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Festivals are one of the most beautiful and memorable parts of Waldorf education. They bring us together, connect us with the rhythms of the year, and create moments of reverence that can be hard to find in everyday life. But how often do we stop to ask why we celebrate the festivals we do? In this episode, I'm revisiting a conversation from the archives about the role of festivals in Waldorf education. I share some of my earliest experiences with Waldorf celebrations, along with the questions I've come to ask over the years about tradition, inclusion, and what makes a festival truly meaningful. We'll explore three important purposes that festivals can serve: Building community: How celebrations like Michaelmas bring families, teachers, students, and alumni together.Marking the rhythms of the year: How festivals like the Martinmas lantern walk help us experience the changing seasons.Creating moments of reverence: How experiences like the winter spiral connect children with something larger than themselves.I also share how my school reconsidered some longstanding traditions, including Santa Lucia and Saint Nicholas, while making room for celebrations like Diwali and Día de los Muertos. The goal isn't to abandon tradition, but to approach it with greater awareness and intention. When we understand what we're hoping to create through our festivals, we can find ways to make them even more meaningful for the children and communities we serve. I'd love to hear from you: What festivals are especially meaningful in your school or family? Are there traditions you've reconsidered or new celebrations you've embraced? As we move into the autumn and winter festival season, I hope this conversation inspires you to look at your own celebrations with fresh eyes. Links & Resources A Waldorf JourneyOriginal episode and conversationBuy me a coffee

By October, the honeymoon phase of the school year may be wearing off—and you might be noticing some classroom habits that could use a reset. In this episode, I revisit ideas from one of the most popular posts on A Waldorf Journey, 4 Reasons Why Your Students Aren’t Listening. We’ll look at a few things we do as teachers that can unintentionally encourage students to tune us out, including talking too much, repeating instructions, and second-guessing ourselves. I share practical strategies for using rhythm and routine, giving instructions that students actually hear, reinforcing expectations, and using your voice more intentionally. Read the original post: 4 Reasons Why Your Students Aren’t Listening I’ll continue the conversation on Substack this week—come share the classroom management strategies that work for you.

Want more info about the content in this episode? Here's where to find it. A Waldorf Journey on SubstackMy curriculum guides and resourcesThe Creativity Comeback articleA Waldorf Journey on InstagramThere’s plenty of anxiety about artificial intelligence and what it might mean for education, creativity, work, and our relationships with one another. But the more I’ve actually used AI—and the more I’ve watched the culture around it change—the less worried I’ve become about whether it can replace the things that make us human. In fact, I’m beginning to wonder if AI is making those things more valuable. In this episode, I’m sharing some observations from my own experience with AI—not as an expert or researcher, but as an educator, writer, creator, and parent. I’ve been noticing a growing return to analog experiences: knitting, journaling, drawing, gardening, reading physical books, making things by hand, and spending time together in the real world. Even online, content seems to be becoming more casual, imperfect, and unmistakably human. And, of course, all of this brings me back to Waldorf education. Waldorf education is deeply rooted in relationship. Yes, the curriculum is remarkable—but the curriculum is also the medium through which children learn to listen, collaborate, navigate differences, exercise judgment, imagine, create, and build relationships with other human beings. As AI becomes more capable and synthetic content becomes more plentiful, those human capacities are becoming more important than ever. The “creativity comeback” and renewed interest in analog experiencesWhy using AI has actually made me less afraid of itThe shift toward imperfect, obviously human-made contentWhy I've been podcasting moreWhat I'm noticing about technology and my own Gen Z childrenWhy human relationship is central to Waldorf educationThe difference between the Waldorf curriculum and what we're ultimately developing through itWhy judgment, imagination, collaboration, and authentic connection may become even more valuable in an AI-shaped worldI'd love to hear what you're noticing. Are you feeling more drawn toward analog experiences or human-made content? If you're a teacher or parent, has the rise of AI changed the way you think about what children need from us? I'll be continuing this conversation in my companion article on Substack, and that's a great place to share your thoughts and join the discussion. You can also connect with me on Instagram or email me at [email protected]. And if you're a Waldorf teacher looking for curriculum resources, you'll find those at A Waldorf Journey. Thanks for listening!

There’s something deeply comforting for children about rhythm. Knowing what comes next—at bedtime, at breakfast, throughout the week—creates a sense of security and makes everyday family life run more smoothly. But if rhythm is the structure of life with children, the seasons are the spark. In this episode, I’m exploring why seasonal life can be so meaningful for children, and how daily rhythm and the larger rhythm of the year work together. Seasonal traditions don’t need to mean elaborate festivals, complicated crafts, or a perfectly curated Waldorf home. Often, the most meaningful seasonal experiences are woven right into the things we’re already doing. I also talk about how differently children experience the passage of time. While adults tend to think in terms of calendars and months, children experience time through their senses: the smell of sunscreen, the taste of freshly picked apples, the feeling of moss underfoot, the return of a familiar candle at the breakfast table. These experiences give children a sense of anticipation and help them recognize the comforting pattern of things coming around again. In this episode: Why strong daily and weekly rhythms are the foundation for seasonal lifeHow the seasons bring interest and delight to an otherwise dependable routineHow children experience time through sensory experiences rather than the calendarThe importance of anticipation and the feeling that something familiar is “coming around again”Why your child’s experience of the seasons might look very different from your ownMoving beyond the idea of the “perfect Waldorf festival”Simple ways to weave seasonal details into things your family already doesThe goal isn’t to manufacture a magical seasonal childhood. Instead, we can keep the structure of everyday life simple and dependable—and let the details change as the year turns. Free Fall Guide I’ve put together a free fall guide with songs, poems, and ideas you can bring into your life with children as you move into the season. Get the free download. I’m also exploring the idea of seasonal life through the lens of child development—how our approach to the seasons might change as children grow. If that’s something you’d like to hear more about, I’d love to know.

In Part Two of my conversation with Janet Langley, co-author of Roadmap to Literacy, we move from understanding the stages of literacy development into the practical question every teacher eventually asks: Okay, so what do I actually do? Janet walks us through the kinds of classroom experiences that support children as they move through the emergent, phonemic awareness, pattern, and syllable phases of literacy development. We talk about everything from helping first graders hear words and individual sounds, to introducing consonants and vowels, explicitly teaching phonics, working with sight words, and giving children meaningful opportunities to practice. We also get into some of the Waldorf traditions that Janet calls “sacred nothings”—practices that have become so established that we may continue doing them without stopping to ask whether they actually serve the children in front of us. Our conversation touches on long morning circles, introducing uppercase and lowercase letters, and the importance of being willing to examine inherited practices while still preserving what is essential about Waldorf education. And finally, we talk about one of my favorite practices from Roadmap to Literacy: kid writing. I share what this has looked like in my own classroom and the remarkable difference I’ve seen when children are given the tools and confidence to use their developing phonemic awareness to put their own thoughts on paper. In this episode, we talk about: “Theory of word” and helping children recognize sentences, words, syllables, and individual soundsRhyming and what difficulty with rhyme can tell usChoosing and introducing consonantsWhy English-speaking Waldorf teachers need to think differently about introducing vowelsShort vowels, CVC words, digraphs, silent letters, and other early phonics skillsUsing stories and imagination alongside explicit literacy instructionMaking practice periods actually about practiceThe pattern and syllable phases of literacy developmentWhy spelling instruction needs to continue well beyond the early grades“Sacred nothings” and questioning inherited Waldorf practicesIntroducing uppercase and lowercase letters togetherSight words and how they support reading fluencyMemory reading through familiar poems and songsKid writing and the transition from copying to independent compositionUsing children's writing as both practice and assessmentHow teachers can combine a clear literacy progression with creativity and responsiveness to the children in front of themJanet and her colleague Patty Connolly have gathered extensive resources for teachers and homeschoolers at Waldorf Inspirations, including activities, curriculum resources, and support materials that complement Roadmap to Literacy. If you haven't listened to Part One yet, I recommend starting there for Janet's explanation of the different phases children move through as they learn to read. Together, these two conversations offer a much clearer picture of both how literacy develops and how we can intentionally support that development in the Waldorf classroom. Resources Mentioned: Waldorf InspirationsRoadmap to LiteracyWaldorf Inspirations Literacy WorkshopsA Waldorf Journey: First Grade Language Arts

This week, I’m reaching back into the A Waldorf Journey archives to revisit a conversation that feels especially worthwhile as we begin a new school year. In this episode, originally recorded in 2019, I talk with Janet Langley, co-author of Roadmap to Literacy, about what Waldorf teachers need to understand about how children actually learn to read—and why literacy is one area where class teachers need to become specialists rather than generalists.  Janet shares the story behind Roadmap to Literacy, including the realization that Rudolf Steiner’s original indications for teaching language were developed for German, a much more phonetic language than English. We talk about what that means for English-speaking Waldorf teachers and why intentional, systematic phonics instruction can still be deeply imaginative and completely at home in a Waldorf classroom.  We also dig into the process children move through as they become readers, including:  why some children seem to “just learn to read” while others need much more explicit instruction  the role of phonemic awareness and systematic phonics  how practice helps build automatic word recognition  the predictable phases children move through on the path toward fluent reading  why teachers should teach to the phase rather than simply to the grade the 80/80 guideline for deciding when a class is ready to move forward  why spelling instruction needs to continue long after children become competent readers One of the things I appreciate most about this conversation—even years after we originally recorded it—is the way it takes some of the mystery out of learning to read. Rather than simply waiting for the moment when a child magically “cracks the code,” understanding the developmental progression helps us recognize where a child is now, what they need next, and how we can support them in getting there. Resources mentioned: Roadmap to Literacy by Janet Langley and Jennifer Militzer-Kopperl Waldorf Inspirations This is Part One of my conversation with Janet. In Part Two, we turn toward practical activities teachers can use to support literacy development in the classroom.

In this episode, I’m kicking off a new series exploring the different components of the Waldorf main lesson, starting with one that can be easy to overlook: the recall. We’ll look at why reviewing yesterday’s lesson is so much more than simply going over old material. A thoughtful recall helps students transform something they’ve heard into something they truly know—and become more conscious of their own learning. I share practical ideas for keeping recall lively and engaging, including: Asking specific questions rather than retelling the entire lessonInviting students to return to a particularly vivid imageUsing movement, gestures, writing, diagrams, and sequencing activitiesMaking sure quieter students engage independently with the materialSaving a little “nugget” of new information to enliven the reviewI also explore how recall connects with the other two parts of the lesson—new content and doing/book work—and how these three elements work together through the three-day rhythm to refine and deepen students’ learning. Review. New. Do. When all three are present, the lesson becomes a much more satisfying and complete learning experience. Subscribe to A Waldorf Journey on Substack for weekly reflections, practical teaching ideas, and additional resources for paid subscribers: awaldorfjourney.substack.com

This week, I’m taking a break from all the back-to-school planning talk to remember one of the best parts of being a Waldorf teacher: the curriculum itself. I’m sharing three blocks I really love to teach—and what makes each one so well suited to the children at that particular age. We’ll talk about: The first block of first grade — establishing the rhythms, habits, and expectations that will carry you through the year.Fifth grade botany — the beautiful meeting of science, art, imagination, and biography.Sixth grade geometry — discovering beauty, structure, order, and lawfulness with compass and straightedge.I also share some practical thoughts about planning these blocks, including why it helps to keep specific students in mind as you prepare and how biography can bring even the most factual content to life. Mentioned: The Beginner’s Guide to Constructing the Universe by Michael S. Schneider. Is there a Waldorf block you’d like me to do a deep dive on? Send me a note at [email protected]. Or subscribe on Substack.

In Waldorf education, we talk a lot about bringing lessons through pictures—and about the importance of children creating their own inner pictures as they listen to a story. But what about the child who doesn't experience stories that way? This week's episode was inspired by a listener who asked about aphantasia, a condition that makes it difficult or impossible to voluntarily create images in the mind's eye. Her question got me thinking more broadly about what we really mean when we ask children to "picture" a story—and whether creating a vivid mental image is really the only way to engage imaginatively. Because children connect with stories in all kinds of ways. Some may see an entire movie playing out in their minds. Others might connect deeply with a character, feel the suspense of the story, hear the rhythm of the language, notice movement and sequence, or make connections with their own experiences. In this episode, I explore what it means to truly "live into" a story, and why imaginative teaching can be valuable even for children who don't easily form mental pictures. I also revisit an idea from Waldorf teacher training that I haven't thought about in years: the polarity of the cosmic child and the earthly child. Looking at these two different ways of meeting the world gives us another way to think about the dreamy child who easily lives in imagination—and the practical, physical child who wants to build, move, touch, and do. And, most importantly, how we can help both children move toward balance without treating one way of experiencing the world as better than the other. In this episode: What a listener's question about aphantasia made me reconsiderWhat we actually mean by "creating pictures" in Waldorf educationThe many ways children can connect with a storyWhy a child doesn't need a vivid mental movie to benefit from imaginative teachingWhat I've observed about different kinds of listeners in the classroomThe cosmic child and the earthly childWhy these Waldorf frameworks should be lenses rather than labelsMeeting children where they are rather than asking every child to experience a lesson in the same waySupporting dreamy children with grounding, physical experiencesHelping practical, "earthly" children enter imagination through movement, drama, drawing, and doingKeep exploring with A Waldorf Journey For more reflections on Waldorf teaching—and companion posts that go deeper into many of the topics I discuss on the podcast—subscribe to A Waldorf Journey on Substack. And if you're preparing for the school year and looking for more concrete support, you'll find curriculum guides for grades 1–8 at A Waldorf Journey. They're designed to give you a strong starting point while leaving plenty of room for your own creativity, imagination, and connection with the students in front of you.

The beginning of August makes the new school year suddenly feel real. Whether you've already begun planning or are just starting to think about it, this podcast is for you. In this episode, I share the three areas I would focus on this week if I were preparing for a new school year. What are three things you can do to help make sure you're starting your lesson planning on the right foot? I encourage teachers to begin with the relationships that make your teaching possible: your relationship with your students, your students' families, and yourself as a teacher. Remembering these three categories in everything you do will help you start the year with a solid plan that is founded upon the things that really matter.  In this episode, we discuss:  Why planning should always begin with the children.  A simple exercise for reconnecting with each student before the school year begins.  How thinking intentionally about families can strengthen your classroom community.  Supporting parents as partners in your work.  The importance of rhythms and systems that sustain you throughout the school year.  Practical ways to prepare your future self before the busy months begin. Mentioned in this episode  Subscribe to the A Waldorf Journey Substack for a companion article each Wednesday, plus bonus resources for paid subscribers.  Have a question or an idea for a future episode? I'd love to hear from you! Reach me at [email protected]. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd be grateful if you subscribed, left a review, or shared it with another Waldorf teacher who is preparing for the new school year.

One of the greatest gifts of Waldorf education is rhythm. When we think about rhythm, we often think first about the daily rhythm of the classroom or the larger rhythm of the school year. But one of the rhythms that has made the biggest difference in my own teaching is the rhythm of the week. In this episode, I explore how giving each day its own character can simplify planning, reduce decision fatigue, and create a classroom that feels more grounded for both teacher and students. I also introduce the idea of the planetary qualities associated with each day of the week—not as something to follow rigidly, but as an invitation to observe, experiment, and discover what resonates in your own classroom. In this episode  Why rhythm reduces planning fatigue  The difference between relying on engagement and relying on rhythm  The traditional planetary qualities of each weekday  How I've thought about Monday through Friday in my own classroom  Ideas for building your own weekly review rhythm  Using rhythm as a framework while remaining responsive to your students Resources ✉️ Continue the conversation on Substack:  A Waldorf Journey Paid subscribers receive additional teaching notes, planning resources, and companion materials each week. 🌿 Curriculum guides and teaching resources:  https://awaldorfjourney.com I'd love to hear from you. Do you have a weekly rhythm that has become an important part of your classroom? Have you experimented with the planetary qualities of the days of the week? Leave a comment on Substack or send me an email—I always enjoy hearing how these ideas take shape in other classrooms.

When I begin planning a new main lesson block, I don't start by writing daily lesson plans. Instead, I begin by thinking about the larger picture: the stories, skills, experiences, and artistic work that will shape the children's experience over the coming weeks. In this episode, I walk through the framework I use to plan every main lesson block and explain why each element matters. In this episode: Why I don't begin with individual lesson plansThe role of imaginative content in block planningPlanning academic skills with intentionChoosing projects, readers, and main lesson book workIncorporating field trips and guest speakersHow all of these elements work together to create a cohesive learning experienceContinue the conversation This episode is paired with a new Substack post on A Waldorf Journey. Free subscribers will receive a deeper look at the planning process discussed in this episode. Paid subscribers will also receive downloadable versions of my Main Lesson Block Planning Template and Block Review Form, along with additional notes about how I use them throughout the school year. Subscribe at awaldorfjourney.substack.com. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd be grateful if you subscribed, left a review, or shared it with another Waldorf teacher. Your support helps more educators discover the podcast.

When I began teaching, I thought authority was something to avoid. I wanted to be kind. Understanding. Flexible. I also lacked confidence and didn't feel particularly qualified to tell them what to do. I thought that if I cared enough, authority would somehow take care of itself. It didn't. Over time I learned that children aren't looking for adults who step back—they're looking for adults who can step forward with calm confidence. In this episode, I explore what authority really means in Waldorf education and why it has nothing to do with being authoritarian. Instead, authority is about holding a child's best interests at heart while providing the direction and certainty they cannot yet provide for themselves. We discuss: Why authority has become such an uncomfortable wordThe difference between authority and authoritarianismHow children gradually develop inner authorityWhy too many choices can sometimes increase a child's anxietyPractical ways teachers can cultivate quiet authority in the classroomSimple ways parents can practice loving authority at homeWhy children "borrow" our authority before they can grow their ownWhether you're a classroom teacher or a parent, this episode is an invitation to rethink authority—not as control, but as one of the greatest gifts we can offer children as they grow toward freedom. 00:00 Rethinking Authority 02:29 Why Kids Need It 03:31 What Authority Means 07:23 Why Adults Resist 10:30 Choices and Voice 13:47 Classroom Authority Tips 16:47 Small Details Example 20:11 Parenting Authority Practice 22:44 Borrowed Authority Over Time 23:42 Wrap Up and Resources

Summer is a season of rest—but it's also an opportunity to lay the foundation for a joyful, well-prepared school year. In this episode, I share the approach I've developed over more than twenty years of Waldorf teaching for easing into summer planning without sacrificing the rest and renewal that every teacher needs. Rather than jumping straight into lesson plans, I suggest four simple ways to begin: Gather the planning supplies that make the process enjoyable.Build a clear picture of child development before planning content.Envision the rhythm and structure of the school year.Gather meaningful resources that inspire your own understanding before turning to ready-made lesson plans.I also talk about why developing your own relationship to the curriculum is one of the most important parts of Waldorf teaching, and how thoughtful preparation leads to more intuitive, responsive teaching throughout the year. Resources Mentioned Summer Vision — My summer planning course for Waldorf teachersMy favorite summer planning suppliesSchool as a Journey by Torin FinserThe Educational Tasks and Content of the Steiner Waldorf Curriculum ("the Yellow Book")Rudolf Steiner:The Foundations of Human ExperiencePractical Advice to TeachersDiscussions with TeachersYou can find these resources, along with curriculum, mentoring opportunities, and additional articles, at A Waldorf Journey. Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you subscribed, shared it with another teacher, or left a review. It helps more Waldorf teachers discover the podcast and supports the work of creating new episodes.

After a year of being mostly quiet, I'm back behind the microphone! In this episode, I share where I've been, why I stepped back from creating content, and what's next for A Waldorf Journey. I talk about my unexpected return to the classroom, the balance of teaching and school leadership, and why I'm excited to have more time this year to mentor teachers, create resources, and record podcasts again—even if they're a little more spontaneous than before. I also share updates about my Summer Vision planning course, mentoring opportunities for the coming school year, and the ways you can work with me this summer. In this episode  Why I stepped away from regular podcasting  Teaching fifth grade for the 2025–26 school year  Balancing classroom teaching with marketing, communications, and development work  What I learned from spending another year in the classroom  Returning full-time to school leadership  Summer mentoring and classroom evaluation opportunities  Teaching with the Micha-el Institute this summer  What's new in the Summer Vision planning course  My plans for more frequent, simpler podcast episodes  Where to find new writing on Substack Mentioned in this episode  Summer Vision planning course  Micha-el Institute summer intensives  Waldorf at Work on Substack  Classroom mentoring and teacher evaluations  A Waldorf Journey Connect with me 🌿 Website: A Waldorf Journey 🌿 Summer Vision Course 🌿 Waldorf at Work on Substack 🌿 Email: [email protected] If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you subscribed or shared it with another Waldorf teacher. Thanks so much for listening, and I hope you're finding plenty of time this summer to rest, reflect, and prepare for the year ahead.