Question about Teacher Training

[knittygritty]

 Hi again! I'm popping out of the woodwork once more to ask another question about Teacher Training (I can't believe it's been two years since I first posted here about becoming a handwork teacher!). I am graduating with my BFA in Fibers in three short months, and so the time has come to apply and register for my Waldorf Teacher Training classes. I've pretty much narrowed down my preference list to Arcturus in Chicago (for its proximity to home) or Sunbridge Institute (for its great Fibers facilities). There is just one thing I don't understand, and it seems to apply to most of the training programs out there:

 Why do these programs meet for such short, widely-spaced terms? How can abstract concepts and new physical skills be learned in such a short period of time? And finally, what do the students do in the long stretches of time between classes? If I were to attend Sunbridge, it seems I would be floating about rural New York without a homebase or a job for the majority of the year...or spending a lot more money in travel costs to and from NY and Illinois.

 I hope some of you can give me some input! I do so value your opinions and experiences.

[SimpleGrace]

hi there,

 I know what you mean....I am about to start teacher training this summer for waldorf early childhood...I live in pennsylvania, about 2 hours from sunbridge. I will attend the 1-week summer intensive course in July, and I'll be commuting back and forth (I just cant spend the night away from my son!! We are both not ready...) It's going to be a lot of information in a short amount of time...I took intensive courses during my undergrad, and I remember being very, very tired and burnt out by the end of them.

  I was originally going to attend sophia's hearth in NH, but the distance and "spurts" of instruction just wouldn't work for our family...not to mention, like you said, being in a new town with no familiar faces & no place to stay (there was a list of host families, but that only possibly works if you're a single traveller...)

   I suppose they break up the instruction for people who can't be away from their families....but it proves to be difficult either way. I think that if sunbridge offered some kind of housing, it might be easier and less nerve wracking for perspective students...

   best of luck to you, friend!

http://bendingbirches2010.blogspot.com/

[knittygritty]

Thanks for the reply, SimpleGrace--love your blog, and I think you will make a wonderful early childhood educator!

 I sent an email to both Sunbridge and the Fiber Craft Studio with some of my questions. I hate to say it, but I feel like I'm being given the run-around. Maybe it's the fact that I'm one of the impulsive answer-fed generation, but I am made uneasy by the vagueness of their answers. No one can tell me what credentials are required to be hired as a handwork teacher at most schools. At most, I am told that "each school is different and you should contact the ones where you consider applying."

 By this should I infer that I do not have to even have a certification to teach handwork? Crazy.

 Add to the general feeling of apprenhension the fact that neither responder spelled my name correctly in their reply (and it's Megan--pretty easy, not to mention stated on my email to them!) and I am none too impressed.

 I have almost entirely made up my mind to attend Arcturus in Chicago to receive my certification, even if their program is not directed toward handwork teachers. I truly hope you have had better success in communicating with Sunbridge--perhaps I just got them on a bad day!

 Good luck in your pursuits!

[WednesdayO]

Quote:

Originally Posted by knittygritty 

 I have almost entirely made up my mind to attend Arcturus in Chicago to receive my certification, even if their program is not directed toward handwork teachers.

From what I have seen, your fibers training and general Waldorf teacher training should help you get a job teaching handwork. It does seem that every school is different in what they require/expect. The teachers don't always start out with Waldorf training, but many of them enter it after they start teaching. The school here, Emerson Waldorf School, always says "We hire teachers with Waldorf training or similar experience who demonstrate a passion for teaching out of anthroposophy, a deep love for children and who aspire to working in a highly cooperative atmosphere."