Steiner Voices XYZ

Lara Andropov was one of the founding students of Milkwood Steiner School in Darwin, NT. After years away, she has returned and twenty years on she runs the After School Care program at Milkwood. Lara has a child’s rich memory of the school’s founding and of all the dedicated work that her parents and other families contributed to establishing the school. From the school’s humble beginnings in a Scout Hall where every day the school furniture had to be stored away and recreated the next morning, to its present well established state offering a Kindergarten to Year 10 curriculum, Lara’s story details the hard work, commitment and passion of the founding families with a vision of a Steiner school in Darwin. This “creation story” is intertwined with Lara’s own story of how she dealt with significant learning challenges. On the way she developed her own commitment and passion to using some of the methods she learned from her education to support children and adults meet their own challenges in learning and life.

For more information about Steiner education: ⁠⁠https://steinereducation.edu.au/⁠⁠

For more information about locations and contact details of Steiner schools: ⁠⁠https://steinereducation.edu.au/schools/⁠⁠

Teacher education and professional learning: ⁠⁠https://steinereducation.edu.au/events/⁠⁠

Working in a Steiner school: ⁠⁠https://steinereducation.edu.au/jobs/#vacancies⁠⁠

Our facebook page is ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/steinereducationaustralia⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/steinereducationaustralia/⁠⁠

The beautifully performed theme music ‘Libertango’ is played by Esther Abrami and Alexandra Whittingham.

Esther’s website: ⁠⁠https://www.estherabrami.com/⁠⁠

Alexandra’s website: ⁠⁠https://www.alexandrawhittingham.com/⁠⁠

Podcast produced by: ⁠⁠https://piccolopodcasts.com.au/

Dr Brad Kershner continues his keynote presentations from our recent GLAM (Governance, Leadership, Administration and Management) conference at Samford Valley Steiner School. Qld. In this second keynote, Brad develops his theme of Steiner schools as islands of coherence in the sea of chaos and complexity in which we find ourselves at this challenging point in human history. Through our commitment to human values in learning, art, community, nature, ritual and the seasonal cycles, Steiner schools can model coherence and become “attractors” that draw other elements to them, thereby helping to stabilise the wider system in society. In Brad’s view, if we do the necessary inner work that disrupts the negative patterns from the outside chaos, we can start the healing process in both ourselves and the world. So a potential new story can emerge, and ray out to help forge a future balance and harmony.

For more information about Steiner education: ⁠⁠https://steinereducation.edu.au/⁠⁠

For more information about locations and contact details of Steiner schools: ⁠⁠https://steinereducation.edu.au/schools/⁠⁠

 Teacher education and professional learning: ⁠⁠https://steinereducation.edu.au/events/⁠⁠

 Working in a Steiner school: ⁠⁠https://steinereducation.edu.au/jobs/#vacancies⁠⁠

 Our facebook page is ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/steinereducationaustralia⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/steinereducationaustralia/⁠⁠

 The beautifully performed theme music ‘Libertango’ is played by Esther Abrami and Alexandra Whittingham. 

 Esther’s website: ⁠⁠https://www.estherabrami.com/⁠⁠

 Alexandra’s website: ⁠⁠https://www.alexandrawhittingham.com/⁠⁠

Podcast produced by: ⁠⁠https://piccolopodcasts.com.au/

Rosemary Gentle OAM has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in Steiner education. Beginning as a parent, she was over three decades a Class teacher, High School Coordinator,  College Chair and finally Board Co-Chair at Glenaeon School in Sydney, before becoming Executive Officer of the Rudolf Steiner Schools Association of Australia, precursor to Steiner Education Australia. Her memories of working closely with Glenaeon’s founder Sylvia Brose provide a unique glimpse of the remarkable woman who brought Steiner education to Australia. Rosemary recalls the early days when the struggles to build the credibility of a Steiner school in the eyes of sceptical NSW authorities was an ongoing challenge, and the benefits that hard-won credibility has brought to the Australian Steiner school movement. In recognition of her work with many schools, Rosemary was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for her services to Steiner education and the community. Her contribution continues today in her role as Co-Chair of the Steiner Education Foundation, a philanthropic body raising funds for Steiner schools and organisations across the country. For more information on the Foundation and its work, you can visit, and contribute directly to, < https://steinereducation.edu.au/about/steiner-education-foundation/ 

For more information about Steiner education: ⁠⁠https://steinereducation.edu.au/⁠⁠

For more information about locations and contact details of Steiner schools: ⁠⁠https://steinereducation.edu.au/schools/⁠⁠

 Teacher education and professional learning: ⁠⁠https://steinereducation.edu.au/events/⁠⁠

 Working in a Steiner school: ⁠⁠https://steinereducation.edu.au/jobs/#vacancies⁠⁠

 Our facebook page is ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/steinereducationaustralia⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/steinereducationaustralia/⁠⁠

 The beautifully performed theme music ‘Libertango’ is played by Esther Abrami and Alexandra Whittingham. 

 Esther’s website: ⁠⁠https://www.estherabrami.com/⁠⁠

 Alexandra’s website: ⁠⁠https://www.alexandrawhittingham.com/⁠⁠

Podcast produced by: ⁠⁠https://piccolopodcasts.com.au/

Dr Brad Kershner is Head of School at the Kimberton Waldorf School, Pennsylvania, USA, and was the keynote speaker at our recent GLAM (Governance, Leadership, Administration and Management) conference at Samford Valley Steiner School. Qld. Brad has a fascinating background as an early childhood teacher, religious studies scholar, meditation practitioner, administrator, and now a school leader working with Steiner education and anthroposophy. We will explore Brad’s personal story in a coming podcast episode. His keynote addresses were powerful statements on the importance of Steiner education at this moment in world history and they received universally positive, indeed effusive feedback, so much so they deserve to be heard widely. Here then is Dr Brad Kershner in his first keynote where he explores the increasing complexity of the times in which we live, this time between stories, and the role Steiner schools can play in helping to move us to a positive vision of the future.

 For more information about Steiner education: ⁠⁠https://steinereducation.edu.au/⁠⁠

For more information about locations and contact details of Steiner schools: ⁠⁠https://steinereducation.edu.au/schools/⁠⁠

 Teacher education and professional learning: ⁠⁠https://steinereducation.edu.au/events/⁠⁠

 Working in a Steiner school: ⁠⁠https://steinereducation.edu.au/jobs/#vacancies⁠⁠

 Our facebook page is ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/steinereducationaustralia⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/steinereducationaustralia/⁠⁠

 The beautifully performed theme music ‘Libertango’ is played by Esther Abrami and Alexandra Whittingham. 

 Esther’s website: ⁠⁠https://www.estherabrami.com/⁠⁠

 Alexandra’s website: ⁠⁠https://www.alexandrawhittingham.com/⁠⁠

Podcast produced by: ⁠⁠https://piccolopodcasts.com.au/

Chris Jack trained as an architect, then worked in construction and property before realising his life’s vocation was in teaching. After coming to a fork in the road in his life, he moved his young family to Emerson College, UK to train as a Steiner teacher. Returning to his hometown of Brisbane, Chris became the pioneer teacher of Samford Valley Steiner school which in his time has grown from then, a staff of three to now over 100: he describes the path of a pioneer as like “finding a way through the forest without a track”. He later pioneered Birali Steiner school, Qld, shepherding its progress from 14 students in a rented hall to being the owner of 26 acres with over 100 students. Chris reflects also on his time as Chair of the Board of Steiner Education Australia, contributing to the growth of Steiner schools nationally. Music has always been a central part of Chris’s life, from guitarist in Murphy’s Pigs, an internationally acclaimed Celtic rock band, to his personal guitar Victor who plays a key role as Chris’s “assistant” in the classroom.

For more information about Steiner education: ⁠⁠https://steinereducation.edu.au/⁠⁠

For more information about locations and contact details of Steiner schools: ⁠⁠https://steinereducation.edu.au/schools/⁠⁠

 Teacher education and professional learning: ⁠⁠https://steinereducation.edu.au/events/⁠⁠

 Working in a Steiner school: ⁠⁠https://steinereducation.edu.au/jobs/#vacancies⁠⁠

 Our facebook page is ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/steinereducationaustralia⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/steinereducationaustralia/⁠⁠

 The beautifully performed theme music ‘Libertango’ is played by Esther Abrami and Alexandra Whittingham. 

 Esther’s website: ⁠⁠https://www.estherabrami.com/⁠⁠

 Alexandra’s website: ⁠⁠https://www.alexandrawhittingham.com/⁠⁠

Podcast produced by: ⁠⁠https://piccolopodcasts.com.au/