Spirit-led Education for a Spirit-led Life
A Course by colleagues of developing the self developing the world
jump to list of course authors
This course is focused on understanding the essential spiritual foundations that underlie a spirit-led education and a spirit-led life. Throughout childhood, these spiritual foundations may be given by parents, caregivers, the child's community, and teachers. Each member of the community contributes to the inner ground that allows the child to grow into an adult who connects deeply with the world surrounding them. This course engages with the understanding of the soul-spiritual development of the child as well as the practical and applicable lessons for working into important aspects of a spirit-led education for children with a focus on their primary years of schooling.
The course is written and supported by more than a dozen colleagues of Developing the Self Developing the World who are in living relationship to child development in their work as educators, health practitioners, farmers, parents and school leaders.
As education undergoes the shifts and changes of our current world situation, there is a call that can be heard by many. It is a call for a spirit-led education through which the truth of the human being can be given what is essential for their path. Through this course we will explore the essential ground that can give each child the best conditions for maintaining and unfolding the seeds that will lead them or allow them to find a relationship to their own unique spirit-led life in their adult years.
Each lesson will include a diary sheet to help you assess, support and guide a child or children in your care. The lessons will also allow you to assess the foundations in your own being, and to consider how to re-establish the ground from which a spirit-led life grows.
Lesson TOPICS include
Wonder, Positive Social Connection, and Virtue
The Inner Life of the Educator
The Art of Teaching
Child Development - Foundations for Healthy Adult Experience
Child Observation
The Spiritual Significance of the Curriculum
Renewing Festivals
Foundations for Inner Development
Lessons for deepening particular subjects and elements of the curriculum including: speech and drama, craft, painting, music, eurythmy, working with the natural world, and more.
Additional components support each lesson topic in the areas of:
Health & Wellbeing
Observations, Reflections and Insights from the Classroom
Cultivating Wholeness in the Curriculum
For the Educator: exercises and experiences for deepening the work of the educator
Supplementary Resources
LESSON PLAn
Each lesson includes the opportunity to work with the needs of a particular child or children through the diary sheet that you may submit to the course tutors, which will be presented in the form of a “child study”. The tutors will be able to respond to your individual questions for guiding and supporting the child/children you are focused upon. Through this process and supported through the course content, participants will build and strengthen the capacity to engage fully in child studies, which will help them to understand what is needed to support the educational needs of each child they meet. Exercises accompany each lesson that allow the participant to enter more deeply into the content while also engaging with their own questions and life circumstances.
Cost to enroll
Standard Enrollment (this course only) $450 AUD (~$320 USD)
This course includes
12 pdf lessons sent monthly via email across one year
2 years to submit lesson diary sheets and communicate with course contributors
Monthly online study group with course contributors
Short online practice sessions with course contributors on content such as Eurythmy and painting
List of Course Authors
Lyn Clifton is a Community Health Social Worker who combines her anthroposophic wholistic healthcare training to bring home healthcare simply and practically to the daily life of children, parents, carers and teachers. Full bio.
James Deefholts is a qualified primary school teacher with over 15 years experience, specialising in Rudolf Steiner Education. James has been a teacher educator at Sydney Rudolf Steiner College and is currently Co-Head and Primary School Director at Cape Byron Rudolf Steiner School. Full bio.
Melanie Deefholts has been supporting parents and teachers in various schools through adult education for the past 12 years. Melanie works as a facilitator of the Healthy Relationships with Self and Others: Social Understanding Gender and Sexuality Program for Developing the Self Developing the World in various Waldorf Schools. Full bio.
Kamala Hazell is a painting therapist with two decades of experience teaching craft to Class 1 - 7. She visits schools to support with care and renewal. Full bio.
Fiona Mackenzie has worked as an anthroposophic complementary health practitioner for 18 years. She facilitates pathways for others to deepen their experience of the living world and the wholeness of Nature. Full bio.
Séamus Maynard is an actor, writer, teaching artist and musician. He teaches the art of speech at Inner Work Path events and works in schools on behalf of Developing the Self Developing The World. Séamus also offers a number of classes and workshops for children, adults and young adults. He a primary author of the EduCareDo Speech and Drama as Living Arts subject course. Full bio.
Anthony Mecca has been farming for 19 years. He is currently the director of Farmer Training for the Biodynamic Association in the USA. Anthony is the primary author of the EduCareDo Biodynamic Agriculture & Nutrition subject course. He has also contributed to the Foundation Year Course. Full bio.
Marilyn Myres is a practising eurythmist specialising in health and therapeutic work. She provides one-on-one therapeutic eurythmy to children and to all ages in her private practice, as well as at Inner Work Path retreats, courses and the EduCareDo year-long courses. Marilyn is a director of EduCareDo and the sibling organisation Developing the Self Developing the World. Full bio.
Lisa Romero is an author of inner development books and courses, a complementary health practitioner and an adult educator who has been offering healthcare and education enriched with anthroposophy for 30 years. She teaches inner development and anthroposophical meditation, offering offers lectures, courses and retreats for personal and professional development through Inner Work Path . Full bio.
Louise Stewart applies anthroposophy to her active homeopathic and oil dispersion bath therapy practice in the northern rivers region of NSW. She also works alongside teachers and parents in schools, contributing to child studies and parent /teacher education in the areas of child development and healthcare in the light of anthroposophy. Full bio.
Robert Sutherland is a Steiner /Waldorf teacher, having worked in both Primary and Secondary Steiner education in various schools. Robert has developed many outdoor student experiences. Semi-retired from four decades of teaching and now consulting and assisting on camps in Nature for educators and others. Full bio.
Simone Weihermann is a qualified art teacher (BA Ed., BA Vis Arts), art therapist and has been a class teacher for several years. Simone is currently working therapeutically with children and adults and supporting Developing the Self Developing the World individual retreats at Myocum. Full bio.
Meaghan Witri is a teacher and facilitates the health and wellbeing programs on behalf of Developing the Self. Meaghan has worked with parents and families for over twenty years, including as an early childhood and parent-child educator and currently as the founder, lead teacher and mentor of a spirit-led education initiative for 1-4th grade homeschoolers. She is also the co-author of the EduCareDo subject course Speech and Drama as Living Arts. Full bio.
Primary course image at top of page courtesy of Laura Summer.