The Christmas Conference
GA 260
Part II. The Proceedings of the Conference
28 December 1923 afternoon, Dornach
X. Rudolf Steiner's Contribution During The Meeting of the Swiss School Association
Towards56‘Schulverein für freies Erziehungs- und Unterrichtswesen in der Schweiz’, later ‘Goetheanum-Schulverein’, Dornach. Founded 1922. From 1924, after the Christmas Foundation Conference, under the directorship of Rudolf Steiner. the end of the meeting, Dr Steiner spoke the following words:
In addition to what I took the liberty of saying at the close of the last course which I was able to hold for the Swiss teachers, I have perhaps only a few more remarks to make in connection with the difficulties of the Swiss school movement. It seems to me that things do in part indeed depend on how the educational movement connected with Anthroposophy is run here in Switzerland.
The Waldorf School in Germany has remained essentially in a position of isolation. Though there have been one or two further foundations, in Hamburg, Cologne and so on, the Waldorf School in Germany, in other words in a relatively extensive area, has remained a solitary example. It will remain to be seen, therefore, whether what is to be started in England as a kind of Waldorf school, and also the school with three classes that already exists in Holland, will also to begin with remain as solitary examples.
Apart from everything else it has to be said that the reason why these schools are still only isolated examples, and also why it can be expected that they will remain so for a long time, is simply that the present social circumstances really do make it impossible for an attitude to come about that could lead to the financing of a larger number of such schools. Experience over the years has shown this quite clearly. And this challenges us to think carefully about the whole direction we should take with our educational movement.
This is especially necessary with regard to Switzerland. For Switzerland is pervaded by a very strong sense for everything represented by the state. And now that the Swiss school association for independent education has been founded, I do believe that the chief difficulties will arise from this Swiss sense of statehood. Even less than anywhere else will it be possible here in Switzerland to find an opening for the belief that a truly independent school could be an example for a model method of education, or that schools such as this could be founded on a larger scale. We should not allow ourselves to be under any illusion in this respect. Aversion to a system of education that is independent of the state is very great here.
Of course what Herr Gnädiger has just said is right, namely that there will be interest in how things are done in a model school.
Least of all here in Switzerland can you expect the president of the Schweizerischer Schulverein, of whom you have spoken, to have any interest in the school other than that pertaining to its status as a model. Perhaps his interest will turn out to be such that he would like to influence Swiss state schools to take up certain methodological aspects from this model school. But this seems to me to be the only aspect that can be counted on to attract interest here in Switzerland. That is why it seems to me to be important to take up these two things wherever educational associations of the kind you have mentioned are founded; and also that many such associations should be founded, more and more of them!
Another aspect is that the crux of anthroposophical education is its method. The schools apply a certain method. It is not a question of any particular political direction but purely and simply of method. It is also not a question of any particular religious creed, or of seeing Anthroposophy somehow as a religious creed. It is simply a question of method.
In the discussion that followed my lecture cycle57See Rudolf Steiner Swiss Teachers' Course, Report by Albert Steffen. English text available in typescript only. GA 306. my answer to questions on this was simply that the educational method represented here can be applied anywhere, wherever there is the good will to introduce it.
If this is done on the one hand, and if on the other hand—in order to create an understanding in wider circles—it is clearly emphasized that this is the proper method and that it is being applied in a school that can serve as a model, if these two points are given the main emphasis in the programme, if it is stressed that every school could use these methods and that a model school could demonstrate how fruitful they are, and if things are worked out neatly, then I believe that something could be achieved even in Switzerland. And then on the basis of these two points educational associations ought to be founded everywhere. But it would have to be made clear to everyone that the aim was not to found as many private schools as possible to compete with the state schools. In Switzerland such a thing would be regarded as something very peculiar and it would never be understood. But there would be an understanding for a model school which could be a source of inspiration for a method of education. Progress cannot be made in any other way. It is important to present these things to people in principle again and again and wherever the opportunity arises.
I believe it would be a good thing if you could always give the greatest prominence to these two aspects. They are perfectly true, and much damage has been done to us by the constant repetition of the view that Waldorf education can only be carried out in schools apart from the main stream, whereas I have constantly repeated that the methods can be applied in any school.
This is what I wanted to say, for everything else is linked to this. I also believe that a financial basis will only be won when there can be an understanding of these things. There will be very little understanding in Switzerland for independent schools if they are not linked to what I have just been saying. But if this is done, I believe that our efforts could lead to a greater degree of success than has been the case hitherto. So far the existing financial situation is not sufficient basis for the founding of a school in Basel.
Ausführungen Rudolf Steiners bei der Sitzung Des Schweizerischen Schulvereins
Gegen Schluß der Sitzung sprach Dr. Steiner das Folgende:
Ich habe zu dem, was ich mir erlaubte im Anschlusse an den letzten Kursus zu sagen, den ich vor Schweizer Lehrern halten durfte, vielleicht nur noch einiges über die Schwierigkeiten der schweizerischen Schulbewegung hinzuzufügen. Mir scheint, daß doch etwas davon abhängt, wie eben die pädagogische Bewegung, die mit der Anthroposophie zusammenhängt, hier in der Schweiz getrieben wird.
Die Waldorfschule ist ja innerhalb Deutschlands im wesentlichen doch isoliert geblieben. Gewiß, es bestehen einzelne andere Schulgründungen, in Hamburg, Köln und so weiter, aber die Waldorfschule ist innerhalb Deutschlands, also innerhalb eines ziemlich großen Gebietes, zunächst als eine Schule doch vereinzelt geblieben. Es wird sich darum handeln, zu sehen, ob auch dasjenige, was als eine Art Waldorfschule in England errichtet werden soll, was in Holland schon mit drei Klassen eröffnet ist, auch als Vereinzeltes zunächst stehen bleibt.
Nun wirklich, ganz abgesehen von allem übrigen, muß man sagen: An der Sachlage, daß diese Schulen entweder schon gezeigt haben, daß sie vereinzelt dastehen bleiben, oder aber, daß man nach den gegebenen Tatsachen vermuten muß, es werde noch lange so sein, an alledem trägt ja hauptsächlich die Schuld, daß es einfach aus den gegenwärtigen sozialen Verhältnissen heraus wirklich unmöglich ist, jene Anschauung zu gewinnen, die eine große Anzahl von solchen Schulen finanzieren würde. Es haben das die Erfahrungen der Jahre doch ganz deutlich gezeigt. Und das fordert uns wenigstens auf, über den ganzen Kurs, der mit unserer pädagogischen Bewegung einzuhalten ist, nachzudenken.
Das ist ja insbesondere für die Schweiz notwendig. Denn in der Schweiz herrscht wirklich am stärksten dasjenige, was man nennen kann: Staatsbewußtsein. Und ich glaube doch, daß sich, seit nun der schweizerische Schulverein für freies Erziehungs- und Unterrichtswesen besteht, die hauptsächlichsten Schwierigkeiten doch ergeben werden aus dem schweizerischen Staatsbewußtsein heraus. Am wenigsten scheint es mir hier in der Schweiz möglich zu sein, dem Glauben Eingang zu verschaffen, daß eine wirklich freie Schule einmal eine Art von Musterpädagogik hinstellen kann, oder daß gar in einem größeren Maßstabe solche Schulen gegründet werden. Man darf sich in solchen Dingen keinen Illusionen hingeben. Die Aversion gegen ein freies Schulwesen ist hier eine sehr große.
Aber dabei bleibt natürlich das richtig, was Herr Gnädinger eben gesagt hat: daß man hinschauen wird, wie es an einer Musterschule geht.
Sie können am wenigsten hier in der Schweiz verlangen, daß der Präsident des schweizerischen Schulvereins, von dem Sie ja gesprochen haben, nicht wahr, in einem anderen Sinne denn als Musterschule ein Interesse dafür hat. Er hat dann doch das Interesse dahingehend, die schweizerische Staatsschule vielleicht in methodischer Beziehung durch dasjenige, was an einer solchen Musterschule gewonnen werden kann, zu beinflusssen. Das scheint mir aber auch das einzige zu sein, worauf man als auf ein Interesse hier in der Schweiz rechnen kann. Und deshalb scheint es mir wichtig, daß man in einer ganz deutlichen Weise diese zwei Dinge da aufnimmt, wo man solche Vereinigungen gründet, wie Sie sie erwähnt haben; und die viel gegründet werden sollten, immer mehr und mehr!
Eine zweite Bedingung ist, daß die anthroposophische Pädagogik hinausgelaufen ist auf die Methodisierung des Unterrichtes. Es handelt sich um eine Methoden-Schule, es handelt sich nicht um irgendeine politische Richtung, sondern um eine rein sachliche MerhodenSchule. Es handelt sich auch nicht um ein religiöses Bekenntnis, nicht um Anthroposophie etwa als Religionsbekenntnis, sondern es handelt sich um eine Methoden-Schule.
Ich habe ja schon damals, als die Diskussion angeknüpft wurde an meinen Vortragszyklus, die Fragen, die aufgeworfen wurden nach dieser Richtung, dahingehend beantwortet, daß ich sagte: Die pädagogische Methodik, die hier vertreten wird, kann eigentlich überall, wo man den guten Willen dazu hat, eingeführt werden.
Wenn man auf der einen Seite das tut und auf der anderen Seite wiederum scharf betont, daß, um in weiteren Kreisen die Einsicht zu verschaffen, dies die richtige Methode und eine Musterschule ist, wenn man diese zwei Programmpunkte in den Vordergrund stellt, also Betonung, daß jede Schule die Methodik haben kann, daß man aber an einer Musterschule sehen soll die Fruchtbarkeit der Methodik und dann wirklich die Dinge reinlich herausarbeitet, dann glaube ich, könnte man in der Schweiz doch auch etwas erreichen. Und dann müßten auf Grundlage dieser zwei Gesichtspunkte überall pädagogische Vereinigungen gegründet werden können, Aber jeder müßte wissen, daß da nicht die Absicht besteht - was man hier in der Schweiz als eine Schrulle ansehen würde -, möglichst viele Privatschulen zu gründen, um den Staatsschulen Konkurrenz zu machen; das würde man nie in der Schweiz verstehen. Dagegen wird man verstehen das Hinstellen einer Musterschule, die für jede Schule sozusagen den Quellpunkt abgeben kann für eine methodische Schule. Auf andere Weise kommt man nicht vorwärts. Und es ist wichtig, daß man eine solche prinzipielle Sache immer wiederum vor die Menschen hinstellt, und überall, wo man Gelegenheit hat, sie hinstellt.
Ich glaube, es wäre gut, wenn Sie diese zwei Gesichtspunkte immer in den Vordergrund stellen. Sie entsprechen ja durchaus der Wahrheit, und es hat uns viel geschadet, daß immer wieder und wieder betont wurde: Waldorfschulpädagogik kann nur in abgesonderten Schulen erreicht werden -, während ich immer wieder gesagt habe, das Methodische kann in jede Schule hineingebracht werden.
Das ist dasjenige, was ich zu sagen habe, denn es ist damit alles übrige in Verknüpfung. Ich glaube, daß man auch eine finanzielle Grundlage erst dann gewinnen wird, wenn eben ein Verständnis für diese Dinge vorhanden sein kann. Für freie Schulen wird in der Schweiz nicht sehr viel Verständnis sein, wenn man sie nicht in Verbindung mit dem vertritt, was ich gesagt habe. Dann glaube ich aber auch, daß wirklich die Bemühungen einen größeren Erfolg haben könnten als jetzt. Bis jetzt ist Ja auf Grundlage der Finanzsituation, die da vorliegt, die Möglichkeit, eine Schule in Basel zu schaffen, nicht vorhanden.
Remarks by Rudolf Steiner at the meeting of the Swiss School Association
Towards the end of the meeting, Dr. Steiner said the following:
I would like to add a few words to what I said at the end of the last course I was allowed to give to Swiss teachers, perhaps just a few words about the difficulties of the Swiss school movement. It seems to me that something depends on how the educational movement associated with anthroposophy is pursued here in Switzerland.
The Waldorf school has essentially remained isolated within Germany. Certainly, there are a few other schools that have been founded, in Hamburg, Cologne, and so on, but the Waldorf school has remained isolated within Germany, that is, within a fairly large area. It will therefore be a matter of seeing whether what is to be established as a kind of Waldorf school in England, and what has already been opened with three classes in Holland, will also remain isolated for the time being.
Well, really, quite apart from everything else, one must say: The fact that these schools have either already shown that they remain isolated, or that, based on the given facts, one must assume that this will remain the case for a long time to come, is mainly due to the fact that it is simply impossible, given the current social conditions, to gain the kind of understanding that would finance a large number of such schools. The experience of recent years has shown this quite clearly. And that at least calls on us to reflect on the entire course that our educational movement should take.
This is particularly necessary for Switzerland. For in Switzerland, what can be called state consciousness is really most prevalent. And I believe that since the Swiss School Association for Free Education and Teaching was founded, the main difficulties will arise from Swiss state consciousness. It seems to me that here in Switzerland it is least likely to be possible to establish the belief that a truly free school can one day become a kind of model for education, or that such schools can even be founded on a larger scale. We must not delude ourselves in such matters. There is a great deal of aversion to a free school system here.
But of course, what Mr. Gnädinger just said remains true: that people will look at how things are going at a model school.
Here in Switzerland, you can hardly expect the president of the Swiss School Association, whom you mentioned, to have any interest in it other than as a model school. He does have an interest in influencing Swiss state schools, perhaps in terms of methodology, through what can be gained from such a model school. But that seems to me to be the only thing we can count on as an interest here in Switzerland. And that is why I think it is important to take these two things very clearly into account when founding associations such as those you mentioned; and many more should be founded, more and more!
A second condition is that anthroposophical education has developed into a method of teaching. It is a school of methods, not a political movement, but a purely factual school of methods. Nor is it a religious confession, not anthroposophy as a religious confession, but a school of methods.
When the discussion was linked to my series of lectures, I answered the questions raised in this regard by saying that the educational methodology advocated here can actually be introduced anywhere where there is a willingness to do so.
If, on the one hand, one does this and, on the other hand, strongly emphasizes that this is the right method and a model school in order to gain acceptance in wider circles, if one emphasizes these two points of the program, emphasizing that every school can have the methodology, but that one should see the fruitfulness of the methodology at a model school and then really work things out clearly, then I believe that something could be achieved in Switzerland as well. And then, on the basis of these two points of view, it should be possible to found educational associations everywhere. But everyone would have to know that there is no intention – which would be considered an eccentricity here in Switzerland – to found as many private schools as possible in order to compete with state schools; that would never be understood in Switzerland. On the other hand, people will understand the establishment of a model school that can serve as a source of inspiration for every school, so to speak, for a methodical school. There is no other way to move forward. And it is important to keep presenting such a fundamental issue to people, wherever the opportunity arises.
I think it would be good if you always emphasized these two points. They are absolutely true, and it has done us a lot of harm that it has been emphasized again and again that Waldorf education can only be achieved in separate schools, whereas I have always said that the methodology can be introduced into any school.
That is what I have to say, because everything else is connected to it. I believe that a financial basis can only be gained when there is an understanding of these things. There will not be much understanding for independent schools in Switzerland if they are not presented in connection with what I have said. But then I also believe that the efforts could really be more successful than they are now. Up to now, based on the current financial situation, there is no possibility of establishing a school in Basel.