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For the first time, in this little book, biographies are collected and translated into English of the courageous personalities who, during the summer of 1919, came together to carry out a bold and radically new educational plan. Their central involvement in launching the first Waldorf school, initially housed in a restaurant on a steep bluff overlooking the city center of Stuttgart, Germany, was Inspired by the work of two visionaries: Rudolf Steiner—philosopher, artist, and scientist—who developed the curriculum and school plan; Emil Molt—enlightened industrialist and CEO of the Waldorf-Astoria cigarette factory—who asked Steiner to create a school for the children of his workers, and who secured the funds needed to inaugurate this fledgling venture during the chaotic years following the end of World War I.

In responding to Steiner’s call for teachers, many of these men and women left prestigious careers to take up an entirely new method of educating children based on Steiner’s philosophy, called “Anthroposophy,” or “the wisdom of the human being.” In a matter of weeks, these brilliant people had to learn an entirely new approach to anthropology and education, as well as familiarize themselves with an innovative curriculum designed to meet children at precisely the right moment in their development—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

In quick and broad strokes, this book paints succinct living pictures of these remarkable people and their profound dedication to a new school idea. Thanks to their pioneering work with Steiner and Molt, there are now, a century later, some 1,200 Waldorf schools around the world celebrating 100 years of Waldorf education worldwide.

Translated by Jan Kees Saltet

Available from Waldorf Publications