As the forms of education undergo the shifts and changes of our current world situation there is a call that can be heard by many. It is a call for a spirit-led education through which the truth of the human being can be given what is essential for their path.
There are certain forces bestowed in the growing child that prepare them to engage in life that are connected to their inner life and the spiritual world, and not only to the material, sensory life. It is these forces that allow us to recognise the reality stated by Rudolf Steiner that “nothing but the will to live life in a spiritual way, the will to allow spiritual decisions and spiritual motivations, to play a part in what we do in the physical world, can make humanity truly healthy again”. As material life intensifies, these forces will be more rapidly extinguished unless they are consciously held and renewed by the adults surrounding the growing child.
Many meaningful foundations in our inner life were passed on unconsciously through the community of our childhood and the education we received. Today we are called to recognise what is essential and needed for spiritual foundations to grow in each child, and how we bring these essential foundations to them at different stages of their development. From the birth of the body to the birth of the “I,” we are seeding the child’s future and seeding the world’s future. When working to truly meet the next generations in their schooling, we necessarily enter into our own schooling so that we can support these new and latent capacities to develop and unfold in a healthy way in the children in our care.
This course is focused on understanding the essential spiritual foundations that underlie a spirit-led life. The spiritual foundations are brought by parents, caregivers, the child’s community, and teachers of all educational models. Each one is contributing to the inner ground that allows the child to grow into an adult which brings them into a deeper connection to the world. The course covers understanding the soul-spiritual development of the child as well as the practical and applicable lessons for working into important aspects for delivering a spirit-led education to children aged 7 and above. It is written and tutored by Lisa Romero, James Deefholts and colleagues. Lisa has been an educator of anthroposophical inner development for 25 years and contributed to numerous Waldorf teacher trainings worldwide. James is a trained and practising Steiner/Waldorf class teacher and teacher mentor. Together the team shares their wealth of experience and knowledge in the arts, education and development to support all those engaging in the child’s world.