McGregor Waldorf School

Katleen's Travelogue 6

Sunday 10 June

A long, long journey by train! Mary and I traveled for 10 hours before finally arriving in Schopfheim, a small town in the Black Forrest Area. Lying deep in the South of Germany and a short distance from the border with Switzerland and France, it has been the home for Michael and Inka Shubert for many years. Michael and Inka have traveled to South Africa almost every year for some years around the time of the Teachers Conferences in April. Michael usually gives talks drawing on his long and rich experience in working with children who do not fit into ‘normal’ education. They have opened their home to Mary and me for the week to come and Michael had orgnanised a few meetings and an activity. We were happy to go to bed!

Monday 11 June

Michael, Inka and Mary

I had not thought about it much and had talked about it even less but Michael and Inka had remembered that it was my birthday. I was woken up with them singing a German birthday song outside the bedroom door. Inka had made a traditional birthday cake which we enjoyed for some days to come. I was touched by this gesture!

But there was no time to only celebrate for there was an interview scheduled with Marlies Jung-Knoblich from the Badische Zeitung later that morning. She showed interest in our story and especially questioned Michael’s involvement in the school. In the end she wrote a half a page story which was published the next day, in time for the Information Evening scheduled for Wednesday night. Mary went shopping with Inka and visited Auenland Kindergarten where she will be going to school the rest of the week.

Later that afternoon, Michael and I visited Mister Reinhart from the Humanus Stiftung. He is a man of more than 80 years old who after suffering an injury at a young age, still made his fortune as business man. In later life he decided to spend it on starting up an Antroposophical Old Age home, the first in Germany. We spent a lovely afternoon, in which I showed the video’s, ate homemade cake and had an interesting conversation with this most gentle and generous man. At the end of the evening he gave me a letter in which stated that their foundation is giving some money to our school.

After a day well spent, we were up quite late, for I had to put Michael and Inka in the picture of everything that happens around the school and McGregor.

Tuesday 12 June

Auenlang Kindergarten

Mary and I spent the morning at Auenland Kindergarten where I spent a month during my sabbatical in 2003. I had very fond memories of the kindergarten and was very happy that Mary could spend some time there. There are 30 children at this point in time, with two full time teachers looking after them. Wortila, who was the teacher when I was there in 2003 is also visiting very often while Inka is doing painting with the children once a week. Mary immediately settled in as if she was used to it. I am again and again impressed how easily she adapts to new situations. As long as there are children to play with she is very happy to spend time in any place.

We were invited for lunch by Gertrude and her children Jan and Mara for lunch and afternoon play. Her husband who is from Belgium, was spending time in the Alps, Switzerland, looking after sheep. Mary had a good time for a little boy on the street there lend her his bicycle. Since she learned how to ride a bicycle can she not stop practicing her new skill.

Gertrude, Mara and Jan

Wednesday 13 June

Waldorfschule Schopfheim

While Mary went to school, Michael and I prepared for the evening. We talked about the best way to go about it, made forms for possible sponsorships and went to the school to try out the projection of the dvd’s and the setting ready of the chairs. Michael had distributed 400 invitations amongst the students and with the article in the paper, he hoped some people would come. But in the end only 5 people came and Michael was disappointed. But we had a really good evening with the people present who were very interested and for 2 hours we talked in depth about all aspects of South African Life and about our school.

Thursday 14 June

This was a special day for Michael had asked me what I wanted to do. I knew that the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland is not so far from Shopfheim so I asked if it was possible to visit it. And generous as they are, they said of course it is possible. So we went on our way to Dornach.

The Goetheanum was first built mainly as a wooden structure (I don’t know what year though) but burnt down completely. Now you can see the original structure on scale as well as pictures. Then Steiner decided to use concrete for he said that it was going to become the material with which was going to be built in the future and he wanted to show that it was still possible to use it creatively. Michael told me that the concrete slabs used are only 5 cm thick so that the walls are hollow inside. Still it is a very impressive, giant building and Mary was not at ease at all inside. We went to the top to see the wooden sculpture representing the Christ figure with the Arimanic and Luciferic forces. I had seen it on a picture but the sculpute is very big and really impressive. From this hight you can also see the antroposophical houses around the Goetheanum and the heating system. Apparently Steiner said that all has to be visible so also the electricity and heating.

I met with the lady from the pedagogical sector with whom I write once in a while. It is so nice to put a face to the people.

Friday 15 June

Freidwart and Werner

A long day for Michael and me. We started at 7.00 am and drove to Stuttgart for a meeting with Friedwart and Werner of the Freunde der Erziehungstkunst. They are an antroposphical organization who work with developing countries. They sensitive people about the problems and gather support for initiatives all over the world. The Freunde support our school since many years. Michael and I were just in time in Stuttgart for our meeting at 10 am. We had a good conference in which we talked for three hours about McGregor and our school. Friedwart has a lot of experience of projects all over the world and was able to give me lots of ideas.

After lunch we went on our way to Basel, Switzerland. It being Friday and meeting lots of works on the roads, it took us 5 hours to get there. We had an appointment for 5.00 pm but only got there at 7.00 pm. Lucky for us Jules Ackermann, who works as a volunteer for Acacia, an organization similar to the Freunde, had been willing to wait for us. Jules has lived and worked in South Africa so understands the picture I am bringing him. He had visited McGregor in the past and will do so again the beginning of next year. Jules pointed out that the Waldorf school in Basel has similar problems as us so it was interesting to hear how they solve them. An article about our school appeared in the Swiss Newsletter asking for support.

At 9.30 pm Michael and I were home, where Mary and Inka were still awake waiting for us.

Saturday 16 June

One more day before we go back to Belgium. So Michael and Inka thought it a good idea to take us to a house in which we could taste how it was living and working in the Back Forrest area in the past. A lady took us around and talked a lot about the lady who had lived there until her death. I did not understand all of it. Luckily for Mary there was a girl with whom she could play. Afterwards we went some coffee in a place overlooking the Alps.

Sunday 17 June

We are heading home, another journey of 10 hours on the train….

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