Parenting as a vocation: lifelong learning can begin in the home

The paper discusses the developmental aspects of lifelong learning and the notion of adult learning as a contextualized construct, as a framework for analysis of the relationship between individual and community development. This relationship is then analysed from the perspective of parents and their learning processes in the specific context of a Steiner or Waldorf School community, following a review of theories of adult learning grounded in Anthroposophy, the philosophy which underpins Steiner Education. Finally, the notion that parenting is a vocation and can provide a meaningful context and framework for lifelong learning is introduced and discussed in the light of this literature and based on a case study analysis of a Waldorf School in Australia.