Category: The Inner Work of Education
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How to Work with ADD (Attention-Deficit Disorder)
In our last post, we discussed ADD (Attention-Deficit Disorder) from multiple perspectives. This condition affects an increasing number of youth. Teachers know that neurodivergence is growing, and so our methods need to grow with the need. In this post, I want to give you some practical suggestions for how to work with ADD. A Brief…
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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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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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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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Civic Education in Homeschool
In the wake of this 2024 U.S. presidential election, I feel called to write a post about civic education. We have a deeply polarized nation, and that’s not good. For the record I must say that as a teacher, it’s not my place to take sides. Rather, it’s my job to preserve the sacred balance…
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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…
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Education in a Time of Uncertainty
Our world is becoming increasingly uncertain. Wars progress and threaten to escalate. Markets are volatile. The upcoming U.S. presidential election looks messy. Even Asheville, N.C., long considered to be one of the very safest places in the country, was just devastated by a hurricane. (So safe was Asheville considered that NOAA put their server building…
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Michaelmas Reflections
A pale, yet warm, light glows in our garage this evening. The stars are coming earlier each night, and the air they bring grows crisper. The crop vines are withering from green to yellow to brittle brown. They’ve made their fruits, given them as gifts to the next generation, and now they’re passing from an…