What You Didn't Learn in Teacher Training

As every experienced Waldorf teacher knows, teacher training can never cover everything one needs to know about dealing with students in the classroom. Eugene Schwartz, a former teacher with three decades of Waldorf classroom experience, brings more guiding words of wisdom, following the popularity of his Waldorf Teacher's Survival Guide, based on a series of "conversations" between his mentor, the experienced Waldorf teacher Nelly Ann Damen, and Ken Rosen, a teacher, taking on a class for the first time. As those who know her can attest, Nelly always has more to say, whether in word or in print, and, for the last three years, she has been actively jotting down her random thoughts, and has decided to share them.

To buck up the flagging teacher and provide "insider's views" to parents, during the school year 1989 to '90, Schwartz had the opportunity to visit numerous Waldorf schools in North America and Hawaii. He had hundreds of conversations with Waldorf teachers of every grade, from untrained beginners to seasoned veterans. This book distills some of those visits and conversations.

What You Didn't Learn in Teacher Training will be helpful to many Waldorf teachers—as well as homeschoolers and parents new to Waldorf education—who sometimes struggle with the numerous unanticipated issues that arise when working with students.