| Emil Molt | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1876-04-14)14 April 1876 |
| Died | 16 June 1936(1936-06-16) (aged 60) |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation | industrialist |
| Known for | Waldorf school |
| Spouse | Bertha Molt |
Emil Molt (14 April 1876, in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Kingdom of Württemberg – 16 June 1936, in Stuttgart) was a German industrialist, social reformer and anthroposophist. He was the director of the Waldorf-Astoria-Zigarettenfabrik, and with Rudolf Steiner co-founded the first Waldorf school. Hence, Waldorf education was named after the company.
Background
Molt was born in southern Germany and was orphaned as a teenager. He enlisted in the military and worked for Emil Georgii after he was discharged. Georgii's son Emil Jr. hired Molt to work at the Waldorf-Astoria cigarette factory at Stuttgart. He later became its general manager and owner.
A biography written by Molt's daughter detailed how he purchased the Waldorf Astoria brand name from the tobacconist shop in a New York hotel owned by the Astor family.
Waldorf school
Molt's association with Steiner began due to his interest in spirituality, particularly after he signed up as a member of the Theosophical Society in 1906. Steiner was regularly invited to speak in its gatherings. The industrialist also became a follower of Steiner's esoteric philosophy called anthroposophy.
After World War I people believed it was possible to initiate new social arrangements. One of them was Molt, who decided to address the educational needs of his factory workers and their children. For this initiative, he was drawn to Steiner's holistic proposition in education, which holds that teaching must attend to multiple aspects of human experience. Following a series of consultations, Molt and Steiner founded the Waldorf school after gaining the approval of the German Minister of Culture. It opened in September 1919 in Stuttgart, Germany. Molt bought the Uhlandeshohe Restaurant as the school's first building and altered it according to Steiner's specifications. The adjoining properties were later purchased as the school expanded. The Waldorf School opened with twelve teachers. Initially, there were 150 students who were chosen from proletarian families and with parents who belong to the Anthroposophical Society.
Waldorf schools became the largest independent school movement in the world.
External links
References
- ^ Sherman, Zander (2012). The Curiosity of School: Education And The Dark Side Of Enlightenment. Penguin Canada. ISBN 978-0-14-318649-6.
- Stehlik, Thomas (2019). Waldorf Schools and the History of Steiner Education: An International View of 100 Years. Cham: Springer Nature. p. 12. ISBN 978-3-030-31631-0.
- Robert A. McDermott, "Rudolf Steiner and Anthroposophy", in Faivre and Needleman, Modern Esoteric Spirituality, ISBN 0-8245-1444-0, p. 288ff
- ^ Steiner, Rudolf (2013). Rudolf Steiner Speaks to the British: Lectures and Addresses in England and Wales. Rudolf Steiner Press. p. 169. ISBN 978-1-85584-432-2.
- Nielsen, Thomas William (2004). Rudolf Steiner's Pedagogy of Imagination: A Case Study of Holistic Education. Berlin: Peter Lang. pp. 18–19. ISBN 978-3-03910-342-3.
- Steiner, Rudolf (1996). Rudolf Steiner in the Waldorf School: Lectures and Addresses to Children, Parents, and Teachers (CW 298). Hudson, NY: Anthroposophic Press. p. 229. ISBN 0-88010-433-3.
- ^ Tautz, Johannes (2015). W. J. Stein: A Biography. Forest Row: Temple Lodge Publishing. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-906999-76-6.
- Barnes, Henry (2005). Into the Heart's Land. Great Barrington, MA: SteinerBooks. ISBN 978-0-88010-857-7.
- Steiner, Rudolf (1996). Waldorf Education and Anthroposophy 2: Twelve Public Lectures, November 19, 1922-August 30, 1924. Hudson, NY: Anthroposophic Press. p. 21. ISBN 0-88010-388-4.
- drazil, Tomas (2018). "Theorie-Praxis Verhältnis in der Waldorfpädagogik". In Kern, Holger; Zdrazil, Tomas; Götte, Wenzel Michael (eds.). Lehrerbildung in der Waldorfschule. Weinheim, DE: Juventa. p. 34. ISBN 9783779938293.
- Provenzo, Eugene; Renaud, John Phillip (2008). Encyclopedia of the Social and Cultural Foundations of Education. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. p. 952. ISBN 978-1-4129-0678-4.
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