.

with Eric Müller, Martina Müller, and Karen Atkinson

Eric Müller

Eric G. Müller is the director of Teacher Education at the Alkion Center, and a humanities teacher at the Hawthorne Valley Waldorf High School in Harlemville, NY. Born in South Africa, he graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand, before continuing his studies in England and Germany, specializing in drama and music education. He took a class through the 8-year cycle in Eugene, Oregon, after which he moved to the East Coast with his family. He has published numerous books, including novels, children’s books, and books on Waldorf education.

Martina Müller

Martina A. Müller is Co-Administrator and Core Faculty Teacher at the Alkion Center for Waldorf Teacher Education at Hawthorne Valley Association as well as art teacher at Hawthorne Valley Waldorf School in Ghent, NY. Where she has worked for over two decades. She is a graduate of the Rudolf Steiner Schule Bochum, Germany. She studied art and English at Ruhr University Bochum and Emerson College in England, and holds a four-year full-time Waldorf Teaching Diploma from the Institute of Waldorf Pedagogy in Witten-Annen, Germany with a specialization in high school art teaching and art history, as well as a BA from Empire State University. She was on the founding faculty of Waldorf Teacher Education Eugene, OR and taught there for several years before moving to the Hudson Valley. She is an active visual artist exhibiting at numerous venues in the Northeast and the recipient of prizes and awards. She is an internationally published children’s book illustrator and author. To view her work and full resume please visit her website.

Karen Atkinson, M.Ed.

Karen Atkinson, M.Ed.

with Carol Bärtges Artistic Engagement, with Lyssa Beshears

Carol Bärtges

Lyssa Beshears

Lyssa (she/her) brings a lifetime of experience as a student of Waldorf education. She attended the East Bay and San Francisco Waldorf schools. She holds a BA in Geology from Occidental College, an MS in Geological Sciences from Ohio University, and her Waldorf teaching credential from Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training. She holds numerous certificates in Social Justice training through RISE Center for Social Justice at San Francisco University and SF-CESS.  Lyssa has worked as a Waldorf early childhood and grades teacher, and in death care. She has three teenage children, the oldest of whom is off at college. Lyssa loves hiking, camping, gardening and crafting. She lives in Oakland, CA on unceded Ohlone Huichin land with her family and their three cats.

with Karen Atkinson and special guest, Torin Finser

Karen Atkinson, M.Ed.

Torin Finser, Ph.D.

Director of Building Bridges and Waldorf Leadership Development programs, founding trustee of CfA, Director of Waldorf Programs at Antioch University New England, post doctoral certification in Management Development, Harvard, author of 14 books, including Organizational Integrity and Leadership Development.