Learning at the Homeschooler’s Hearth

This session was created for those interested in homeschooling who are aiming to create maximum harmony in their homeschool settings and/or seeking an introduction to Dr. Gordon Neufeld’s attachment-based developmental approach to child development.

This introductory session corresponds with the e-book content of the same name and is currently offered at a distance to small groups and co-ops and is a precursor to The Homeschool Roots series of coaching sessions.

This course is currently offered via distance formats for individuals and small groups and initiated with a free live consult.

3 hr. session

$225/person & $275/couple

$125/person for groups of 4 or more

Please inquire about discounted rates for larger groups.

The session content includes:

• the important difference between behaviourism and developmentalism as it applies to home education

• the role of attachment and separation in child development and receptivity to learning

• strategies for bringing children to emotional rest as a prerequisite for learning at home

• the importance of addressing attachment and emotional dynamics prior to engaging in a chosen curriculum

• key times for homeschoolers to implement attachment strategies for more harmonious daily and weekly rhythms and routines

• anchoring homeschool rhythms in moments of emotional rest for improved engagement, focus and behaviour

Parenting Your Child to Emotional Ease was first offered in-person in 2020 by two psychotherapists through a mental health agency in Ontario. Since this time, it has been offered in distance formats to groups, individuals and couples and nannies seeking more harmony in the home and more peace in the hearts of the children in their care.

The course is designed as a summary introduction to Dr. Gordon Neufeld’s attachment-based developmental approach* and includes both theory and strategies for bringing children’s hearts to emotional rest.

The course content is suitable for parents and caregivers seeking a fresh approach to resolving discord with and within their children. It is also well-suited to home educators who wish to take an attachment-conscious approach in their homeschools and ensure their children are as receptive as possible to being taught by them.

This course is currently offered via distance formats for individuals, couples and small groups and initiated with a free live consult.

7 total hours: 6 hrs. of course content + optional 1-hr. follow-up class

Private parent enrolment for either 1 or 2 parents/family member caregivers $475.00 CAD

Please inquire about discounted group rates.

Course content includes:

• the difference between behaviourism and developmentalism

• Neufeld’s views on the stages of child development and requirements for children to reach their full potential

• what relational attachment is and the critical role of safe attachment in growth and learning

• difficulties resulting from separation and how to re-activate and saturate attachment instincts in children

• the role of primary attachments in brain and overall development

• attachment-based strategies for bringing alarmed and frustrated children to emotional rest

• discipline according to Nature and meeting challenging behaviours in health-giving ways

• attachment and its role in healthy sleep patterns

• how to create the right relational conditions for children to be rendered receptive to learning

Each session provides students with developmental theory as well as concrete tools and strategies to implement with the children in their care. The sessions do so primarily from Neufeld’s attachment-based developmental perspective.

*Please note that this is not a course offered through or formally representing The Neufeld Institute. It is an independently created course, designed for caregivers seeking an introduction to Neufeld’s attachment-based developmental approach.

A request for this course was initially made by a North American Waldorf school so that parents in the school community could be brought up to speed with what the teachers were learning through attachment-based consulting based on the work of Dr. Gordon Neufeld. It was designed and first delivered in person in 2019, serendipitously one hundred years after the founding of the first Waldorf School in Stuttgart. Since that time, Waldorf Parenting for the 21st Century has expanded to include distance learning formats in small groups, tailored formats for Waldorf homeschoolers, 1- and 2-parent personalized distance education sessions and - coming soon - an online self-paced format.

This course is suited for parents familiar with some Waldorf fundamentals who are seeking an introduction to the work of Gordon Neufeld and how it relates to Waldorf education, as well as home educators seeking to create attachment-conscious Waldorf-inspired homeschools and microschools.

This course is currently offered via distance formats for individuals and small groups and initiated with a free live consult.

7 total hours: 6 hrs. of course content + optional 1-hr. follow-up

Private parent enrolment for either 1 or 2 parents/family member caregivers $475.00 CAD

Please inquire about discounted group rates.

Course content includes:

• the difference between behaviourism and developmentalism

• the similarities and differences between Neufeld’s and Steiner’s approaches and their respective (parallel) views on the stages of child development and requirements for children to reach their full potential

• what relational attachment is and the critical role of safe attachment in growth and learning

• how to create the right psycho-emotional and relational conditions for children to be rendered receptive to learning so that Waldorf principles, at home and school, can have their intended effect

• difficulties resulting from separation and how to re-activate attachment instincts in our children

• the role of primary attachments in brain and overall development, including soul development and genuine vs. feigned moral capacity

• how to bring alarmed and frustrated children to emotional rest

• discipline according to Nature and meeting challenging behaviours in health-giving ways

• how relational attachment underlies common “Waldorf” themes, such as imitation and rhythm

• attachment and its role in healthy sleep patterns

Each session provides students with developmental theory as well as concrete tools and strategies to implement with the children in their care. The sessions do so primarily from Neufeld’s attachment-based developmental perspective and are contextualized and supplemented with examples of Steiner’s indications and Waldorf practices.

The course also addresses some of the underlying reasons for widely-perceived inconsistencies between Steiner’s developmentalism and behaviour-focused “classroom management” strategies that still appear in many Waldorf school settings.

*Please note that this is not a course offered through or representing The Neufeld Institute or endorsed by AWSNA. It is an independently created course, designed to meet the needs of parents seeking insights into the blending of these two approaches.

IN DEVELOPMENT

Feel free to click the registration button below to join the waiting list for this course.

Please write “Waldorf teacher course” in the subject line to express your interest.