In recent years, a sense of being overburdened in one’s own work has
been increasing, also in the Waldorf kindergartens and early childhood
centers. As a result, work on the foundations of our education often gets
pushed to the sidelines. However, we know that it is just such activity that
provides the adult with the necessary strength to create a valuable and
helpful counterbalance to what comes towards us from outside.
The Whitsun conference offers time and space for the deepening of our
study of the human being. Last year we took as our basis the first lecture
in „Foundations of Human Experience“ (Study of Man) by Rudolf Steiner
(293 in the Collected Works). This year, our focus will be the second
lecture.
Particular aspects of the lecture will be illuminated in the morning talks
and can then be approached again and deepened through the artistic
workshops that follow. In the afternoons, there will be courses where we
can extend our understanding and capacities for practical work. Newly
introduced forums provide an opportunity for exchange and conversation
about individual experiences, questions, and concerns, and how the
themes of the morning can be made fruitful in our work with children.
Free initiatives such as folk dancing and reports are also possible at the
end of the lunch break.
From various surveys about past conferences it is clear that the length of
the conference often presents an obstacle to participation. For that
reason this year the conference will extend from Saturday morning
through Tuesday afternoon.
Because there will be a conference on the little child in Dornach in 2010 and
also an international conference in Brazil sponsored by the International
Association for Steiner/Waldorf Early Childhood Education (IASWECE), we
anticipate that there will be fewer participants and look forward more
intensive work together that a smaller circle makes possible.