Professional development for high school educators, faculty chairs, and all those interested in Waldorf high school education

This course explores Waldorf high school education from a multitude of vantage points and with a particular focus on the challenges and opportunities that teaching today’s teenagers offers us. Through lecture, conversation, and practical activities that express the signature of Waldorf high school education, you’ll explore elements of the Waldorf curriculum with master teachers from a variety of subject areas, all of whom possess decades of Waldorf teaching experience and are currently involved in teaching and in leading Waldorf high schools around the country.

During this week, you will be:

– Looking at the underpinnings of Waldorf high school education
– Discovering how the Waldorf high school curriculum meets the needs of the developing human being and addresses the particular soul needs of children who are coming of age in a complex world
– Examining major subject areas—math, science, humanities, and the arts—to better understand the potential of Waldorf high school education
– Gaining perspective on how individual areas of specialization fit into and support the Waldorf high school as a whole
– Exploring the challenges and rewards of leading a Waldorf high school and maintaining the social health of the school community

This course is useful for seasoned educators who are new to Waldorf teaching, specialists looking to become Waldorf high school teachers, current Waldorf high school teachers, and those looking to develop new Waldorf high schools.

Instructors

Stephen Sagarin (Lead; Child Development, School Governance, History) is co-founder and faculty chair at the Berkshire Waldorf High School, where he teaches history and art. He is also a core faculty member of Sunbridge’s Elementary Teacher Education program, where he has been teaching since 2000. Steve is a former teacher and administrator at the Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School and the Waldorf School of Garden City, the high school from which he graduated. He also taught history of education at Teachers College, Columbia University, and human development at the City University of New York; is the former editor of the Research Bulletin of the Research Institute for Waldorf Education; and writes, lectures, mentors teachers, and consults with Waldorf schools on teaching and administration. The author of The History of Waldorf Education in the United States: Past, Present and Future, Steve has a PhD in history from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Columbia University, and a bachelor’s degree in art history, with a certificate of proficiency in fine art, from Princeton University.

 

Gary Banks (Science and Astronomy) currently teaches high school math and science at the Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor, where he is also the high school faculty chair. Gary is also a presenter in the Teaching Sensible Science course and has taught in a number of teacher training programs and foundation studies courses. From 1993-2001, he took a class from first to eighth grade at the Denver Waldorf School, then worked as a high school science teacher at High Mowing School and a class teacher at Pine Hill Waldorf School before moving to Michigan. Gary earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering and worked as a research engineer on the NASA Space Station project before entering teaching. He completed his MEd at Antioch New England Graduate School.

 

Brigitte Bley-Swinston (Fine Arts) teaches fine arts at Green Meadow Waldorf School’s high school. Previously, she taught at the Rudolf Steiner School in Manhattan and served from 1992-2004 as the resident art teacher for all Sunbridge College programs; she also frequently taught courses at the Rudolf Steiner Institute and co-directed the Foundation Studies Program in Anthroposophy at the Brooklyn Waldorf School. Brigitte earned her BA in Art Education in Berlin, Germany, her MS in Waldorf Teacher Education from Sunbridge College, and also studied at the Art Students League, The National Academy of Design, and the New York Botanical Garden.

 

Marisha Plotnik (Physics and Math) has been teaching physics and mathematics at NYC’s Rudolf Steiner School since 1995; she also sits on their College of Teachers. Marisha has traveled widely across the US to teach, mentor, and consult at other Waldorf Schools, and also serves as a board member for The Nature Institute. A graduate of the Toronto Waldorf School, Marisha earned her Honours BSc in physics from Trent University (Ontario), her BEd from the University of Western Ontario, and her MA in education leadership as a Klingenstein Fellow at Columbia University. She received her Waldorf High School teaching certificate (mathematics) from the Center for Anthroposophy.

 

Beth Robbins (Literature) has been an English and drama teacher at Berkshire Waldorf High School for 15 years. Her professional background includes serving as a class teacher at Hawthorne Valley Waldorf School and an editor at Steiner Books/Anthroposophic Press. Beth earned a BA in English from Barnard College, Columbia University, a certificate in Waldorf Education from Antioch New England, and an MA in English from Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College, and is currently working toward her MLitt in Creative Nonfiction at Bread Loaf.

 

Students who took this course in 2018 had this to say:

~ This has been one of the rewarding professional development experiences I have had. I loved the level of depth and rich philosophical conversations.
~ Steve was fantastic. His flexibility, knowledge, and sense of humor cultivated an energetic environment.
~ I found the course to be of the highest quality overall. Each instructor was immensely qualified, engaging, and helpful. The other class participants were also large contributors to the success of the week.
~ The quality of the course was excellent! I especially appreciated how accessible Steve Sagarin made this course and his willingness to meet for additional discussion during lunch.
~ I thought the quality of the course was excellent, in particular the “lecture” classes with Steve that helped me gain a clearer and deeper understanding of Steiner’s ideas of what a human being is.
~ Steve is an excellent teacher and very knowledgeable about the material. I learned a lot in a short amount of time.

 

Related Workshop Recommendation

If you are new to Waldorf Education and would like to explore its fundamentals, you may also be interested in registering for our Waldorf Weekend, our introductory workshop which immediately precedes your course.

 

Schedule
Sunday, June 30: Optional campus tour: 5:30-6pm; check-in registration: 6-7pm; orientation and your first class: 7-9pm
Monday, July 1-Thursday, July 4: Classes begin each day between 8-8:30am and run through 5:30-6pm, with time for lunch and short mid-morning and mid-afternoon breaks.
Friday, July 5: Classes begin between 8-8:30am and end between 12-1pm, with a mid-morning break.

 

Cost
$860 includes all materials and non-refundable $75 registration fee

 

Three Discount Options (Choose One! Discounts may not be combined.) 

1. Friends and Family (Personal Discount):  Currently enrolled Sunbridge program students receive a 30% discount and Sunbridge program graduates receive a 15% discount off one or more registrations. Discount instructions will appear on your registration form after you answer questions about your Sunbridge background in the Participant Profile section. Accounts must be in good standing.

2. Take Two and Save (Personal Discount):  10% discounts on subsequent registrations (of equal or lesser value) will automatically appear on your registration form when selecting more than one title. (Exception: Waldorf Weekend, which offers an $85 discount when selected as a subsequent registration.)

3. Send More/Save More (School Discount):  Schools paying for five or more registrations will receive discounts in increasing amounts.
Make 5 registrations, receive 5% off the total cost
Make 6 registrations, receive 6% off the total cost
Make 7 registrations, receive 7% off the total cost
Make 8 registrations, receive 8% off the total cost
Make 9 registrations, receive 9% off the total cost
Make 10 or more registrations, receive 10% off the total cost
NOTE: When choosing this option, please be sure to check off “Invoice my School” on your registration form. To qualify for the Send More/Save More discount, registrations must be made by July 14.

 

 

Questions?
Please contact our summer office at [email protected] or 845-425-0055 x20

 

Sunbridge reserves the right to make faculty substitutions when necessary. See registration form for refund policy.