Amherst, MA — Douglas J. W.
Gerwin is being recognized by Continental Who’s Who as a Distinguished
Professional in the Education field and in acknowledgment of his status as a Semi-Retired
Waldorf Educator and Researcher.
Dr. Gerwin began his career as a correspondent for Reuters
News Agency in 1972 while living in the United Kingdom and continued working in
journalism until 1978. That year, he began his teaching career at the
University of Dallas as a graduate and teaching assistant for the department of
psychology. In 1981, he advanced to the position of lecturer in the psychology
and education departments at the university.
Following this time, Dr. Gerwin became a teacher and
administrator for High Mowing School where he taught high school English, German,
history, mathematics, music, and science until 2004. At the same time, Dr.
Gerwin began visiting and guest teaching at other North American Waldorf
schools starting in 1985 which he continues presently. In this role, he serves
as a lecturer and workshop leader for child development and Waldorf education
for schools, teacher training institutes, and universities. He also advises and
evaluates Waldorf high schools in North America, serving as a mentor for new
high schools. Additionally, he was a founding member of the Leadership Council
for the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America for the past 20 years.
Currently Dr. Gerwin is Executive Director of both the
Center for Anthroposophy, specializing in the training of Waldorf teachers, and
the Research Institute for Waldorf Education.
Prior to embarking on his professional journey as an
educator, Dr. Gerwin earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and psychology
from the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom in 1972. He then attained a
Master of Arts in psychology and literature in 1980 and a Doctor of Philosophy
in phenomenological psychology and literature in 1984, both from the University
of Dallas. As an alumnus of a Waldorf school, he was invited to share his
experiences with U.D. faculty working on a study of Waldorf schools while
pursuing his graduate degree. He realized how much he enjoyed teaching through
this experience and decided to help students in Waldorf schools for his career.
Throughout his career, Dr. Gerwin lent his expertise as an
editor and reviewer in several capacities. He was a copy editor, manuscript
editor, and managing editor for the scholarly journal, Dragonflies: Studies in
Imaginal Psychology, and a book reviewer for Spring: An Annual of Archetypal
Psychology. In 1980, he worked as a manuscript editor and bibliographer for
Psychological Life: From Science to Metaphor by R. D. Romanyshyn. Since 2004,
he has been a manuscript editor for the Research Bulletin of the Research
Institute for Waldorf Education and is the founding editor of Center and
Periphery, an online newsletter of the Center for Anthroposophy, and occasional
editorial reviewer for the international online journal Research on Steiner
Education. He has also developed a series of online seminars for high school
teachers titled Starlight Rays in Darkened Times.
In 1988, Dr. Gerwin published a Waldorf High School
Curriculum Guide and edited a collection of essays entitled For the Love of
Literature: A Celebration of Language and Imagination, published in 1996. He has
contributed many works on Waldorf schools, including Research on Waldorf
Graduates Phase I in 2005, Survey of Waldorf Graduates Phase II in 2006, And
Who Shall Teach the Teachers? The Christ Impulse in Waldorf Education in 2007,
and Trailing Clouds of Glory: Essays on Sexuality and the Education of Youth in
Waldorf Schools in 2014, among several others. Most recently he co-authored
Into the World: How Waldorf Graduates Fare After High School and edited Tapestry
of a Waldorf Curriculum: A Teacher's Guide to the Waldorf School Grades 1-12,
both of which were published through Waldorf Publications in 2020. Now entering
semi-retirement, Dr. Gerwin plans to conduct further research to demonstrate
the benefits of Waldorf education. He is continually working toward helping
Waldorf schools and education flourish and be more accessible to a wider range
of students.
In his spare time, Dr. Gerwin enjoys music, spending time
with family, writing, and travel.
With over 45 years of experience in his field, Dr. Gerwin has
expertise in the health of adolescents; he is also a published writer and a
seasoned Waldorf high school teacher.
Among his professional memberships and affiliations, Dr.
Gerwin is a member of the Pedagogical Section Council in the School for
Spiritual Science of the Anthroposophical Society in America and has served as
Chair of the Teacher Education Delegates Circle in the Association of Waldorf
Schools of North America and as member of the International Council for
Steiner/Waldorf Education (Hague Circle).
In light of this recognition, Dr. Gerwin wishes to
acknowledge his mentors, John F. Gardner and Robert D. Romanyshyn. He also
would like to honor the memory of his dear parents, Edgar and Elsie Lilian
Gerwin, and to thank his loving wife, Connie, for her support.
