Margot M. Saar

“As a teacher who worked with the Teachers’ Course for many years and as a professional translator specialized in anthroposophical literature, I was very enthusiastic about the possibility of creating a new English translation in modern language, using consistent terminology.

My main endeavour in creating this translation was to achieve a fluidity and accessibility of language that would allow readers to grapple with Steiner’s demanding contents without being impeded by unnecessarily complex sentence structures or terminology, bearing in mind also the many readers of other language backgrounds who work with this course in English.

Translating a book as fundamentally relevant as this has been both a challenge and an honour: I hope you enjoy the results!”

Margot M. Saar studied applied linguistics and translating, Waldorf Education and philosophy. She taught at Waldorf Schools in the UK for twenty years and translated many books, mostly in philosophy, anthroposophy, education and the history of medicine. She lives in England and works as a full time translator and conference interpreter.

Dr. Neil Boland

“It was a great and unexpected privilege to be asked if I would be willing to co-edit this new translation of the First Teachers’ Course, the first one in English with the lectures in chronological order. Working on the translation with Margot and Jon and then in cooperation with Porn has been a really pleasure. I hope this excellent translation will introduce new generations of teachers to the foundations of Steiner’s human anthropology”

Dr. Neil Boland works in the School of Education at Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand and the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan. His interests include the contextualisation of Steiner education and the inner work of the teacher.

Dr. Porn Panosot

“I feel fortunate to be a part of this remarkable endeavor. During the Centennial World Teachers Conference at Panyotai School in May 2019, I was invited by Claus-Peter Röh to join the First Teachers’ Course at the Goetheanum in July 2019. At that meeting, Neil Boland was looking for help with the production of the book. I jumped in without hesitation, as one of my aspiration is to make Waldorf books more affordable to teachers around the world. A few months later at the Pedagogical section, I had a discussion with Florian Oswald about how I planned to realize this book. After more than a year of collaborative work, this book finally arrives. It gives me such joy to see this idea becomes real.”

Dr. Porn Panosot, a medical doctor-cum-educator, is one of the founders of Panyotai Steiner Waldorf School in Bangkok and is the president of Anthroposophic Medical Association of Thailand. He currently teaches in high school and is working as school doctor for Panyotai school. His work has given Anthroposophy a strong foothold in Thailand. He has been recognised for his work for Thai children by Ashoka International, the Task Force for Children in Thailand, and other organizations.