Why "Trust Children" is Important

In the mid-1980's my mentor and friend Mary Caroline Richards invited me to a presentation that she was giving about Waldorf education.  At the time, I was horrified by the changes in education mandated by the Reagan administration's Back to Basics program. Here is a quote from the first chapter of my book: "I did not want to be straightjacketed by educational policies that marginalized the arts and controlled subject content. I was particularly alarmed by a policy in some of our local schools that required teachers at the the same level to be on the same page of scripted textbooks on the same day using the same words and administering the same test to their classes. Trusting children was not an option in such a scenario. And such programs certainly did not trust me.  I was not only unable to accomplish my goals for my students, I was doing them serious harm by going through the required paces."  After visiting a peaceful Waldorf kindergarten I decided to leave public education and become a Waldorf teacher.
I went to a summer program at Rudolf Steiner College in Sacramento, committed to somehow becoming a Waldorf teacher as soon as possible because I could not afford to take a year off from teaching.  I presented my situation to the group and at the end, Karen Rivers, a teacher at Marin Waldorf School, invited me to join her for lunch.  She turned towards me in her car after we parked and said, "I think you are the teacher for Willie." Did I burst into tears? I remember the joy and the relief.  This was early August.
A few weeks later, I was introduced to a lively group of fourth graders, my first Waldorf class and the beginning of a steep learning curve. 
A few days ago, Karen posted her review of my book on the Amazon website.  I would like to share it with you here.
Anne and I were colleagues and friends working in Waldorf Education. Witnessing her class journey through the grades and then reading her treasure trove of wisdom that she has now offered to parents and educators, and, I might also add, grandparents, brings great joy to my heart as she continues to spread the wisdom and joy of learning for children and adults.  Trust Children: Natural Learning for Twenty-First Century Students creates a platform for all people, whether parents, educators, or the clerk at the market, who interact with children, to nurture the deepest essence of a child of any age to grow into their fullest potential with joy, interest, curiosity, creativity, and levels of intelligence that can’t be measured by tests. Deep wisdom lives in these pages, wisdom that can create a new future for humanity. Spread the word!     Karen Rivers 
I am again deeply affected by Karen's words.  I am not promoting my book to make money or even to recover what it has cost me to publish. My mission is to stimulate an awareness of the damage our current educational system is doing to our children and to our society and its role in our current political crisis. 
I ask you, subscribers to this blog, how I can best do that at my advancing age. I also ask you to share "Trust Children" with family or friends, particularly teachers. I would appreciate your comments or thoughts.  

In the mid-1980's my mentor and friend Mary Caroline Richards invited me to a presentation that she was giving about Waldorf education.  At the time, I was horrified by the changes in education mandated by the Reagan administration's Back to Basics program. Here is a quote from the first chapter of my book: "I did not want to be straightjacketed by educational policies that marginalized the arts and controlled subject content. I was particularly alarmed by a policy in some of our local schools that required teachers at the the same level to be on the same page of scripted textbooks on the same day using the same words and administering the same test to their classes. Trusting children was not an option in such a scenario. And such programs certainly did not trust me.  I was not only unable to accomplish my goals for my students, I was doing them serious harm by going through the required paces."  After visiting a peaceful Waldorf kindergarten I decided to leave public education and become a Waldorf teacher.
I went to a summer program at Rudolf Steiner College in Sacramento, committed to somehow becoming a Waldorf teacher as soon as possible because I could not afford to take a year off from teaching.  I presented my situation to the group and at the end, Karen Rivers, a teacher at Marin Waldorf School, invited me to join her for lunch.  She turned towards me in her car after we parked and said, "I think you are the teacher for Willie." Did I burst into tears? I remember the joy and the relief.  This was early August.
A few weeks later, I was introduced to a lively group of fourth graders, my first Waldorf class and the beginning of a steep learning curve. 
A few days ago, Karen posted her review of my book on the Amazon website.  I would like to share it with you here.
Anne and I were colleagues and friends working in Waldorf Education. Witnessing her class journey through the grades and then reading her treasure trove of wisdom that she has now offered to parents and educators, and, I might also add, grandparents, brings great joy to my heart as she continues to spread the wisdom and joy of learning for children and adults.  Trust Children: Natural Learning for Twenty-First Century Students creates a platform for all people, whether parents, educators, or the clerk at the market, who interact with children, to nurture the deepest essence of a child of any age to grow into their fullest potential with joy, interest, curiosity, creativity, and levels of intelligence that can’t be measured by tests. Deep wisdom lives in these pages, wisdom that can create a new future for humanity. Spread the word!     Karen Rivers 
I am again deeply affected by Karen's words.  I am not promoting my book to make money or even to recover what it has cost me to publish. My mission is to stimulate an awareness of the damage our current educational system is doing to our children and to our society and its role in our current political crisis. 
I ask you, subscribers to this blog, how I can best do that at my advancing age. I also ask you to share "Trust Children" with family or friends ,particularly teachers. I would appreciate your comments or thoughts.  

In the mid-1980's my mentor and friend Mary Caroline Richards invited me to a presentation that she was giving about Waldorf education.  At the time, I was horrified by the changes in education mandated by the Reagan administration's Back to Basics program. Here is a quote from the first chapter of my book: "I did not want to be straightjacketed by educational policies that marginalized the arts and controlled subject content. I was particularly alarmed by a policy in some of our local schools that required teachers at the the same level to be on the same page of scripted textbooks on the same day using the same words and administering the same test to their classes. Trusting children was not an option in such a scenario. And such programs certainly did not trust me.  I was not only unable to accomplish my goals for my students, I was doing them serious harm by going through the required paces."  After visiting a peaceful Waldorf kindergarten I decided to leave public education and become a Waldorf teacher.
I went to a summer program at Rudolf Steiner College in Sacramento, committed to somehow becoming a Waldorf teacher as soon as possible because I could not afford to take a year off from teaching.  I presented my situation to the group and at the end, Karen Rivers, a teacher at Marin Waldorf School, invited me to join her for lunch.  She turned towards me in her car after we parked and said, "I think you are the teacher for Willie." Did I burst into tears? I remember the joy and the relief.  This was early August.
A few weeks later, I was introduced to a lively group of fourth graders, my first Waldorf class and the beginning of a steep learning curve. 
A few days ago, Karen posted her review of my book on the Amazon website.  I would like to share it with you here.
Anne and I were colleagues and friends working in Waldorf Education. Witnessing her class journey through the grades and then reading her treasure trove of wisdom that she has now offered to parents and educators, and, I might also add, grandparents, brings great joy to my heart as she continues to spread the wisdom and joy of learning for children and adults.  Trust Children: Natural Learning for Twenty-First Century Students creates a platform for all people, whether parents, educators, or the clerk at the market, who interact with children, to nurture the deepest essence of a child of any age to grow into their fullest potential with joy, interest, curiosity, creativity, and levels of intelligence that can’t be measured by tests. Deep wisdom lives in these pages, wisdom that can create a new future for humanity. Spread the word!     Karen Rivers 
I am again deeply affected by Karen's words.  I am not promoting my book to make money or even to recover what it has cost me to publish. My mission is to stimulate an awareness of the damage our current educational system is doing to our children and to our society and its role in our current political crisis. 
I ask you, subscribers to this blog, how I can best do that at my advancing age. I also ask you to share "Trust Children" with family or friends ,particularly teachers. I would appreciate your comments or thoughts.  

In the mid-1980's my mentor and friend Mary Caroline Richards invited me to a presentation that she was giving about Waldorf education.  At the time, I was horrified by the changes in education mandated by the Reagan administration's Back to Basics program. Here is a quote from the first chapter of my book: "I did not want to be straightjacketed by educational policies that marginalized the arts and controlled subject content. I was particularly alarmed by a policy in some of our local schools that required teachers at the the same level to be on the same page of scripted textbooks on the same day using the same words and administering the same test to their classes. Trusting children was not an option in such a scenario. And such programs certainly did not trust me.  I was not only unable to accomplish my goals for my students, I was doing them serious harm by going through the required paces."  After visiting a peaceful Waldorf kindergarten I decided to leave public education and become a Waldorf teacher.
I went to a summer program at Rudolf Steiner College in Sacramento, committed to somehow becoming a Waldorf teacher as soon as possible because I could not afford to take a year off from teaching.  I presented my situation to the group and at the end, Karen Rivers, a teacher at Marin Waldorf School, invited me to join her for lunch.  She turned towards me in her car after we parked and said, "I think you are the teacher for Willie." Did I burst into tears? I remember the joy and the relief.  This was early August.
A few weeks later, I was introduced to a lively group of fourth graders, my first Waldorf class and the beginning of a steep learning curve. 
A few days ago, Karen posted her review of my book on the Amazon website.  I would like to share it with you here.
Anne and I were colleagues and friends working in Waldorf Education. Witnessing her class journey through the grades and then reading her treasure trove of wisdom that she has now offered to parents and educators, and, I might also add, grandparents, brings great joy to my heart as she continues to spread the wisdom and joy of learning for children and adults.  Trust Children: Natural Learning for Twenty-First Century Students creates a platform for all people, whether parents, educators, or the clerk at the market, who interact with children, to nurture the deepest essence of a child of any age to grow into their fullest potential with joy, interest, curiosity, creativity, and levels of intelligence that can’t be measured by tests. Deep wisdom lives in these pages, wisdom that can create a new future for humanity. Spread the word!     Karen Rivers 
I am again deeply affected by Karen's words.  I am not promoting my book to make money or even to recover what it has cost me to publish. My mission is to stimulate an awareness of the damage our current educational system is doing to our children and to our society and its role in our current political crisis. 
I ask you, subscribers to this blog, how I can best do that at my advancing age. I also ask you to share "Trust Children" with family or friends ,particularly teachers. I would appreciate your comments or thoughts.  

In the mid-1980's my mentor and friend Mary Caroline Richards invited me to a presentation that she was giving about Waldorf education.  At the time, I was horrified by the changes in education mandated by the Reagan administration's Back to Basics program. Here is a quote from the first chapter of my book: "I did not want to be straightjacketed by educational policies that marginalized the arts and controlled subject content. I was particularly alarmed by a policy in some of our local schools that required teachers at the the same level to be on the same page of scripted textbooks on the same day using the same words and administering the same test to their classes. Trusting children was not an option in such a scenario. And such programs certainly did not trust me.  I was not only unable to accomplish my goals for my students, I was doing them serious harm by going through the required paces."  After visiting a peaceful Waldorf kindergarten I decided to leave public education and become a Waldorf teacher.
I went to a summer program at Rudolf Steiner College in Sacramento, committed to somehow becoming a Waldorf teacher as soon as possible because I could not afford to take a year off from teaching.  I presented my situation to the group and at the end, Karen Rivers, a teacher at Marin Waldorf School, invited me to join her for lunch.  She turned towards me in her car after we parked and said, "I think you are the teacher for Willie." Did I burst into tears? I remember the joy and the relief.  This was early August.
A few weeks later, I was introduced to a lively group of fourth graders, my first Waldorf class and the beginning of a steep learning curve. 
A few days ago, Karen posted her review of my book on the Amazon website.  I would like to share it with you here.
Anne and I were colleagues and friends working in Waldorf Education. Witnessing her class journey through the grades and then reading her treasure trove of wisdom that she has now offered to parents and educators, and, I might also add, grandparents, brings great joy to my heart as she continues to spread the wisdom and joy of learning for children and adults.  Trust Children: Natural Learning for Twenty-First Century Students creates a platform for all people, whether parents, educators, or the clerk at the market, who interact with children, to nurture the deepest essence of a child of any age to grow into their fullest potential with joy, interest, curiosity, creativity, and levels of intelligence that can’t be measured by tests. Deep wisdom lives in these pages, wisdom that can create a new future for humanity. Spread the word!     Karen Rivers 
I am again deeply affected by Karen's words.  I am not promoting my book to make money or even to recover what it has cost me to publish. My mission is to stimulate an awareness of the damage our current educational system is doing to our children and to our society and its role in our current political crisis. 
I ask you, subscribers to this blog, how I can best do that at my advancing age. I also ask you to share "Trust Children" with family or friends ,particularly teachers. I would appreciate your comments or thoughts.