Category: Parenting
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The Inspiration of Youth
What is required for the inspiration of youth? Today more than ever, the youth seem lost in a crisis of meaning. They waste away in an ocean of never ending social media scrolling. They listen to music that, compared with the peace and of Woodstock 1969, sounds full of pain and depression. More of them…
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Taking Refuge in The Good, The True, and The Beautiful
Yesterday, I had a golden moment with my students in a 5th Grade Live Decimals Enrichment Block. The Good, the True, and the Beautiful rang forth from the lesson, and it touched me deeply that I felt I should share it with you. Upon reflecting later that evening, I realized these moments can become a…
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Does Homeschooling Affect Social Skills?
Does homeschooling affect social skills? I often hear critics of homeschooling levy this question as a complaint. They wonder how children and youth can develop these social and emotional skills so necessary for success later in life who don’t spend the majority of their days around groups of their peers. It’s a legitimate question, and…
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How to Take Notes
In this post, I want to discuss ways to take notes. This is an important skill starting in middle school. It is certainly needed going into high school and beyond. In this article, I will discuss reasons why note taking is important and why notes should be handwritten. Let’s begin with the latter. Why Take…
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Happy Children
In a recent interview, Dr. Leonard Sax, a long-time family physician and psychologist, explained that the biggest predictor of adult well-being in children is their relationship with their parents. Let that sink in for a minute. Happy children are those who have the best relationships with their caregivers. Does that surprise you as it did…
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Winter or Advent Spiral
This week, I wanted to write a post about making winter holidays meaningful, especially for adolescents and teens. I will focus on the Winter or Advent Spiral, commonly done in Waldorf settings. The principles, however, are broadly applicable to other traditions as well, so extrapolate as necessary. The Difference Between Children and Adolescents At puberty,…
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What is Waldorf Education?
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by
In order to answer the question, “What is Waldorf Education?” we have first to answer a more fundamental question, “What is a human being?” Well, what IS a human being? What do you say to that? Stop and consider your answer. I recently elaborated my answer in the following clip: A human is a threefold…
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The Formative Power of Gratitude
On Thanksgiving each year, many of us practice giving gratitude. Is this just a nice family tradition, or is there a truly formative power of gratitude? Let’s start with words of wisdom from wise people. Eckhart Tolle once said (paraphrased), “If you practice gratitude, life will give you more things to be grateful for.” In…
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Emotional Intelligence
In this third post of our series on the 6 Basic Exercises, we will discuss “Control of Feeling.” A better title for this exercise would be “cultivating emotional intelligence through mastering the feeling life.” However, the Austrian simplicity of Rudolf Steiner preferred the shorter title, so we’ll go with that. This is probably the hardest…
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Freewill (Control of Will)
In this blog post, we will discuss freewill. However, this will not be a philosophical treatise on whether or not freewill exists. Rather, it will be a practical guide on how to become free of will. This is the followup to a post we wrote a few months ago entitled Control of Thought. The Six…