Monthly Archives: June 2020

Waldorf Homeschooling? Read This!

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In the book, “Assessment for Learning in Waldorf Classrooms: How Waldorf Teachers Measure Student Progress Toward Lifelong Teaching Goals” by Ciborski and Ireland, the authors point out that: “Waldorf curriculum and pedagogy are flexible.  A College of Teachers governs the pedagogy in every Waldorf School, and has the authority to approve changes and innovations to enable the school to meet the needs of its students and families…..Most schools include community service projects in the curriculum.  Some schools have changed the foreign  languages to reflect offered to reflect the ethnicities of the student body or surrounding community; some have increased time allotted to physical education and competitive sports popular in neighboring schools; most schools have incorporated environmental issues into science, geography, and other subjects.  The curriculum is a guideline and is meant to be appropriate to the times and to the place as well as the age of the children.”

So, with this in mind you should feel FREEDOM to work within the curriculum.The curriculum itself is a spiral where if you cover grades 1-12,  you will cover subjects and skills in greater and greater depth.  Whilst the indications are based upon the indication of Rudolf Steiner and the many Waldorf teachers who have worked in Steiner Schools for 100 years, each teacher is charged with meeting the child in front of them and the needs of child within community. 

The constants within this include:

  • Seeing the child as a spiritual being that has an individual and community-centered destiny to fulfill – how does the human being relate to the cosmos, the earth, the time we are living in?
  • An encouragement of  the capactities of each individual child to become healthy, purposeful and one who values all of life; one who does what is right in a situation; one who can think independently, creatively.  A well-rounded individual

In developmental stages of 0-7 (doing), 7-14 (feeling but not emotions all over but rather eliciting a connection to the material that draws forth an experience and helps develop compassion and morality), 14 and above in high school (thinking), we generally teach:

  • Knitting in the early grades moving into more complex handwork
  • Music (singing and playing instruments), games, dancing, festival celebrations are important and included
  • The use of the arts to increase cognitive capactities
  • Form drawing to increase the neural connections of the brain, practice for writing, moves into geometry
  • Math – developing logic and math skills through games, recitation, practical life work, skill progression in all grades;
  • The history blocks – myths and legends moving into proper history; all cultures and religious traditions are explored, turning points of history, great contrasts, great biographies, hope in strife
  • Science – nature stories moving into phenomenological science involving all branches of all science.
  • Language arts – reading, writing, speaking; great poetry and literature; stories from every culture and religion

Subjects are taught in blocks (one subject in a main lesson period of two hours a day for 3-6 weeks being typical) with practice sessions for math and language arts skills depending on the block being covered.  This main lesson includes a rhythm of new work on one day, deepening of the material, reviewing practice the second day and the third day involves reinforced learning with collaborations in the classroom setting or writing or illustrations.  Outcomes include  projects, performances, projects, diagrams, drawings, written assignments, homework, tests, quizzes. The teacher is constantly developing themself through collaboration and nightly reflection.

I have heavily focused our homeschooling experience around service,  the different stories of the peoples of the world, social and racial justice, and science, especially focusing on marine science, ecology, biology, sustainability.  This is not to say we didn’t do math or  sing or do handwork or read wonderful literature or do chemistry.  I just think those were more our overarching themes perhaps. Your homeschool will look different!  There are not many “Waldorf” curriculums to pick from on the market and honestly almost any material can be “Waldorf.”  I use mainly used books and the library and yes pieces of varying curriculums (some Waldorf, some not Waldorf) to create my own experiences that intersect my family’s needs, where we live, and our religious beliefs as Episcopalians. I have used a variety of materials and at this point am rather eclectic within a developmental framework from my studies  that makes sense to me.  You can do this too!  I have over 10 years of posts on this blog covering birth through mainly grade 10, with general posts about grades 11 and 12 and high school overall.  We just graduated our first graduate this spring and she is off to a four year out of state university.  You can do this!

If you are interested in homeschooling this way and not sure how to adapt it for you and your family, please feel free to email me at admin@theparentingpassageway.com or to set up a phone consultation.

This is within your reach and grasp!  I feel homeschooling will be growing this year due to the uncertainty of #covid19, and now is the perfect time to start planning your year, and what you envision your children will need out of their education as results.

Many blessings and much love,

Carrie

 

“Your Guide To A Happier Family”

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Have you ever thought of your family as the love story that never ends, the story that will go on after you are gone, the story you are planting the seeds for?

This book, “Liberated Parents, Liberated Children:  Your Guide To A Happier Family” first published in 1974 and then re-published in a more up to date version, was one of my first lifelines as a parent in creating a happy and cohesive, connected family.  Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish, who also wrote “How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk,” wrote this book to share the principles of child psychologist Dr. Haim Ginott.  The dedication always makes me smile as the books says, “To any parent, anywhere, who’s every muttered to himself, “There HAS to be a better way!”

This is the book we will be exploring this next month if you would like to read along!

The first chapter, entitled, “In The Beginning Were The Words,” the authors as a composite character write:  “If what I was doing was right, then why was so much going wrong?”   Why does my child…have low self-esteem…fight me at every turn….cling…whine….  and why does it make us crazy?

Dr. Ginott stated that the language he used with children was devoid of evaluation. In other words, he describes what he sees or feels.  Descriptive words can often invite a child to work out their own solutions to things.   For example, if a child spills milk we don’t yell at that child that the child is stupid and clumsy; instead we say, “I see the milk spilled,” and hand the child a sponge for clean up.

Love is important. Love is everything. But so is action.  And love involves words that do not tear people down, but instead build them up.  We cannot destroy our children or our family members with our words and expect a happy family.  Anger, which I have written extensively about on this blog, can be a catalyst for change, but it has to be the RIGHT kind of anger – we never attack personally.  Dr. Ginott gives the example of the messy room, “The sight of this room does not give me pleasure!” or “Clothes and books and toys belong on the shelf!”

No one will love your child more than you do!  Use your love, and your words for good.  Accept your child’s feelings, and help guide them towards the RIGHT ACTION.

Come follow along with me,

Much love to you all,

Carrie

 

June

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Normally I love June – beaches, lakes, and pools.  Puffy and fluffly clouds sitting on blue skies. Glowing fireflies, campfires, and friends.  June is a wonderful month.

This year, I have loved being outside in June, but I don’t feel joyful.  There is so much work to do regarding anti-racism, and we absolutely, must must must as parents be a part of this work if you aren’t already.  So, while I have a list of some typical things that we do this month, I want to encourage you this month to

#vote- this may have already happened in your state, but primaries in my state are being held today.

#educateyourself – 

For Homeschoolers (or any other parent wanting to add to their child’s learning): Back Post tracing Africa through the curriculum: This is how I extended Africa through every grade in the curriculum (from 2017, so not up to date for recent events, but still good . Hope to write an updated post soon.) Don’t forget I also have lists like this for Indigenous Studies and for Latin American Studies. All on this blog.

Our African American literature block for high schoolers: Tenth Grade Literature. One of our biggest reads for high school, which we read in both 9th grade and then again in 12th grade was “Their Eyes Were Watching God.”  Some of our other favorites for middle school/high school:

Poetry: 

  • “Fundamentalism” – Naomi Shihab Nye
  • “Still I Rise” -Maya Angelou
  • “We Real Cool” – Gwendolyn Brooks
  • “Eventide” – Gwendolyn Brooks
  • “Georgia Dusk” – Jean Toomer
  • “Dream Deferred” -Langston Hughes
  • “Haiku” – Sonia Sanchez
  • Music Lyrics as Poetry: “Get It Together” by India Arie and “The Evil That Men Do” by Queen Latifah; “The Rose That Grew From Concrete” by Tupac Shakur
  • “Ego Tripping” -Nikki Giovanni
  • “American Hero” – Essex Hemphill
  • “To Some Supposed Brothers” -Essex Hemphill

Literature:   

  • “Rootedness: The Ancestor as Foundation” – Toni Morrison (essay)
  • “The Sky Is Grey” -Ernest Gaines (short story)
  • “The Burden of Race” – Arthur Ashe (nonfiction excerpt)

Nonfiction, tied into American Government

  • “Just Mercy” – Bryan Stephenson

Assigned Reading between 10th and 11th Grades:

  • “Beloved” – Toni Morrison
  • “Invisible Man”  –  Ralph Ellison (probably will end up doing together as first book in fall)
  • “Dear Martin” – Nic Stone
  • “All American Boys” – Jason Reynolds
  • “Piecing Me Together” – Watson

Also, if you look at the back posts for seventh and eighth grade, you can see how I personally traced African American history in our country.  There are so many posts I can’t link them all here.

Book List:

  • So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
  • White Fragility:  Why It’s So Hard for White People To Talk about Racism by Robin DiAngelo
  • The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
  • Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
  • The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
  • Stamped  both the kid and adult version and How To Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram Kendi
  • I’m Still Here by Austin Channing
  • The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

#talktoyourkids – start early and often.  I think this can be a lot harder if you live in an area with little diversity.  We have  a very multicultural group of friends, neighborhood, and city, so I personally found these conversations easy to initiate, but I know that isn’t the case for everyone.  Start simple.  If you have a school aged child and you have never addressed these issues, I think you can always start with the idea that we stand up for what is right, we stand up for people who are being “picked on” – something every child can identify with, and then move into how sometimes people are not liked or hated just because of the color of their skin, and then you can talk further about where we are here and now and then how we got here and why it is so important to stand up for what is right.  I don’t know if that helps.  Just an idea.

#donate – Black Mamas Matter Alliance, 

What we actually will be celebrating this month:

14- Flag Day

20 – Summer Solstice

21- Father’s Day

24 – The Nativity of St. John the Baptist/ St. John’s Tide (see this back post for festival help!)

 

How to Celebrate:

  • I am enjoying decluttering many homeschool books.
  • Blueberry Picking
  • Kayaking, boating, going to the lake
  • Enjoying time on the farm with horses; my big kids picked up polo through a friend that has a bunch of polo ponies at her house so they have been going there to play
  • Being together – game nights; movie nights with our older teens
  • Slip and slide for our rising fifth grader
  • No pool this summer due to #covid19

The teaching fun:

  • Last year, I was teaching a group of teachers at a local Waldorf homeschooling enrichment program this month.  That was fun!  There is a lot of uncertainty about school in the fall, so I will be waiting to see what is needed!
  • I finished my pelvic floor health certification and launched a business!  Flourish Pelvic PT, Lactation, and Wellness LLC on FB and @flourishwellnesspt on IG.
  • And, I have homeschool planning to do for fifth grade.  Our senior graduated and will be off to out of state university in the fall, and our tenth grader is at our local hybrid high school that runs four days a week.   I have been posting about homeschool planning on FB and IG, so go on over and check out all the photos and ideas there!

Inner Work:

  • Prayer and lots of it!
  • Exercising daily and walking over 10,000 steps daily because that helps focus my mind.

I would love to hear what you are up to and how you are coping during these sad and often overwhelming times.