“Teaching and education depend on what passes from the soul of the teacher to the soul of the child.”

– Rudolf Steiner

Speech reveals the inner life of the soul. Herein lies the essence of education. In order to become better teachers we need to become the best speakers we can be, since Speech is the primary pedagogical instrument in the classroom. How, then, do we cultivate our speech?

Using stories, poems, and verses from the Waldorf curriculum, we will work toward the transformation of our speech. We will explore Rudolf Steiner’s speech exercises for teachers and other indications for speaking that he gave to lecturers and actors. These include the use of imagination, speaking from concrete images, as well as the importance of repetition, rhythm, and style.

Though primarily designed for teachers, this course is available for all who wish to deepen their understanding and experience of Creative Speech. It will be useful for anyone who depends upon the voice professionally.

“The intrinsic worth of the teacher surely rests in large measure upon speaking.”

Clay relief modeling of the evolutionary letter sequences with Elizabeth Auer.

Materials fee: $25

CRAIG GIDDENS has been a Creative Speech teacher and a Waldorf educator for many years. A founding member of the Antioch Waldorf Teacher Training and the Center for Anthroposophy, Craig is also a founder of the Speech School of North America, which prepares future speech teachers for a Goetheanum diploma in this art form.