Faculty Meetings with Rudolf Steiner
GA 300a
23 December 1919, Stuttgart
Fifth Meeting
A teacher who took over the seventh and eighth grades in the fall reports about teaching the humanities.
Dr. Steiner: You should begin by developing an outline of Roman history and then, from the general character, go into the details. There is no particular reason to go into everything, for instance, the history of the Lucretians. In Rome, much more occurred than what has been handed down, and there is really no reason to tell about everything that has been handed down by chance.
A teacher: Who were the Etruscans?
Dr. Steiner: The Etruscans were a southern Celtic element, a branch of the Celts transplanted in the south.
A teacher asks about books on Oriental history.
Dr. Steiner: Well, there are the chapters about Babylonian and Assyrian history by Stahl and Hugo Winkler in Helmolt’s Weltgeschichte [World History], and also the things written by Friedrich Delitzsch, for example, his Geschichte Babyloniens und Assyriens (History of Babylonia and Assyria).
A teacher: What is Baal?
Dr. Steiner: Baal was originally a Sun god.
A teacher speaks about the practical subjects in the seventh and eighth grades.
A teacher reports about teaching Latin.
Dr. Steiner: It would be good to direct the children’s attention away from the linguistic aspects and toward the meaning, toward the subject itself. There is too little personal contact with the students.
A teacher reports about shop class.
Dr. Steiner: We should learn what we want to teach, for example, how to bind books or to make shoes. We should not bring too much in from outside.
On Friday, December 26 at 9:00 a.m., those children in the first through fourth grades who are causing the teachers difficulties in some ways are to be called in for a “discussion” and on Monday, December 29 at 9:00 a.m., there will be another such meeting for children from the fifth through eighth grades. A list is made of those children.
Two teachers report about the independent religious instruction.
Dr. Steiner: In the independent religious instruction, you could try to bring in something imaginative, mythical religious pictures, for example, the story of Mithras as a picture of how we overcome our lower nature. You could use such pictures to bring something to the fore, that is, to integrate mythical stories pictorially.
A teacher asks about reports.
Dr. Steiner: We must first determine what we have to do [to meet the state requirements]. We can give two reports, one in the middle of the year, as an interim report, and one at the end of the school year. To the extent allowable by the regulations, we should speak about the student only in general terms. We should describe the student and only when there is something of particular note in a subject, should we mention that. We should carefully formulate everything, so that in moving to the higher grades, there is as little differentiation as possible.
When the student goes to another school, we must report everything that the new school requires.
Fünfte Konferenz
Vorsitz: Rudolf Steiner.
Die Frage des Wochenspruches wird durch Friedrich Oehlschlegel angeschnitten. Eine Antwort dazu ist nicht überliefert.
Walter Johannes Stein berichtet über die humanistischen Fächer in der 7. und 8. Klasse, die er seit dem Herbst übernommen hat.
RUDOLF STEINER: Römische Geschichte, [da muss man die] Hauptlinien entwickeln [und dann erst], vom Hauptcharakter ausgehend, die Einzelheiten. [Es liegt gar] kein besonderer Grund [vor], alles zu behandeln, [zum Beispiel die] Geschichte von der Lukretia. Es geschah in Rom viel mehr, als überliefert ist, und es hat keinen Sinn, die zufällig überlieferten Einzelheiten [alle] zu erzählen.
WALTER JOHANNES Stein: [Was sind die] Etrusker?
RUDOLF STEINER: [Die Etrusker sind ein] südliches keltisches Element, [ein] nach Süden verpflanzter [Zweig der] Kelten.
WALTER JOHANNES STEIN fragt nach kulturhistorischen Schriften zur orientalischen Geschichte.
RUDOLF STEINER weist hin auf die Abschnitte über die Geschichte Babyloniens und Assyriens von Stahl und Hugo Winckler und auf die Schriften von Friedrich Delitzsch.
WALTER JOHANNES Stein: [Was ist] Baal?
RUDOLF STEINER: [Baal ist] ursprünglich [eine] Sonnengottheit.
KARL STOCKMEYER berichtet über die «realistischen» Fächer in der 7. und 8. Klasse.
Es wird berichtet über den Lateinunterricht.
RUDOLF STEINER: [Es ist gut, die] Aufmerksamkeit vom Sprachlichen auf das Gemeinte zu lenken, auf die «Sache».
[Es ist] zu wenig persönlicher Kontakt da mit den einzelnen [Schülern].
KARL STOCKMEYER berichtet über den Handfertigkeits- und Handarbeitsunterricht.
RUDOLF STEINER: Was wir vorbringen, [sollten wir] erst selber lernen, zum Beispiel Bücher einbinden [oder] Schuhe machen. [Wir sollten] nicht von außen zu viel hereinbringen.
Es sollen auf Freitag, 26. Dezember, 9 Uhr, die Kinder der 1. bis 4. Klasse «zu einer Besprechung» hergerufen werden, die in irgendeiner Beziehung den Lehrern Schwierigkeiten bereiten, und für Montag, 29. Dezember, 9 Uhr, solche Kinder aus der 5. bis 8. Klasse. Eine Liste der Herzurufenden wird aufgestellt.
HERBERT HANN und FRIEDRICH OEHLSCHLEGEL berichten über den freien Religionsunterricht.
RUDOLF STEINER: [Im freien] Religionsunterricht [könnte] versucht [werden], Imaginatives, mythische Kultbilder herauszuarbeiten, [zum Beispiel] das Mithrasbild als die Überwindung der niederen Natur. [Man könnte solche] Kultbilder verwenden, um Bildhaftes in den Vordergrund zu stellen [und] das Erzählungsmäßige in Mythisches, in Bildhaftes einzugliedern.
Es wird nach den Zeugnissen gefragt.
RUDOLF STEINER: [Da müsste man] feststellen, was vorgeschrieben ist. Es sollen zwei Zeugnisse gegeben werden, eines in der Mitte des Jahres als Interimszeugnis und eines am Ende des Schuljahres. In diesen Zeugnissen soll, soweit das die geltenden Bestimmungen zulassen, nur allgemein [über die Schüler] gesprochen werden. [Man soll] den Schüler charakterisieren, [und] nur [dann], wenn in einem Fach etwas besonders bemerkenswert ist, es erwähnen. Möglichst alle möglichst gut zensieren, und beim Aufsteigen in die höhere Klasse sollen möglichst wenige Rangstufen gemacht werden.
Beim Übergang in eine andere Schule soll das testiert werden, was von der betreffenden Schule verlangt wird.
Fifth Conference
Chair: Rudolf Steiner.
The question of the weekly verse is raised by Friedrich Oehlschlegel. No answer to this question has been handed down.
Walter Johannes Stein reports on the humanities subjects in the 7th and 8th grades, which he has been teaching since the fall.
RUDOLF STEINER: Roman history, [you have to develop] the main lines [and only then], starting from the main character, the details. [There is] no particular reason [to] cover everything, [for example] the story of Lucretia. Much more happened in Rome than has been handed down, and it makes no sense to recount [all] the details that have been handed down by chance.
WALTER JOHANNES Stein: [What are the] Etruscans?
RUDOLF STEINER: [The Etruscans are a] southern Celtic element, [a] branch of the Celts transplanted to the south.
WALTER JOHANNES STEIN asks about cultural-historical writings on Oriental history.
RUDOLF STEINER refers to the sections on the history of Babylonia and Assyria by Stahl and Hugo Winckler and to the writings of Friedrich Delitzsch.
WALTER JOHANNES Stein: [What is] Baal?
RUDOLF STEINER: [Baal is] originally [a] sun deity.
KARL STOCKMEYER reports on the “realistic” subjects in the 7th and 8th grades.
There is a report on Latin lessons.
RUDOLF STEINER: [It is good to] direct attention away from the language and toward the meaning, toward the “thing.”
There is too little personal contact with the individual [students].
KARL STOCKMEYER reports on manual skills and handicraft lessons.
RUDOLF STEINER: We [should] first learn for ourselves what we are teaching, for example, binding books [or] making shoes. [We should] not bring in too much from outside.
On Friday, December 26, at 9 a.m., the children in grades 1 to 4 who are causing difficulties for the teachers in some way are to be called in for a “meeting,” and on Monday, December 29, at 9 a.m., the children in grades 5 to 8. A list of those to be called in will be drawn up.
HERBERT HANN and FRIEDRICH OEHLSCHLEGEL report on free religious education.
RUDOLF STEINER: [In free] religious education, [one could] attempt to develop imaginative, mythical cult images, [for example] the image of Mithras as the overcoming of lower nature. [One could use such] cult images to bring the pictorial to the fore [and] to integrate the narrative into the mythical, into the pictorial.
The report cards are requested.
RUDOLF STEINER: [One would have to] determine what is required. Two report cards should be given, one in the middle of the year as an interim report and one at the end of the school year. In these report cards, as far as the applicable regulations allow, only general comments [about the students] should be made. [One should] characterize the student, [and] only [then], if something is particularly noteworthy in a subject, mention it. Give everyone the best possible grades, and when moving up to the next grade, make as few rankings as possible.
When transferring to another school, what is required by the school in question should be certified.