Tag: anthroposophy
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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…
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Handwriting
Some years back, a colleague informed me, “Learning a new font of handwriting builds more connections in the brain than any other activity.” He claimed to have the studies to back it up. I was intrigued, so I began to experiment with my class back when I taught at Asheville Waldorf School (AWS). The results…
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Which Homeschool Curriculum Do I Choose?
Which homeschool curriculum do I choose? I see this question come up constantly in social media groups. Most homeschooling parents aren’t trained teachers, and they are looking expert guidance. In my experience, parents fall into one of three categories with education: no experience, some experience, and lots of experience. To each group I will make…
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The Threefold Social Order in Education
Why should we introduce the Threefold Social Order in Education? Observing the current political climate in America, I see there being two main sides (with a third being largely ignored). On either side, there’s very little inspiration. I hardly ever hear people express enthusiasm for their chosen candidate. Instead, I usually hear some version of…
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Spiritual Treasure
Silver and Gold What is life’s greatest treasure? Is it silver and gold, an abundant retirement, or the ownership of a nice house? How about a new car, the ability to travel, and the financial freedom to treat your family to dinner out each week? What about several years’ worth of food and supplies stored…
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Humor as Medicine in the Home
Have you ever found yourself talking with your spouse about something stressful which pressingly needs to be discussed…like, now? Meanwhile, your young child or children are in the room, and they will inevitably be stressed out, too? Your solid parenting instinct recognizes this, so you try going into another room. However, because your children are…