| Question: What is one of the pivotal factors to | | | | views this age as the stage of industry versus |
| “The Development of Thinking in Adolescence?” | | | | inferiority. |
| Answer: Development of the will forces, particularly | | | | Fourteen to Twenty-one: The new birth is of the astral, |
| between birth and age seven, but ongoing through age | | | | signaled by puberty. The child leaves the womb of |
| fourteen and beyond. | | | | community and becomes individuated to the life of |
| I recently attended the lecture by Gary Ward on | | | | relationship and expression by becoming more |
| “The Development of Thinking in Adolescence” | | | | immersed in the world. Steiner spoke of the young |
| put on by the Sunrise Waldorf Parent Association. This | | | | person at this time as “Earth mature” rather |
| lecture spoke to the continued picture of Waldorf child | | | | than as an adult. Having developed the will, the |
| development in high school but it really emphasized the | | | | groundwork is laid to engage on Earth in a way which |
| work that we do as parents from birth on and how | | | | develops morality. Erikson views this time as the stage |
| the early childhood and grades education our children | | | | of self identity vs. role confusion. |
| are receiving at Sunrise prepare the child for the | | | | For eons, the need to confront reality was tantamount |
| thinking life. The thinking forces are critical to | | | | to survival. We still need to confront reality to answer |
| adolescence because they are the forces that help | | | | the questions of self. Children must engage in the |
| young people face and answer the question, “Who | | | | world through physical work. Young children must be |
| am I?” | | | | given responsibilities and pushed toward autonomy |
| Mr. Ward presented a picture of development | | | | with consistency. Children in the grades must be |
| weaving together the picture of development | | | | pushed into industry by carrying a process through. |
| presented by Rudolf Steiner and Erik Erikson’s | | | | Crafts and woodwork enable the objects to become |
| developmental stages. | | | | the teacher. For example, in woodworking, if a student |
| Birth to Seven: The baby leaves the mother’s | | | | cuts too deep, then (s)he messed up and cannot |
| womb for the womb of the family. All of the life | | | | argue with the piece of wood nor blame another. It is a |
| processes, such as breathing, warming, nourishment, | | | | practical learning of right and wrong. |
| excretion, growth and reproduction, and the senses | | | | The will forces that have been initiated since birth and |
| of life, including sensing one’s own well-being or not, | | | | developed through the grades now are applied to the |
| outward movement, balance and speech all involve | | | | thinking realm in adolescence. A student must exercise |
| movement and a great deal of will. According to | | | | his or her will to observe, evaluate expectations, look |
| Erikson, trust develops at this time as does autonomy, | | | | for other places to apply the observations, and lastly, |
| without which there is shame or doubt. Further, initiative | | | | form judgments and draw conclusions. It must be |
| develops between ages five and seven but if it should | | | | accurate and true and expressed artistically, the |
| not, then guilt results. | | | | antithesis to “whatever.” Adolescents need firm |
| Seven to Fourteen: A new birth comes to pass, the | | | | boundaries and real experience, not |
| birth of the etheric or (life) body. This birth is signaled | | | | “edutainment” nor busyness for it’s own |
| with the change of teeth and the child leaves the | | | | sake. The stories in high school are epics or heroes |
| womb of the family to live in the womb of community. | | | | journeys in which the protagonist must face something |
| This is why Steiner saw the need for a social | | | | with courage and overcome. These stories, coupled |
| education. The life processes present at birth | | | | with a phenomenological academic enquiry and the |
| continue but are now also developing through the | | | | physical challenges of outdoor education, enable the |
| feeling life. The Waldorf curriculum continues to | | | | young person to ask and answer the question, |
| maintain development of the will but the main lesson | | | | “Who am I? |
| now is designed to develop the feeling life. Erikson | | | | |