Torin finser biography definition
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The Future of Waldorf Education: Beyond 100
Waldorf News
By Torin Finser
Adapted from a speech at the Center for Anthroposophy in New Hampshire, June 2019.
In 2019 we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Waldorf education. This evening I would like to look beyond 100, towards Waldorf education’s future. But first, a look at the past. Taking the number 100, let us divide the past century into three periods. We will look at the number 33⅓, first from a more external point of view and then from an internal aspect.
If we add 33⅓ to1919 we come to 1952. I would call the years from 1919 to 1952 Waldorf education’s European period. Of course the Steiner School in Manhattan was founded in 1928 and schools opened elsewhere, but the first school was founded in Stuttgart, and Waldorf schools proliferated during that period throughout Europe, in Scandinavia and the U.K., including reopenings after World War II.
During the next 33⅓ years, ending in 1985/86, there was an explosion of
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Antioch is accepting a special “Waldorf Cohort” to its Doctor of Education program, which will feature a unique curriculum and aims to enrich and enliven the Waldorf education movement. Those who join this special group of EdD students—all beginning the schema in September 2021—will come tillsammans over the coming years to study with other Waldorf scholar-practitioners and engage in a doctoral program with a social justice focus.
The timing of this cohort roughly coincides with the 100th anniversary of the founding of Waldorf education in Germany. That’s partially by design. “We’ve been wishing for this Waldorf cohort to happen for a long, long time,” says Dr. Torin Finser, core faculty in the AUNE’s Education Department and a driving force behind the special cohort. He sees the centennial not only as an opportunity to launch a long-planned schema but also as a chance to reflect on and shape the future of Waldorf education. “It was a wonderful milestone,” he says. “But also there’s
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Listening to Our Teachers
Torin M. Finser received his PhD in educational leadership from Union Graduate School, his MA in education from Adelphi University, and his BA from Bowdoin College. He taught at the Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School, where he also served as faculty chairman. He has done extensive consulting with schools in organizational dynamics and leadership development and has been a keynote speaker at conferences around the world.Dr. Finser is the author of numerous books, beginning with School as a Journey (1995), which has been translated into Mandarin, Farsi, Thai, Arabic, Korean, and Spanish. Torin has served as General Secretary of the Anthroposophical Society in America and Chair of the Education Department at Antioch University New England, and is currently Director of Waldorf Programs.A founder of the Center for Anthroposophy, he has recently pioneered their new Building Bridges Program for practicing teachers in independent and charter schools and Expl