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Dear Colleagues,
We regathered, we talked, we shared, we learned, we sang and we moved - together! Our annual conference was a wonderful event, thanks to the hard work, expertise, and goodwill of so many. After a long gap (this was our first time together since January 2019!), it truly felt as if we were reconnecting, knitting together our individual paths to form a more cohesive, supportive whole. This was undoubtedly the case for those of us fortunate enough to gather at Golden Valley Charter School and, less directly, for those who participated in our parallel, virtual conference. We had a number of people attending who had never been to an Alliance conference before because their schools did not yet exist in 2019! We were delighted to welcome folks from our two newest schools, Shade Canyon (CA) and Constellation (FL), and from two schools in formation, Under the Canopy (OK) and Red Granite (WI). We trust that, with over 180 registered for the in-person conference and another 100 for the virtual option, ripples will spread out across all of our schools to enrich our collective work.
To best address the needs of each one of our schools, this was designed as a practitioners’ conference, by and for those of us working in Public Waldorf today. Our themes of founding, curriculum alignment, student support, and deepening, plus arts and movement, resonated broadly.
Many people traveled considerable distances to be there - with travel and weather conditions that were not kind! We had many colleagues from Northern and Southern California, but also from Oregon, Colorado, Utah, Alaska, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and Florida! We added to our roster of states with our virtual conference, demonstrating the growing spread of Public Waldorf education. We were so sorry that a group from Birchtree Charter School in Alaska had to cut their time short due to a canceled and rescheduled return flight - that was so unfortunate. We didn't even manage to provide you with sunshine and warm weather while you were here!
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Giving Thanks
Thanks are due to everyone who touched this conference: there is a danger in singling individuals or groups out as we are almost certain to miss folks, yet several merit a special mention. Many thanks to our hosts, Golden Valley Charter schools. We were very well taken care of and were never hungry! Thanks in particular to their tireless principal Ryan Sutton, Director Caleb Buckley, his assistant Amala Easton, and her team, and to teachers and staff who ensured classrooms were ready with wonderful displays of student work and chalkboard art. Thanks to our group of founders who set the stage on Friday evening with a discussion of our early years and what was at stake when this work began. Thanks to the representatives from nine schools who took to the stage in panels to share aspects of how they implement aspects of our Core Principles. Many commented in their evaluations that it was very valuable and reassuring to have these “real time” pictures of schools. Thanks to our workshop presenters for the rich array of workshops in curriculum, student support, deepening, arts, and movement and to our online discussion group hosts who provided a forum for virtual participants. Thanks to Michele Conyers who led us through singing and movement (and kindly sent out a follow-up video for those of us who struggled with coordination during the movement!). Thanks to our Conference Planning Committee, Caleb Buckley, Hellene Brodsky, Carly Fedor, Delana Hill, Chamomile Nusz, Rainbow Rosenbloom, and Mary Ruud. All those hours of meetings were well worth it! Thanks to our sponsors, Mercurius - see below for next steps in their sponsorship. Special thanks to Chamomile Nusz as she comes to the end of her work with the Alliance. It was wonderful to be able to thank her and honor everything she has contributed in person.
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Looking Ahead
If you attended the conference and haven’t yet submitted an evaluation, we encourage you to do so. Your feedback is really important as we review the conference and begin to plan for 2025. The evaluation form also invites your thoughts on themes you would like to see us take up. If you didn’t attend the conference but have ideas on themes, please feel invited to email them to us! (president@allianceforpublicwaldorfeducation.org)
The “hosting baton” was passed at the conclusion of the conference, from Golden Valley Charter to Ocean Charter in Los Angeles. In keeping with our goal of increasing access, we intend to move the conference location each year. Planning for the next conference is beginning as we review this year - there will be more details to come!
Many aspects of student support, along with reading instruction and literacy, emerged as topics of widespread interest. We will follow up on these in the Spring.
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Mini-Grants
With thanks to support from Mercurius, we will be reinstituting our popular mini-grants connected to our conference themes. More details will come soon, with applications due in Spring. A mini-grant provides seed money to a school for a project; this year, we will ask that project proposals address either curriculum alignment, student support, or deepening and strengthening our work. One grant will be awarded in each of these areas; recipients will report on their project at next year’s conference. It is amazing what a small infusion of funds can do to spark a project. School administrators, watch for details in the next couple of weeks!
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Contemplating the Lotus Flower
With thanks to Karina Haedo, a participant in our Sunday morning panel, I have been reflecting on the lotus flower as an apt metaphor for our work. Karina reminded us that the beautiful lotus blossom needs strong roots and will wither if we cut it off from those roots. Our strong roots are the foundations of Waldorf education and its unique, comprehensive view of the developing human being, embodied in our Core Principles. We recalled that the lotus can thrive in murky water and that it has the capacity to transform that water. In education right now, we can certainly argue that the “water” around schools is murky and often lacking transparency. The lotus flower comes in many varieties, adapted to different locations and conditions, just like our schools - recognizable as a lotus, yet infinite in their variety.
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This is such an accessible, vivid image of our work on behalf of our students and their futures. May we continue to connect strongly to our roots so our many beautiful blossoms can flourish.
In gratitude,
Liz Beaven
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Professional Development and Teacher Preparation | |
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Upcoming Learning Opportunities
Appreciating the World, the Earth, and All People: Deepening Our Relationship with the Six Nations' Thanksgiving Address
Jan. 24, online
https://waldorfearlychildhood.org/news-and-events/
BACWTT Visiting Day
Jan. 24, 2024, online & Jan. 27, 2024 in person (El Sobrante, CA)
https://mailchi.mp/bacwtt/bacwtt-visiting-day-6lla4dwbmx-4054585?e=55618f3ad9
Starlight Rays in Darkened Times: Seminars on Contemporary Topics for Waldorf High School Teachers
Jan. 27, Feb. 10 & 24, online
https://centerforanthroposophy.org/starlight/
Members of the Pedagogical Section Council of North America are offering a series of online workshops
2024, online
February 3, 2024: The Social Imperative of Authentic Conversation - Holly Koteen-Soule
March 2, 2024: Positive Discipline - Vernon Dewey
April 6, 2024: Collaborative Leadership - Michael Holdredge
https://www.cognitoforms.com/WaldorfTeacherInstitute1/PSCFreeOnlineWorkshops202324
2024 WECAN Early Childhood Educators Conference
February 9-11, 2024, Spring Valley, NY
Online Conference opens on February 23, 2024
https://waldorfearlychildhood.org/news-and-events/conferences/
Center for Biography and Social Art
Feb. 18, 2024, online -Giving Away Your Power
March 10, 2024, online- Rudolf Steiner and the Experience of Spiritual Community
https://www.biographysocialart.org/public-online-workshops
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Future Professional Development and Teacher Education
Sunbridge’s Summer Series
June and July 2024, online
June 23-28 in person- Chestnut Ridge, NY
https://www.sunbridge.edu/courses-workshops/summer-series/
Antioch University Waldorf Teacher Education
2024 Entering Cohort
Minimal Online Hours June 24-28
Residency in Wilton, NH July 13-28
https://www.antioch.edu/academics/education/waldorf-education-med/
Gradalis Teacher Training
New Cohort begins June 20th through July 12th, 2024, Denver, Colorado
https://gradalis.edu
Teaching as an Art Week: Grade Level Preparation for the working teacher
July 7th through 12th, 2024, Denver, Colorado
https://gradalis.edu
Understanding Waldorf Education (UWE) Program
September 2024-April 2025, Online
https://gradalis.edu
Gradalis Early Childhood Program Concentration
New Cohort begins June 20h through July 18th, 2024, Denver, Colorado
https://gradalis.edu
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For more information:
Liz Beaven, Executive Director
Carly Fedor, Administrative Assistant
Alliance for Public Waldorf Education
1000 River Rock Drive, Suite 218
Folsom, CA 95630
Public Waldorf is a service mark of the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America and is used pursuant to a license.
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