Five Lectures on Disruption and Destiny by Eugene Schwartz
From December 25 through January 6 of 2021, Eugene Schwartz gave this series of lectures to teachers who were using the Holy Nights to assess their tasks and possibilities as educators. We were gratified by the number of teachers, parents, and administrators who joined us, and they, in turn, have shared their experience of the lectures with colleagues and friends. As a result, we have been asked to make the lectures available again, and we have agreed to do this.
Over the past few years, a growing number of teachers have found it more challenging to ponder their destiny. The onset of pressures concerning vaccinations, masks, distance learning, DEI, gender identity, and other issues have complicated the teacher’s task and her relationship to the philosophy underlying Waldorf education. In these turbulent times, many teachers may be wondering how much Waldorf education still matters — to them, personally, to the leadership of their school, and to the world.
With these challenges in mind, Eugene Schwartz offered these lectures. (Scroll down to read summaries of the lectures below.) If you are one of the thousands of teachers who has participated in any of Eugene’s Online Conferences, you already know the combination of insight and practicality, as well as the depth and breadth that he brings to every aspect of Waldorf education. Learn more about Eugene Schwartz.
Over the past few years, a growing number of teachers have found it more challenging to ponder their destiny. The onset of pressures concerning vaccinations, masks, distance learning, DEI, gender identity, and other issues have complicated the teacher’s task and her relationship to the philosophy underlying Waldorf education. In these turbulent times, many teachers may be wondering how much Waldorf education still matters — to them, personally, to the leadership of their school, and to the world.
With these challenges in mind, Eugene Schwartz offered these lectures. (Scroll down to read summaries of the lectures below.) If you are one of the thousands of teachers who has participated in any of Eugene’s Online Conferences, you already know the combination of insight and practicality, as well as the depth and breadth that he brings to every aspect of Waldorf education. Learn more about Eugene Schwartz.
If You Are Interested in Joining This Course, Contact Us at iwaldorf@icloud.com
The Lectures
Introduction
to the Lectures
A great deal is at stake in the US Waldorf movement, but no one in a leadership position is willing to face them squarely. These lectures look at the urgent foundational and existential questions that are generally avoided in Waldorf conferences and publications.
Lecture One:
On Earth . . . .
Understanding the four-fold human being as the basis of Waldorf teaching. The centrality of the etheric body in the classroom. Etheric and astral: anabolism and catabolism. Consequences of the expansion of the etheric body in modern times for gender and racial identity.
Lecture Two:
. . . . As in Heaven
The Spiritual Hierarchies and their dependence on our conscious self-development. The Guardian Angel and the etheric body of the child. The power of slow literacy. The Waldorf curriculum engaging spiritual beings. Forces of opposition to the Waldorf teacher's path of modern Initiation.
Lecture Three:
Reincarnation and Karma
Rudolf Steiner's unique and complex perspectives on death and rebirth. The "schooling" of the soul and spirit between incarnations. Education on earth should be a reflection of what was learned in the heavens. Disruption of Karma and incarnation. Population growth and decline.
Lecture Four:
Trials and Errors
Decisions on the part of schools and Waldorf leadership that have weakened the schools in the 21st century. Two chimeras: the Service Mark and the graduate degree. How History repeats itself. A Modest Proposal to overcome racism in Waldorf schools and communities.
Lecture Five:
Does Waldorf Still Matter?
The anticlimactic 100th birthday party. Door prizes, yoga lessons, commercial breaks. The fourfold constituency of the Waldorf school. Marketing or deepening. Anniversary or Trajectory. The Grand Culmination and Waldorf education. Has Waldorf served its purpose?
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