Rudolf Steiner Centre Toronto facilitates cultural renewal. We offer workshops and trainings in Waldorf Teacher Education, Remedial Education, Foundation Studies in Anthroposophy, Biodynamic Agriculture and the Arts. Here research into the spiritual nature of the human being brings practical insights for work, play and community.
Waldorf Teacher Education
Foundation Studies in Anthroposophy
We offer internationally accredited programs for Waldorf teacher education. Focus on early childhood, grades, high school or specialty subjects. Click here for Waldorf Teacher Education
Above: view of the historic town of Kilkenny in Ireland, from a local tourist information display.
Recently our Director of Early Childhood Education, Jan Ney Patterson, attended a four-day conference in Kilkenny Ireland for leaders of Waldorf early childhood education programs. The 89 participants included representatives from Argentina,...
Above: view of the historic town of Kilkenny in Ireland, from a local tourist information display.
Recently our Director of Early Childhood Education, Jan Ney Patterson, attended a four-day conference in Kilkenny Ireland for leaders of Waldorf early childhood education programs. The 89 participants included representatives from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, Canada and the USA. This conference was the third and final in a series of colloquiums.
Lest Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot
During the conference, Jan was able to meet some of the people she had worked with at the earlier conference in Vienna. Jan also renewed her connection to Graham Kennish a colleague she knew from her time at Emerson College in the 1970s.
The theme for this conference was about the inner development of the educator. Who trains the trainer and how deeply do they drink from the well?
Working Together with Other Teachers Around the World
Florian Oswald, leader of the Pedagogical Section in Dornach was the keynote speaker. It was significant to have someone primarily related to the grade school focus working with the early childhood educators as the two areas need to work more closely together.
Florian admired how the International Association of Steiner/Waldorf Early Childhood Education (IASWECE) organization had established such high standards for the training of early childhood educators.
Every morning opened with the verse from Steiner’s mystery drama The Portal of Initiation setting the tone for the day.
"When many people join in conversation,
Their words present themselves before the soul
As if among them stood, mysteriously,
The Archetype of Man.
It shows itself diversified in many souls,
Just as pure light, the One,
Reveals itself within the rainbow’s arch
In many coloured hues."
WECAN photo above, from the Kilkenny colloquium, reprinted by permission. Other photos courtesy of Jan Patterson.
Ph.D. Equivalent for Early Childhood
A teacher educator must herself be a master of the subject she is teaching. How do we gain this kind of mastery? How do we do spiritual research? In the academic world, professors are expected to have a Ph.D. but what is the equivalent for early childhood? To stand before our students we must be actively working on our own inner development.
To deepen our relationship Florian stressed the significance of what has come to be called “the night work”. Connecting to one’s own angel is the first step. The second is for our own angels to connect to one another through the activity of the archangels. From one to another, they unite us with colleagues all over the world.
Above: view from Jan's bedroom, at the place she was staying, near Kilkenny Ireland.
Like Modern Monks - The "Night Community"
Florian called this activity “the night community”. We are like modern monks. But we only become a community when the space between us is filled with listening to the other. We need to hold back and become interested in what the other is saying.
We have two thresholds —sleeping and waking. In the night we digest the day. But in the day, we need to pay attention to what comes to us from the night. It’s a two-way process. Why is it that the person you need to talk to, suddenly show up? Or just the right thing happens. It is the angel sorting out your day. This is the morning call of “Michael.”
Here in Canada we are attracting students from all over the world. This year we have our largest, most mature, and most diverse group of part-time and full-time early childhood student teachers. Now more then ever, we need the support of the archangels to allow us to do our work.
Florian is adamant that to do this we need to get rid of limited pre-conceived ideas. As a result of this work, life can start to change as it does for example when a child starts to change during a focused child study.
Learnings from the Workshops
Jan was also able to attend three of the many workshops that were offered. One was about biography, looking at one’s own life as a treasure chest, a self-education process. Another workshop was in Psychosophy to develop skills to become your own counsellor and look at yourself more objectively. And the third one was on using art postcards to enliven our teaching.
Holly and Michael Soule lead a sharing workshop about how we prepare our students to meet the social dynamics in a Waldorf school and how to nurture social capacities in teachers.
Jan came away both enliven and with a stronger sense of the important role we play at the Rudolf Steiner Centre. Even though we are small in number, we still have the possibility of bringing a great light into the world, but in order to do this, we must first re-kindle our own light.
Jan Ney Patterson
Above: Jan walking by the river. Below: one of the colloquium sessions in progress.
The photo above is from the RSCT's end-of-the-school year Christmas festival, which was celebrated with faculty, volunteers, friends, and this year's full time Waldorf Professional Development students, on Friday December 14th.
At this festival, the Teacher Education students presented a puppet show of an indigenous story in...
The photo above is from the RSCT's end-of-the-school year Christmas festival, which was celebrated with faculty, volunteers, friends, and this year's full time Waldorf Professional Development students, on Friday December 14th.
At this festival, the Teacher Education students presented a puppet show of an indigenous story in which one of the characters was a little bird. The students also made little birds out of white wool and gave one to each person who attended the festival. Many of the people in the photo are holding up the little white birds they were given.
Remembering the Wider Community
This is a time of year when we want to remember all those people who have connected, or will connect, with impulse of Waldorf education and anthroposophy and with the work of the Rudolf Steiner Center Toronto.
If you are one of those who has already made the connection, we would like to thank you for your participation and interest in sharing with us the task of helping people discover and learn more about Waldorf and anthroposophy through programs and events that the RSCT offers. And if you are one of those who will be connecting with this work in the future, please don't wait too long to get in touch.
Dec. 17 - Third Festival of Light at Toronto Waldorf School, 8:30 am
Dec. 19 - Oberufer Shepherd’s Play – Join the TWS faculty, staff, students, and members of the community for a performance of this traditional medieval shepherd’s play in the Toronto Waldorf School forum. Admission is by donation.
Dec. 21 - Fourth Festival of Light at Toronto Waldorf School, 8:30 am
Dec. 22 - Last Village Market Saturday of 2018
Dec. 29 - Village Market closed for one Saturday.
Jan. 5 - Village Market re-opens for 2019
Jan. 15 - Local members of the Anthroposophical Society are invited to meet on Tuesday January 15th, 7 pm in the Foundation Room at Hesperus to join an initiative group working together towards forming a new members group in the Thornhill area. For more info: rchomko@gmail.com
Feb. 1 - Registration begins for Foundation Studies in Anthroposophy, and Professional Development for Waldorf Teachers (both full-time and part-time). All of the above programs start in Sept. 2019. Foundation Studies will be offered both on Wednesday mornings (for parents) and Saturday mornings, at the RSCT in Thornhill. There may also be Foundation Studies programs in downtown Toronto, in Guelph and in Halton. Registration also begins in February for the RSCT’s Summer Festival of Arts and Education July 8 to 27. Contact: info@rsct.ca • 905-764-7570 • rsct.ca
Feb. 12, 19, 26, March 5 - Dr. Kenneth McAlister will give a course titled “Enlivening Our Concepts with Experiential Exploration” in the Foundation Room at Hesperus East. Sponsored by the Anthroposophical Society in Canada. See details on poster below.
The RSCT's Waldorf Childcare Enterprise Director, Karen Weyler, has been hard at work, getting ready for the opening of the first "Star Seedlings Family and Child Care Centre" in Guelph in the spring of 2019. The house which the new centre will inhabit, has been previously used as a childcare centre, which should...
The RSCT's Waldorf Childcare Enterprise Director, Karen Weyler, has been hard at work, getting ready for the opening of the first "Star Seedlings Family and Child Care Centre" in Guelph in the spring of 2019. The house which the new centre will inhabit, has been previously used as a childcare centre, which should simplify compliance and approvals.
However, as you can see from the interior photos above, it's going to need some loving work to make it into a "Waldorf" childcare centre. Karen has sent the following list of things that are needed to get the new centre up and running for the spring of 2019.
If you have any of these items and you're willing to donate them to the Star Seedlings, please contact Karen directly at karen.weyler@yahoo.com
Donations & gifts for four rooms needed & gratefully accepted:
Heavy duty washer and dryer
Fridge
Indoor plants
Wool Carpets and any area rugs of all sizes, plain/solid colour preferred
Love seats and cushions
Window blinds of various sizes
Fabric!
Wooden hand rail for stairs
Bookshelves of all shapes and sizes, wooden for rooms but also metal for storage
Tables, of all shapes and sizes
Chests of drawers
Lamps
TOYS - traditional hand made Waldorf toys, blocks, dolls, play stands, play kitchens.......
Natural materials - shells, pinecones, acorns/chestnuts, etc.
Wooden stumps, dry branches and wooden discs
Wool blankets - preferably solid colour
Baskets
Brooms and dustpans
Vacuum cleaner and industrial mop
Candle holders and lanterns
Picture frames
3-ring binders
Printer and office desk
Household kitchen cooking materials such as bowls, measuring cups and mixing
spoons, baking dishes eg. Muffin tins
Tool box with screwdriver, hammer, pliers, selection of screws and nails etc.
Gardening tools
Snow shovels
Once again, if you have any of these items and you're willing to donate them to the new Star Seedlings Family and Childcare Centre, please contact Karen directly at karen.weyler@yahoo.com Thank you!
Photo above: Faculty and friends with this year's full-time Waldorf Teacher Professional Development students at the RSCT's Michaelmas festival on September 28th, 2018.
Dear Friends of the Rudolf Steiner Centre,
We have wonderful news to deliver!
We have successfully turned the challenges of the last two years into a renewal...
Photo above: Faculty and friends with this year's full-time Waldorf Teacher Professional Development students at the RSCT's Michaelmas festival on September 28th, 2018.
Dear Friends of the Rudolf Steiner Centre,
We have wonderful news to deliver!
We have successfully turned the challenges of the last two years into a renewal of the Rudolf Steiner Centre. We listened closely to extensive input from 50 members of the community in a visioning meeting, interviewed past and present students, and our committed board engaged in several extensive retreats. As a result, the Rudolf Steiner Centre is moving into the future with new confidence and purpose.
From this comprehensive review we have developed a strong, three-year strategic plan for our future which can be viewed through this link.
The results of these efforts have already begun to bear fruit. Our programs are attracting increased interest both nationally and internationally, while we are also developing an exciting partnership with the Canadian Indigenous community.
None of this would have been possible without your steadfast support. We thank you!
We continue our efforts to become an accredited Private Career College so that we will be able to accept more applicants into our Waldorf teacher education programs and build a platform for future vocational training initiatives.
To do this requires concerted effort and expenditure. As we continue to expand our programs, we ask you to give generously to fund this and our future work as we continue to develop the transformative resources of anthroposophy.
To make a donation:
Please go to the Canada Helps “Giving” button on RSCT’s website home page – you will receive a tax receipt immediately: https://www.rsct.ca/
Or visit our website’s “Giving” page to send a cheque.
Warmly,
James Brian, Executive Director
Jan Ney Patterson, Director of Early Childhood Education
Robert McKay, Chair of the Board of Directors
RSCT 2018 Successes
June
• The Early Childhood Education part-time program is at full capacity of 17 for the first time. The 2018-2020 cohort is a remarkably diverse and mature group. The Birth-to-Three program was developed by Jan Patterson, our director of Early Childhood Education, to meet the needs of childcare educators seeking what Waldorf education can offer in caring for the youngest and most vulnerable of our children.
July
• The Summer Festival was a great success with over 150 participants. Full-day grade intensives were offered and received positive feedback from teachers and students.
• Nine participants graduated from the Teacher Education part-time program who are now teaching at schools across Canada and in the United States. Currently there are 16 students in years 1 and 2.
• RSCT sponsored an intensive four-week Foundation Studies course in Hanoi, Vietnam, with 35 graduates.
August
• Foundation Studies Encounter, under the leadership of Elyse Pomeranz and Les Black, saw the graduation of 12 Indigenous participants. This course was held at the Everlasting Tree School on the Six Nations of the Grand River Reserve.
September
• Two courses in Foundation Studies Encounter are being offered at RSCT in Thornhill: Saturday mornings and Wednesday mornings for Toronto Waldorf School parents, both under the leadership of Paul Hodgkins.
• A new course in Foundation Studies Encounter has started Monday evenings in Guelph at the Trillium Waldorf School under the leadership of George Ivanoff.
• RSCT was accepted last November as a Designated Learning Institute by Immigration Canada and currently has students from Korea, China and Mexico in the full-time Teacher Education program.
• To attract more Canadians and thus provide more teachers for Canadian schools, the Centre is now applying to become a private career college. We hope to be able to accept students starting in September, 2019.
November
• The Waldorf Development Conference, with the theme Working with Indigenous Cultural Material in the Waldorf School Setting, attracted 110 participants from Canada and the United States.
December
• We welcomed the return of Professor Fred Amrine for a well attended Sunday Afternoon at the Rudolf Steiner Centre.
• In the new year, RSCT will be opening a childcare centre in Guelph called the Star Seedlings Family and Childcare Centre. This will be under the leadership of Karen Weyler, our National Director of Childcare.In Memory of Gene Campbell
In Memory of Gene Campbell
Gene Campbell, the founder of the Foundation Studies Distance program, passed away this summer from cancer. She remained encouraging and dedicated to RSCT and played a big part in helping us implementing our new vision. A moving gathering in tribute to her memory was held at the Rudolf Steiner Centre in September.
We thank and acknowledge Gene Campbell for her dedicated role in helping RSCT expand our understanding of what is possible.
We send her on her journey:
May my love be the sheaths
That now surround you-
Cooling all warmth,
Warming all coldness-
Interwoven with sacrifice!
Live, borne by love-
Light endowed- upward!
Rudolf Steiner
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Lest Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot
We have two thresholds —sleeping and waking. In the night we digest the day. But in the day, we need to pay attention to what comes to us from the night. It’s a two-way process. Why is it that the person you need to talk to, suddenly show up? Or just the right thing happens. It is the angel sorting out your day. This is the morning call of “Michael.” 
