Learning German to Study Waldorf

Dawn breaks, the sun rises, and a new day begins. As the first rays of sunlight climb higher, the garden gate opens, and a group of children steps inside.

Kian collects the eggs from the chicken coop as if they were tiny treasures. Roya fills the animals' bowls with fruit scraps brought from home. Maryam pauses under an apple tree, inspects the fruit, and picks a brilliantly red one. Mohammad sits on the swing, feels the wind on his face, and lets the world stand still for a moment.

A little later, fruits brought from home are placed in a basket in the classroom – a symbol of sharing. Each child finds their seat as the teacher sets down a basket filled with fragrant roses and mint, freshly picked from the garden, beside a candle. A soft melody begins to fill the room.

A special garden as a place for learning and living

Through our garden, located on the outskirts of a big city in the heart of Iran, about a hundred people are now deeply connected – children, teachers, parents, and administrative team members. They all share the dream of a free, holistic education that fosters healthy child development.

It all began in 2017: two teachers, an educator, and a group of parents came together – including me. We had often questioned our education system critically, as we felt it excluded a significant part of diversity – whether in terms of gender, religion, culture, or individual ways of being. Children have little opportunity to discover themselves. They are forced into a predetermined system that demands high cognitive performance and is designed to prepare them to function within society.

We, on the other hand, wanted to place the human being at the center – to understand and discover what a child truly needs for their development. So, we set out to explore alternative education systems worldwide. University courses in Iran introduced various alternative pedagogical concepts, but none convinced us – until we came across Waldorf education. We began reading articles about Waldorf pedagogy, and the deeper we delved into the subject, the greater our interest grew. However, to this day, there is no literature available in Farsi, so we still rely on translations. Eventually, we decided that one of us should travel to Germany to experience Waldorf education firsthand, to understand it fully, and to see how it works in practice. This direct experience was like pulling back a curtain – many of our questions were answered.

While a colleague from our group completed her training as a Waldorf educator in Berlin, the COVID-19 measures led to many of her courses being held online. We took this as an opportunity to ask the instructors to offer additional courses for interested individuals in Iran. Gradually, a small group deepened their knowledge, and by spring 2022, we began organizing in-person Waldorf pedagogy courses in Iran. With the support of educators and instructors from Germany, we gained lasting experience through discussions and artistic-practical activities. To date, over 400 educators from across the country have participated in various online or in-person courses, which we have designed together with instructors from Germany based on the training plan of the International Association for Steiner/Waldorf Early Childhood Education (IASWECE).

Our initiative has now received official recognition from IASWECE and is listed in the global directory of Waldorf institutions. This marked the moment to turn our knowledge into action. Work in our garden began in the summer of 2022. Over nearly three years, we established water, electricity, and gas supplies and built a house with three classrooms. One is shared by the kindergarten and first grade, each attending the garden three days a week. The other two classrooms are used by grades two to five, who come four days a week. Although we don't have enough space for all classes at the same time, this arrangement allows every child the opportunity to learn and grow in this special place.

For us, a classroom is not just an ordinary space with four walls where children and a teacher happen to meet. It is a sacred place – a land where souls encounter one another with dignity and meaning. Our space, with its three classrooms and garden, has become a place of learning and living, where people grow and thrive together.

Everything we draw from Waldorf education, we weave step by step into our local culture – guided by a deep respect for our own roots. A part of our original culture was the national festivals and rituals, which today are on the brink of being forgotten. It was important to us not to simply adopt the external forms of celebrations from other countries. Instead, we immersed ourselves in the stories and meanings behind our own rituals and traditions. We uncovered their hidden values, brought them back to light, and celebrated them in a way that harmonized with the culture of our community.

Afterward, we opened ourselves to the cultural commonalities we shared with other societies. We saw the diversity surrounding us and sought to make human understanding our connection point to the world – on our path toward global peace. Everything we have done and built has only been possible through donations and collaborative efforts with parents and families. We witnessed firsthand how strong a person's will becomes when they choose an alternative way of life – one for which society offers no predefined answers. The costs of the garden, as well as its expansion and development, would not have been manageable without the support of parents. The children were not mere observers but active contributors. They dreamed of their school, drew floor plans for the classrooms, and carried small sandbags at the construction site.

Despite political and economic challenges – 41% inflation, a shortage of trained professionals, and many other obstacles – we have come a long way.

But: This community, which we have built with hard work, now faces great challenges. The garden that has embraced our dream is set to be sold. Until now, we have been able to rent it, but to secure our future within it, we need to buy it. That’s why we ask for your donation. Even the smallest amount helps keep our dream alive.

When I look out the window of the classroom, my gaze falls upon the first graders. They kneel on the ground and carefully arrange pinecones to form the word بآ (Aab) for «water» – the first two-letter word in Farsi that they learned today.

Donations can be transferred to:
Freunde der Erziehungskunst Rudolf Steiners e.V.
IBAN: DE47430609670013042010 BIC: GENODEM1GLS