Waldorf High School Teacher Education Program

Be the teacher your students need most!

Waldorf Highschool Teacher Education Program

Meet & Greet 2024

Join David Barham, Director of the Center for Anthroposophy’s Waldorf High School Teacher Education program, to discover how this unique program deepens the

understanding and mastery of high school teachers as they help prepare adolescents for life through their work in the curriculum, classroom and wider community. 

Program enrolls now for summer 2025 (class of 2027)! 

The virtual session will include a program overview and a Q&A to answer all your questions.

Zoom Session: Tuesday November 12, 2024

7:00-8:00 P.M. EDT

To register: Click Here

Earn a graduate-level certificate to teach in a Waldorf High School.

Since 1996, practicing and aspiring Waldorf high school teachers have turned to our Waldorf High School Teacher Education Program to deepen their understanding and mastery of this vocation and receive their teaching credentials. 

The Class of 2027 Starts This Summer!

We are currently offering a special introductory rate for new students entering the program in Summer 2025.

A vibrant 25-month low-residency program starting in July 2025

Dates for Two-Week Summer Residency in Wilton, New Hampshire
  • WEEK I: JULY 13-19

  • WEEK II: JULY 20-27

Special introductory tuition rate for the first summer residency: $890 (click here)

WHiSTEP 2025 – 2027: New Cohort Begins July 13-27, 2025, in Wilton, NH (click here)

Two weeks in scenic Southern New Hampshire (July 13 – 27) with leading high school teachers in six specialized subjects:

  • English Language & Literature with David Sloan
  • Fine & Practical Arts with Michal Noer
  • History & Civics with Paul Gierlach
  • Life Science & Earth Science with Michael Holdrege
  • Mathematics with Marisha Plotnik
  • Physics & Chemistry with Cedar Oliver

Plus artistic courses in:

  • Creative Speech with Debbie Spitulnik
  • Drama with David Sloan
  • Eurythmy with Laura Radefeld
  • Sculpture with Michal Noer
  • Singing with Meg O’Dell Chittenden
  • Spacial Dynamics with Jan Lyndes

Studies in adolescent development with David Barham, anthroposophical core texts with Paul Gierlach, Cedar Oliver, Marisha Plotnik

Seminars on Contemporary Topics for High School Teachers: Starlight Rays in Darkened Times

(12 sessions) 3:00  4:30 pm ET, plus advising sessions after some seminars

*  Half-day specialized subject seminars in November, January, March


Presentations by experienced Waldorf educators.

Starlight Rays in Darkened Times (12 sessions), including advising sessions after some seminars

Half-day specialized subject seminars in November, January, March

Three weeks in New Hampshire, includes one-week course in Waldorf Leadership Development (WLD)

with Torin Finser & Carla Beebe Comey

Plus:

  • Individual mentoring sessions throughout the school year
  • 12 –15 week practicum/internship
  • Research project

                              • Option of earning a fully accredited Master’s Degree in Waldorf Education

Over 230 high school teachers across North America and beyond have successfully completed our program, earning their Waldorf Teacher Credentials.

This certificate is recognized by ASWNA and Waldorf high schools across the globe. Participants focus on specialized subject areas, as well as techniques to help ready adolescents for life as mature adults. Our graduates teach in Waldorf schools across North America as well as in Central and South America, the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Our team of seasoned high school faculty draws upon the proven track record of Waldorf pedagogy and practices. At the same time, they adapt their courses each year to meet today’s changing societal environment and the needs of today’s teenagers.

Low-Residency and Online Format

As a part-time, graduate-level, low-residency program, WHiSTEP is held over three consecutive Julys. In addition to three summer intensives, trainees undertake two years of independent studies including a research project and internship in a Waldorf high school.

As a student, you’ll explore:
  • Fundamental ideas of the threefold social organism that underlie Waldorf education
  • Physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of the unfolding human being
  • Development of “living thinking” in yourself and in those you teach
  • Rudolf Steiner’s foundational work Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path: A Philosophy of Freedom and its practical applications to teaching in high school
  • A phenomenological approach to planning and carrying out your lessons
  • How to help each human being live more deeply into the world

Training Waldorf High School Science and Math Teachers through the Arts

High school teachers specializing in science and math are especially helped by a training saturated in the arts––especially the performing arts––as this new video of CfA’s Waldorf High School Teacher Education Program (WHiSTEP)  so aptly illustrates.

Play Video

Important Links for Applicants and Students

Below are links to important financial and application information.

And when you’re ready…

Students who wish to withdraw from the program should consult their Program Director. Students may with draw from the program cancel their enrollment in writing at any time and may be eligible for refund. Notice of withdrawal cancellation must be addressed to the Center for Anthroposophy Business Office, P.O. Box 15, McMinnville, TN 37111. Cancellation Withdrawal shall take effect on receipt of written notice. All refunds will be paid by check. To receive a refund (less the registration fee of $890), students must cancel at least 30 days before the start of the program. Cancellations received between 10 and 30 days before the start of a program will receive a credit voucher for future attendance (less a $75 cancellation $50 processing fee). No refund or credit voucher is given for cancellations with less than 10 days’ notice. Failure to attend classes and/or to make complete payment does not constitute official withdrawal.

What our students have said...

I appreciated all of the variety. There was a nice balance of hands-on work and abstract thinking. Classes felt stimulating and exciting. There was a clear structure and flexibility based on student contributions. I learned a great deal. I can’t believe how much we covered.

I can’t believe how much we covered. (Physical Sciences)

As a member of the WHiSTEP faculty for the past 25 years, I can say with some longer-range perspective that the program has helped to cultivate an entire generation of teachers, many of whom now anchor Waldorf high schools across North America. Although these trainees have come to Wilton with varying degrees of teaching experience, they nearly always leave with the tools to strengthen their grasp of the philosophical and pedagogical underpinnings of Waldorf education. This past summer I was most impressed by the nearly seamless transition crafted by Douglas Gerwin, founder and long-time “Captain” of the program, and David Barham, current director. Both remain committed to building upon the foundational principles of Waldorf education while adapting the program to meet today’s urgent challenges.

The program has helped to cultivate an entire generation of teachers. David Sloan

The class felt like a pure learning experience. I learned a really incredible amount.

I learned a really incredible amount. (History)

I am aware that this journey has just begun, and I feel now like I have got a new pair of glasses to observe the outer world.

I feel now like I have got a new pair of glasses to observe the outer world. Marilia Trimboli, WHiSTEP Class of 2024

I feel my abilities to observe and to notice has been sharpened greatly and I now am noticing things I have seen thousands of times but that I had never really seen. Yesterday evening, I went outside, and my shadow was reflected onto a large maple tree out front. I found myself moving the shadow of my arms, tracing the shape of the tree from the top down into the roots. To see this expansion and contraction and the rhythm of the natural world brings such a sense of wholeness to the individual.

I feel my abilities to observe and to notice has been sharpened greatly. Jake Gerber,WHiSTEP Class of 2024

The teacher was really an admirable example of patience and good humor. She gently guided us to a confident performance, somewhat against the odds! Impressive!

[The teacher] gently guided us to a confident performance. (Eurythmy)

An example of a really engaging, charismatic personality who inspires interest in the material and has a great depth of knowledge and passion to draw from.

...personality who inspires interest in the material. (English)

The instructor was clearly prepared but also flexible to the spontaneity of the students. There was a good balance of hands-on and abstract learning, different materials and individual/partner/group work. There was a lot of depth but also a breadth uncovered through the depth.

There was a good balance of hands-on and abstract learning. (Math)

I appreciated the way the instructor was able to both keep us on track and let us derail and explore off the track when a question took us on an exploration. I also appreciated observing how he would, after a while, gently redirect us back onto the track.

[The instructor kept] us on track and let us derail and explore off the track when a question took us on an exploration (Human Development)

I appreciated the space we gave this year to talking about making new curriculum decisions and the questions we need to consider in doing this. I feel better prepared to make these decisions moving forward.

I appreciated the space... Heather Lomason, WHiSTEP Class of 2023

The instructor is a pro: practical and inspiring. He structures his classes in a way that requires students to bring their best. He brings great resources that teachers can use in their classrooms immediately.

[The instructor] brings great resources that teachers can use in their classrooms immediately (English)

The instructor wove a tapestry of thinking feeling willing that provided an experiential gateway to the philosophy of Anthroposophy. Cedar has an amazing ability to bend time.

...an experiential gateway to the philosophy of Anthroposophy (Living Thinking)

It was disorienting at times, but I feel I needed it to grow.

I needed it to grow. (Drama)

Program Leadership

Portrait of David Barham

David Barham, M.Ed.

WHiSTEP Program Director

Credentials and Career Outlook

Upon successful completion of the program, you’ll receive a Certificate in Waldorf High School Teacher Education recognized at any Waldorf school around the world. 

Since its founding, CfA (including its high school program) has been a full member of the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA).

With more than 150 Waldorf schools in North America—38 with their own high school—the need for qualified Waldorf high school teachers has never been greater. You can view a list of Waldorf high schools here.

Who Should Apply

  • High school teachers wishing to enrich their Waldorf preparation
  • Professionals seeking a career change
  • Practicing educators

Before you attend, you’ll need:

  • A University degree or equivalent diploma
  • Some experience working with adolescents preferred
  • Preparatory foundational studies in anthroposophy and the arts* (available by signing up for CfA’s “Explorations” program here)
  • Experience in education and adolescent development

*These foundational studies are prerequisite so that applicants come ready to engage in focused study pertaining specifically to the goals, challenges, and responsibilities of high school teachers.