Forms in the classroom

30 children speak the beginning of the Old Testament in Hebrew for several minutes on stage during a school festival! The parents quickly learn that practicing forms in the various subjects at the Waldorf School is very important, whether painting, speaking, making music or eurythmy. For some children, fixed forms offer stability and orientation, regular repetition provides security and the ever-improving mastery of the prescribed forms makes them proud. On the other hand, it can also lead to formalism - that is, acting and practicing the forms only out of tradition, because «we have always done it this way», the forms are not filled with inner involvement, they do not live. In this Erziehungskunst, a professor of music, a professor of eurythmy and a lecturer for speech formation, among others, tell us about their relationship to form and over-forming. And from their experience of how they go their own way in education between form-free freedom, which has a tendency towards chaos, and perfectly practiced form, which has a tendency to freeze. Our guest author Wolfgang Held shares with us his fascination for platonic bodies – very special forms that we often find in Waldorf schools.

You will also find exciting and informative stories in this issue of Erziehungskunst. Karoline Kopp, a teacher from Landsberg, calls for more emphasis on economics and social studies in the Waldorf school curriculum. My colleague Anne Brockmann describes how Blue the dog assists Nike a student at the Waldorf School in Satzvey. German teacher Elisa Weinkötz reports on how heroes other than Faust and Parzifal can inspire students. And we look beyond the horizon: what other reform teachers besides Rudolf Steiner were there in the 20th century? Fiona-Livia Bachmann describes Paolo Freire's pedagogy of freedom.

Wishing you a stimulating read and a mild and cheerful March!