Practical Course for Teachers
GA 294
6 September 1919, Stuttgart
Concluding Remarks
This ends the lectures of Rudolf Steiner on 5th September, 1919.
On the following day he sketched the teaching aims in the different subjects, at the different ages, in the different classes; he indicated the subjects which could be connected in practice.
In concluding this fortnight's work for teachers Rudolf Steiner made the following remarks:
“I should now like to bring these observations to a close by reminding you of what I should like you to take to heart: that is, to keep to four principles:
“Firstly that the teacher in general and in detail, in the general spiritualizing of his profession and in his manner of uttering individual words, of stating individual ideas, of creating every single feeling, reacts on his pupils. Remember that the teacher is a person of initiative, that he must never be slack; but must put his whole being into what he does in school, in his behaviour with the children. That is the first thing: The teacher must be an individual of initiative in general and in detail.
“The second is that as teachers we must take an interest in everything in the world and everything that concerns people and mankind. As teachers we must be interested in all worldly and all human matters. To keep ourselves aloof on any occasion from anything of possible interest to man—if we were to do this as teachers, it would be greatly to be deplored. We ought to be able to take an interest in the biggest and smallest matters that concern the individual child. That is the second thing: The teacher must be interested in every aspect of the world's life and human life.
“And the third thing is: The teacher must be an individual who never strikes a bargain with untruth. The teacher must be profoundly and inwardly true, he must never make a compromise with untruth, otherwise we should see falsehood coming into our teaching by many and devious channels, especially method. Our teaching will only bear the stamp of truth if we are ourselves unfailingly intent on aspiring to truth.
“And then something easier said than done, but which is also a golden rule for the teacher's work: The teacher must not dry up and not become soured; he must have an un-withered, fresh disposition of the soul. He must not get dry, and he must not get sour. To the very contrary is what the teacher must aspire.
“And I know that if you have absorbed properly into your souls the vision of the task which we have elucidated this last fortnight from the most various angles, what lies apparently far beyond your grasp will come very near to you in your teaching by this detour through the world of feeling and will. I have not said anything in this last fortnight which cannot be of direct practical use to your teaching if you allow it to ripen in your souls. But the Waldorf School will be dependent on your real inner response to the things which we have studied here together and to their activity in your soul.
“Remember the many things which I have tried to explain so that the human being should be understood, particularly the growing being, from a psychological point of view, and if you are at a loss how to introduce this or that point into your lessons, or at what juncture, you will always find inspiration from what has come up for discussion here, if you have remembered it sufficiently. Naturally a great many things ought to be repeated much oftener, but I have no desire to turn you into teaching machines, but into free, independent, individual teachers. It is in this sense that I have addressed you this last fortnight. The time, of course, has been so short that I have had to appeal to your generous, sympathetic participation.
“But you must think ever and again over the suggestions which have been made towards understanding man, and in particular the growing child. In all questions of method they will be useful to you.
“You see, when you and I look back on our thoughts during this last fortnight, however different our impulses have been, our thoughts have met. I myself—I can assure you—shall often look back. This Waldorf School weighs very heavily to-day on the hearts of the people concerned in initiating and organizing it. This Waldorf School must succeed. Much will depend on its success. Its success will furnish, as it were, a proof of much that we represent in spiritual development.
“If I may now say a few personal words in conclusion. I should like to say this: For me personally this Waldorf School will be a true child of care. My thoughts and cares will be continually returning to this Waldorf School. But if we realize the full gravity of our position we shall be able to work really well together. Let us be particularly faithful to the thought that fills our hearts and minds: that with the spiritual movement of the present day there are also united the spiritual powers of the living universe. If we trust in these good spiritual powers they will pervade our life and inspire it, and we shall find ourselves able to teach.”
Schlussworte
Heute möchte ich nun diese Betrachtungen schließen, indem ich Sie noch einmal auf das hinweise, was ich Ihnen gewissermaßen ans Herz legen möchte; das ist, daß Sie an vier Dinge sich halten:
Erstens daran, daß der Lehrer im großen und auch im einzelnen in der ganzen Durchgeistigung seines Berufes und in der Art, wie er das einzelne Wort spricht, den einzelnen Begriff, jede einzelne Empfindung entwickelt, auf seine Schüler wirkt. Denken Sie daran, daß der Lehrer ein Mann der Initiative sei, daß er niemals lässig werde, das heißt, nicht voll bei dem dabei sei, was er in der Schule tut, wie er sich den Kindern gegenüber benimmt. Das ist das erste: Der Lehrer sei ein Mensch der Initiative im großen und kleinen Ganzen.
Das zweite, meine lieben Freunde, ist, daß wir als Lehrer Interesse haben müssen für alles dasjenige, was in der Welt ist und was den Menschen angeht. Für alles Weltliche und für alles Menschliche müssen wir als Lehrer Interesse haben. Uns irgendwie abzuschließen von etwas, was für den Menschen interessant sein kann, das würde, wenn es beim Lehrer Platz griffe, höchst bedauerlich sein. Wir sollen uns für die großen und für die kleinsten Angelegenheiten der Menschheit interessieren. Wir sollen uns für die großen und für die kleinsten Angelegenheiten des einzelnen Kindes interessieren können. Das ist das zweite: Der Lehrer soll ein Mensch sein, der Interesse hat für alles weltliche und menschliche Sein.
Und das dritte ist: Der Lehrer soll ein Mensch sein, der in seinem Inneren nie ein Kompromiß schließt mit dem Unwahren. Der Lehrer muß ein tief innerlich wahrhaftiger Mensch sein, er darf nie Kompromisse schließen mit dem Unwahren, sonst würden wir sehen, wie durch viele Kanäle Unwahrhaftiges, besonders in der Methode, in unseren Unterricht hereinkommt. Unser Unterricht wird nur dann eine Ausprägung des Wahrhaftigen sein, wenn wir sorgfältig darauf bedacht sind, in uns selbst das Wahrhaftige anzustreben.
Und dann etwas, was leichter gesagt als bewirkt wird, was aber auch eine goldene Regel für den Lehrerberuf ist: Der Lehrer darf nicht verdorren und nicht versauern. Unverdorrte, frische Seelenstimmung! Nicht verdorren und nicht versauern! Das ist dasjenige, was der Lehrer anstreben muß.
Und ich weiß, wenn Sie das, was wir in diesen vierzehn Tagen von den verschiedensten Seiten her beleuchtet haben, richtig aufgenommen haben in Ihre Seelen, dann wird gerade auf dem Umweg durch die Empfindungs- und Willenswelt das scheinbar Fernliegende Ihnen sehr nahe kommen, indem Sie den Unterricht ausüben. Ich habe gerade in diesen vierzehn Tagen nichts anderes gesagt, als was im Unterricht unmittelbar dann praktisch werden kann, wenn Sie es in Ihren Seelen wirken lassen. Aber die Waldorfschule wird darauf angewiesen sein, daß Sie so in Ihrem eigenen Inneren verfahren, daß Sie wirklich die Dinge, die wir jetzt durchgenommen haben, in Ihren Seelen wirksam sein lassen.
Denken Sie an manches, was ich versucht habe klarzumachen, um ein Begreifen des Menschen, namentlich des werdenden Menschen, psychologisch herbeizuführen. Und wenn Sie nicht wissen, wie Sie das eine oder das andere im Unterricht vorzubringen haben oder wann und an welcher Stelle, dann wird Ihnen überall ein Gedanke kommen können über solche Einrichtungen des Unterrichts, wenn Sie sich an das richtig erinnern, was in diesen Tagen vorgekommen ist. Natürlich müßte vieles viele Male mehr gesagt werden, aber ich möchte ja aus Ihnen auch nicht lehrende Maschinen machen, sondern freie, selbständige Lehrpersonen. So ist auch dasjenige gehalten worden, was in den letzten vierzehn Tagen an Sie herangebracht worden ist. Die Zeit war ja so kurz, daß appelliert werden mußte im übrigen an Ihre hingebungsvolle, verständnisvolle Tätigkeit.
Denken Sie aber immer wiederum an das, was zum Verständnis des Menschen und namentlich des Kindes jetzt vorgebracht worden ist. Bei allen methodischen Fragen wird es Ihnen dienen können.
Sehen Sie, wenn Sie zurückdenken, dann werden sich schon bei den verschiedenen Impulsen dieser vierzehn Tage unsere Gedanken begegnen. Denn ich selbst, des kann ich Ihnen die Versicherung geben, werde zurückdenken. Denn es lastet diese Waldorfschule gar sehr heute wohl auf dem Gemüte derjenigen, die an ihrer Einleitung und Einrichtung beteiligt sind. Diese Waldorfschule muß gelingen! Daß sie gelinge, davon wird viel abhängen! Mit ihrem Gelingen wird für manches in der Geistesentwickelung, das wir vertreten müssen, eine Art Beweis erbracht sein.
Wenn ich persönlich jetzt am Schlusse mit ein paar Worten sprechen darf, möchte ich sagen: Für mich selbst wird diese Waldorfschule ein wahrhaftiges Sorgenkind sein. Und ich werde immer wieder und wiederum mit meinen Gedanken sorgend auf diese Waldorfschule zurückkommen müssen. Aber wir können, wenn wir den ganzen Ernst der Lage betrachten, wirklich gut zusammenarbeiten. Halten wir uns namentlich an den Gedanken, der ja unser Herz, unseren Sinn erfüllt: daß mit der geistigen Bewegung der Gegenwart doch ebensogut geistige Mächte des Weltenlaufes verbunden sind. Glauben wir an diese guten geistigen Mächte, dann werden sie inspirierend in unserem Dasein sein, und wir werden den Unterricht erteilen können.
Concluding Remarks
Today, I would like to conclude these reflections by once again pointing out what I would like to recommend to you, so to speak; that is, that you adhere to four things:
Firstly, that the teacher influences his students in the overall spirit of his profession and in the way he speaks each individual word, develops each individual concept, and expresses each individual feeling. Remember that the teacher should be a man of initiative, that he should never become lazy, that is, not fully engaged in what he does at school, in how he behaves toward the children. That is the first thing: the teacher should be a person of initiative in both the big and small things.
The second thing, my dear friends, is that as teachers we must be interested in everything that is in the world and concerns human beings. As teachers, we must be interested in everything worldly and everything human. To shut ourselves off in any way from something that may be of interest to human beings would be most regrettable if it took hold of the teacher. We should be interested in the great and the smallest affairs of humanity. We should be able to be interested in the great and the smallest affairs of the individual child. That is the second thing: the teacher should be a person who is interested in everything worldly and human.
And the third thing is: the teacher should be a person who never compromises with untruth in their inner being. The teacher must be a deeply truthful person; they must never compromise with untruth, otherwise we would see untruth entering our teaching through many channels, especially in the method. Our teaching will only be an expression of truth if we are careful to strive for truth within ourselves.
And then something that is easier said than done, but which is also a golden rule for the teaching profession: the teacher must not wither and sour. An unwithered, fresh soul mood! Do not wither and do not sour! That is what the teacher must strive for.
And I know that if you have truly taken in what we have examined from various angles over these fourteen days, then, precisely through the detour via the world of feeling and will, what seems distant will become very close to you as you teach. During these fourteen days, I have said nothing other than what can be put into practice immediately in your teaching if you allow it to work in your souls. But the Waldorf school will depend on you proceeding in your own inner life in such a way that you really allow the things we have now gone through to be effective in your souls.
Think about some of the things I have tried to clarify in order to bring about a psychological understanding of the human being, especially the developing human being. And if you do not know how to present one thing or another in your lessons, or when and where, then a thought will come to you everywhere about such teaching methods if you remember correctly what has happened during these days. Of course, much of this would need to be said many times over, but I do not want to turn you into teaching machines, but rather free, independent teachers. This is also how what has been presented to you over the last fourteen days has been kept. The time was so short that it was necessary to appeal to your dedicated, understanding work.
But always remember what has now been presented for understanding human beings, and children in particular. It will be useful to you in all methodological questions.
You see, when you think back, our thoughts will already have met in the various impulses of these fourteen days. For I myself, I can assure you, will think back. For this Waldorf school weighs very heavily today on the minds of those who are involved in its introduction and establishment. This Waldorf school must succeed! Much will depend on its success! Its success will provide a kind of proof for many things in spiritual development that we must represent.
If I may say a few words at the end, I would like to say: For me personally, this Waldorf school will be a real cause for concern. And I will have to return to this Waldorf school again and again with my thoughts. But if we consider the seriousness of the situation, we can really work well together. Let us hold fast to the thought that fills our hearts and minds: that the spiritual movement of the present is just as much connected with the spiritual powers of the world. If we believe in these good spiritual powers, they will be an inspiration in our lives, and we will be able to teach.