How does the teaching of martial arts relate to child development? Dave Kovar, internationally known martial arts instructor, applies his experience as a Waldorf student and his knowledge from his Japanese martial arts mentor to the running of his schools and the creation of a global martial arts learning community. Betty Staley brings her knowledge of child development to Dave's questions as they share common understanding and life experience about working with different ages of children.... Read More
Read MoreCastles in the Air “Look at all those brochures for graduate school in Europe – Vienna, Prague, wow! I would love to go,” I said dreamily. “What are you doing, Betty, looking at places in Europe? Poor girls don’t travel.” I heard those words and my stomach sank. Would I never travel? Would I always be stuck in the Bronx? I wanted to see the world. The words kept echoing in my head, “Poor girls don’t travel.” *** “Grandma, how many countries have you... Read More
Read MoreAs we teachers work with adolescents, we experience the changes they go through in relation to their thinking, feeling, and willing. With the freeing of the astral body, new possibilities occur which change the relationship between the adolescent and the world. It is as if the young person is thrown into the world without a sense of direction. Yet the world of the early 21st century is very different from the one we teachers entered during our own adolescence. Our generation experienced the... Read More
Read MoreChildren's development through the years is a minefield of opportunities, challenges and dangers. Understanding the needs of children is essential in preparing a healthy sense of self that will carry youngsters into adolescence. This is particularly important as this age group has become a target for consumerism, media blitz, video games, i-phones, and precocious self-awareness. This talk will serve all parents, no matter what the age of your... Read More
Read MoreBetty Staley visited the Tucson Waldorf School on Wednesday, January 14 as part of our Treasuring Childhood Film & Lecture Series. We had a full house of over 100 people to hear Betty's Lecture on Parenting the Adolescent in Challenging Times. We are happy to share her wisdom and knowledge of development with... Read More
Read MoreThe New York Times sparked national media coverage with a story on why Silicon Valley parents are turning to Waldorf education. “Preparing for Life” takes viewers inside the Waldorf School of the Peninsula where the focus is on creativity, resilience, innovative thinking, and social and emotional intelligence over rote learning. Entrepreneurs, Stanford researchers, investment bankers, and parents who run some of the largest high tech companies in the world, weigh in on what children... Read More
Read MoreWe live in a time when human beings are called upon to wake up and develop a new consciousness. Before the fifteenth century, prior to the birth of the consciousness soul, one could live out of one’s natural development. There was still a feeling that beyond the physical world, spiritual beings were active and working with human beings. That has not been the case for the last five hundred years. More and more individuals have felt cut off and isolated from spiritual connections. In the... Read More
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