Would you like to become a sponsor?

Waldorf News

A Simple and Ongoing Response for Our Children: The Newtown Tragedy by Kim John Payne

December 20, 2012

Your children may encounter others this week who know more about the tragedy in Newtown than they do, from direct exposure to media or from overhearing adult conversations, or from other children. They may come to you for more information, explanations, clarifications…this seeking to understand and integrate may take some time. This is an opportunity for parents and teachers to offer wisdom and loving presence, to meet each child in the way he or she needs to be met. Please consider the age of your child and how any of this information may impact him or her – as their parents you are the best expert on how to protect and strengthen your own children and your family. They need our reassurance that most people are good; our loving presence and deep quiet listening may be more helpful than a lot of explanations. Children can, and do, work things out for themselves according to their own abilities, over time, in the warmth and calmness of adult presence. More »

Shelter from the Storm: A Brief Refuge in East Los Angeles

December 10, 2012

"Unless we do something with education with the total human being, we are not really preparing our children. That sense of security is so incredibly powerful for kids. So many of our children don't feel safe at home, or in their neighborhoods, so to feel safe in school is so beautiful. To know that they won't be put down or hurt, this is my dream that we do this. Can you imagine if all schools would feel this way?" -Mrs. Reifler More »

A View from the Tropics: The Sea Heart School in Costa Rica

November 4, 2012

A tropical Waldorf kindergarten setting differs in more than just the ambient noise, though that in itself can be significant. The constant sounds of the ocean, birds, insects, animals and wind in the trees are an ever-present reminder of the life and movement which surrounds us. Nothing stops here. Growth is year round and abundant: the etheric forces are incredibly strong. Leave prunings on the ground and they will sprout, or become a quick home to a colony of termites and a small mushroom farm. Compost piles are ready in a month. Life and death are ever present and it’s not unusual for the smell of death to waft through the gardens or classrooms: the children scan the skies for vultures when their noses pick up the familiar scent. The deep greens of the jungle, the red and orange blaze of the native flowers and the bright blue of the sky and sea are all intensified by the hot glare of the tropical sun; in the rainy seasons the force and energy of the downpours can wash away bridges, trees, beach and roads. The children are all the time bathed in these thick environmental etheric forces. More »

Our Hands Belong to Levity

October 19, 2012

Part of my work as a Waldorf educational support teacher is assessing school-age children, either whole classes as part of a class screening or individual children who are having difficulties in school. I find that many of these students’ grasp on the pencil is tense and/or awkward. Then I ask them to do various fine motor activities and notice difficulties with finger differentiation; it’s as if several or all of the fingers work as a unit rather than as separate fingers—which would be more efficient and less tiring. This may sound surprising as students in a Waldorf school do so many activities that involve the hands, from playing the flute or recorder to drawing, knitting and sewing. However, if you look at how these children engage their hands in these activities you can see either a lot of tension or quite loose and almost floppy work. When they draw figures of people they often leave out the hands as if they aren’t quite sure that the hands live at the end of the arms. More »

From Bullying to Belonging: How peer massage relieves social stress

October 15, 2012

We humans are essentially social beings. We yearn to belong, to be accepted; our brains are hard-wired to seek out connection and collaboration with other sentient beings for our very survival. In fact, in some cases, exclusion from one’s group will result in death. That’s why solitary confinement is the greatest punishment, short of death. Now, there are many ways to achieve connection, but touch, being our first sense to develop, is our primary language of acceptance and belonging, safety and security. Kind words and gestures are very effective in making someone feel welcome, but giving someone’s hand a squeeze or putting your arm around their shoulder confers a kinship and the relief of belonging like nothing else can. More »

Recent Jobs

View more jobs »

Newsletter Archive

See all newsletters »

Join the Mailing List!

Stay Connected…
Each week receive the Waldorf News Weekly Update, full of news, events, and more. Keep abreast of what's happening with Waldorf education.

Add a Job Listing

Post a job opening Seeking a position?