Strengthening a Gem of Waldorf Education: World Language Programs

World languages are vital to fulfilling the mission of Waldorf education: to educate children to reach their full potential as human beings who have the capacity to freely choose empathy and peace.

By design, Waldorf schools offer two world languages starting in Grade One. This fundamental part of the curriculum is instrumental in developing the flexibility of thinking and feeling necessary for truly empathetic communication.

Including the local tongue (at Cedarwood, this is typically English), these three languages create a flexibility of mind that supports the student’s ability to think and feel in different contexts.

On this continent, and particularly in this country, it is often difficult to build and sustain strong, effective world language programs in Waldorf schools.

Even though it is key to the curriculum and mission, some schools struggle to fund full time positions, as well as the training and professional development necessary to support two world language teachers. The result is that these schools offer only one world language, perhaps only part time.

The idea that learning languages is somehow non-essential and that all time should be spent on “core curriculum” (a notion held in mainstream education) can bleed into the programming and funding choices made by Waldorf schools.

Many programs are not fully supported — or might even be cut — due to a high rate of turn-over in world language teachers. This lack of retention stems from an interlocking set of circumstances. School initiatives often begin with one very part time language program, perhaps taught by a parent or community volunteer. They might wait and see if the program is successful before investing further.

Sometimes the teacher is not trained in language teaching or Waldorf pedagogy, and paid very little. Often, they are are not welcomed into the faculty due to a lack of understanding and valuing of the subject, dogmatic “I know and you don’t” attitudes, or a lack of understanding of cultural differences.

In the end, these courageous teachers can feel so isolated and unsupported that they are unable to stay with the program long enough to strengthen it and advocate for more support from the school. I have heard several Waldorf administrators say, “We haven’t budgeted for full time language teachers because they don’t seem to stick around.” In those circumstances, would you?

All of this is just to get the first world language program going!

In an ideal world, Waldorf schools would plan at the outset for two full time world language teacher positions, with sufficient funds for mentoring, training, and professional development.

Here is what we can do in the meantime:

Empower world language teachers themselves to build engaging, efficient, and sustainable programs so they can advocate for increased programming and funding based on their strong outcomes.

This can be done by offering accessible mentoring, professional development, encouragement, ideas, and inspiration to all world language teachers in Waldorf schools.

I was fortunate to be supported at Cedarwood Waldorf School in my development as a world language teacher. In my time there, I attended and graduated from the Foreign Language Teacher Training at Rudolf Steiner College. I have learned so much in my 20 years as a world language teacher; from master teachers and mentors, from my students, and from my own study of Anthroposophy and language teaching methods.

In 2010, I felt it was time to pass on some of what I had learned and to offer practical tools and support to other language teachers in Waldorf schools.

Each February, the World Language Teachers Conference has been a haven for learning and a community for teachers. We’ve offered workshops on topics like:

• Anthroposophical underpinnings of Waldorf education

• Developmental stages of the child

• Waldorf world language curriculum

• Age-appropriate class content

• Planning and organization

• Artistic development for the teacher

• Proficiency-based language teaching

• Staying in the target language

• Movement and song in language class

• Teacher health (meditation, movement, balance)

• Collegiality

• Advocacy

Teachers have come away with knowledge and skills that give them the confidence and strength to continue this important work in Waldorf education, and to advocate for having two fully supported world language programs at their schools.

This year’s World Language Teachers Conference will be held February 17-19 at Cedarwood Waldorf School.

One group of teachers will continue their studies in Japanese with Chiaki Uchiyama and another group of teachers of all languages will work with me to integrate Waldorf language teaching methods with current best practices.

In an effort to provide easier access to mentoring and professional development to teachers all over the continent, I will be launching a website that will offer online workshops, mentoring, sample lesson content, and forums for teachers to connect with their peers. Look for World Language Teacher Workshop online soon!

It is my continued mission to empower world language teachers in Waldorf schools to build engaging, efficient, and sustainable programs. When schools fully fund these teachers’ work, the teachers can remain with the school, establishing strong programs that are vital to the greater mission of fostering the development of free human beings capable of empathy, compassion, and peace.

Michelle Jarvis initiated the Spanish program at Cedarwood in 1998. Since then she has fostered the growth of the program and the school, serving in many roles including faculty chair and board trustee. Michelle graduated from the Foreign Language Teacher Training at Rudolf Steiner College and now trains other world language teachers. Michelle grew up in Portland and, after living abroad, returned to raise her two daughters who are Cedarwood alumni. She shares her love of language and dance with the students in grades 1-8, and looks forward to greeting many more in the years to come.