Faculty Meetings with RS

Tuesday, January 23, 1923, afternoon

részlet

A teacher asks about the school administration. Many things within the administration need to
be done by everyone.

Dr. Steiner: This is an awkward problem, but I have given it a great deal of thought. This is so
difficult and we can accomplish our intentions only when we carry it out with the general
support of the entire faculty, or at least the vast majority of the faculty. On the other hand, the
way it is accepted necessarily affects the way it is organized. First of all, I would ask you to
consider what should be included in this new area of organization. There are a large number
of operations the person in the school house2 needs to do. We need to exclude these things
since they are connected with the person in the house. Concerning everything in the
administration that represents the school to the outside, I would recommend that a small group
of three or four people from the faculty take up that work in the future. This group can only
work in an alternating fashion, so that they work one after another as individuals, and they
should meet with one another only in those cases where a common decision is valuable. In
order not to violate our republican constitution, it should be a group. I would ask you to speak
your thoughts about this freely and openly, even though you might think what you have to say
may contradict this in the broadest sense. I would still ask you to say what you think.

A teacher: There are some things we all know only Y. can do, and other things for which
other people are better suited.

Dr. Steiner: I thought that such a small group would always represent the faculty since
members would alternate, particularly for limited tasks. This group could do what you just
said from case to case, namely, designate one person as capable of one task or another.
Nevertheless, there will still be differences of opinion.

A teacher: I think regulating the situation would be a help. It could be very useful for the
school.

Dr. Steiner: We could think still further. We would form such a group and the entire faculty
would declare itself in agreement when the group decides some member of the faculty should
be designated for a particular task. That is what should happen. Preparation for faculty
meetings and setting the agenda could also be part of the duties of the head of the
administration, but that would make the job rather difficult. It is possible that preparation for
the faculty meeting could be one of the tasks of the committee member who has the task of
administering the school

2. This refers to the person living in a house on the school grounds. — TRANS. at the time.

It is important to do this in complete harmony with the whole faculty. A committee of seven
teachers had formed concerned with questions of the Anthroposophical Society.

Dr. Steiner: Of course, I now need to ask what the faculty thinks of this committee that
formed itself. It is important to find a way of reaching a final resolution of this problem. That
committee seems very active, and we could make an assumption that through its efforts to
reorganize the Anthroposophical Society, it wanted to prepare itself for administering the
school. Of course, if that committee has the complete trust of the faculty, the question can be
easily answered.

A teacher proposes expanding the committee.

Dr. Steiner: I only thought that if a group of people was already working with this question, it
would be best if that group continued its work because it would save time.

A teacher makes a remark.

Dr. Steiner: You are mixing up two questions. I only wanted to ask who is in that group
because I know such a group exists. Apparently that group has worked with these questions
and—I must emphasize from the outset that we must do the whole thing harmoniously—the
first question I wanted to ask is whether that group has the complete trust of the faculty, so
that it can make proposals for a final form. It would be difficult for us to begin from zero
today. It would be better, since I will probably be here again soon, if we could answer the
question of whether that or an extended group has the full trust of the faculty, so that the
group could prepare a proposal for a final resolution of the question for the next meeting. That
is the question we need to answer today. I would like to hear what you have to say about this
question of trust.

A teacher: This makes an impression that there are first- and second-class Waldorf teachers,
but perhaps that feeling is based upon a false assumption.

Dr. Steiner: The fact that a group has formed is their business. Since, however, it has worked
with these questions, we could, in the event there is trust in that group, think we could trust
them with working out such a proposal. It is more complicated to consider this question in the
faculty as a whole than it would be to have a group that has the trust of the faculty consider it.
Some teachers agree.

A teacher: I have an awkward feeling about the formation of that group. The people who
formed the group are the same ones who are so distracting for the administration.

A teacher: I have noticed that certain groups get together, and when you go by, you hear parts
of important conversations. I became uncomfortable with that, and I went to a colleague and
said that it was creating cliques. I was quite fearful that the faculty was dividing into those
who were more or less active.

Dr. Steiner: That is certainly a problem. The Waldorf School can prosper only if the faculty is
in harmony. It is not possible for everyone to find everyone else sympathetic, but that is a
personal question and does not belong in the faculty. To the extent that the faculty represents
the entire Waldorf School, the prosperity of this school depends upon the inner harmony of
the faculty. There is a major difference in whether someone says to someone outside, “You
are getting on my nerves,” and when that is said here in the faculty meeting. Here in our
meetings and in the administration of the Waldorf School there are only teachers from the
Waldorf School, and the difficulties arise due solely to the more democratic constitution of
the school. Of course, difficulties do arise. I am certainly against using the terms “first- and
second-class” here in the faculty. That would certainly be the beginning of very bad things if
something like a first- and second-class of faculty and faculty cliques played a role in our
discussions. These are things we must strictly keep out. Basically, when such a group forms,
we need to accept the fact that the group exists and not use it as an occasion to say bad things
about it. If there were reason to do that, it would be the start of difficult times in the faculty.
As long as the group has formed and exists as such, I would like to again ask to what extent
we need to take that group into account. It is perhaps not at all necessary to say anything
about that. The question has been posed because it has received an official duty and that group
should work on proposals. Barring some misdeed, I do not see that it should have any
significance whether it is that group or a completely different small group. The only thing that
is important is the usefulness of the group, since the proposal will be presented to the whole
faculty and discussed. The only question is one of trust, that is, whether you consider that
group capable of making the proposals. When such remarks are made, it is difficult to see that
there is even the slightest movement toward forming a faculty. That is something that must
not happen. Here we must have only harmony.

A teacher: I have complete trust in the group, but I did want to bring out that there may be
colleagues who do not.

Dr. Steiner: When I use the expression, “getting on my nerves,” I mean that one person makes
another person nervous. The subject of the group’s work would be how to organize the
administration. Thus, you would make them nervous.

A teacher: I do not distrust the group.

Another teacher: I do not feel there is a faculty within the faculty. I think all of my colleagues
could agree to this group.

Dr. Steiner: Some things have been said that were not taken back, so we can assume we
cannot do this in the way it was originally intended. I could just as well think that according to
the impulses out of which the school and the faculty arose, I could create such a group. I am
not doing this because suspicions have arisen. I would like to wait until things have become
clearer. Some antagonisms are apparent. The committee that works upon these questions
needs to study such things in order to make proposals for the administration. I think six people
would be enough.

Dr. Steiner has the faculty vote by secret ballot for a preparatory committee of six members.

Dr. Steiner: I would like to have the committee propose people who can do things.