Rudolf Steiner in the Waldorf School
GA 298
23 November 1920, Stuttgart
Address at a monthly assembly
I have come to you once again from the country with the high mountains; Herr Molt picked me up in Dornach, where our building is going up, so I could come see you.
We are working very hard in Switzerland and have no time to climb the beautiful mountains your dear teachers have described so nicely for you. We have no time to climb up there and look at the sun, but it is something like sunlight for us if we can come to Stuttgart now and then, because we love this hill here. It is certainly easier to climb than the Swiss mountains, but the pleasure we get in climbing up this hill to our dear Waldorf School is a spiritual pleasure more than anything else. It is a spiritual pleasure for us because this is where you, dear children of the Waldorf School, are taught to become good and capable people for life.
It has always been a joy to my heart to spend a lot of time in Stuttgart in our dear Waldorf School. This time, I am sorry to say that I will have less time because other work kept me away. However, I hope to be able to be with you at least for a little while in the next few days. I especially wanted to greet you warmly today, since this assembly falls in the time of Advent and the wonderful festival of Christmas.
Once again, I would like to greet your dear teachers, who are very concerned about how to teach you to be good and capable human beings. But if you work hard out of love for your teachers and follow their directions, then all their concerns will fall away and be replaced with joy in their hearts, joy at being able to teach you children, who have been sent to them from the spiritual world, to be really good and capable people for the future.
Now that I have been able to greet your teachers, I would like to greet you, too. The first impression I got of you was that you were yelling and being really noisy. I thought you really could be a little less noisy. But we have to look at the bright side of things: While you are being so noisy, you are not having useless thoughts. You should not be cooking up useless thoughts even when you are not yelling. But I hope that when I see you in your classes, you will not be yelling like that. There are also times when children must behave differently and not sound like so many chirping birds.
Now there is one thing I always have to tell you: You are meant to grow up to be good and capable people. However, you can become good and capable people only by trying to cultivate three qualities in yourselves and thinking about them again and again. What you take in here in school must last you for the rest of your life, but it will be able to stay in your memory, to stay in you as a strength for life, only if you pay attention in your classes, if you pay attention to the good men and women who are your teachers. Paying attention will make what you learn in childhood carry over into your later years of life. What your teachers say to you comes from incredibly hard work on their part, from the strength of their devotion and from their love for you. But what comes from their love must also be able to get to you, and that is why I always say the same thing to you: Love your teachers, because love will carry what comes from your teachers” hearts into your hearts and into your heads. Love is the best way for what teachers have to give to flow into their students. That is why I am going to ask you again today, “Do you love your teachers? Do you still love them?” [The children shout, “Yes!”] That is the second thing—to love your teachers. The third thing is hard work. Nothing can be accomplished without hard work. You must work hard, and then what you have learned by loving your teachers will become a real strength for your life.
When you are trying to cultivate these three qualities, you must develop the right feeling. You are now approaching the time of year when the spirit who became the spirit of love came down from distant worlds. Now, when the festival of Christ is approaching, think of the many beautiful words the Christ spoke. Among them are the words, “I shall be with you always, until the earth no longer exists.”1Free paraphrase of the words of Matthew 28:20.
Thus the spirit of Christ is always with us. Each Christmas and each Easter shows us how to turn our thoughts to how the spirit of Christ is among us. This spirit of Christ is also your teachers' great teacher. Through your teachers, the spirit of Christ works into your hearts.
Cultivate everything your dear teachers accomplish through their work, everything they bring to you out of deep concern for you. Cultivate this through the three qualities of paying attention, love for your teachers, and hard work, and then what you carry from your young years into your later years will be just what humanity needs—the strength of human work. You will grow up to be good and capable human beings. That is what you are meant to become through the Waldorf School. Do it by paying attention, loving your teachers, and working hard!
Address and discussion at a parents’ evening!
Ansprache Bei Einer Monatsfeier
Nun komme ich wieder aus dem Lande der hohen Berge zu euch; Herr Molt holte mich aus Dornach, wo unser Bau aufgeführt wird, ab, und da komme ich denn auch zu euch.
Wir haben in der Schweiz viel Arbeit und haben dort nicht Zeit dazu, auf die schönen Berge hinaufzusteigen, die euch eure lieben Lehrer so schön beschrieben haben, und von dort aus die Sonne anzuschauen. Aber es ist auch so etwas wie Sonnenlicht, wenn wir ab und zu hierher nach Stuttgart fahren können, denn wir lieben den Berg, der hier ist. Er ist zwar physisch leichter zu besteigen als die Schweizer Berge, aber es gibt vor allen Dingen geistige Freude, wenn man diesen Bergbesteigt, den Berg, auf dem unsere liebe Waldorfschule ist. Die geistige Freude empfängt man, denn hier sollen liebe Kinder, wie ihr seid als Kinder der Waldorfschule, hier sollen sie zu tüchtigen Menschen im Leben gemacht werden.
Nun war es mir immer eine Herzensfreude, recht viel Zeit in Stuttgart zuzubringen an der lieben Waldorfschule. Es tut mir leid, daß es dieses Mal weniger möglich gewesen ist, weil andere Arbeiten mich davon abgehalten haben. Ich hoffe aber, in den nächsten Tagen bei euch sein zu können, wenn auch nur für kurze Zeit. Ich habe euch heute herzlich begrüßen wollen, da ihr euer Schulfest feiert, da dieses Fest in die Zeit des Advents und des lieben Christenfestes hineinfällt.
Ich möchte wieder eure lieben Lehrer begrüßen, die ja zunächst mit euch viel Sorgen haben, Sorgen haben darüber, wie sie aus euch tüchtige Menschen machen können. Aber wenn ihr fleißig seid, wenn ihr alles in Liebe zu euren Lehrern gut befolgt, dann fallen auch diese Sorgen von den Herzen eurer lieben Lehrer, und Freude zieht in die Herzen dieser Lehrer ein, Freude darüber: Wir machen aus den Kindern, die uns aus der geistigen Welt zugeschickt worden sind, recht viele tüchtige Menschen für die Zukunft!
Nun, nachdem ich eure Lehrer habe begrüfen können, möchte ich euch auch begrüßen. Ich empfing den ersten Eindruck von euch, der bestand darin, daß ihr tüchtig schreit und Lärm macht. Ich dachte mir, ein bißchen weniger Lärm könnten sie schon machen. Die Dinge muß man von der besten Seite nehmen: Während sie so lärmen, gibt es keine nichtsnutzigen Gedanken. Ihr sollt auch sonst nicht nichtsnutzige Gedanken ausbrüten. Ich hoffe, euch in den Klassen zu sehen, da hoffe ich aber, daß ihr nicht so schreit. Es gibt auch Zeiten, in denen die Kinder sich anders benehmen müssen, als daß sie nur Vogelgezwitscher von sich hören lassen.
Nun muß ich euch immer eines sagen: Ihr sollt tüchtige Menschen werden. Ihr könnt aber nur tüchtige Menschen werden, wenn ihr drei Eigenschaften in euch ausbilden wollt, und immer wieder daran denkt. Es muß euch dasjenige für das Leben bleiben, was ihr hier in der Schule aufnehmt; aber in eurem Gedächtnis, in eurer ganzen Lebenskraft wird das, was ihr hier aufnehmt, nur bleiben können, wenn ihr in den Klassen bei den Lehrern, bei euren lieben Lehrern und Lehrerinnen aufmerksam seid. Diese Aufmerksamkeit trägt aus euren Kinderjahren dasjenige, was ihr euch erarbeitet, in eure späteren Lebensjahre hinein. Es muß auch dasjenige, was eure Lehrer sprechen aus einem ungeheuren Fleiß, aus der hingebungsvollen Kraft, aus Liebe zu euch, das muß aus dieser Liebe auch zu euch kommen können, und deshalb muß ich euch immer wiederum dasselbe sagen: Liebet eure Lehrer, denn diese Liebe wird das aus den Herzen der Lehrer in eure Herzen hineintragen, wird es in eure Köpfe hineintragen; durch die Liebe fließt am besten dasjenige, was der Lehrer gibt, in den Schüler über. Deshalb frage ich euch wieder heute: Liebt ihr eure Lehrer? Liebt ihr sie immer? [Die Kinder rufen: Ja!] Das ist das zweite: Liebe zu den Lehrern. Drittens: Fleiß. Ohne Fleiß läßt sich nichts erreichen. Ihr müßt fleißig sein, dann wird dasjenige, was ihr in Liebe zu euren Lehrern erlernt habt, dann wird es in euch eine richtige Lebenskraft werden.
Wenn ihr diese drei Eigenschaften ausbilden wollt, dann müßt ihr das richtige Gefühl entwickeln. Jetzt lebt ihr der Zeit entgegen, in der der Geist aus fernen Welten gekommen ist, welcher der Geist der Liebe geworden ist. Indem das Christfest herannaht, denkt daran, daß der Christus viele schöne Worte gesprochen hat. Ein solches schönes Wort ist auch dies:
«Ich bleibe bei euch alle Tage, bis die Erde nicht mehr sein wird.»
So ist auch der Christus-Geist immer bei uns. Jede Weihnacht und jede Ostern zeigt uns, wie wir hindenken wollen daran, wie der Christus-Geist bei uns ist. Dieser Christus-Geist ist auch der große Lehrer eurer Lehrer. Durch eure Lehrer wirkt der Christus-Geist in eure Herzen hinein.
Pflegt alle dasjenige, was eure lieben Lehrer durch ihre Arbeit leisten, was sie in Sorgen in euch hineinbringen, durch die drei Eigenschaften: durch Aufmerksamkeit, durch Liebe zu euren Lehrern, durch Fleiß, und ihr werdet aus euren jungen Jahren in eure späteren Jahre das hineintragen, was die Menschheit braucht: menschliche Arbeitskraft. Ihr werdet tüchtige Menschen werden, und das sollt ihr durch die Waldorfschule werden. Werdet es durch Aufmerksamkeit, durch Liebe zu euren Lehrern, durch Fleiß!
Address at a monthly celebration
Now I have returned to you from the land of high mountains; Mr. Molt picked me up from Dornach, where our building is being constructed, and so I have come to you.
We have a lot of work to do in Switzerland and don't have time to climb the beautiful mountains that your dear teachers have described so beautifully, and to watch the sun from there. But it is also something like sunlight when we can come here to Stuttgart from time to time, because we love the mountain that is here. It is physically easier to climb than the Swiss mountains, but above all there is spiritual joy when you climb this mountain, the mountain on which our beloved Waldorf school stands. You receive spiritual joy, because here, dear children, as you are children of the Waldorf school, here they are to be made into capable people in life.
It has always been a joy to spend a lot of time in Stuttgart at the beloved Waldorf school. I am sorry that this time it has been less possible because other work has kept me away. But I hope to be with you in the next few days, even if only for a short time. I wanted to welcome you warmly today as you celebrate your school festival, since this festival falls during the season of Advent and the beloved Christian festival.
I would like to welcome your dear teachers again, who initially have many concerns about you, concerns about how they can turn you into capable people. But if you are diligent, if you follow everything your teachers tell you with love, then these worries will fall from the hearts of your dear teachers, and joy will enter the hearts of these teachers, joy that we are turning the children who have been sent to us from the spiritual world into many capable people for the future!
Now that I have greeted your teachers, I would also like to greet you. My first impression of you was that you are good at shouting and making noise. I thought to myself that you could make a little less noise. You have to look on the bright side: while you are making noise, you are not having useless thoughts. You shouldn't brood over useless thoughts at other times either. I hope to see you in class, but I hope you won't shout so much. There are also times when children have to behave differently than just chirping like birds.
Now I always have to tell you one thing: you should become capable people. But you can only become capable people if you want to develop three qualities in yourselves and keep them in mind. What you learn here at school must remain with you for life; but what you learn here will only remain in your memory and in your whole vitality if you pay attention in class to your teachers, your dear teachers. This attentiveness carries what you learn in your childhood into your later years. What your teachers say must also come from tremendous diligence, from devoted energy, from love for you; it must also come from this love for you, and that is why I must say the same thing to you again and again: Love your teachers, because this love will carry what is in the hearts of your teachers into your hearts, into your minds; through love, what the teacher gives flows best into the student. That is why I ask you again today: Do you love your teachers? Do you always love them? [The children shout: Yes!] That is the second thing: love for your teachers. Third: diligence. Without diligence, nothing can be achieved. You must be diligent, then what you have learned in love for your teachers will become a true life force within you.
If you want to develop these three qualities, you must develop the right feeling. Now you are living in the time when the spirit from distant worlds has come, which has become the spirit of love. As Christmas approaches, remember that Christ spoke many beautiful words. One such beautiful word is this:
“I will be with you always, even unto the end of the world.”
So too is the Christ Spirit always with us. Every Christmas and every Easter shows us how we want to think about how the Christ Spirit is with us. This Christ Spirit is also the great teacher of your teachers. Through your teachers, the Christ Spirit works in your hearts.
Cherish all that your dear teachers accomplish through their work, all that they instill in you through their care, through three qualities: through attentiveness, through love for your teachers, through diligence, and you will carry from your young years into your later years what humanity needs: human labor. You will become capable people, and you should become so through the Waldorf school. Become so through attentiveness, through love for your teachers, through diligence!