This study aims to explore the transition to school and the subsequent adaptation period in the context of Waldorf education, focusing on the intersecting perspectives of class teachers and their students. In this research, Waldorf education is presented as a Bildung-oriented pedagogy, meaning it supports the development of each student’s unique potential. Teachers and students are studied as active agents in an interconnected relationship through the concepts of learner agency and educational authority.
A basic qualitative study, inspired by a narrative approach, was used to conduct this research, based on interviews with two teachers and six first-grade students. The findings highlight the crucial nature of the first months of school, which establish foundational connections for students to themselves, to school, and to learning. They also illustrate the importance of fostering an educational relationship in which a balance is sought between student agency and teacher authority—a balance that is reflected in students’ early experiences of learning and discovery. This study outlines key insights that can be drawn from the Waldorf pedagogical approach regarding school entry. It shows how educational values can be embodied in practice and through a constructive educational relationship oriented toward Bildung. It particularly highlights the benefits of the class teacher model, which builds a long-term relationship with students to support this transition. The study also demonstrates the value of integrating insights from educational sciences to re-examine Waldorf pedagogical principles regarding this key school transition period. It reveals bridges that can be built between a pedagogy that has long existed outside the realm of empirical research and the broader field of education.
Keywords: Educational authority, learner agency, Bildung, school entry, Waldorf education