Should I become a Waldorf teacher?

LifeSchools

Mar 26

Written By

Every Waldorf teacher has a story about arriving at her chosen profession. For many of us, our first encounters with Waldorf Education were filled with memorable impressions that hinted at a lifelong relationship.

For me, it was the spring of my final year of college. My oldest son was 2 and I was considering my next steps after graduation at the same time that I was looking for a preschool for my son. My soon-to-be husband, son and I took a day trip into the city to attend the information evening that the Waldorf teacher training was hosting.

This was the first time I had set foot in a Waldorf classroom and I was blown away. I'll never forget -- the kindergarten teachers were preparing for easter and there was a giant bowl full of carefully blown eggs for the children to dye the next day. The lights were warm and subtle and the room smelled like beeswax. I felt like I never wanted to leave.

And then, on my way out, I tripped down the four concrete steps leading up to the classroom, with my 2 year old on my hip. I gracefully landed him on his feet and quickly stood up, blushing away concerned onlookers.

A memorable moment, indeed.

In the years since, I have consulted with many aspiring young teachers. Questions about teacher training institutions land in my email inbox almost daily. There's a lot to consider, so it's high time I put together a post.

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What makes a good Waldorf teacher?

The first question you may ask yourself is if Waldorf teaching is suited to your temperament. What kinds of interests, personalities and qualities are nurtured and encouraged in Waldorf teaching? The best way for me to think about it is to summarize the things I love about being a Waldorf teacher.

I love that I get to be creative.

I absolutely love that my job requires that I sing, draw, write, tell stories and create every day. Who knew that those 3rd grade piano lessons would result in a skill that I rely on every day in my career. And that creativity is encouraged by 28 other individuals who are also singing, drawing, writing, telling stories and creating every day. I honestly can't think of a more inspiring environment.

I love that I get to learn new things.

Through Waldorf teaching, I've filled the enormous gaps that existed in my own education. The stream of Western history? Not taught in the Los Angeles public schools of my youth. I've become an authority on Norse Mythology (my grown Waldorf-education children and I kill it when that category comes up on Jeopardy.) But I've even learned about topics I never would have pursued on my own. Mineralogy, Physics, Chemistry are all subjects that I've explored and grown to love.

But learning how children learn has been the most interesting facet of my work. I love watching lightbulbs go on in my students' eyes and figuring out the best way to extend their learning.

I love that I have the freedom to observe my students and use my expertise to respond to their needs.

Though it was long-ordained that I would be a teacher (from a young age I presented lessons to my imaginary friend Martha -- she was a very well-mannered student), freedom is the reason I am so glad I am a Waldorf teacher. My Waldorf training taught me how to observe children and understand how they fit into the stream of child development. Then my training and experience taught me how to meet each stage of child development.

In a world where teachers' expertise is trusted less and legislators' requirements are followed more, I'm glad to be part of a movement that prioritizes the teacher's connection with her students. Waldorf schools understand that no one knows better how to further a child's development than a teacher who knows and loves him.

There are plenty of other things I love about being a Waldorf teacher, but these are the big three. As you might guess, though, it's not all rosy. Let's dive into some of the cons.

Low pay
Long hours
Little administrative support
Running the school, in addition to teaching
Physical demands
Few benefits (like retirement, PTO, good healthcare, stock options)

I continue to teach, so clearly the pros are winning. How do these pros and cons measure up to your work preferences? The answer could help you know if Waldorf teaching is right for you.

Many of the potential Waldorf teachers who reach out to me are already teaching in another environment. If this is you, you already know that you enjoy spending your days with children and you probably already deal with many of the cons. You're well on your way to becoming a Waldorf teacher.

How do you become a Waldorf teacher?

I get so many questions about the different Waldorf teacher training institutions. It seems that a lot of my readers are totally sold on becoming Waldorf teachers and are on to figuring out how to make it happen. You want to know about the different institutions and I've got some resources for that later in this post, but here are some of the questions I've seen from potential Waldorf teachers.

Q: Do I need Waldorf training to teach at a Waldorf school?

A: This is by far the biggest question I get asked. The short answer is no. In the US, at least, there is no governing agency requiring that teachers at private Waldorf schools have Waldorf training. There are a few good reasons why you should get trained though (I mean, in addition to feeling more confident and capable in your work.)

WECAN -- The Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America requires that member schools hire Waldorf trained teachers. If you are an early childhood teacher, this will likely impact your job search.

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Charter Schools -- These public Waldorf schools usually require that teachers have a traditional state credential. They usually do not require that teachers have Waldorf certification.

More job options -- For a long time there was a serious shortage of trained Waldorf teachers. During those years, lots of teachers without training were hired and had long and successful careers. These days, though some schools scramble to find qualified teachers, the more established schools have a fairly healthy pool of qualified, trained, experienced candidates. The short answer -- If you're looking to teach at a pioneering school, you could probably get hired without the training. If you hope to teach at a more established school, you'll need to get trained.

Respect -- As a trained and experienced Waldorf teacher myself, I strongly encourage you to get your Waldorf training to help bring greater respect to our profession. Waldorf teaching isn't something you just happen to fall into. It is a meaningful career that requires preparation and intention.

Q: How long does Waldorf teacher training take? Is there an online option?

A: There are lots of different kinds of trainings out there that require different time commitments. You can find out more about each of these on the AWSNA teacher training page, but here's my brief summary.

Full-time -- For awhile, attending full time was the only option. A full-time program meets 4 or 5 days/week, during the school day, for about 2 years. There are still some full-time programs out there, but they're not as popular as they once were.

A slightly less intense structure arranges classes on weekends for 3 years, with intensive weeks in the summer. Both of these types of programs require that you live within driving distance.

Low-residency -- It seems like most programs follow this structure these days. They require 4 weeks of intensive during the summer, 1 week in the fall and 1 week in the spring. Generally, these are 3 year programs.

Online -- I believe there is an online Waldorf teacher training institution, though I don't know much about it. Generally, online learning has not been offered for Waldorf teacher training.

As an example, I attended a weekend, 3-year program when my children were little. I completed two years in one program, took a break to move and have another child, then finished in a different program. The new program accepted the coursework I had done in the first program. I started out on the Early Childhood track but switched to the Grades track when I switched programs. I found it manageable to be a full-time mother at home with young children while attending the training.

Q: Where are the Waldorf teacher training institutions?

A: There are several Waldorf teacher training institutions across the United States, Canada and Mexico. They tend to be on the West Coast and in the Northeast.

Q: Can I attend a Waldorf training while teaching?

A: Generally you can attend a teacher training while working full-time in the classroom. All of the institutions have requirements for practicum hours, which will have to be arranged differently if you are already working full-time. Many teachers have found the training to really support the work they are doing in the classroom.

Q: How much does training cost? Are federal student loan funds available?

This may have changed in recent years, but as far as I know, federal student loan funds are not available for Waldorf teacher training. I did hear that some institutions were pursuing dual degree certification, which would provide the recipient with a bachelor's degree, as well as Waldorf certification. One of the benefits of this dual certification is that it would allow students to tap into federal funds.

Paying for teacher training is definitely a challenge, but there are some partial scholarship options available through AWSNA. Costs vary but you can expect to spend about $17,000 for a two-year, low-residential program.

I had to get pretty creative with paying for my training. In fact, when I first enrolled, I was uncertain about whether I wanted to pursue Waldorf teacher training and I had also enrolled in a traditional Master's program. I ended up using the financial aid I had received for the Master's program to pay for the first year of my Waldorf training and withdrew from the Master's program after a few weeks. Pretty tricky, I know.

Q: What ages will I be certified to teach?

A: Most trainings break down into two tracks -- grades and early childhood. EC covers under age 7. Grades covers ages 7-14.

Q: Do I need to have a bachelor's degree?

A: This depends on the job you hope to get, but most schools require that grades teachers have a bachelor's degree.

Waldorf and Continuing Education

Because grades teachers teach a different grade each year as we follow the class up through the grades, there are lots of options for summer trainings to prepare for the coming school year.

Most of the training institutions offer "Art of Teaching" courses that go through the entire year's curriculum in a week-long course. These are highly recommended if you're teaching a grade you've never taught before.

Fledgling schools may not have the funds to send teachers to these courses, but most make an effort. This is why it is a really good idea to ask about professional development support when you get hired for a position.

Generally, there are no formal requirements for continuing education hours. Some early childhood programs are certified through the state, though, and those teachers are required to do additional credit hours to maintain state certification.

The need for constant continuing education is one reason why Waldorf teachers are such good researchers who make excellent use of resources. Many teachers (including myself) have committed to sharing resources with up and coming teachers. You can find many of my resources on this site.

Waldorf Teacher Training Resources

Training Institutes

I do not have experience with all of the training institutions, so I can't comment on them, but the list below is a selection of the trainings I hear the most about in my interactions with other Waldorf teachers.