Teaching for Black Lives in Waldorf Schools - Summer Course
When: July 22-26, 2024: 5 day ONLINE intensive
Schedule: Mon-Fri, 10 to 5 CT daily, with 2 evening sessions
Single Registration: $600
Discounts (may not be combined):
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$50 off each registration for schools sending 2 or more participants
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$50 off for currently enrolled GLWI teacher training students
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25% off payments made with Canadian dollars
Minimum registration requirement: 12 participants
Refund Policy
Course Description
For many educators, the summer of 2020 represented a time of racial awakening to what BIPOC educators have known and experienced - schools are often a place of racialization, where societal inequities are not just reflected but re-created. But schools can also be transformative points of interrupting racial discrimination. With an arts-integrated curriculum, focus on the conscious development of human relationships, and founding commitment towards social renewal, Waldorf schools are uniquely positioned to meet the social impulse of this time.
With a focus on inner development as well as practical classroom strategies, this summer professional development course will help participants “Teach for Black Lives” in their Waldorf classrooms. While centering Black joy, this course will address topics such as practicing culturally sustaining pedagogy, developing personal capacities for conversations about race, and promoting healthy racial identity development for Black and non-Black students. We will also explore ways to disrupt anti-Black racism in schools, create and sustain equitable schools, and navigate pushback and resistance to inclusion.
Central Themes
In alignment with the Teaching for Black Lives campaign, sessions will focus on the following themes:
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Centering Black joy in the classroom, not just oppression
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Deconstructing master narratives in the curriculum and teaching people’s history
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Exploring intersectionality
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Identifying and addressing the structural impact of racism in Waldorf schools (including topics such as school discipline, staffing, assessment policies, dress code, and curriculum)
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Nurturing mutual support and resistance in the midst of attacks on teaching honestly about U.S. history, racism, and LGBTQ+ identity
Who should take this course?
This course is designed for faculty and staff who are active in Waldorf schools and classrooms. While expertise is not required, participants should have some working knowledge of Waldorf school governance, developmentally appropriate practice, and curriculum planning.
This course is appropriate for Black educators and non-Black allies with a commitment to meeting the needs of Black students and their families. We will address how (and why!) to “Teach for Black Lives” - whether or not you currently have Black students in your classroom.
Course Presenters
Non-Discrimination Statement: Great Lakes Waldorf Institute, Inc., encourages broad public support and participation in its management and activities, and shall not discriminate in any manner whatsoever against any person on the basis of race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, or mental or physical handicap or disability in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship programs, and any other programs. We are committed to reflecting the diversity of our society and creating space for historically excluded and underrepresented groups to participate in all aspects of the corporation's management and activities.