{"id":67498,"date":"2025-09-02T20:38:34","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T18:38:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dasgoetheanum.com\/?p=67498"},"modified":"2025-09-02T20:38:38","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T18:38:38","slug":"learning-as-a-seed-in-a-time-of-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dasgoetheanum.com\/en\/learning-as-a-seed-in-a-time-of-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning as a Seed in a Time of Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A transdisciplinary colloquium brought the fields of emergency relief work, emergency pedagogy, and trauma pedagogy together at the Goetheanum.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It\u2019s Friday the 13th. June. Hot and humid. I\u2019m already sweating when I join the 27 people gathered this afternoon in the North Hall of the Goetheanum. They\u2019ve come from all over the world for the symposium, \u201cLearning in Difficult Times.\u201d News from Tehran and Tel Aviv arrived this morning: Israel launched a major air strike on Iran; my friends, my family, and my acquaintances are sitting on pins and needles or in air-raid shelters as counterattacks follow. But I sit here\u2014perfectly safe\u2014where the biggest event in the sky is a kite circling above the treetops. As so often when I view the \u201cmisery of the world\u201d from this comfortable distance, I feel a powerlessness and fear that weave a tight knot in my stomach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I look around, I see a hodgepodge of people alongside a few acquaintances from the Goetheanum. Mostly women of different ages, from various countries, all chatting with each other. I wonder how each person here found their work. How did they become managers, educators, therapists, and peace workers who support children and adults in their communities or in crisis and disaster areas? Do they also feel this knot inside them, or do they approach the world from a different perspective? Could it be precisely because they are all knotted up inside that they approach events in a unique way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The symposium Learning in Difficult Times is a transdisciplinary forum organized. Participants were invited by four Sections of the Goetheanum: The Pedagogical Section, the Medical Section, the General Anthroposophical Section, and the Section for Inclusive Social Development. In her opening remarks, Constanza Kaliks of the Goetheanum Leadership Team welcomed the representatives of the various approaches and organizations and reminded the audience of the importance of transdisciplinarity and collaboration. This anthroposophical field of work has had many names as it developed over the last two decades: peace education, emergency pedagogy, emergency and disaster relief, and \u201cEssence of Learning.\u201d In this short period of time, so many different people have already had such intense experiences that a diverse spectrum of experts has emerged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the two days of the colloquium, the exchange focused on an overarching theme: learning itself. What does it mean for people to learn, and how does learning help children in difficult situations? Constanza Kaliks began her welcome address with an answer to this question: \u201cLearning is an expression of incarnation.\u201d So, what happens to us human beings when learning is weakened, interrupted, or made impossible?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding Resilience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Beatrice Rutishauser Ramm was a Waldorf teacher who received a call from Kosovo during a sabbatical year. She was asked to help set up a kindergarten after the war had ended. Her first assignment was followed by others, and more and more kindergartens were established. She quickly realized that Waldorf education alone was not enough in a chaotic, resource-poor location like Kosovo. In 2004, she quit her job as a teacher, earned a master\u2019s degree in global education, and devoted herself to developing minimum standards for learning and education (Essence of Learning). Her research has inspired new initiatives, some of which have also come to the Goetheanum. For almost twenty years, she has been working as a consultant for large organizations that create learning spaces for children in crisis or disaster situations. This includes, above all, training teachers who need tools to help children regain their ability to learn after experiencing trauma. \u201cWaldorf education is designed for a stable, normal situation. That is the exact opposite of only having the minimum requirements,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her core concern is accuracy in assessing situations and the effectiveness of the means used. An acute or traumatic situation, such as she herself experienced in 2005 during a severe earthquake in Pakistan, is something completely different from a chronic crisis, and each situation requires its own specific approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schools are enormously important places for children because they are places of learning and thus represent a future. During her missions, it became increasingly clear that very few of those affected wanted to hear about trauma, especially the children; they didn\u2019t want to feel like victims. But if they were helped to be able to return to the process of learning, children would unfold enormous resilience. When she was in Kosovo, she went to a school that was located next to a new cemetery. She was shocked at first, but then the children told her, \u201cIt\u2019s good, Beatrice. This way, we can be with our fathers every day.\u201d For people living in \u201cstable, normal situations,\u201d this may seem unimaginable, but during Beatrice\u2019s keynote speech, it became clear to me that learning itself is an invaluable asset and marker of human health.<\/p>\n\n\n

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School next to the cemetery, Drenas mountain region in Kosovo. Photo: Beatrice Rutishauser Ramm<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Barbara Schiller, Executive Board member and founding member of stART International, spoke the following morning, following on from Beatrice Rutishauser Ramm. Beatrice\u2019s first concept for Waldorf-inspired emergency pedagogy from 2006 already contained the basic principles of much of what defines the field today. That concept included the idea of a \u201csocial seed\u201d for children in great need. In view of polycrisis, polarization, and collective powerlessness, this idea has become central to stART International. It\u2019s no longer just a question of \u201cchildren learning in difficult times,\u201d but rather the social question of \u201cliving together in challenging times.\u201d This requires the ability to move together in an unstable environment. The focus is on human dignity. Barbara views her field of work as a training that is becoming increasingly relevant to more people. For this reason, the association makes as much knowledge and educational and therapeutic tools as possible freely available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In particular, the aspect of \u201ccreativity\u201d stood out to me in Barbara\u2019s description. After all, a dignified life has to go beyond basic needs\u2014creativity means feeling an abundance as well as opportunities for development. I see \u201cliving\u201d and \u201clearning\u201d as linked together: learning is an active, creative process that I must have the capacity for, but learning itself is the greatest resource for a resilient life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jan G\u00f6schel, co-leader of the Section for Inclusive Social Development, also addressed the question of resilience. From the perspective of social transformation, he asked what conditions are necessary for resilience and how we should shape a shared future. Other life processes show that resilience is linked to diversity and connectedness on many levels and that resilient systems are always characterized by an abundance, i.e., more than the minimal necessary forces. Without resorting to social romanticism or seeking to gloss over disasters or chronic crises, we can say that it is a sign of resilient human communities that they not only survive challenges but even grow from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can adversity actually reveal certain human capacities that are otherwise overlooked? Are the \u201csocial seeds\u201d of the future part of the forces that will break through the established system? Such a thought quickly leads to contradiction, because it can be seen as presumptuous, relativizing, or unsympathetic. But I\u2019m reminded of all the reports from disaster situations where human beings displayed their humanity profoundly. Perhaps these are simply individuals who rise to greatness under pressure, but it also seems to me that they are definitely seeds for the future sense of community. We are probably all aware of the sense of heightened alertness and sensitivity when experiencing a stroke of destiny. It seems to depend on having an inner space. If we have it, we can stay alert. If we don\u2019t, we cannot open ourselves up through the experience of pain\u2014we shut down to protect ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Working with young people in the earthquake zone, Turkey 2023. Photo: stART international<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Encountering Trauma<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Melanie Reveriego, chairwoman and principal of the Parzival-Zentrum <\/em>[Parzival center] in Karlsruhe, reported on the work at her school, where special attention is paid to children and young people who have little \u201cspace\u201d to live. She told of an adolescent who sank deeper and deeper into a traumatic vortex and couldn\u2019t find his way out. He later told a judge that the only place where people believed in him was at school. It\u2019s a story that was painful to hear, but it also shows that these are not all stories of miracles. In some cases, people do lose themselves completely, and one good environment among many destructive ones is not enough. Trauma is a social reality, even if we see the effects more clearly in individuals themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melanie described the fourfold human being, as presented by Rudolf Steiner, and how trauma affects each level: In the physical body, it\u2019s a wound; at the level of the life forces, it can manifest as rhythm and memory disorders, for example; and, in the astral body, as relationship and resonance disorders, lack of impulse control, or depression. In the \u2018I\u2019, there comes a lack of strength needed to organize the forces of the other bodies and the soul forces (thinking, feeling, willing), which then leads to a lack of self-efficacy. This is where we need to start. The Parzival Center attaches great importance (among other things) to ensuring that the school is a safe environment, introducing rhythm into daily school life, establishing reliable and trusting relationships, and helping teachers become aware of their inner disposition. This understanding makes Waldorf education an ideal approach for children with special challenges in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Philipp Reubke, co-leader of the Pedagogical Section, suggested that the inner disposition of adult caregivers creates a soul environment for children, which has a very strong influence upon them. This was complemented in a conversation with a Ukrainian colleague who reported that it was not only her outward actions that had an effect on the children, but especially her own feelings. She had observed that her anger about the war had a very negative effect on her everyday work as a teacher. If you really want to help children in difficult times, you have to start with yourself. It takes a lot to distance yourself from hysteria and keep yourself together when in shock, so that you can be a source of support for those who are even more in need.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Emergency educational work by the Friends of Waldorf Education in Turkey. Photo: Michael Schnurr\/Freunde der Erziehungskunst<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Karin Michael, co-leader of the Medical Section, brought the idea of warmth into the conversation. \u201cWarmth is the element that can penetrate, transform, and bring all the other elements into a flow, to a flexible and fluid state. Warmth loosens hardness and rigidity. Warmth rises upwards, counteracting gravity.\u201d This can be applied to the different levels of the human being and can also be implemented in different ways in education during different stages of development. Most importantly, warmth incarnates; it enables the body, soul, and spirit to be present as an integrated unity within the earthly realm. Trauma arises when this integration disappears. For children who are just beginning their development, trauma can even prevent incarnation. Ultimately, though, all development is healing; every human being is in need of healing; they take a step to develop themselves and thus take a step in healing. This is where the disciplines come together. \u201cHealing\u201d through warmth is a motif common to both anthroposophic medicine and Waldorf education and aims to make future development possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just how shocking life can suddenly be was evident when Ida Oberman and Rosa Balderrama talked about the reGeneration Education initiative. The two women came from California. They founded a project focusing on two schools. Ida reported that it was Rudolf Steiner who brought the ancient motif of \u201ceducation is healing\u201d back into modern pedagogy. It\u2019s therefore a special moment that this circle has now gathered at the Goetheanum to weave a network for the future. In California, they founded both the Pasadena Waldorf School and the Community School for Creative Education in Oakland. The latter is a place that supports learning for children in difficult life circumstances. The Waldorf School in Pasadena was completely destroyed by the devastating LA fires in January 2025. Rosa, who worked as an emergency educator after the hurricane in Nashville, Tennessee, is now on the receiving end of emergency aid herself. She lost not only her job but also her home in the fire. She was visibly moved when she talked about it. Her colleague Stepha Weinstein was also sitting in the circle; her house burned down, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rosa said that her work as a Waldorf kindergarten teacher helped her; it had all the important elements: movement, rhythm, stories, music. In this day and age, more training is needed for trauma-informed education. It\u2019s immensely important, though, that the adults affected by trauma also experience a sense of community, to grieve together and to feel accepted. The principles of \u201cfocus on the whole child, focus on the whole school, focus on the whole community\u201d are therefore central to the two different schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feeling accepted comes from the relationships we build with each other. It\u2019s part of our fragile human nature that we\u2019re social creatures who make life possible for each other, but we can also make it impossible. \u201cTo really see<\/em> the other person is what really heals. Not the methodology,\u201d Stefanie Allon told me during the break. She came from Israel, where she\u2019s worked for decades as a Waldorf kindergarten teacher and teacher trainer with a tireless commitment to peace. What applies to healing also applies to crisis. We are all part of that, too. No one stands outside the world; we are part of the difficulties. Stefanie opened the discussion with an interesting image: the strong Vanya comes to a swamp where the witch Baba Yaga lives. She tries to pull him into the swamp, and a tug-of-war ensues. We are all connected in this tug-of-war with the forces that want to remain in the swamp. It takes a lot, perhaps from this inner struggle with Baba Yaga as well, to emerge upright and courageous like Vanya. Stefanie\u2019s words make it clear to me that it cannot be about the idea of inside and outside, but that a relationship is something much more essential. I am the whole, and the whole is me. The \u201cmisery of the world\u201d is my own misery; the abysses we encounter are part of ourselves. Perhaps my perceived \u201cknot\u201d is only the beginning of an umbilical cord to the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding Each Other<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the concluding round of discussions, Fiona Bay, head of emergency pedagogy for the Friends of Waldorf Education [Freunde der Erziehungskunst<\/em>], raised an interesting point: anyone who wants to work in emergency pedagogy or in highly traumatic situations must ask themselves, \u201cWhy?\u201d What motivates someone to want to throw themselves into these kinds of situations? She talked about how important it is to really live in the moment, to really participate in the world, to respond to a call from contemporary society. But it seems to me that, without being able to elaborate further, she also wanted to say that helpers are a part of what is happening, that they not only need to know themselves well but need to explore their motives for helping. Does the obvious need to want to get involved, to help and support, also need purification?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter Selg, co-leader of the General Anthroposophical Section, spoke a few hours before Fiona, shining a light on our inner light by focusing on spiritual training. Esoteric training can only flourish if we change ourselves. Those who only have ideas about spiritual content but don\u2019t change themselves are not able to bring the light to others. One must be able to see one\u2019s own thinking, feel one\u2019s own feelings, and recognize one\u2019s own will, to prevent them from casting shadows. Those who succeed in doing this will do what needs to be done. Inner training purifies thinking and kindles a new fire, a different courage to shape the world. In this way, we can ultimately learn to stand \u201cabove the abyss.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Initial reception center for refugees, mainly Ukrainian refugees, in Heidelsheim near Bruchsal. Photo: Notfallp\u00e4dagogik ohne Grenzen<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

At the end of the gathering, the jigsaw puzzle of contributions formed a clear image in my mind, which, if we take it seriously, can bring a real future to everyone. Through emergencies and chronic crises, this small group is developing an awareness of the interconnectedness of the world, looking at itself and at what is needed in each moment. From the deep impressions of their experiences in this work, everyone in the group has learned about their own susceptibility to crisis and has been strengthened in the art of connecting with one another again and again. This will also enable them to watch over the beacons that every adult will need to navigate in the future. As we become increasingly aware of the complexity of the world, we need more and more space to hold this complicated \u201cinner experience,\u201d and more and more \u201cspace holders\u201d who are rich in experience and know how to get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jorge Schaffer is a member of the Executive Board of International Emergency Pedagogy Without Borders [Notfallp\u00e4dagogik ohne Grenzen international<\/em>] in Karlsruhe. He came to the colloquium directly from his assignment following a school shooting in Graz, Austria. He described the participants of the gathering as the trunk of a tree. Their roots are grounded in the transdisciplinary fields of education, therapy, medicine, art, and other related fields. The \u201cnourishment\u201d from this network passes through them\u2014the active participants\u2014reaching the crown, enriching and further developing different fields, right up to the outer tips, where politics and legislators integrate the fruits. The tree is an ecosystem that changes dynamically and interacts constantly. The active participants aren\u2019t isolated from each other; they form a network. Based on this consciousness, I imagine that those gathered together will not only collaborate more but that they could become a resilient \u201clife process\u201d: people who understand and share resilience, diversity, and abundance, like the tree, which isn\u2019t one single thing but many things, which does many things. The deeper its roots, the thicker its branches, the more beneficial the habitat and shade it provides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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