These days my inbox is filled with two kinds of questions. Can you give me some advice for writing end-of-year reports? Do you have suggestions for making summer planning easier? Luckily, I have thoughts on both of those topics. You can find lots of information about them both on the blog. But I mention this just because it points out the dilemma that teachers face right now. The blog post for this episode. Waldorf at Work, my Substack newsletter ..read more

In this episode, I take a look at the Waldorf traditions and ceremonies that mark students' development and transitions. Waldorf is really good at marking time in this way and it's one of the things many of us really love about Waldorf Education. The blog post for this episode. Waldorf at Work: My super-practical, actionable Substack newsletter. Interested in my Summer Planning course? I'm in the process of deciding if I'm going to run this course. Let me know if you're interested ..read more

Interested in following me on my new adventure? You can subscribe at: waldorfatwork.substack.com Also in this episode, I talk about the question I hate most: "Am I Waldorf enough?" I talk through the assumptions that are embedded in this question and some of the reasons why they are completely misguided. Because, newsflash, Waldorf is not about playing the flute, singing songs, or spending lots of time outside. It's about doing those things out of an understanding of the impact that they have on students. And you can be a great Waldorf teacher, even if you don't know how to draw a horse ..read more

How do you demonstrate your commitment to learning and growing? What mistakes have you made recently? How do you show others that it's okay to make mistakes? And how do you make sure you're REALLY okay with making mistakes? Finding these answers has been a big part of my work recently, and my own path as a learning, growing human being -- even as a grown-up. It's also the topic of my new project Evolving Pigeon -- even old birds learn and grow. Here are links to some of the things I talked about this week. Evolving Pigeon Instagram Facebook A Waldorf Journey Send me an email or a DM with yo ..read more

A brand new episode catching you up on why I left teaching and what I'm doing now. Mentioned in this episode My website, A Waldorf JourneyBlog post about my decision to leave teachingBlog post about telling my studentsA post about walking the growth mindset talk My new project, Evolving Pigeon, for adult fans of the growth mindsetThe Practical Art of the Waldorf ClassroomMy other coursesMy curriculum guides Follow me on InstagramThe Facebook group Interested in mentorship or sponsorship? Email me at meredith@awaldorfjourney.com ..read more

Recently I was working with some teachers who are getting ready to teach 7th grade and we were talking about the creative writing block most often called Wish, Wonder and Surprise. We had a conversation about each one of these gestures and what makes them different from each other. And we talked about how to have this conversation with students. Wish Wish is pretty clear. When I taught 7th grade, the students and I talked about the difference between a wish, a hope and a dream. And we talked about how these words take on a different meaning when your wish, hope or dream is for someone else, or ..read more

It’s August, so I’m headlong in planning mode. And though there are many things competing for my time these days, working on my planning is one the tasks that I actually look forward to every day.  It’s also the one thing that teachers ask me for the most help with. I feel lucky that planning is something that I enjoy so much, and it definitely makes a difference in my classroom. I start the year feeling prepared. I head into every new block with a solid plan. And I start each day knowing exactly where my lesson is going. Now, all this planning isn’t to say that I’m not flexible. I defini ..read more

Register for my summer productivity course. My history as a middle school teacher How our work will change What we’re doing to set a solid framework Building Habits homework Finishing their work Engaging with our lessons General classroom behavior Building a Culture of Caring we’re good people and we’re working together we’re on the same team building up an image of each individual as a caring individual building an image of the class as a whole being caring building a reputation for them to live up to How Middle School Will Change Things less focus on me as the teacher/authority; much m ..read more

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 . . .  Audible (affiliate link) my curriculum guides The Growth Mindset Coach by Annie Brock and Heather Hundley Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell Grit by Angela Duckworth TARGET from Carol Ames Task Authority Recognition Grouping Evaluation Time ..read more

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 . . .  Skillshare (my affiliate link) my curriculum guides The Growth Mindset Coach by Annie Brock and Heather Hundley Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck 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 differenc ..read more