Alliance e-News

Dear Colleagues,

We have entered the “crescendo" time of the school year, marked by many events that allow our students to see how much they have grown and learned, and allow the adults to marvel anew at that hope-filled process. This is the season of festivals and challenges: May Day, beloved by so many with its celebration of Spring and the weaving of community life; Greek games; Medieval games; track and field events; Explorer and expeditionary excursions; class plays; field trips; then the progression from kindergarten to first grade, from current class to the anticipation of a new grade, to eighth grade commencement then high school, to twelfth grade graduations. As if all of this was not enough to keep everyone busy, behind the scenes teachers are reviewing, assessing (it is standardized test time in many schools right now), and planning their summer preparation and professional development. Administration is reviewing, preparing budgets and schedules. We are busy looking back and looking ahead, all while attempting to capture and enjoy the moment. No wonder many in education refer to this time of year as “the three merry, mad, months of May”! May can be a glorious, at times challenging, endurance test.

This description of challenge and endurance also applies to many of our end-of-year events. Each provides a measure of the passage of a child’s journey through school; activities to anticipate, savor, then look back on. We understand the essential role of review in class, so we know that looking back is important - as important as anticipation. Typically, appreciation grows with the passage of time. Discussions with twelfth graders show that the school festivals and rites of passage that stand beside our formal academic curriculum are recalled with a fondness and deep appreciation that might not have been obvious in the moment. Take heart if you are currently cajoling students to practice, improve, cooperate, or perform - it matters!

Events like the Pentathlon, Medieval Games, track meets, or expeditionary/ explorer trips provide many developmentally necessary and appropriate opportunities for our students. High school has its own equivalents, often brought through field trips but also through drama, arts, performances, and projects. Events echo and illustrate typical curricular themes including ancient cultures, the muck and mire–and chivalry–of the Middle Ages, and the expansion, exploration, and flowering of formal operational thinking that we glimpse in seventh and eighth grades and beyond. Most of these events arose out of the “traditional Waldorf” curricular journey in which studies of Ancient Greece marked a turning point from mythical reality to historical record, the Middle Ages showed a marvelous, mysterious alchemy of crassness, religious control, and new discoveries, and the Renaissance expanded horizons, changed the definition of the known world, and literally brought new perspectives that led to the modern world of today. Preparation for and participation in these events provide rich opportunities to consolidate knowledge and deepen understanding. They are a living review.

They are also a tremendous source of social-emotional learning. From striving for “beauty, grace, and style” in fifth grade Pentathlon events to testing one’s limits on an expeditionary adventure, students are encouraged to challenge themselves, to find their growing edge, practice, improve, and test their abilities. They are also encouraged to support classmates, to encourage, and to exercise good sportsmanship. Through all of this, students develop greater stamina, perseverance, and that essential quality of grit. They are encouraged to take healthy risks - now known to be essential for learning and protective of health and safety as young people enter and navigate the teenage years.

Let the merriment continue! We hope that you enjoy these scenes from several schools as you celebrate your own events. Happy May!

Liz Beaven

Executive Director

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2025 Summer PD Full Schedule

Professional Development and Teacher Preparation

A listing by the Alliance is for information only and does not imply recommendation or endorsement. We encourage school leaders and teachers to fully research offerings before enrollment to ensure they align with their goals and needs. We recommend that you research familiarity with the unique needs and demands of Public Waldorf education. This is particularly important if public funds are used for professional development or teacher preparation.

Upcoming Professional Development

and Teacher Preparation

Kairos Institute: Healing in a World of Need

Spring & Summer, 2025: Online

bit.ly/Kairos2025te-emergency-pedagogy/

WECAN: Parent and Caregiver Events: Creating Your Family Culture

May 28 2025, Online

https://waldorfearlychildhood.org/news-and-events/parent-and-caregiver-events/

Emergency Pedagogy Training: Module 2, Trauma & Development

May 16-18, 2025: In-Person, Pasadena, CA

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/emergency-pedagogy-without-borders

Waldorf Handwork Educators: Handwork Teacher Development Open House

May 18, 2025: Online

https://www.waldorfhandwork.org/tt-open-house

Gradalis:

Teaching as an Art Week

Jun. 22-27, 2025: In-Person, Boulder, CO

https://gradalis.edu/teaching-as-an-art/

Teacher Training

Jun. 22- Jul. 11, 2025: In-Person, Boulder, CO

https://gradalis.edu/

Sunbridge Institute: Summer Series-

Leadership, Early Childhood & Grades 1-8

Jun. 22-27, 2025: Intro to Waldorf Early Childhood, In-Person, Chesternut Ridge, NY

Jun. & Jul. 2025: Online: Summer Series Courses

https://www.sunbridge.edu/courses-workshops/summer-series/

Sophia's Hearth:

Summer Courses including: Intro to Waldorf ECE, Child Development I/II, Celebrating Festivals with Children, & Parent/Caregiver and Child work

June 23-July 11, 2025: In person, Keene, NH

https://www.sophiashearth.org/teachers/summer

Waldorf Early Childhood Teacher Certification (ongoing)

June 23-July 11, 2025: In person, Keene, NH

https://www.sophiashearth.org/teachers/certificates

Center for Anthroposophy: Renewal Summer Course

Jun. 29-Jul. 4, 2025: In-Person

Jul. 7-11, 2025 Online

https://centerforanthroposophy.org/programs/renewal-courses/

Great Lakes Waldorf Institute: High School Summer Professional Development

Jun. 30-Jul. 3, 2025: Online

Jul. 7-11, 2025: In-Person, Milwaukee, WI

https://www.greatlakeswaldorf.org/high-school

Kairos Institute: Healing in a World of Need

Jul. 6-11, 2025: In-Person, Wilton, NH

bit.ly/Kairos2025te-emergency-pedagogy/

Journey School: Summer Renewal 2025- Art of Teaching

Jul. 7-11, 2025: In-Person, Aliso Viejo, CA

rsvpartofteaching2.pdf

Leading with Spirit: The Art of Administration

Jul. 7-11, 2025: Online

Jul. 13-18, 2025: In-Person, Whidbey Island, WA

Jul. 20-25, 2025: In-Person, Freeport, ME

https://www.leadingwithspirit.org/art-of-administration-leadership-training

Alliance for Public Waldorf Education: Virtual Summer Professional Development

Week #1 Jul. 9-11, 2025: Online

Week #2 Jul. 14-18, 2025: Online

https://www.publicwaldorf.org/alliance-professional-development

Antioch University Waldorf Teacher Education

Jul. 12-27, 2025: In-Person, Wilton, NH

https://www.antioch.edu/academics/education/waldorf-education-med/

Waldorf Handwork Educators: Online International Conference- Deep Roots, Strong Branches: Child Development, Classroom Leadership, and Collaboration in Waldorf Special Subjects

Jul. 14-17, 2025: Online

https://www.waldorfhandwork.org/july-2025-conference

Center for Anthroposophy: Waldorf High School Teacher Education Program

Class of 2027 enrolls this summer, Jul. 2025. Online & In-Person

https://centerforanthroposophy.org/programs/waldorf-high-school-teacher-education/whistep/

Waldorf Handwork Educators: 2-Year Online International Handwork Teacher Development Program

Aug. 2, 2025, Online (Applications open May 1, 2025)

https://www.waldorfhandwork.org/teacher-development

North America Youth Section: The Light Between: Questions, Craft, Community

Aug 6-10, 2025: In-Person, Hawthorne Valley Farm, NY

https://www.nayouthsection.org/about-the-conference

New Adult Learning Institute: Grounded in Practice: A New Waldorf Foundation Year