r/Waldorf•
xVeni_Vidi_V1C1

Help! Teaching demonstration next week and new to Waldorf pedagogy.

Hi all! So, the local Waldorf school in my area (of the United States) has had to make a somewhat last minute appointment for a German teacher. And well, here I am with an MA in Germanic Studies and thought, what the hay, I'll throw my hat in the ring. Lo and behold, I had a successful phone interview and now have been asked in for a teaching demonstration on their first full day of classes next week. I have been reading, watching, and absorbing everything I can about Waldorf pedagogy, but I'd like to reach out to this community as well in hopes of getting some more advice.

Now, I'm not new to teaching, but most of my work has been in the conventional, "here's the syllabus, go teach" type of setting. Waldorf pedagogy seems on the one hand to be a magnificent opportunity to develop real communication and use authentic materials, but on the other hand the freedom is almost daunting.

I guess what I'm most curious about is: -What is your biggest advice for someone coming to give a teaching demo, who has never been inside a Waldorf school before? -What kind of professional decorum do Waldorf teachers follow? (E.g. I've seen some videos where teachers shake the hand of every student entering their classroom: is that common practice? Do students address teachers by first names or last names?) -If you could sum up 9th and 10th grade foreign language education in Waldorf pedagogy, what would you say about it?

Bonus points to anyone who also made the jump from public/university teaching to Waldorf schools!

Thank you all in advance for your help!

Posted Aug 17, 2017, 8:04 PM UTC

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