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 will be 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, History, Life Science) is co-founder and faculty chair at the Berkshire Waldorf High School, where he teaches history and life science. He is also 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 and is a core faculty member of Sunbridge’s Elementary Teacher Education program, where he has been teaching since 2000. He has 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.

Brigitte Bley-Swinston (Painting and Wire Sculpting) 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.

Angela Nusbaum (Literature) teaches English at Green Meadow Waldorf High School, where she is also co-adviser for the Class of 2020. Before joining Green Meadow’s faculty, Angela taught high school English and history at the San Francisco and Chicago Waldorf schools. Previously, she taught math to young adults at Job Corps and led interdisciplinary seminars for grades 6-12 in Anchorage, AK. Angela earned her BA from St. John’s College in Santa Fe, NM. 

Marisha Plotnik (Physics and Math) has been teaching physics and mathematics at the Rudolf Steiner School (NYC) since 1995; she also sits on their College of Teachers.. She has mentored math teachers at Waldorf schools across the country and also serves as a board member for The Nature Institute. A graduate of the Toronto Waldorf School, Marisha earned her Honours BSc (Physics) from Trent University (Ontario), her BEd from the University of Western Ontario, and her MA (Education Leadership) as a Klingenstein Fellow at Columbia University; she received her Waldorf High School Teaching Certificate (Mathematics) from the Center for Anthroposophy.

Your course includes eurythmy with Brigida Baldszun. 

Course Schedule
Sunday, July 15: Optional campus tour 5:30-6pm; Registration 6-7pm; First session runs from 7-9pm
Monday, July 16-Thursday, July 19: Classes begin each day  8-8:30am and run through 5:30-6pm, with an hour for lunch and short mid-morning and mid-afternoon breaks.
Friday, July 20: Classes begin 8-8:30am and end between 12-1pm, with a mid-morning break.

Course Fee
$825 (includes all materials and non-refundable $75 registration fee)

Discount Options

10% discounts on subsequent registrations (of equal or lesser value) automatically appear on the registration form when selecting more than one title. (Exception: Waldorf Weekend, which offers an $80 discount when selected as a subsequent registration.)

Currently enrolled Sunbridge program students receive a 30% discount and Sunbridge program graduates receive a 15% discount (not to be combined with any other offering). Discount instructions will appear on the registration form after you answer questions about your Sunbridge background in the Participant Profile section. (Account must be in good standing.) 

Schools registering 11 participants for any combination of 2, 3 and/or 5-day offerings will be rebated one tuition of the least expensive offering. (Rebate to be issued in August.)

REGISTER

Questions?
Please contact Penelope-Myles Voss, Admissions, Alumni, and Summer Coordinator, at [email protected] or 845-425-0055 x20

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