Rudolf Steiner in the Waldorf School
GA 298
30 April 1924, Stuttgart
Address at the assembly at the beginning of the sixth school year
Dear children, dear boys and girls! To begin with, you will have to listen quietly for a little, because the first people I want to address are the parents who have joined us for this great celebration, both the ones who have brought very little children here to us and the ones who have accompanied their older children.
Dear parents of our students! We can certainly value and appreciate this moment in your emotional lives. Anyone who has already covered a good bit of distance in life, as is the case with parents, knows that life tests us with sorrows and joys, that it presents us with tests that bring joys as well as suffering. Your children are the most precious thing that life has given you. We who are running the Waldorf School know very well what it means to decide where to send your child to school. You do that under the influence of everything you have been through in your own life; you want your child to be able to go through life in the best way you know of.
It cannot be my task today to talk about how we try to introduce the children into life through an appropriate and humanly worthy form of instruction that takes all of life as its background. You can rest assured, however, that one result of our theory of education, our art of education, is that we know what it means that you as parents are sending your children to a particular school in order to set a lasting course for their lives, and we respect it. We have a sense of all-encompassing responsibility in taking the children out of the hands that have brought them here today, and we assure you that we really know what this means.
May we also find ways to come together in this feeling of responsibility, and may the occasion of today be repeated often. In the Waldorf School, in a school that is not yet acknowledged in broader circles, we need what we can gain from energetically working together with the parents, so I ask you to come to the school often for discussions and other purposes. What we and you want for the children will be best achieved if we can work effectively with the parents at home. We in the school will attempt to carry this out to the greatest extent possible.
Now I would like to turn to the children who are in school for the first time today. You need not understand much at all yet. What is happening today is something you already know something about, something you have already had to start learning. You have loved your parents; that is something you know how to do. Now you must also learn to love your teachers. If you love your teachers, you will be able to learn everything there is to learn, with a little help from them. This will happen very gently. You will have to learn to sit still for a while from time to time, but when the lesson is over you may run around outside again, but not too fast, so that you don' fall and hurt your head. You must also always be very friendly to each other. The main thing is to learn to sit still, to love your teachers, and to make sure that you and the others stay healthy.
Right at the beginning, as you were sitting here, from the lowest right up to the highest grades, you heard something very important from the dear lady who is the first grade teacher. You heard that these little folks have become something very different from what they were before. They have become schoolchildren. That is what she told you. You can become a schoolchild. But now, in order to connect the lowest and the highest grades, I would like to tell you that you can never leave school again.
You will leave the Waldorf School, to be sure. Some of you will leave after the eighth grade and some will leave after a few more grades. Just now we have had to send the first ones to complete the highest grade out into life. But when all that is over with, that is when you really start going to school, because the most important and meaningful school of all is the school of life, and you enter the school of life only when you have left school. It is our job to be the preparatory school for the school of life.
That is what your dear teachers are here for, and last of all I turn to them. When I look at the school like this, I have to say that the most important schoolchildren are the men and women who are the teachers! It is very important that they have come to this school, because they are learning all the time. And do you know from whom they want to learn the most? From you! They want to learn the best way for you to be able to bear sorrow and joy; they want to learn how it happens that you are healthy or sick. They have so much to learn from you so that out of the fullness of their love for you, they can teach you to be people who can stand on their own feet in life.
For this to happen, there is one thing that is more necessary than anything else. I always say this, but I would like to say it again because it cannot be said often enough. In the Waldorf School, the teachers take great inner pleasure in what they do. They know that they are working on life out there by working on what is most important in it—on the beginnings of life. When I see these happy faces on the first day of school, and among them the boys and girls who have been here longer and who have always answered me when I asked if you love your teachers—when I see you all like this, there is something I would also like to say to you today. During the vacation you were away from your teachers. Now that you are back in school things will go well only if you can again answer a certain question for me. Sometimes people forget things, but there is one thing you are not allowed to forget. You have planted love for your teachers in your souls. You have told me so again and again. Now that you have been out there for a while, I am going to ask you whether you have forgotten your love for your teachers during the vacation. If you have not forgotten, answer me with a good loud “No!” [The children shout, “No!] That is what will take you into the school year in the right way. Then you will pay attention and work hard, and everything will go well.
Dear students of the highest grade of all—that is, dear teachers! In this new school year, let us begin teaching with courage and enthusiasm to prepare these children for the school of life. Thus may the school be guided by the greatest leader of all, by the Christ Himself. May this be the case in our school. Let us go forward out of enthusiasm for what we have to do and out of love for the children; they are such a great joy to their teachers, and their teachers can help them learn so much. Let us continue our work with love and enthusiasm in the hearts of the children, with love and enthusiasm in the hearts of the teachers.
Onward, dear children and dear teachers, onward!
Ansprache Bei Der Feier Zu Beginn Des Sechsten Schuljahres
Meine lieben Kinder, Schüler und Schülerinnen! Ihr werdet jetzt zunächst einmal ein wenig ruhig aufpassen müssen, denn die ersten, an die ich mich wenden möchte, sollen die Eltern sein, die Eltern, die wir hier bei unserem großen Freudenfeste unter uns haben dürfen, diejenigen, die ganz kleine Kinder zu uns gebracht haben, und die Eltern, die große Kinder in die Waldorfschule gebracht haben.
Meine lieben Eltern der Schüler und Schülerinnen! Wir können durchaus den Augenblick schätzen und würdigen, in dem Ihr selber heute mit Eurem Gemüte Euch befindet. Derjenige, der nun schon eine ziemliche Strecke des Lebens durchgemacht hat, wie das bei den Eltern der Fall ist, weiß, daß das Leben mancherlei Prüfungen bringt an Schmerzen und Freuden, Prüfungen, die Leiden, allerdings auch Freuden bringen, und er hat das Liebste, was ihm das Leben beschert hat, seine Kinder. Da wissen wir nun hier, die wir die Waldorfschule führen und leiten wollen, wirklich ganz gut, was es heißt, sich zu entschließen: Wohin bringe ich mein Kind? Denn man tut das unter dem Eindruck dessen, was man im eigenen Leben durchgemacht hat, und man möchte, daß das Kind in möglichst richtiger Art dieses Leben durchmachen kann, das man ja kennt.
Es kann nicht meine Aufgabe sein, heute über die Art und Weise zu sprechen, wie wir durch einen sachgemäßen und menschengemäßen Unterricht und eine sachgemäße und menschengemäße Erziehung aus allen Untergründen des Lebens heraus die Kinder in das Leben hereinstellen wollen. Aber dessen können Sie versichert sein, daß aus dieser unserer Pädagogik, aus dieser unserer Erziehungskunst das eine hervorgeht, daß wir zu würdigen wissen, was es heißt, als Eltern Kinder in die Schule zu schicken und sie damit in eine bleibende Richtung für das Leben zu bringen. In diesem Gefühl einer wirklich umfassenden Verantwortung wollen wir aus den Händen, mit denen Sie uns heute die Kinder hereinbringen, die Kinder entgegennehmen und die Versicherung geben, daß wir wirklich wissen, was das heißt.
In diesem Gefühl wollen wir uns aber auch zusammenfinden: der Augenblick von heute möge sich oft wiederholen. Wir in der Waldorfschule, in einer in großen Kreisen noch nicht anerkannten Schule, brauchen dasjenige, was wir durch kraftvolles Zusammenwirken mit den Eltern haben können. Daher bitte ich Sie, beratschlagend und in anderer Weise oft in die Schule zu gehen. Es wird das, was wir und Sie für die Kinder wollen, im besten Sinne erreicht werden, wenn wir mit dem Elternhause in kraftvoller Weise zusammenwirken können. Wir wollen von der Schule aus versuchen, das in vollem Umfange durchzuführen.
Dann möchte ich mich an die Kinder wenden, die heute zum erstenmal in der Schule sind. Ihr braucht eigentlich noch nicht gar viel zu verstehen. Es ist heute etwas gekommen, was ihr zum Teil schon kennt, was ihr zum Teil jetzt ja anfangen müßt zu lernen. Ihr habt die Eltern bisher liebgehabt, wißt, wie man das macht. Ihr müßt auch lernen, eure Lehrer und Lehrerinnen recht lieb zu haben. Wenn ihr eure Lehrer lieb habt, werdet ihr alles mögliche lernen, wenn noch einiges andere dazukommt. Aber das wird ganz gelinde kommen. Ihr werdet lernen müssen, manchmal eine Zeitlang stille zu sitzen; aber wenn die Stunde um ist, dürft ihr draußen wieder herumlaufen, aber nicht zu schnell, damit ihr euch nicht den Kopf zerstoßt. Ihr müßt auch immer recht freundlich miteinander sein. Ihr müßt vor allem also lernen, stille zu sitzen, die Lehrer lieben und dafür sorgen, daß ihr gesund bleibt und daß die anderen auch gesund bleiben.
Wie ihr hier sitzt, von der niedersten bis zur höchsten Klasse, ihr habt heute am Ausgangspunkt von unserer lieben Lehrerin der ersten Klasse ein sehr richtiges Wort gehört: Die kleinen Knirpse sind etwas ganz anderes geworden, als sie früher waren, sie sind Schulkinder geworden. Das ist eben gesagt worden. Man kann Schulkind werden, aber das möchte ich nun, die niederste mit den höchsten Klassen verbindend, sagen: Aus der Schule kommt man nicht wieder heraus. Aus der Waldorfschule werdet ihr herauskommen; einige, nachdem sie die achte Klasse hinter sich haben, einige nach höheren Klassen. Wir haben ja zum erstenmal diejenigen, die die höchste Klasse durchgemacht haben, ins Leben hinausschicken müssen. Aber wenn das alles durchgemacht ist, dann kommt ihr erst recht in die Schule. Denn die allerwichtigste und bedeutendste Schule ist die Schule des Lebens, und wenn man aus der Schule austritt, tritt man erst ein in die Schule des Lebens. Und wir haben die Aufgabe, für die Schule des Lebens die Vorbereitungsschule zu sein.
Dazu gibt es diejenigen, an die ich mich zuletzt wenden muß. Jetzt wende ich mich also an eure lieben Lehrer und Lehrerinnen. Da muß ich sagen, wenn ich mir die Schule so anschaue: Die wichtigsten unter den Schulkindern sind die Lehrer und Lehrerinnen! Daß diese einmal in die Schule hereingekommen sind, das ist das ungeheuer Wichtige für die Schule, denn die lernen immer. Und wißt ihr, von wem die am allermeisten lernen wollen? Am allermeisten wollen die von euch lernen! Wie ihr fähig werdet, Leiden und Freuden am besten durchzumachen, wie ihr gesund und krank seid, das alles wollen sie lernen. Sie haben so viel zu lernen von euch, damit sie in voller Liebe zu euch, euch zu Menschen machen, die im Leben ordentlich stehen können.
Dazu ist eines vor allem nötig, was ich immer sage, was ich aber noch einmal sagen möchte, weil man es nicht oft genug sagen kann. In der Waldorfschule ist es so, daß das, was die Lehrer und Lehrerinnen tun, daß sie das mit der innigsten Freude tun. Man weiß, man arbeitet am großen Leben draußen mit dem, was am allerwichtigsten ist im großen Leben: man arbeitet mit Lebensanfängen. Wenn man diese freudestrahlenden Gesichter am ersten Tage sieht und diejenigen von unseren lieben Schülern und Schülerinnen, die schon länger da sind und die mir immer geantwortet haben, wenn ich gefragt habe: Habt ihr eure Lehrer und Lehrerinnen lieb? - wenn ich euch alle so sehe, möchte ich auch heute etwas sagen. Ihr habt in den Ferien gelebt ohne eure Lehrer und Lehrerinnen. Jetzt wird in der Schule nur gut gehen alles, wenn ihr mir wiederum auf eine gewisse Frage antworten könnt. Man vergißt ja manches. Eines darf aber von euch nicht vergessen werden. Ihr habt in eure Seele gepflanzt Liebe zu euren Lehrern und Lehrerinnen. Das habt ihr mir immer wieder versichert. Jetzt, nachdem ihr wieder eine Weile draußen wart, frage ich euch, ob ihr während der Ferien eure Liebe zu den Lehrern und Lehrerinnen vergessen habt? Wenn ihr sie nicht vergessen habt, antwortet mit einem deutlichen Nein. [Die Kinder rufen: Nein!) Das ist das, was euch richtig in das neue Schuljahr hineinstellt. Dann werdet ihr aufmerksam und fleißig sein, dann wird alles recht schön gehen.
Meine Schüler von der höchsten Klasse, das heißt liebe Lehrer und Lehrerinnen! Wir wollen arbeiten, mutig und mit Enthusiasmus den Unterricht und die Erziehung aufnehmen, die Vorbereitung für die Lebensschule auch im neuen Schuljahr. So mag es geschehen, dann wird die Schule geleitet werden durch den höchsten Führer, durch den Christus selber. So mag es in dieser Schule zugehen. Vorwärts wollen wir schreiten aus Enthusiasmus für die Sache heraus und auch aus Liebe zu den Kindern, an denen die Lehrer sich so erfreuen und an denen sie so gut arbeiten können. So wollen wir mit Liebe und Begeisterung in den Kinderherzen, mit Liebe und Begeisterung in den Lehrerherzen weiterarbeiten.
Vorwärts, meine lieben Kinder und meine lieben Lehrer, vorwärts!
Speech at the ceremony marking the start of the sixth school year
My dear children, students! First of all, you will have to listen quietly for a moment, because the first people I would like to address are the parents, the parents who are here with us at our great celebration, those who have brought very young children to us, and the parents who have brought older children to the Waldorf School.
My dear parents of the students! We can certainly appreciate and honor the moment in which you find yourselves today with your hearts and minds. Those who have already gone through a considerable part of life, as is the case with parents, know that life brings many trials of pain and joy, trials that bring suffering, but also joy, and they have the most precious thing that life has given them: their children. We who run and manage Waldorf schools know very well what it means to decide where to send our children. We do so based on our own life experiences, and we want our children to experience life in the best possible way, based on what we know.
It cannot be my task today to talk about the way in which we want to prepare children for life through appropriate and humane teaching and an appropriate and humane education. But you can be assured that one thing emerges from our pedagogy, from our art of education: that we appreciate what it means as parents to send children to school and thereby set them on a lasting course for life. With this sense of truly comprehensive responsibility, we want to take the children from your hands as you bring them to us today and assure you that we truly know what that means.
With this feeling, we also want to come together: may today's moment be repeated often. We at the Waldorf School, a school that is not yet widely recognized, need the support that we can gain through strong cooperation with parents. I therefore ask you to visit the school often, either for consultations or in other ways. What we and you want for the children will be achieved in the best possible way if we can work together with the parents in a powerful way. We want to try to implement this to the fullest extent possible from the school.
Then I would like to address the children who are at school for the first time today. You don't really need to understand very much yet. Today, something has come along that you already know in part, but that you now have to start learning. You have loved your parents until now; you know how to do that. You must also learn to love your teachers. If you love your teachers, you will learn all kinds of things, even if there are other things to learn as well. But that will come easily. You will have to learn to sit quietly for a while sometimes, but when the lesson is over, you can run around outside again, but not too fast, so that you don't bump your head. You must also always be very friendly to each other. Above all, you must learn to sit still, to love your teachers, and to make sure that you stay healthy and that the others stay healthy too.
As you sit here, from the lowest to the highest grade, you have heard a very true statement today from our dear first-grade teacher: The little ones have become something completely different from what they used to be; they have become schoolchildren. That has just been said. You can become a schoolchild, but I would now like to say, connecting the lowest with the highest grades: You don't leave school. You will leave the Waldorf School; some after completing the eighth grade, some after higher grades. For the first time, we have had to send those who have completed the highest grade out into life. But when all that is over, you will really come to school. For the most important and significant school is the school of life, and when you leave school, you are just entering the school of life. And we have the task of being the preparatory school for the school of life.
Then there are those to whom I must turn last. So now I turn to your dear teachers. Looking at the school, I have to say that the most important people among the schoolchildren are the teachers! The fact that they once came to school is tremendously important for the school, because they are always learning. And do you know from whom they most want to learn? Most of all, they want to learn from you! They want to learn how you are able to best endure suffering and joy, how you are healthy and sick. They have so much to learn from you so that, with their full love for you, they can make you into people who can stand firmly in life.
To do this, one thing is necessary above all else, which I always say, but I would like to say again because it cannot be said often enough. In Waldorf schools, the teachers do what they do with the deepest joy. They know that they are working on the great life outside with what is most important in the great life: they are working with the beginnings of life. When I see these joyful faces on the first day and those of our dear students who have been here for a long time and who have always answered me when I asked, “Do you love your teachers?” – when I see you all like this, I would like to say something today. You have lived without your teachers during the holidays. Now everything will only go well at school if you can answer a certain question for me again. Some things are forgotten. But there is one thing you must not forget. You have planted love for your teachers in your souls. You have assured me of this time and again. Now that you have been away for a while, I ask you: have you forgotten your love for your teachers during the holidays? If you have not forgotten, answer with a clear “No.” (The children shout: “No!”) That is what will put you in the right frame of mind for the new school year. Then you will be attentive and diligent, and everything will go well.
My students from the highest class, that is, dear teachers! Let us work courageously and enthusiastically to take up our lessons and education, preparing for the school of life in the new school year as well. May it be so, then the school will be led by the highest leader, by Christ himself. May it be so in this school. Let us move forward out of enthusiasm for the cause and also out of love for the children, whom the teachers enjoy so much and with whom they can work so well. So let us continue to work with love and enthusiasm in the hearts of the children, with love and enthusiasm in the hearts of the teachers.
Forward, my dear children and my dear teachers, forward!