Yasushi Hayashi began life on the outskirts of Tokyo and now lives on the outskirts of Geelong, near Melbourne as the Japanese teacher at Freshwater Creek Steiner school. His life journey in between has taken him around the world. After his first fascination with the English language at school as a teenager, and then hearing about Steiner education on Japanese radio, he has followed both these themes for the rest of his life. The journey has taken him to training at Emerson College in the UK, and teaching in Scotland and then three schools in Australia. Moving between cultures and countries has brought to him the very contemporary question of “Who am I?”: am I Japanese, am I Australian, am I a world citizen? The question goes to the heart of why languages are so important in Steinerschools. We can be all of these: the gift of another language and culture helps us experience a larger version of ourselves.

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/ 

Five Steiner schools on three continents! Nishka Varghese is a multiple Steiner X, having attended five different Steiner schools across three continents in the course of her school journey. She is now studying Criminology, with plans to complete a degree in Law, at Melbourne University, and is enjoying a busy life style in theatre and music as well. Nishka has been a long term member of the Waldorf Wayfarers, the choral and performing troupe led by Judith Clingan AM which travels Australia and the world bringing original music to Steiner schools and communities. In this podcast Nishka reflects on the common, unifying threads that underlie all the Steiner schools she has attended, including the main lessons and outdoor education camps which particularly inspired her. Most of all, she remembers the beautiful place of story-telling in the early childhood years, a place of joy and wonder that continually inspires her even now, and has given her a foundation for 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/ 

Lisa Devine wears many hats: psychologist, priest, eurythmist and youth worker. She is neither a teacher nor a parent yet she has been active in many Steiner schools as what she calls a “relational wellbeing counsellor”, working with relationships and community. In her wider community work, Lisa has spent 30 years working with young people and adults in trauma situations, some at the lowest points in their lives. Her journey has taken her through many painful moments where she has sat with those “on the threshold”. Yet she is still in awe of human beings: their resilience, their capacity to recover meaning in life, and to be there for each other. She is now working with Emergency Pedagogy, and she describes the profound impact its has had locally in the aftermath of both the Bondi terrorist attack and the Victorian bushfires. Her message is simple: relationship before outcome, and ultimately, everybody matters.

For more information on Emergency Pedagogy training, see < https://emergencypedagogy.org.au/emergency-pedagogy-training-intensive/ >

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/ 

Is this a record? Jim and Barb Henderson put their all their

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/ 

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/ 

Dr Tim Dunn’s educational journey began in IT and computing, then led him on to a university career as a scientist with a PhD in cancer research and immunology. Tim was drawn into teaching when asked by friends to help out in the fledgling high school at Samford Valley Steiner School. He negotiated a release from university commitments of one afternoon per week to teach Maths, but soon found himself captivated by the quality of thinking he encountered in the high school students: a flexible, active and engaged thinking that contrasted with the fixed and formulaic thinking with which he was familiar. The one afternoon per week became a full time commitment when he left a position as Senior Lecturer at Queensland University of Technology, and became a Science teacher at the school. Tim describes the Steiner school approach to science as an “elegant journey of awakening”: one following the classic traditions of the great scientists, of clear and intense observation of phenomena following by a critical reflection that builds the concepts of Physics, Chemistry and Biology into a living whole. The process is as important as the content in helping students to not only know their subject, but also to learn to think critically and creatively.

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/