A Waldorf Journey Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Growth Mindset Series, January Jan 26, 2021

Show notes

Join me as I make my way through The Growth Mindset Coach -- a month-by-month guide for teachers. Each month I'll record an episode about it and I'd love to hear what you think!
In this episode . . .

Teacher feedback stems

I noticed how
Look at how much progress you've made on
I see a difference in this work compared with
I admire how hard you have worked on
I can see you really enjoyed learning
Could it make a difference if you
have you considered trying a different strategy to
You're on the right track here and might consider
One awesome thing about your work is
I really like the way you
One thing that helps me is
This could improve if
My favorite part of this was
I noticed that

January 2021 Update Jan 05, 2021

Show notes

Promos
Audible -- Get your free trial by hitting my link.
Skillshare -- I'm loving Skillshare. Free 14 day trial with my link.
My curriculum guides -- I've got a guide that will help you teach and give you just the amount of help that you need.
Things I Talked About This Week

My bio
structure and systems in the classroom
mentorship and evaluation
my Practical Art of the Waldorf Classroom course
the importance of the social-emotional curriculum
skill-building vs. imaginative content
keeping Waldorf teaching inspiring

5 Things That Made Me Happy in 2020 Dec 29, 2020

Show notes

Creating and Enjoying a Life I Love
Being Productive
Atomic Habits
Change
New Ideas

Stuff Mentioned

My Waldorf Distance Learning Set-Up Dec 16, 2020

Show notes

Home Resource Guide
This free Waldorf-at-Home Resource guide goes through 4 of those basic ideas that can help you create a harmonious Waldorf home, and maybe even realize that you're doing a pretty good job of getting there already.

To get this free guide, just go to awaldorfjourney.com/homeguide and I'll send you the free pdf.
Holiday Gift Guides
To see my Waldorf art gift guide, which gives indications for art supplies that will be useful throughout the grades, just head to www.awaldorfjourney.com/artsupplies.

And to find a list of recommended books, head to www.awaldorfjourney.com/giftbooks

Devices

Furniture

standing desk from Fully — whiteboard
hand-me-down chair — next on my list to upgrade
arm for camera
the chair I want to get
a standing stool possibility

Software

Zoom
Google Classroom
Notion

Routines

sharing my desk — main lesson pages and dictation
correcting drafts on the iPad
breakout rooms
chat, virtual backgrounds, profile photos, etc.

Waldorf and Festivals Dec 01, 2020

Show notes

As we enter into the holiday season, I thought it would be a good chance to talk about Waldorf and festivals. I know that the festivals were one of the things that drew me to Waldorf when I first discovered it, and though they are lovely, my thoughts about them have changed through the years. I'm happy to share some thoughts about the festivals with you in this episode.
Waldorf Gift Guides

The holidays are approaching and if your family is anything like mine, the grandparents are asking what they can give the kids for the holidays. How can we give them some direction and request gifts that align with our Waldorf-inspired values, while still remembering and modeling gratitude?

To help with this, I have put together a couple of different Waldorf gift guides, which you can access for free — not even an email address is required by hitting the link in the shownotes.

To see my Waldorf art gift guide, which gives indications for art supplies that will be useful throughout the grades, just head to www.awaldorfjourney.com/artsupplies.

And to find a list of recommended books, head to www.awaldorfjourney.com/giftbooks

Both guides are right there on the website, easy for you to access. The Amazon links are affiliate links, which means I get a small commission, at no cost to you. And if you're grateful for these resources, you can hit the link to send me a cup of coffee right there on the page, or just go to www.awaldorfjourney.com/coffee
Follow me on Instagram.
Join the Facebook group.
Buy me a cup of coffee.
Content
Investigating the why and how of Waldorf festivals.
Three main purposes behind Waldorf festivals (according to me):

community-building
creating turning points in the year
connecting with something higher

Exploring each of these can give us a framework for investigating the festivals and determining how to honor them in a meaningful way. Festivals mentioned in this episode:

Michaelmas
Martinmas
Divali
Day of the Dead
Winter Spiral

Thinking, Feeling and Willing in Child Development Nov 24, 2020

Show notes

This week we're going to talk about child development. We've all heard about thinking, feeling, and willing of Waldorf education. This episode is all about where you can find thinking feeling and willing in child development and which aspect you should be focusing on when.
This episode is being brought to you by my curriculum guides, which you can find at my website awaldorfjourney.com/shop. I’ve got a variety of guides throughout the grades -- Whether you’re teaching botany, rocks and minerals, physics or astronomy in the middle school; or consonants and vowels in first grade, I’ve got a guide that can help you out. Homeschoolers and classroom teachers in a variety of settings have found my guides to be helpful, so I hope you’ll check them out. And if you’re just wondering about how to go about setting up your main lesson structure, every guide includes my Main Lesson 101 material, which will break it all down for you. Just this information alone is really valuable, so you might consider purchasing a guide, just to help you get started with your planning. I really recommend either my Astronomy or my Rocks and Minerals guides -- those subjects are just so fascinating and both of those guides give a really good picture of what it’s like to plan a Waldorf main lesson.

Again, you can find all of my guides at my website, www.awaldorfjourney.com/shop
Buy me a cup of coffee.
Instagram
Facebook
Content
0-7 -- the willing phase
7-14 -- the feeling phase
14-21 -- the thinking phase
More information about my course The Practical Art of the Waldorf Classroom.
An image of the Waldorf approach to human development, sometimes called "the cosmic bathtub."

Rhythms and Routines for Planning Nov 17, 2020

Show notes

This week we're talking about one of my secret weapons for making this Waldorf teaching work so much easier. It took me awhile to figure it out, but having a structure and a set of systems will make this job so much more sustainable. This week I'm going to talk about some of the rhythms I've established in my teaching and how you can keep a balance between new, exciting inspiration and regular routines and rhythms.
This episode is being brought to you by my new course, Feedback and Record-Keeping for Waldorf Teachers. I've offered this course in the past, but it's been updated and brought over to my own platform so it's more available.

I strongly believe that providing feedback and keeping parents, students and administration updated on student progress is a place where Waldorf teachers have fallen short in the past. We want our students to feel good about their work and not have to face criticism. But monitoring progress and having those sometimes difficult conversations helps us keep our teaching relevant and can help inspire confidence in parents and administrators.

This course walks you through a process for providing feedback in a way that is age-appropriate so it will inspire your students to achieve and let them know that their work matters. With audio and written content and 8 lessons pertaining to the different types of feedback you'll provide, I'll talk you through the process. And the course includes all the templates you'll need, wherever you are on the journey.

You can sign up for the course at awaldorfjourney.com/recordkeeping.
Content
Yearly Rhythms

creating templates
my template for providing feedback in 4th grade

Monthly Rhythms

planning at the beginning of a block
my block plan template

Weekly Rhythms

a blog post about our dictation rhythm

Daily Rhythms

a blog post about my daily review planning
Don't forget to prep your story every day -- it wouldn't be Waldorf without it!

Waldorf Parenting Nov 10, 2020

Show notes

This week we're talking about Waldorf Parenting. I've got some pretty strong opinions (they maybe even a little controversial) and some basic ideas to help you create an intentional Waldorf family life for yourself and your children.
This episode is being brought to you by my ebook The Waldorf Home. If you’re interested in reading ideas, suggestions and tips for making your home more aligned with your children’s waldorf education, check out my book at www.thewaldorfhome.com.

Also, if you’re a homeschooling parent or a teacher, check out my curriculum guides at www.awaldorfjourney.com/shop. There you can find my first grade bundle where I go through how to introduce the consonants and vowels through the fairy tales. It’s one of my most popular guides, so I hope you’ll support the podcast and check it out.
Content

Rant about "Waldorf enough."
Connect
Work
Create
Explore

Email me: meredith@awaldorfjourney.com
Instagram
Facebook

Waldorf via Zoom, Lessons Learned Nov 03, 2020

Show notes

Many of us are teaching in ways we never expected before and it's pushing us far beyond our comfort zones. We miss working with our students in person, but the news isn't all bad. I, for one, have been amazed at how much learning and connection is actually happening in our distance learning arrangement.

In this episode we'll talk all about distance learning, some things I've learned and how you can make the most of this medium.
This episode is being brought to you by my free workshop, the 3 classroom management strategies every waldorf teacher needs to know, which is being released the week this episode goes live.

I’m really excited to offer this workshop because I think it is something that isn’t talked about enough in our training courses and it is exactly what Waldorf teachers need to be thinking about right now.

Just head over to www.awaldorfjourney.com/workshop to sign up for the workshop.

Also, registration opens soon for my new course, The Practical Art of the Waldorf Classroom. In this course we’ll talk about some big topics that should be on your mind during the school year.

Rhythms and Routines
Classroom management
Imagination in the classroom
Working with parents
Working with students

Content Outline

Where we've been and where we are now
Student engagement
Assessment and feedback
Self-Care

Links to Things Mentioned

Communication, Feedback and Record-Keeping for Teachers Oct 27, 2020

Show notes

This week we're talking about feedback and record-keeping for Waldorf teachers. We'll explore the different types of feedback you need to give and who you need to consider when putting together your feedback plan.
Promo
This episode is being brought to you by my course, Feedback and Record-Keeping for Waldorf Teachers. I've offered this course in the past, but it's been updated and brought over to my own platform so it's more available.

You can sign up for the course at awaldorfjourney.com/recordkeeping.
Content
Tracking student progress is something Waldorf teachers don't do enough and it's actually a place we could take a cue from our public school counterparts. If we want to be respected as the professionals and authorities we are when it comes to children's development, we need to take it seriously and be responsible about tracking that information and reporting it to parents, students and school administration.
People who need to be considered in your record-keeping plan:

students
parents
administration
yourself

If this feels overwhelming and you don't like the administrative aspects of this work, consider signing up for my record-keeping course. You'll get guidance through all of the record-keeping requirements of this work, and templates that will help it all come together.

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