A brief history of Waldorf Education
From small, but inspired beginnings arose a school of distinction in the heart of Bryanston.
Michael Mount Waldorf School is based on a century-old educational philosophy proven so successful that it has become one of the fastest-growing educational systems in the world.
Rudolf Steiner was an Austrian scientist-philosopher who had articulated thought-provoking ideas on education in a series of public lectures and an influential 1907 essay titled ‘The Education of the Child’. The essay described the major phases of child development that formed the foundation of Steiner’s approach to education.
Creating certainty in uncertain times
In the aftermath of World War I, Germans suffered economic depression and a deep sense of despondence. Emil Molt – a German businessman, social reformer, anthroposophist and director of the Waldorf-Astoria Zigarettenfabrik in Stuttgart, Germany – invited Dr Steiner to lecture to the more than 1,000 employees of the factory.
The lectures at the Waldorf-Astoria Zigarettenfabrik in 1919 resulted in a request for Steiner to start a school at the factory. Steiner agreed to do so on four conditions: the school should be open to all children; it should be co-educational; be a unified twelve-year school; and the teachers who would be working directly with the children should take a leading role in the running of the school – with minimum influence from government or economic forces. Thus the first Waldorf school was born. It was designed to cultivate highly conscious and resourceful human beings who could create and live successful lives in the uncertain times that followed WWI.
In 1922, Steiner presented his ideas at Oxford. The conference, which was called for the purpose of exploring Steiner’s ideas on education, led to the founding of the first Waldorf schools in Britain. Many more schools based on his educational principles were founded in Europe during Steiner’s lifetime. His work was hailed “the greatest contribution to world peace and understanding of the century” by Willy Brandt – a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and the former Chancellor of West Germany.
At the forefront of education
Today there are more than 1,000 registered Waldorf schools, more than 2,000 Waldorf early childhood development facilities, more than 600 curative education facilities, and more than 60 Waldorf teacher training facilities spread across the globe. There are many more Waldorf-inspired programmes, as well as government and charter schools informed by Waldorf pedagogy.
South Africa is home to 15 registered Waldorf schools and one Waldorf teacher training facility in Cape Town. Michael Mount Waldorf School in Bryanston, Johannesburg, was established in 1960. The school houses an Early Childhood Centre, as well as Primary and High School – up to Matric. Michael Mount students write the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) National Senior Certificate examinations in Matric.
