| An Interview with Office Coordinator Sej Jorgensen by Cindy Sedey, Class of 2006 Cindy: What do you do at the Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training? Sej: I get to do most of the behind-the-scenes things which, hopefully, keep the teacher training running smoothly. I keep in contact with new students, current students, prospective and former students, faculty near and far, and Waldorf schools in the Bay Area and beyond. I spend my time talking and emailing with people interested in Waldorf education, hosting Board, Planning and Outreach meetings, walking to the post office, and dealing with applications, contracts, student files, student handbooks, tuition statements, timesheets and self-evaluations! I enjoy being an integral part of this small institution that contributes so much to the world. C: You went to a Waldorf school. Grade school? High school? What do you have to say about that - thoughts, feelings? How did it influence you? S: I attended Highland Hall, in the Los Angeles area, for grades 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9. Seventh grade I spent looking for the "real" world, the world outside Waldorf education, and as soon as I found it I went right back! Christine Meyer, my class teacher, has always seen me for who I really am and encouraged me to find and develop my best self, and I still love seeing her and talking with her whenever I get the chance. Financial issues necessitated my move to public school in tenth grade, which was awful at the time, but now I think my desire to return to Waldorf education led me to the teacher training in 1998, which may not have happened had I stayed at Highland Hall through twelfth grade. Something I've always felt and expressed is my firm belief that I learned more during my years at Highland Hall than any time or place since, including my four years at university. The many practical arts, languages, musical instruments, world cultures and religions I learned about, within the context of a conscious community, educated me in a very whole and real way. I still remember the plant I studied in botany, the brick wall we helped build in third grade, the sunrise I observed from the top of my roof, the poem I wrote about stars in fourth grade that was published in the school newsletter, the Athenian character I played in a class improvisational exercise, the costumes I sewed for our eighth grade musical, the monologue I performed rather than write an essay for a ninth grade English class, the music teacher who composed music for our orchestra, the painting teacher who let me paint with my feet, the drama teacher who let us write our own play, and the math teacher who stayed after school with me every Tuesday. These people and experiences are a part of me forever. C: How did you come upon your job here at Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training? S: The Waldorf world is incredibly small, especially here in the Bay Area. In 2001, I graduated from the San Francisco Waldorf Teacher Training (under Dorit Winter and many of our staff here). A little Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training birdie heard through the Waldorf grapevine that I was job-seeking, called me up, and invited me to apply! I've learned how important it is to keep in contact with friends and former colleagues because you never know about all the stews that are brewing out there! C: What are your plans for the future? S: Right now, I'm planning my wedding which will take place April 2005 in a redwood grove in Oakland! In addition, I'd like to develop grace and balance in my life and my work, and encourage truth, goodness and beauty in the world. In the next 40 or so years, I'd love to have a child or two, do lots of eurythmy, return to preschool/kindergarten, teach high school theatre/English/art, return to the theatre, knit, crochet, paint, sing, dance, sculpt, sew, hike, travel, play music, and learn to fix my car. C: What else do you want us to know about you? S: I've been knitting and crocheting for longer than I can remember. My partner Chris and I have one frisky little Dalmatian and about a dozen old VWs, and we love camping and vegetarian cooking. My favorite movie is "Harold and Maude." I spent a month backpacking through Ireland a few summers ago and had a wonderful time, especially in Galway. I love the depth and breadth of the "anthroposophical umbrella;" I'm confident I could spend this lifetime and the next studying and being involved in many facets and still be interested and want to do more! |
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