The+College+of+Teachers

I wanted to create a public forum at school so that we could change the culture of College Meetings which currrently seem to be devoted entirely to bsiness. We really need to be talking about our curriculum - planning and integrating, reflecting discussing, evaluating, sharing insights etc but also discussing and learning about adolescent development, child study and the relationship to educational methods and practice. Look at this definition of colleagues - 'colleagues are those explicitly united in a common purpose and respecting each other's abilities to work toward that purpose Thus, the word collegiality can connote respect for another's commitment to the common purpose and ability to work toward it.' The college of teachers, who decide on pedagogical issues, normally on the basis of consensus. This group is usually open to full-time teachers who have been with the school for a prescribed period of time. Each school is accordingly unique in its approach, as it may act solely on the basis of the decisions of the college of teachers to set policy or other actions pertaining to the school and its students. Waldorf schools have been cited for having a high level of teacher collegiality. The board of trustees, decide on governance issues, especially those relating to school finances and legal issues. Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/waldorfschools Waldorf teachers work not only with the physical, sensible realm, but also with supersensible realities / realms. In order to meet the challenges of their vocation, Waldorf teachers need to develop their inner life, which creates the possibility of working on earthly tasks in partnership with spiritual beings. How can the inner work of the teachers be supported and sustained? How can the work of the College of Teachers in Steiner schools be strengthened and intensified? Can Steiner teachers and Steiner schools deepen their relationship to the Christ Impulse? These questions bear examination and exploration. Collaborative learning and research in the various spheres of the Steiner school .... Steiner schools engage in the following spheres: the teacher's individual work, work with the students, the parents, the school and the wider community, the work of the school administration, the work of the faculty, and the work of the College of Teachers. During the last eighty years, Steiner schools and communities have experienced what works and what does not in these various spheres. In order to make the most of our experience, we need to refine our capacities to reflect together, to learn from one another, and to share what we have discovered with others in similar circumstances. Many Steiner teachers and administrators do not have sufficient time to pursue independent research as conceived in traditional forms. We need to develop new forms of collaborative learning and research that will allow the wealth of experience and wisdom gained by practicing teachers and administrators to be gathered and disseminated. The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. - William A. Ward
 * Esoteric underpinnings of the work of the teache**r http://www.waldorflibrary.org/Journal_Articles/RB5203.pdf