SOPHIA INSTITUTE
NAVIGATION
The Sophia Institute's Mission and Purpose. The Sophia Institute's mission and purpose is to support and enhance the work of educators, therapists, parents and others working out of the impulse of Anthroposophy. The Sophia Institute provides Waldorf teacher training, adult education courses, Foundation Studies Courses in Anthroposophy and the Arts, online courses, workshops and retreats, renewal courses, consulting services, puppet theatre, puppetry courses, counseling and publications.
History. The Sophia Institute was founded in 2000 when a group of parents and teachers requested a foundation course in Anthroposophy and Waldorf Education in Viroqua, Wisconsin (USA). Conrad Rehbach, a certified Waldorf teacher with many years of teaching experience in Waldorf grade school teaching, Waldorf High School teaching and therapeutic work in the Camphill Movement, founded the Viroqua Foundation Courses in Anthroposophy and the Arts. Anne-Marie Fryer, long time class and Kindergarten teacher at Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School took on the organization of the artistic program and within a year's time the first group of students graduated from the course. Over the years a diverse faculty has contributed to the growth of the foundation courses and summer intensive courses, which became successful programs attracting students from the Midwest region and preparing them for Waldorf teaching and/or deepening their understanding of Waldorf pedagogy and Anthroposophy. Eventually the name "Sophia Institute" presented itself and became the official name of this training program. After several years of activity in the Midwest, the Sophia Institute main faculty moved for a time to Europe (2008 - 2009), then to the Southwest USA. At present the main activity of the Sophia Institute are consulting services, publications and the online courses.
Online Foundation Studies Courses in Anthroposophy
□ Introduction to Waldorf Education
□ Introduction to the Path of Self Development as given in Anthroposophy
□ The World View and Psychology of Anthroposophy
□ Artistic Courses
Publication: Foundation Courses in Anthroposophy by Conrad Rehbach. A Workbook. This workbook contains the lessons of the Foundation Studies Courses in Anthroposophy. It is a workbook for individuals and groups interested in studying and working with the fundamental books of Anthroposophy, "Knowledge of the Higher Worlds" and "Theosophy" by Rudolf Steiner. The purpose of this workbook is to give individuals and groups interested in studying the fundamental ideas of Anthroposophy a helpful guide for their journey. Due to the massive amounts of reading material readily available today, the human mind wants to be:
— Quickly attracted
— Easily organized
— Deeply engaged
I imagine individuals who reside in places where Anthroposophical studies are not readily available, to use this book as a basis for their studies. I imagine study groups that formed through a common interest in Anthroposophy to use this book as a guide to forming a temporary learning community. The Foundation Courses in Anthroposophy were originally developed by such a temporary learning community and have been refined by groups of students and myself primarily with an eye towards those individuals who want to become Waldorf grades teachers. Over the years of offering and teaching these courses, I encountered a wide variety of interests, and many of my students were early childhood or Kindergarten teachers, parents of students in the Waldorf schools, grades teachers, high school teachers, people interested in bio-dynamic farming, administrators, fundraisers, development coordinators, etc. All had a deep interest in learning more or deepening their understanding of Anthroposophy. As I believe in and practice a collaborative learning style, where the group of students, together with their teachers, forms a temporary learning community, the contributions that each individual brings to the learning community are an integral part of the learning experience, and help to form the course’s direction. The Foundation Courses in Anthroposophy as presented here have been influenced and shaped by this process of collaboration.
The book is available in two different editions: 1. Full color edition. Printed: 80 pages, 7.44" x 9.68", perfect binding, white interior paper (80# weight), full-color interior ink, white exterior paper (90# weight), full-color exterior ink.
2. Black + white edition. Printed: 80 pages, 7.44" x 9.68", perfect binding, white interior paper (55# weight), black and white interior ink, white exterior paper (90# weight), full-color exterior ink.
Foundation Studies Art session at the Viroqua campus
First Seven Years/Summer Intensive session at the La Crosse campus
Chrysalis Puppeteers performing a puppet show for children
First Seven Years/Summer Intensive students and faculty at the La Crosse campus