Overview Great Lakes Waldorf Institute is an independent, not-for-profit adult learning community offering Waldorf teacher education programs, plus professional development and general interest courses and workshops on Waldorf teaching, Waldorf Education, organizational leadership, and the arts. The teachings of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Waldorf Education, are at the heart of the Great Lakes mission, and we are dedicated to the support of Waldorf Education in North America. Great Lakes' programs, courses, and workshops offer abundant opportunities for journeys of self-discovery and personal transformation within a rich community experience. Since our founding as the Waldorf Institute in 2001, Great Lakes has graduated a number of Waldorf teachers who are teaching at schools across the U.S.