THE CHILD

Steiner, Rudolf,
The child’s changing consciousness, as the basis of pedagogical practice,
ISBN 0880104104, Anthroposophic Press

The child 1923 -three and a half years after the founding of the first Waldorf school- an audience of Swiss school teachers, most of whom have little knowledge of anthroposophy: this is the setting for these lectures, which are among the most accessible Steiner gave on the subject of education. 

A teacher who attended the lectures wrote in the Berne School Paper:
Every morning, as we listened anew to Dr. Steiner, we felt we had come closer to him and understood better what he had to say and how he had to say it. Daily, we newcomers gatherd, asking ourselves, "Why are more of our colleagues not here? It is untrue that anthroposophy limits a person, develops blinkers, or avoids real life... For step-by-step Dr. Steiner shows its application to life... illuminating the details, disclosing their connection with profound questions of life and existence. "I came to the conference to stimulate my school work, I found benefit in abundance. But also, I unexpectedly received a greater richness for heart and soul-and, from this in turn shall stream richness for my classes...
In other words, these are ideal lectures for someone approaching Waldorf pedagogy for the first time.
Using language any teacher or parent can understand, Steiner goes into the bases of his educational philosophy, giving many examples and anecdotes to convey his meaning. In this way, against the background of the developing child, he allows the curriculum and the method of teaching to emerge as the commonsense conclusion of practiacal experience.