The Child's Changing Consciousness

I have just begun reviewing the Steiner book, "The Child's Changing Consciousness" by Rudolf Steiner for the current reading of my online Waldorf Study Group. We currently have 53 members on our list!

Gene Campbell of Chiron, has sent us some focus questions to bring the reading into perspective and give us something practical to work on. We are very excited about her input! Please feel free to inquire about joining the study group.

This is an amazing book. Even the introduction is jam-packed with important and useful information. Not to mention it is written by Douglas Sloan of Columbia University. What Steiner offers in his view of the developing child is a holistic and complete picture. The pedagogy of Waldorf integrates, beautifully, the development of the intellect, but not without the emotional and ethical components. Without these, all knowledge is devoid of its humanity and its utility to humanity's growth and evolution.

Each stage of child development, according to Steiner, is unique; and what is important at each stage, what reaches a child deeply, is different over time. Knowing this information deepens ones work with children and enlivens it tremendously. Understanding that the young child is "just one great sense organ", revolutionizes the efforts one makes not only as a teacher, but as a parent. Essentially, what is significant, is that to optimize our development as humans we need to truly tap into what makes us uniquely human. Steiner talks about language and our upright movement in a very deep way in these lectures. It sparks one's mind to consider the impact of these and other things in the development of the child.

What is strking to me, after having recently learned more about "Feral Children" (see feralchildren.com for more information), is how profound the NURTURE component of our development truly is! The young child totally takes in what is around her, mimicing so deeply and so wholeheartedly. There is a case of a young girl from the Ukraine who was raised by dogs from the age of 3 until 8. She ran around on all fours and barked exactly like a dog that it is incredulous. Her language has developed, but she is lacking in so many respects in terms of social skills and intellectual capacity.

In a passage from this website listed above, the authors emphasize the role of nurture in our development as social beings, this is something we learn. How well we learn this, and how well we teach this, can be truly uplifted by the Waldorf approach.

"Feral children ought to be an excellent source of evidence in the continuing nature-nurture debate. Feral children cannot walk, talk, or socialise: they cannot show empathy with others. Indeed, these poor creatures are so apparently sub-human that Linnaeus classified them as distinct from home sapiens.
On the surface, therefore, feral children suggest that our upbringing is entirely responsible for endowing us with language, the ability to think and other traits. What happens in early childhood thus has a profound impact on the neurological development of the brain. But we know that nature has a vital role to play too."

"Quite simply, feral children are usually entirely unaware of the needs and desires of others. The concepts of morals, property and possessions are alien to them, and they can't show empathy with other people. If brought up by animals, they don't even identify themselves as human, but probably regard humans as "the enemy".

The article Nurtured by Love or Matured by Nature by Dr Susan du Plessis discusses the role that parenting has in the teaching of human skills and qualities."


In that vein, my next post will discuss further these aspects of humanity: to empathize, to be aware of the needs and desires of others, and more. I will also touch on the detriment of child-led parenting and what that potentially means for our development collectively.

~waldorfhmschlr

What Waldorf Education Provides...some thoughts

Dear Visitors,

I wanted to share some thoughts generated by myself and others on the Waldorf Study Group I run. I hope these ideas are inspiring and thought provoking.

Enjoy reading!


Dear Listmates,

I wanted to share how much I enjoy reading about what Waldorf education means to
you and what you have come to value and cherish about it!

Carol wrote:

"The Waldorf approach adds a fresh perspective as I come to parenthood after
many years in ECE and EC Special Ed. I experience Waldorf as a higher way, as in spiritual
evolutionary terms, of viewing my child and presenting activities. I am right there in
feeling the necessity of going deeper with the why and how. It always makes me pause and
appreciate life more when I can get that wider lens in focus."

I love how you put your thoughts into words, and I feel the same way regarding
the spiritual evolution idea. Waldorf is the only pedagogical system that has this
incredible range of focus from the microcosm to the macrocosm, and vice versa. It is truly
wholistic both for us personally and us collectively, and in the Creator's scheme. It is
about meaning and purpose at every level.

Caroline wrote:

"My most recent interest was sparked by attending a speech at the Washington
Waldorf school a few years ago by Joseph Chilton Pierce on brain research and early
childhood that really blew me away."

I was there also, and it was one of the most amazing lectures I have ever
attended! I posted a link to another article of his here on the discussion group; read it if
you have the chance. To begin to see the concepts of mind, heart, social connections,
spiritual connections visible in scientific studies is extremely exciting!

I think you will get more out of the next book to help with the anthroposophical
concepts and ideas.

Zaina wrote:

"I think I like most how it meets the child where they are and
presents and introduces learning the best possible way for them. The
techniques make sense and are backed up by careful study and
observation of children and their developing stages. That's my take
on it anyway."

Waldorf is truly attuned to the child and to their needs and development. I
think you will like the next book also, even though it isn't specifically about homeschooling.
Steiner's ideas are supposed to be fluid and applicable, as he states himself. After
getting more grounding, we can all begin to see applications and have a broader, clearer
consciousness as we do our work.

Sumiyeh wrote:

"Basically it gives sanity to an otherwise insane and often cruel world. "

Waldorf protects the child by allowing them to experience many things, but at
the right time and the right amount. Too heavy a dose of "reality" too young certainly
damages the spirit of a child, the desire for beauty and fairness. Please pray/send good
thoughts (however you like to do this) to those children who have no choice in this
respect. Hopefully our loving thoughts will reach them. (According to Joseph Chilton
Pearce, those heart waves are connected and extend out into the world infinitely).

In that vein, in addition to this idea presented by Mr. Pearce, I have read so
many articles, books, that emphasize that our own positive energy, effort, or work increases
the positive level of coherence in our environment. Additionally, when a group of people in
an area do this collectively, it increases the coherence in that area. Here is the
spiritual evolution piece.

~waldorfhmschlr