Waldorf News
Staying Centered in the Whirlwind of Today’s Adolescents
March 6, 2023
Adolescence is and always has been an extraordinarily complicated period of life. Even in the simplest of times, working with adolescents to help them find themselves and the meaning they so desperately seek is deeply challenging. And these are anything but the simplest of times. Though we may desire to move on from the endless ruins of the recent past, we cannot outrun the physical and psychic wounds and obstacles we have all experienced together and have not yet fully processed. While we in the Waldorf world strive for the equanimity to keep these forces of chaos and dissolution at bay, we know we must meet the needs of adolescents––our vulnerable canaries in the coal mine––in new ways. We cannot simply move on from the recent past. We must come to understand how it has changed us, adolescents, and the classrooms and communities where we serve the future. The world is not the same as it was, and we cannot continue educating our students as if nothing has changed. More »
My Time at Melbourne Rudolf Steiner Teacher Training
January 9, 2023
Like many people I knew who had succeeded in high grades through school, I felt a disconnect between my school foundations, and the kind of skills and understandings that would enable me to thrive in life outside of the school system. I felt like a “big head” walking around in the world, disconnected from my deeper self, disconnected from tradition, nature, history, and culture. My education had excelled at teaching me to deconstruct the world, to analyse and dissect ideas, and to see things from multiple points of view. Where it left me hanging by late university, was in my real sense of feeling lost. This existential dilemma of feeling displaced from myself, from nature, and from a cohesive ideal to orient my life by, made me question the education I had received through the Victorian State System. I questioned the purpose of education and felt that the role of school was to prepare children for life beyond school, not just to teach them to be good at school. At this time of exploring the possibility of becoming a teacher, I came across the teacher training at Melbourne Rudolf Steiner Seminar. I was exploring alternative models of teaching; seeking to find more holistic practices, and a model that catered to the whole human being growing up integrated, connected, and in a state of flow with the world. More »
The Keys to Literacy Capacities: Online, On-Demand Courses that Unify Best Practices and Steiner’s Indications
December 14, 2022
Waldorf teachers know that they are supposed to educate the soul capacities (i.e., thinking, feeling, and willing). What is less well known is this: Steiner also told teachers to train three capacities that pertain to literacy. The literacy capacities Steiner identified are as follows: 1) Clear Listening; 2) Precise Seeing; and 3) Mental Picturing. More »
Sebastopol Rider Finishes 14th in World’s Longest Horse Race
November 29, 2022
Summerfield Waldorf alumna Lena Haug endured a dog attack, got kicked in the face and lost her gear, yet lived to tell the tale of the Mongol Derby. Sebastopol horse trainer Lena Haug came in 14th of 47 riders in the Mongol Derby, the world’s longest and toughest horse race. More »
How Mud Boosts Your Immune System
October 31, 2022
"Don't get dirty!" was once a constant family refrain, as parents despairingly watched their children spoil their best clothes. Whether they were running through farmers' fields, climbing trees or catching tadpoles, it was inevitable that children's whites would turn brown before the day was over. Today, many parents may secretly wish their children had the chance to pick up a bit of grime. With the rise of urbanism, and the allure of video games and social media, contact with nature is much rarer than in the past. For many, there is simply no opportunity to get muddy. What is gained in laundry bills may be lost in the child's wellbeing. According to recent research, the dirt outside is teaming with friendly microorganisms that can train the immune system and build resilience to a range of illnesses, including allergies, asthma and even depression and anxiety. More »
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