Explore Anthroposophy | Prepare for Teacher Education

Foundation Studies is your opportunity to deepen your understanding of Rudolf Steiner’s anthroposophy through lectures, presentations, artistic practice, eurythmy and spacial dynamics. You may be taking it as a step on your own path of personal development, or as preparation for becoming a Waldorf teacher, or exploring other anthroposophically-based professions.

Foundation Studies at ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp can be taken in your choice of two formats, either through “Encounter” in-person classes once a week from September through May OR through “Distance” learning in which you work remotely with a mentor. Details on both below:

Encounter

Foundation Studies Encounter involves attending in-person classes Saturday mornings in Thornhill, or Monday evenings in Guelph. We start in September with free introductory evenings so you can learn more about the program.

Free Introductory Evenings:

¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp Thornhill – Wednesday, September 11 at 7:30 pm

Trillium Waldorf School, Guelph – Monday, September 16 at 7:00 pm

Distance

With the Foundation Studies in Anthroposophy Distance option you can begin anytime from anywhere that has a phone or internet connection. You will be working closely with a mentor. Over the course of the program you will have 32 one-on-one mentoring sessions. The program also includes independent study.

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As you may know, Dr. Karl Konig was the founder of the worldwide Camphill movement. Camphill Ontario in Angus is part of this movement. They see their mission as creating wholeness for children and youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This includes cultivating healthy lifestyles, meaningful work and a community experience. ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp Foundation Studies in Anthroposophy students typically go to Camphill for a visit during their program.

The soul calendar drawings that will be exhibited at this conference in November were created during World War II when Karl Konig was interned on the Isle of Man in England. We realize that this conference conflicts date-wise with with the ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp’s Waldorf Development Conference, but there will be an opportunity for Development Conference participants to take part in at least the Sunday part of the conference on Rudolf Steiner’s Calendar of the Soul and Karl Konig’s Drawings. Details to be announced.

Keynote speaker for the conference will be Richard Steel

Richard Steel studied Linguistics, and then completed a training at the Camphill Seminar for Curative Education in 1975. He lived and worked with his family in a Camphill community for children and youngsters with special needs in Germany until 2008. Since then, he has been in charge of Karl König’s literary estate and founded the Karl König Institute.

Richard is a speaker and poet, and is responsible for the new edition of Karl König’s written works. He has been involved in establishing a Camphill life-sharing community with elderly people in New York State. He is managing director of the Karl König Institute and runs its office in Kleinmachnow near Berlin.

Conference information below:

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Download a printable pdf copy of the registration form:

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¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp and WECAN are planning to host an Early Childhood conference together on Friday April 4th and Saturday April 5th at the Keynote speaker will be Nancy Blanning. She writes:

“The thrust of what I want to bring is reassurance that children are gifted by the spiritual world with imitative capacities, through which they learn exclusively for the first three years. Children are always imitating inwardly as well as outwardly what they are experiencing through their senses. If they experience passivity and inactivity, this is what they will imitate. We want to help our modern children open up this capacity by giving them an environment that is worthy and INTERESTING ENOUGH to imitate.”

Photo: Felt angels, marionette and veil paintings from the 2024 ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp Early Childhood Part-Time program graduation student art display.

The post SAVE THE DATE: APRIL 4-5, 2025: Unlocking the Door to Imitation – Real Experiences with Real People in Real Time, with Nancy Blanning appeared first on ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp.

The Whistler Waldorf School, located in British Columbia, has operated for many years out of space they rented from the municipality. And over the years we heard that there were repeated rumors that they were going to have to move out of that space. And as recently as last month during the Summer Festival we heard from someone at the Festival that the school was finally going to have to move out within a year. And where would they go? So it was a great relief to read this news story (below) in a recent Waldorf Today newsletter, where it was reprinted from the local newsmagazine website where it originally appeared.

Whistler’s mayor and council has reportedly reversed course on a decision to end the Whistler Waldorf School’s (WWS) lease in Spruce Grove next year.

In an email to the WWS community on July 19, the school’s trustees said the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) informed them of the change of heart on July 18.

“On Thursday, July 18, the RMOW confirmed that they will extend a new lease to the school for two years, ending June 2026. This new lease mirrors the terms of pervious agreements held by the Whistler Waldorf School, with staff instructed to remove language regarding a final lease extension,” reads the email signed by board chair Erik Wallsten.

“Additionally, the RMOW has confirmed that staff will be directed to work with the province to determine if the Crown lease allows for a permanent school in Spruce Grove Park. We believe this decision is a commitment by all parties to work together to find a long-term solution so that the essential daycare and education services the school provides can continue.”

Council’s initial decision,, was to give a one-year extension to the school to operate at Spruce Grove, where it has operated since 2000—and one year only to June 30, 2025.

The news prompted a mass outcry from the school community and beyond, with showing up to the July 9 council meeting to make their voices heard.

The decision to reverse course was also made in a closed meeting, meaning details are scarce. The RMOW declined to offer specifics when Pique inquired about the nature of the closed meeting on July 18. 

“The RMOW has been in touch directly with the Waldorf School Board,” a communications official said on July 19. “We don’t have anything further to add to what the Whistler Waldorf School has shared today.”

Shared from

One of last year’s graduates from ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp’s Professional Development for Waldorf Grades Teachers Part-TIme program is now a class teacher at the having first started her Waldorf Teacher Education at the West Coast Institute.

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Full-Time Waldorf Teacher Education at ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp

Are you ready to start a new chapter in your life? Become a Waldorf teacher for grades or early childhood with ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp’s one-year full-time Waldorf Teacher Education program.

Starting in September and continuing through May you’ll be attending classes and practice teaching five days a week. There will also be the November Waldorf Development Conference and two weeks of the Summer Festival in July, both of which are part of the program.

You don’t need to have taught before. But we do require Foundation Studies in Anthroposophy as a prerequisite. Contact us for more information..

To our knowledge, ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp is the only recognized* Waldorf teacher education institute in North America to offer such a full-time program. The program begins Monday, Sept. 9th, less than a month from now. 

* ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp is recognized as a full-member teacher education institute by the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA). Our Early Childhood programs are recognized by the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America (WECAN).

Learn More:

Foundation Studies in Anthroposophy at ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp

Foundation Studies at ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp can be taken in your choice of two formats, either through “Encounter” in-person classes once a week from September through May OR through “Distance” learning in which you work remotely with a mentor. Details on both below:

Encounter

Foundation Studies Encounter involves attending in-person classes Saturday mornings in Thornhill, or Monday evenings in Guelph. Classes will include both presentations and artistic activities. We start in September with free introductory evenings so you can learn more about the program.

Free Introductory Evenings:

¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp Thornhill – Wednesday, September 11 at 7:30 pm

Trillium Waldorf School, Guelph – Monday, September 16 at 7:00 pm

Distance

With the Foundation Studies in Anthroposophy Distance option you can begin anytime from anywhere that has a phone or internet connection. You will be working closely with a mentor. Over the course of the program you will have 32 one-on-one mentoring sessions. The program also includes independent study.

The post Full-Time Waldorf Teacher Education for Grades and Early Childhood Starts Sept. 9 – ENROLL NOW! appeared first on ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp.

This coming September 13-15, ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp will be hosting a conference together with the Section for Literary Arts and Humanities of the School for Spiritual Science in North America. The title of the conference is “The Genius of Language”. See details below:

Link to register: https://theliteraryarts.com/2024-north-american-section-conference/

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The 2024 ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp Summer Festival of Arts and Education wrapped up July 26th after three weeks of intensive learning and the Professional Development for Waldorf Teachers Part-Time Grades program graduation on Thursday, July 25th. This year we graduated four new Waldorf teachers from this program.

Thank you to the Toronto Waldorf School for once again hosting the event with us, in particular to Laura Cipolla, the TWS Summer Camp Administrator, for working with us to accommodate our space needs throughout the three weeks.

We are grateful to Linda Lee (of Paper Pipit bookstore) for her generous contribution of prizes for the raffle and a generous discount for the festival attendees. Thanks to Mercurius Canada, Dr. Hauschka, Uriel Pharmacy and Purity Life who contributed the marvelous offerings that Festival participants found in their welcome bags. Thanks to Calvin Bentley and Karen Shiell for the delicious lunches and wonderful service.

We express our thanks to Richard Chomko for leading the design and promotion process and for his artistry during the festival. This festival would not have been possible without the dedication of our staff and volunteers. Their contributions were instrumental in the success of this event. We wholeheartedly thank you.

This year’s festival featured talented and experienced faculty and teachers who gave of their time and wisdom; they inspired and modeled the way of the Waldorf educator. We hope to see you again at the 2025 Summer Festival, and before then at the November Waldorf Development Conference (more info below).

Marta Bak,
Executive Director

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Part-Time Grades Graduation July 25th

Looking Back on Week Three

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For the last day of her two weeks of leading morning singing at ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp’s Summer Festival Lynn Featherstone invited pianist Stan Cyprus for a live-music karaoke in which students sing popular songs along with Stan’s piano accompaniment. In years past, Stan used to teach the orchestra class at Toronto Waldorf School.

Lynn explained that they do this on occasion with the high school so that the students learn that the pop music they like to listen to is also music. Thanks to Lynn and Stan for their enthusiasm and musicianship. It was fun!

And yes, there’s still time to register for week three of the Summer Festival: /summerfestival/

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It’s Not Too Late to Register for Week Three (July 22-26)

Week 3 – July 22-26

MORNINGS
Journey through the Grades: The Heart and Soul of Waldorf, Merwin Lewis
Generative Principles of Teaching, Martyn Rawson
Working with Silk Marionettes, Laurie Harper-Burgess
Veil Painting, Jef Saunders (now full)

AFTERNOONS
The Group of Seven and the Spiritual in Art, Julian Mulock
For the Love of Painting, Berit Strasser (now full)
The Foundation Stone Meditation and Our Biography, Regine Kurek (now full)

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Week 3 – July 22-26

MORNINGS
Journey through the Grades: The Heart and Soul of Waldorf, Merwin Lewis
Generative Principles of Teaching, Martyn Rawson
Working with Silk Marionettes, Laurie Harper-Burgess
Veil Painting, Jef Saunders (now full)

AFTERNOONS
The Group of Seven and the Spiritual in Art, Julian Mulock
For the Love of Painting, Berit Strasser (now full)
The Foundation Stone Meditation and Our Biography, Regine Kurek (now full)

For course descriptions, presenter bios and online registration link: /summerfestival/

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