Ditching the Dogma

Episode 200

Hello, my friends, and welcome to (drum roll please!!!) Episode #200 of the Art of Homeschooling Podcast. To celebrate, my dear friend Robyn Beaufoy of Waldorfish and I have a fantastic conversation to share with you about ditching the dogma and embracing responsible innovation in Waldorf education.

Robyn and I have been online friends for years. And we got to meet in person in 2019 at a Waldorf Homeschooling Conference in Atlanta.

We meet often to chat on Zoom. And one of our favorite things to talk about is how to customize Waldorf to meet the needs of our children in an authentic way.

So today, our conversation is all about ditching the dogma. Because none of us want to accept things without question and just blindly follow any educational approach.

Tune in to the episode for our top tips and lots of examples of how you can ditch the dogma and make Waldorf your own.

Follow along with the show notes below, including time stamps and links for all the resources we mention.

If you hear something you’d like to jot down or return to, you can find clickable chapter titles on the Buzzsprout site, the platform that hosts my podcast. You can also find the full transcript of the episode there. 👇🏼

Here’s the link >>>The Art of Homeschooling Podcast, Episode #200 Ditching the Dogma hosted by Buzzsprout.

And now, without further ado, 🎊Episode #200 of the Art of Homeschooling Podcast!!!🎊

About My Guest Robyn Beaufoy and Waldorfish

An early career as a park ranger led Waldorfish CEO Robyn Beaufoy to her love of illustrating and education. Trained initially as both a public school and Waldorf teacher, she has been involved in art and education for over 25 years, including homeschooling her two children for some of that time.

Robyn is the keeper of the creative vision held by the Waldorfish team, which serves up modern, Waldorf-inspired curriculum resources for homeschooling families and teacher training.

Working out of the premise that life is short (but sweet!), she empowers soul-filled teachers & families to find their JOY in teaching and making art.

Robyn is also the author/illustrator of From Here to Everywhere, a book for children and their grownups about living our best lives and sometimes, losing someone we love.

Ditching the Dogma ~ Time Stamps

0:40 ~ It’s the 200th Episode of the Art of Homeschooling Podcast!!!
1:05 ~ And my guest today, for this special episode, is my dear friend Robyn Beaufoy from Waldorfish.
2:27 ~ Jean introduces Robyn, her background, and her business Waldorfish.
5:08 ~ Jean and Robyn discuss what their impression of the Waldorf approach was when they first discovered it, and whether or not it felt dogma at the time.
13:42 ~ What is “dogma”?
14:19 ~ Jean shares a funny story about the definition of dogma.
15:07 ~ Robyn shares her story about experiencing dogma in the world of Waldorf education.
17:35 ~ Is Waldorf homeschooling really just a terrible game of “telephone”?
18:27 ~ Steiner’s vision was about a living education that would not grow stagnant.
21:13 ~ Examples of Waldorf dogma in practice
25:13 ~ What is behind the dogma?
26:24 ~ Stephen Sagarin’s new book, How the Future Can Save Us: Fresh Perspectives on Waldorf Education
28:12 ~ The 100th anniversary of Waldorf education in 2019 and “responsible innovation”
32:32 ~ Tips for ditching the dogma from Robyn & Jean
39:30 ~ An invitation for listeners
39:54 ~ More from Robyn about Waldorfish

“Together we can shift paradigms around the way things “have always been done” and make learning experiences relevant to our students, responsive to their unique identities, and tailored to their abilities.”

~ Beverly Amico, Responsible Innovation in Education

Resources & Links Mentioned in the Episode

Some of the links below are my referral links which simply means that I may earn a commission from products you purchase via my links at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

From Here to Everywhere by Robyn Beaufoy
Playing “Steiner Says”: Twenty-Two Myths about Waldorf Education by Stephen Sagarin
Playing “Steiner Says” Again: Nine More Myths about Waldorf Education by Stephen Sagarin
How the Future Can Save Us: Fresh Perspectives on Waldorf Education by Stephen Sagarin
Responsible Innovation in Education by Beverly Amico, on the AWSNA website (Association of Waldorf Schools of North America)

No one can dictate how or what children are taught. We get to observe our children and bring them what they need. Let’s strip away any accumulated baggage and find the golden nuggets.

Ask yourself: What are the golden nuggets of Waldorf for you?

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