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As early as 1884, while tutoring a boy with special needs, Steiner began a lifelong interest in applying spiritual knowledge to the practical aspects of life. Steiner originally published the essay at the core of this book in 1907. It represents his earliest ideas on education, in which he lays out the soul spiritual processes of human development, describing the need to understand how the being of a child develops through successive "births," beginning with the physical body's entry into earthly life, and culminating in the emergence of the I-being with adulthood.
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Introduction T H E E D U C AT I O N OF THE CHILD i ii THE EDUCATION OF THE CHILD [XXV] F O U N D AT I O N S O F WA L D O R F E D U C AT I O N Introduction RU D O L F ST E I N E R The Education of the Child and Early Lectures on Education Anthroposophic Press iii iv THE EDUCATION OF THE CHILD Copyright © Anthroposophic Press, 1996 Published by Anthroposophic Press RR 4, Box 94 A-1, Hudson, N.Y. 12534 The essay “The Education of the Child in the Light of Spiritual Science,” translated by George and Mary Adams, appeared originally in German in the journal Lucifer-Gnosis (nr. 33), 1907, under the title “Die Erzieuhung des Kindes vom Geschictspunkte der Geisteswissenschaft.” It is included in vol. 34 of the Collected Works of Rudolf Steiner, published by Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach, Switzerland, 1987. The lecture “Teaching from a Foundation of Spiritual Insight,” translated by Robert Lathe and Nancy Whittaker, is included in Ursprungsimpulse der Geisteswissenschaft, vol. 96, as “Erziehungspraxis auf der Grundlage spiritueller Erkenntnis”; the lecture “Education in the Light of Spiritual Science,” translated by Rita Stebbing, appeared as “Die Erziehung des Kindes vom Standpunkt der Geisteswissenschaft”; and the lecture “Education and Spiritual Science,” translated by Rita Stebbing, appeared as “Schulfragen vom Standpunkt der Geisteswissenschaft” in Die Erkenntnis des Ubersinnlichen in unserer Zeit, vol. 55; the lecture “Interests, Talent, and Education,” translated by Robert Lathe and Nancy Whittaker, is included in Antworten der eisteswissenschaft auf die grossen Fragen des Daseins, vol. 60, as “Anlage, Begabung und Erziehung des Menschen,” all of which are in the Collected Works of Rudolf Steiner, published by Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach, Switzerland, 1987. The lecture “Interests, Talents, and Educating Children,” translated by Robert Lathe and Nancy Whittaker, appeared originally in the magazine Die Menschenschule, vol. 31 (nr. 6),1957 and vol. 48 (nr.1), 1974. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Steiner, Rudolf, 1861–1925. [Selections. English. 1996] The education of the child and early lectures on education / Rudolf Steiner. p. cm. — (Foundations of Waldorf education ; 25) Three lectures and an essay translated from the German. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-88010-414-7 (paper) 1. Education—Philosophy. 2. Anthroposophy. 3. Education—Experimental methods. I. Title. II. Title: Education of the Child III. Series. LB775.S7S7413 1996 370'.1—dc20 96-15013 CIP 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and articles. Pr i n te d i n t h e Un i te d St a te s of Am e ri c a Introduction v CONTENTS Introduction by Christopher Bamford vii PA R T O N E The Education of the Child in the Light of Spiritual Science 1 PA R T T W O Teaching from a Foundation of Spiritual Insight Berlin, May 14, 1906 41 Education in the Light of Spiritual