On the Threshold of Adolescence

The Struggle for Independence in the Twelfth Year This book tells the story of how Suzanne, a young Waldorf teacher, struggles with the changes her class is going through. The problems she and parents must deal with are familiar to all parents―drug use, smoking, lack of responsiveness, rebelliousness, and moodiness. In this compassionate and wise guidebook, we accompany Suzanne in her sincere efforts to help her students as she talks to other faculty menmers and to parents, gradually adapting her teaching to the students' changing needs. She learns from an older mentor, whose guidance is based on the educational methods and spiritual insights presented by Rudolf Steiner, whose perspective gives adolescence a new, more meaningful face. Understanding adolescent changes as part of our human destiny and our development toward individuality helps us guide young people as they take their first steps on the road to independence.