Week 1 — In Person
June 28 - Friday, July 3, 2026
Wilton, NH
Teaching Eigth Grade:
Cultivating Independence, Insight, and Community
In-Person with Sonya Schewe
Eighth grade is a year of consolidation, growth, and emerging leadership. Students continue to emerge into adolescence, developing a stronger sense of self, navigating complex social relationships, and seeking to understand the world with curiosity, reflection, and critical thought. This pivotal year offers the opportunity for students to deepen their academic, social, and artistic capacities while stepping confidently into leadership roles within their school community.
This Renewal Course offers inspiration, practical guidance, and artistic renewal for teachers preparing to meet this transformative year with confidence, creativity, and insight.
Participants will engage deeply with the essential elements of eighth-grade teaching, including:
History and Biography
Exploring revolutions from the American and French Revolutions to the Industrial Revolution and the U.S. Civil War, and studying the lives of change-makers, students gain a window into leadership, courage, and societal insight.
Science and Exploration
Hands-on experiences in Meteorology, Physiology, Organic Chemistry, and Physics bring scientific principles to life and connect students to the natural world.
Language Arts and Artistic Practice
Short stories, creative writing, and artistic projects—drawing, painting, and visual arts—support both intellectual and imaginative development.
Story, Myth, and Cultural Imagination
Working with myths, legends, and diverse cultural stories to explore individuality, moral choice, and relationships within community.
Movement, Rhythm, and Social-Emotional Learning
Incorporating movement, class plays, and rhythms to foster focus, self-awareness, and a sense of shared responsibility.
Classroom Life and Teacher Practice
Guidance on planning, block rotations, classroom management, parent communication, and supporting students’ growing independence while modeling healthy self-development for yourself as a teacher.
Additional Course Offerings
This course also includes Eurythmy with Alexandra Spadea, supporting movement, coordination, and embodied learning appropriate to the middle school years. Participants will engage in Teaching Music and Singing with Meg O’Dell and Artistic Engagement with Narsingh Khalsa, offering meaningful artistic renewal and practical classroom applications.
In addition, Teaching Science in Grades 6–8 with Will Minehart provides hands-on, developmentally aligned approaches to physics, chemistry, and earth sciences, supporting adolescent curiosity, critical thinking, and experiential learning.
By the end of the course, teachers leave with renewed confidence, practical tools, and the inspiration to guide students through this pivotal year—cultivating independence, insight, and community while preparing them for the transition into high school.
Sonya Schewe has a BA from Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC, in Sociology and Anthropology. She earned her M.Ed. from Antioch University New England, where she also received her Waldorf teacher certification in 2008. Sonya is in her nineteenth year at the Cincinnati Waldorf School teaching as a class teacher. She took her first class grades 1-8, her second class 3-8, and is currently in her fifth grade year with a class she started with in first grade. Prior to working at the Cincinnati Waldorf School, she worked as a kindergarten assistant at the Briar Rose School in Columbus, Ohio. She has been involved in Waldorf education and anthroposophy for twenty years. Sonya is the mother of three amazing children, she teaches belly dancing, she dabbles in the fiber arts, she loves drawing portraits, and loves to spend time outside in nature.
Each Renewal Course, Grades 1–8, Includes:
Eurythmy
with Alexandra Spadea — Offering developmentally appropriate movement experiences that support embodiment, balance, and learning readiness across the grades.Teaching Music and Singing
with Meg O’Dell – Practical approaches to cultivate musical life, rhythm, and singing in the classroom.Artistic Engagement
with Narsingh Khalsa – Guided artistic practice in drawing, painting, form work, and creative exercises to inspire teaching and inner life development.Teaching Science in Grades 6–8
with Will Minehart – Hands-on, inquiry-based scientific exploration tailored to middle school students’ developmental needs.These offerings provide teachers with practical tools, inspiration, and experiential learning to integrate the arts, rhythm, creativity, and science into classroom practice while supporting their own professional and personal growth.
Alexandra Spadea grew up in a Waldorf school in Germany, where her lifelong love of eurythmy began. She trained at the Elena Zuccoli School in Dornach, Switzerland, and graduated from Eurythmy Spring Valley, NY, in 1994 under the directorship of Dorothea Mier.
Alexandra taught high school eurythmy at Green Meadow Waldorf School (1994–2000) and has been a member of the Rudolf Steiner School, NYC community since 2009, teaching grades 7–12 and serving as a class advisor. She earned her postgraduate B.A. in Eurythmy Pedagogy in 2015–16.
Meg O’Dell loves helping people access their innate capacity for wellness, vitality, and connection. She does this as a somatic coach, supporting individuals and couples in growth, transformation, and healing, and also as a music teacher and vocal mentor. She teaches music at The Bay School, a Waldorf school on the coast of Maine, and leads a large intergenerational all-comers chorus called Misty Mountain Singers. Meg serves as faculty for Antioch University’s Waldorf Teacher Training and CfA’s Waldorf High School Teacher Education Programs. She is a regular instructor for CfA’s the Renewal Courses and introductory Explorations program, and she has taught with LifeWays North America. She received her M.Ed. from Antioch University New England in 2008. Her great joys include spending time with her growing children and visiting the small, misty mountain that rises out of the sea near their home.
Narsingh Khalsa is a Waldorf educator and artist with a degree in Education from Prescott College and teacher training from Sunbridge Institute. Currently teaching a combined 2nd and 3rd grade class at the Waldorf School of Princeton, Narsingh brings 18 years of experience teaching fine arts to students from 1st through 12th grade. Passionate about creativity, she enjoys making children’s books, developing Waldorf curriculum for homeschoolers and teachers, and engaging in handwork. Outside the classroom, Narsingh loves hiking, yoga, and exploring the beauty of nature.
Will Minehart’s interest in the natural sciences began during his early youth in rural Pennsylvania, where he spent much of his time hunting, fishing, and birdwatching. He earned a B.S. in Environmental Studies from Bucknell University, then pursued Ornithological Research and Environmental Education before meeting his wife, starting a family, and becoming a full-time teacher. Before becoming a Waldorf teacher in 2014, he taught science in public high school and was an adjunct professor at William Paterson University. Will currently teaches sciences to grades 6-12 at High Mowing School in New Hampshire.
Community Gatherings In-Person, June 28 – July 3, 2026
Community Gatherings bring together participants attending Renewal Courses and the Mentor Training Program, twice daily, at 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Daily Keynote
with Carol Ann Bärtges
Spiritual Cognition: How Wonder, Imagination, Inspiration and Intuition Inform our Work
Eurythmy
with Alexandra Spadea
Midday Community Singing
with Meg O’Dell
Evening Events — In Person
Monday, June 29, 2026
Evening Lecture : The Five Circles of Love and Friendship
with Kim John Payne
“Helping students navigate their class social dynamics and adults to calibrate the complexities of collegial relationships”
Join us for an illuminating evening lecture with Kim John Payne exploring the Five Circles of Love and Friendship. This thoughtful presentation offers practical insights for helping students navigate the social dynamics of their classes, while also supporting adults in skillfully calibrating the complexities of collegial relationships. Grounded in warmth, clarity, and real-world experience, this evening invites reflection, understanding, and renewed capacity for fostering healthy relationships in both educational and professional communities.
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Affinity Group Connections
with Renewal Faculty
Join us for an engaging session of mutual support and shared wisdom. Affinity group connections are dynamic roundtable forums designed to foster collaboration, exchange, and community among Waldorf educators. These interactive sessions offer teachers preparing to enter their next grade an opportunity to gain insights, ideas, and best practices directly from colleagues who have recently completed teaching that grade.
Teachers who have just completed a grade can share their experiences, challenges, and successes, providing invaluable guidance to those stepping into new roles. These conversations are also inclusive and supportive for special subject teachers, pedagogical leaders, and anyone wishing to deepen their engagement with movement practices, arts integration, curriculum development, or broader Waldorf pedagogy. Participants leave inspired, connected, and equipped with practical strategies to enhance their classroom work and professional growth.
Thursday, July 2, 2026
Live Music and Contra Dancing
with Carey Bluhm, Gordon Peery, and Diane Goodman
Join us for a joyful evening of live music and contra dancing with Carey Bluhm, Gordon Peery, and Diane Goodman. Come move, laugh, and connect through spirited music and shared rhythm in a welcoming, celebratory atmosphere. This lively gathering offers a perfect opportunity to unwind, enjoy community, and end the day energized and uplifted for a memorable summer start.
Care for the Body, Soul, and Spirit
Attending a summer course in person offers more than just professional inspiration and community connections—it’s an opportunity for deep personal rejuvenation. Take time to relax and nurture your well-being by indulging in some much-needed self-care.
Choose from a variety of wellness offerings designed to nourish your soul and body. Whether you seek quiet reflection, hands-on healing, or artistic renewal, these options are crafted to support your journey of self-care and rejuvenation.
Wellness sign-up options will be available in the spring—stay tuned to secure your moments of personal renewal!