WCI Faculty

Waldorf Early Childhood Faculty

Ruth Ker — EC Program Director

Ruth has been an early childhood educator in preschools and kindergartens for over forty years, first in mainstream education and then at Sunrise Waldorf School in BC, Canada where she was a founding teacher. She retired in June, 2016, from the mixed-age kindergarten classroom. Ruth is a Board member for the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America (WECAN) where she serves as the Teacher Education Coordinator for North America. She mentors and visits schools and educators in North America. Ruth participated in both the North American WECAN Older Child Research Group and the International one and is an international presenter. She is the author/editor of the books, “You’re Not the Boss of Me –Understanding the Six/Seven Year Transformation”, “From Kindergarten into the Grades and “Please Can we Play Games”

Debbie Laurin, PhD — EC Program Director

Dr. Laurin is an international presenter and author of articles about child wellbeing, child mental health, and childcare routines. She has a Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education and a Master’s in Waldorf Early Childhood from Antioch New England University. Debbie’s introduction to Waldorf Early Childhood Education began in the early 1990’s in Waterville, Maine at a summer intensive at Rudolf Steiner College. Debbie uniquely interweaves information from mainstream research with the principles of Waldorf Early Childhood Education to create a unique tapestry to support child wellbeing. She embraces an approach based on antibias education and respectful childcare practices grounded in diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. Debbie brings experience as a former Waldorf Kindergarten and Parent and Child teacher and her curiosity and wonder of the young child continue to grow joyfully through her experiences as a grandmother to three. Debbie is involved with an international group working towards their Pikler® Pedagogue certification and she trains in the U.S. and at the Emmi Pikler Daycare in Budapest, Hungary. Since 2003, Dr. Laurin is involved with the West Coast Institute serving as faculty and mentor in the Early Childhood Waldorf Teacher Training, she is a member of the Scientific committee with Pikler®/USA and works with the WECAN Birth-to-Three advisory group.

Astrid Lackner

Astrid received her Kindergarten teaching diploma in Austria and graduated as Waldorf early childhood educator through the West Coast Institute in 2006. She was involved in the founding of the Squamish Waldorf school and has been teaching early childhood classes since. In 2008 she began mentoring students and started teaching at the West Coast Institute in 2016. In her free time she can be found hiking the mountains of the Pasific Northwest.

Esther Chase

Esther took her Waldorf Teacher Training at Emerson College, England and worked for many years as both assistant and teacher principally in the Preschool at the Vancouver Waldorf School. She is also a trained eurythmist and this love of movement is deepened through study, practice and teaching the Wilma Ellersiek gesture games.

Heather Church

Heather started her Waldorf journey at the Huronia Waldorf School as a parent and, shortly after that, began her work as a Kindergarten teacher, twenty years ago. After eleven years of teaching mixed aged kindergarten, at Huronia and Toronto Waldorf Schools, she left the classroom and co-created My Child Myself, a centre that offered parent learning, community building and a shop. Following that Heather went back to the Toronto Waldorf School as Pedagogical Chair supporting parents, teachers and community. Her Kindergarten training was at Sunbridge Institute and Birth to Three Training at Sophia’s Hearth.

Over the last few years Heather has studied Biography, New Adult Learning and Leadership to support her work with parents and teachers. She volunteer as the Regional WECAN Representative for Ontario and Northern New York State as well as a Member of the WECAN board of directors. Currently Heather works as the Early Childhood Coordinator and Early Childhood Faculty Chair at the Halton Waldorf School in Burlington, Ontario.

Ko Chen Hawkes

Ko is a graduate of Hibernia School of Art Therapy & has been teaching, conducting workshops and practicing art therapy with children and adults in private practice. She has been on the faculty the West Coast Institute for Studies in Anthroposophy for many years. Ko has been traveling to Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan and China since 2013 conducting workshops in Waldorf Schools and communities there.

Annette Lampson

Annette studied Voice and Choral Conducting full time at the Anthroposophical music college, Alfred Schnittke Institute in Hamburg, Germany. She also has a diploma in Therapeutic Singing. For two decades she has taught voice and music to individuals of all ages and abilities, and directed children, youth and adult choirs. This has included directing Sunrise Waldorf School and Island Oak High School Choirs for several years. She has taught Voice and Choir at the WCI since 1998 and founded and currently directs the (adult) Jubilate Choir and the Glenora Farm Bell Choir for adults with developmental disabilities.

Lisa Masterson

Lisa has been teaching for 40 years and working in Waldorf schools for more than 30. She has taught in schools in Canada and the US and has also served for many years as an AWSNA representative and/or liaison. She currently mentors and has been an evaluator both in schools and for the AWSNA Accreditation Team. She has served on the boards of three Waldorf Schools as well as for two other non-profit organizations.

Patricia Smith

Patricia Smith, a native of Vancouver, is a speech artist, specializing in pedagogical and therapeutic speech art. Her work with the word has led her to learn in Europe (School for Speech and Artistic Speech Therapy, Stuttgart; Goetheanum Speech School) and to perform and teach in many places throughout North America. Patricia also enjoys being part of the storytelling community in the Vancouver area. Patricia has taught speech at WCI for over 20 years.

Wendalyn von Meyenfeldt

Wendalyn has taught with the West Coast Institute since its beginning. She began her ‘Waldorf Career’ as a Kindergarten Teacher, and later studied Eurythmy and Therapeutic Eurythmy. Wendalyn has taught Eurythmy and Movement Education for many years in a number of BC Waldorf Schools and in several Canadian teacher-training institutes. She enjoys writing poems and stories for children’s movement circles, and helping teachers create their own beautiful and meaningful gestures for classroom work.

Herb Walsh

Herb has been teaching practical arts: clay modeling, wood and copper, for WCI since 2017 and is a Board Member. He is semi-retired and makes his living doing small renovations and building furniture. Herb and his wife Monique have five sons and have spent many years as part of the Vancouver Anthroposophical community.

Jane Williams

Jane is an international trainer in Spacial Dynamics® and a certified Spacial Dynamics® therapist. She has assisted in Spacial Dynamics trainings internationally and is currently leading a training in Vancouver with 2 of her colleagues. Jane’s professional studies and interests in complimentary health form the basis for her own self development and her integrative approach in her work.

She has brought together many years of experience in working with women with trauma, stress, poor sleeping patterns, osteoporosis, childbearing and menopause and has been leading Women’s Wellness retreats in Spacial Dynamics with her colleagues in Canada and New Zealand.

Jane has over 35 years’ experience as a Physiotherapist and is the director of the 19th Street Physiotherapy Clinic in North Vancouver, BC. She is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner, a Biodynamic Cranial Sacral Therapist and has been teaching Therapeutic Touch for over 30 years. Jane is on the board for Hands in Peace Canada and The Greater Vancouver Therapeutical Society for Anthroposophic Medicine.

Jason Yates

In 1997, Jason Yates received a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University before working internationally as a technology consultant, primarily in the field of virtual reality. He completed the Consciousness Studies program at Rudolf Steiner College in 2006 and went on to join the eurythmy training, graduating in 2010. Following two years of performing in Europe and Asia, Jason completed his therapeutic eurythmy training in Germany before joining the Cascadia Society for Social Working, a Camphill community serving adults with special needs in North Vancouver. Jason has an MA in therapeutic eurythmy from Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences, serves on several non-profit boards, and is a teacher at the Vancouver Waldorf School.

Waldorf Early Childhood Adjunct Faculty

Jenna Card

Jenna Card, a Certified Compassionate Communication Trainer, excels at facilitating heart centered connection. A 25-year veteran of the corporate world, Jenna blends attunement, clarity and insight as she skillfully guides business, communities, and individuals into more effective, fulfilling relationships and outcomes.

Celina Gold

Celina, an anthroposophically trained registered nurse, is accomplished at teaching the nurturing arts in the home/school. She guides the course on Children’s Illnesses.

Kim Hunter

Kim graduated in 1998 with the first group of Waldorf Early Childhood Educators to complete the training through the West Coast Institute. She worked at the Vancouver Waldorf School and then taught out of her home on Salt Spring Island, BC for a total of twenty years. In 2014 Kim’s film, Time to Play, was released and in 2016 she received The Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Early Childhood Education. Since then Kim has been lecturing, teaching and mentoring on education in Waldorf and other alternative educational situations, as well as mainstream environments.

Adola McWilliam

Adola has more than 50 years of experience and practice in Healing Education and Social Therapy, at several different Camphill Communities. Her personal teachers were Karl Koenig, Thomas Weihs, Werner Glas and René Querido, among many others. She continues attending many conferences and still visits Waldorf schools to keep her insights fresh. Adola is an experienced lecturer, having spent time teaching teachers in the US and Canada and also in China.

Waldorf Early Childhood Visiting Faculty

Laurie Clarke

Laurie Clark has had the privilege of being a Waldorf early childhood educator for more than four decades. She incorporates her therapeutic training into all aspects of her teaching and is in continual research through observation and engagement with young children. Laurie has an Associate of Arts Degree and was trained at Rudolf Steiner College. She completed the Remedial Waldorf Training with the Association of Healing Education.

Laurie is a mentor to teachers, a conference presenter, teaches in various Waldorf trainings and has co-authored two books with Nancy Blanning on therapeutic movement for young children. She is a WECAN representative, a member of the WECAN Teacher Trainers committee and enjoys being a member of the Waldorf Research Group.

Louise de Forest

For the last 12 years Louise has circled the globe once a year, visiting Waldorf initiatives and schools in all parts of the world. Sometimes she gives a lecture, sometimes it’s for an early childhood conference or seminar, but always it’s the joy of seeing Waldorf early childhood education reaching more and more families. Louise trains teachers in China, Europe, Canada, Mexico and the United States, is a WECAN Board member and one of two North American representatives to the IASWECE Council.

Angela Light

Angela, a previous WCI graduate, began her teaching with WCI in the summer of 2019. She holds a Social Sciences BA from UBC, Canada and a Certificate in Executive Leadership and Life Coaching from Royal Roads University and has a background of working in these related fields. She is currently teaching preschool and parent/child at the Seattle Waldorf School as well as pioneering Joyful Beginnings, a new program for expectant parents, and parents with infants.

Robin Warmby Laskowski

Robin is the lead teacher in Honeybees mixed age Kindergarten at Bright Water Waldorf School (BWWS) in Seattle, Washington. Prior to her time at BWWS she worked as an early childhood special education teacher at Boyer Children’s Clinic, she co-created and taught the inclusive preschool program at Seattle Children’s Playgarden and founded Robin’s Nest NW, a non-profit therapeutic center for children with special needs and their families. Robin will complete the ‘Nurturing the Roots’ training in July 2019. She completed her Waldorf early childhood training at WCI in June 2017 and received her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Special Education as well as a Graduate Certificate in Infant Mental Health from the University of Washington in 2005. In 1994 she received a BA in Anthropology with a minor in Education from Whitman College. She’s held a Washington State Teacher’s Certificate since 1995.

Michael Soulé

Michael has a teacher training certificate and an MA from Antioch and has been involved in teacher training for 25 years. He has been involved in the anthroposophical Social Development work and also with Leading with Spirit.

Waldorf Grades Faculty

Rubeena Sandhu — Grades Program Director

Former Head of School of Whistler Waldorf School (Preschool – Gr12), co-founder of Okanagan Waldorf School, and current North West Pacific Leader of the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America, Rubeena is committed to fostering educational and social renewal within the Waldorf Education movement and beyond. She is hopeful about the future and passionate about “helping the helpers”. She is dedicated to serving the people of our future: children, youth and young adults.

Rubeena has been a Waldorf educator, administrator and board member for the last 14 plus years. Her skill sets and interests have led her into governance work, teacher education, and helping Waldorf schools integrate regional government curricular standards in practical, collaborative, and innovative ways. Rubeena is the proud parent of two thoughtful, kind and creative human beings, who teach her about the world everyday.

Chris Bennett

Chris was a Waldorf student in England for Grades 5-8, and, after completing a degree in Aeronautics, went to Emerson College in Forest Row, UK, graduating from there in 1972. He has been a Waldorf teacher ever since, alternating between the Grades and High School (mainly Math), in Austria, the UK, Hawai’i, Canada and California. In 2017 he graduated an 8th Grade at WSOC [Waldorf School of Orange County]. He has been working in Waldorf Teacher Education for more than 25 years, in Europe, North America and Asia, and is currently the director of the WSOC Adult Education Program.

Rachel Cameron

Rachel has been involved in Waldorf Education for almost 20 years and has 10 years of experience teaching in Waldorf classrooms. She took a class from grades one through eight at Sunrise Waldorf School. Rachel has a degree in English Literature, and she completed her Waldorf teacher training along with a Masters of Education Degree at Antioch University. She is now the Education Director at Sunrise Waldorf School.

Lisa Hitch

Lisa is grateful to be teaching and learning on traditional Hul’q’umi’num territory in the Quw’utsun Valley. She has been a teacher in many different environments since 1990, and has been a class teacher at Sunrise Waldorf School since 2010. She holds a Bachelor of Education, a BFA in Theatre Performance, and attained her Waldorf Teacher Certification from the West Coast Institute for Studies in Anthroposophy. In 2018, she was awarded the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence in STEM, and is currently the BC Regional Representative to the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America. She is on a sabbatical year from class teaching, but in addition to AWSNA work, continues to tutor students and mentor teachers. Originally from Victoria, Lisa began her Waldorf journey when her own children – now grown – started their schooling at Washington Waldorf School in Washington DC, and she has been on a continual learning path in this direction ever since. Lisa enjoys playing music with her family, planning her garden, hiking with her partner and dog, and learning more how to live in balance and harmony with our dear Earth.

Andrea Lyman

Andrea has been teaching music for more than 45 years, in both the public and private school sector, and has been involved in Waldorf education since 1992. With both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Vocal Music Education, she was part of the first Waldorf music teacher training in the US, receiving her Waldorf teaching certificate in 2005 from Sunbridge College in New York. Andrea was a founding member of the Association for Waldorf Music Education (AWME), and has served as its president since its inception in 2000. She organizes and helps facilitate its annual Waldorf Music Conference each summer. Her two-part article, “Let There Be Music: The Music Curriculum in the Waldorf School, (Grades 1-8)” appeared in RENEWAL Magazine in 2009. Andrea is a contributing author to The Mood of the Fifth: A Musical Approach to Early Childhood, a WECAN publication. Andrea serves as a mentor for music teachers internationally and on many continents.

Lisa Masterson

Hans-Peter Mothes

Hans-Peter was born and raised in Germany. His two children attended Waldorf schools since kindergarten and graduated from a Waldorf high school. Hans-Peter received his education at the University of Mannheim, Germany, in linguistic and literary studies and at the teacher training college for Waldorf schools in Mannheim, Germany (College of Anthroposophical Pedagogy). He graduated as class teacher for grades 1 through 8, remedial/curative educator with specific classroom management skills, and foreign language teacher for grades 1 through 12. He has graduated a class in Hawaii and one on Vancouver Island and is currently on his next journey with a grade 3 class. Hans-Peter is an entrepreneur, a food and literature lover, a martial artist, and a passionate researcher and learner in the areas of child development, brain plasticity, and movement to enhance learning. He lives with his wife and four cats on Vancouver Island, BC

Michael Preston PhD

Michael has been a Waldorf class teacher in England, Hawaii, and Seattle for 33 years. He first taught as a school-leaver volunteer in Vanuatu (near Fiji) , and then for two years in Gloucestershire as a state primary school teacher. He trained as a Waldorf teacher at Emerson College in England, and then gained a B. Ed in a state teacher training college in the Lake District, Cumbria, and later an MA and PhD from London University in Philosophy and Education. Through looping in the middle school years he has graduated six 8th grades, but has also taken three early years classes, one of them to 8th grade.

Christina Price

Christina has been a dedicated Waldorf Teacher for 16 years, working both in Preschool, as a Grades Music Teacher, and as a Class Teacher. Her three grown children have been some of her best teachers along the way. Currently teaching Grade 7 at the Vancouver Waldorf School, she loves to be inspired and energized by young people. When she’s not drawing or painting, you can find Christina running the roads or the trails of the beautiful North Shore.

Greg Scott

Greg Scott was originally from BC but spent his formative years in the Toronto area. His first eight years of schooling at the Toronto Waldorf School laid down the roots of his future path. He went on to study History and Sculpture which he now applies through his life. Greg then started teaching in 2002 at the Toronto Waldorf School. Since then he has worked as a practical arts teacher throughout the grades and taught Art and History at the high school level. During this time Greg has also worked as a sculptor which has taken him to many places in the world. Tying all these together has been Greg’s deepening work in Anthroposophy and desire to bring this to others.

Kathleen Taylor

Kathleen received her teacher training certificate from the Michael Institute in 2002. She then began her journey as a class teacher at the Portland Waldorf School where she taught for 14 years. For the last three years she has been teaching at the Santa Fe Waldorf School. Kathleen began teaching curriculum courses with the West Coast Institute in 2012.

Mary-Anne Taylor

Mary-Anne has a BEd from UBC. She taught grade one for two years in Mackenzie BC before deciding that public school teaching was not for her, or her children. She went on to get a certificate in computer systems and also became a board certified lactation consultant. She pursued these two career avenues, but when her own children were in grade 5 and 8 at the Vancouver Waldorf school she took on the Grade 4 class and took them through to Grade 8. Mary-Anne trained at various Institutes: Sacramento, Portland, Colorado, Dornach and Vancouver. She took a second class from Grade 1 – 8 before retiring in 2012. As well as class teaching, she taught choir for grades 4-8. In her ‘retirement’ she continues to mentor, substitute teach and perform evaluations for Waldorf Schools. May-Anne began teaching at WCI in 2015.

Herb Walsh

Rebecca Watkin

As a founder of Comox Valley Waldorf School, Rebecca Watkin worked there as a Class teacher, Subject teacher and Collective Leadership team member. She worked with a small group of dedicated parents and teachers to bring her dream of Waldorf in the Valley to fruition after working in other Waldorf schools both on the mainland, and south island, since 2002.

Rebecca now combines her passions for Waldorf education and for educational change through her recently founded initiative, Daily Wonder, whose mission is to empower parents to provide integrated, culturally diverse, creative, hands-on curriculum for their homeschoolers that meet grade level learning outcomes.

Jason Yates

Waldorf Grades Adjunct Faculty

Kris Boshell M.A.

Kris earned her certificates for both Grades teaching and Remedial Education from Rudolf Steiner College (RSC) and MA in Depth Psychology from Sonoma State University. For the past 12 years she has enjoyed her work as learning support teacher in Waldorf Schools around the country, and as a consultant, instructor in teacher training programs and conference speaker/presenter to teachers in North America and beyond. She is Co-Director of Waldorf Learning Support, serves on the Core Group for Arcturus Rudolf Steiner Education Program and on the advisory board for the Association for Healing Education. Currently Kris works full-time as Learning Support/Extra Lesson teacher at the Chicago Waldorf School and is a member of the Anthroposophical Society in America.

Jenna Card

Wade Cavin

Wade received undergraduate degrees in Art and Biology, and worked in research and commercial labs before becoming a Waldorf teacher. Following teacher training in 2000 at the Center for Anthroposophy, he received his MA in Goethean Science at Prescott College in 2015. Wade has taught in Waldorf schools for 19 years in both high schools and middle school. Wade is presently a member of the Center for Contextual Studies which presents Waldorf Teacher conferences throughout the United States in math and science and general developmental philosophy.

Ute Grimm

Ko Chen Hawkes

Donna Huston

Donna graduated from the Handwork Teacher Training program at Sunbridge College in Spring Valley, N.Y. The next seventeen years were spent teaching handwork skills to grades 1 through 8 at Sunrise Waldorf School in Duncan, B.C. Although she retired from full time teaching in 2014, she continues to teach knitting, crochet, cross stitch, doll making, sewing and even cooking to home schoolers in the Cowichan Valley.

James Knight

James holds a Bachelors degree in Psychology and Education; completed a Foundation Year in Anthroposophy at Rudolf Steiner College, and a 5 year course in Spacial Dynamics; studied eurythmy in the US, Germany, & England; and holds diplomas in both eurythmy and eurythmy therapy. He has toured as a Eurythmy performer in Europe and the United States, has taught Eurythmy to adults and children, and has worked as a Eurythmy and movement therapist over the last 20 years.

Annette Lampson

Graham Oslund

Sonia Plewa

Daniel Stokes

Actor, storyteller, and speech artist, Daniel Stokes trained at three foreign centers of anthroposophical speech and drama––in London, England, Dornach, Switzerland, and Sydney, Australia––before returning to the United States to become a class teacher, first in Ashland, Oregon, then on Whidbey Island, Washington State, as well as in Honolulu, Hawaii. Since his years of class teaching, he has led courses and workshops in speech and drama at Waldorf teacher training institutes in Eugene, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; and Honolulu, Hawaii as well as at WCI. Currently Daniel also works as a speech artist with Pacific Eurythmy in Portland, Oregon.

Emma Wardrop

Emma Wardrop grew up in Ontario and completed her Bachelor’s Degree in English and History at Queen’s University. She then moved to New Zealand where she earned a Graduate Diploma in Teaching at the University of Otago. She gained teaching experience in New Zealand at International Baccalaureate and mainstream high schools before moving to Whistler and discovering Waldorf education.

Emma has worked at the Whistler Waldorf School since 2014, where she has taught English, Social Studies, and Drama. She completed her Waldorf High School Teacher training program at the Centre for Anthroposophy in New Hampshire in 2017.

West Coast Institute for Studies in Anthroposophy

Email: info(at)westcoastinstitute.org
Tel: 604-740-0539