On October 1st, Warrren Lee Cohen, the new director of the Teacher Education Program at the Rudolf Steiner Centre Toronto gave a lecture for parents, faculty and the community at AHWS  on, “What Is Waldorf Education and Why Is It Worth Paying For?”  Warren is also the author of the popular book, Baking Bread With Children. If you missed the lecture please visit his website and learn more about his work. Warren Lee Cohen

Kim John Payne visited AHWS last Spring and Halton Waldorf School. These videos are excerpts from his lectures.

At AHWS the lecture was on: Shifting Reactive Habits of Communication. A Guided Meditation.

This is a presentation and guided mediation that helps shift unwanted and negative patterns of relationships and communication. While it particularly focuses on our children and teens it is also a very powerful tool to use to help us with in difficult times with partners, friend and colleagues.

At Halton the lecture was on: Social Inclusion & The New Rites of Passage: Addressing Isolation, Teasing and Bullying.

• Not waiting for the crisis. Emphasizing politeness and courtesy as keys to establishing social impulse control and empathetic relationships at home and school.
• The ‘Put Down Diet’. Bringing much greater awarness to our verbal and non verbal communication.
• Disaprove-Discover-Do over. The three foundations of helping children change negative social patterns without needing to be blamed and shamed.
• “It’s only teasing.” Acceptable and unacceptable teasing. How to make teasing guidelines the children understand and use.
• Trauma. Cumulative Stress Reaction and its significant impact on the learning, social and emotional life of children.
• Problem solving meetings. How to facilitate class and home meetings around social exclusion issues.
• “We want to help”. How to actively engage students in developing and implementing the Social Inclusion Approach.
• “Why is this such an issue?” The deeper, aspects of anti-social behavior.
• “Why me?” A target / bully role profile. Why certain children get picked on while others bully?
• Teachers and parents working together. How to develop a whole community approach and policy that is supported in your school and home.
• One size fits few. Different approaches for different ages and the role of story and art.
• The ‘Social Inclusion Approach’. A step by step guide into this tried and proven method. By expressing disapproval while not seeking to give punishment and apportion blame but rather dealing with the matter openly, not judgementally but firmly, this approach encourages and involves….
• The fostering of ‘telling environment’.
• The children and parents fell free to speak up knowing this will not place the victim in further danger or get the, bully in trouble.
• The bullies do not gain status for their negative actions.
• Encourages and exemplifies how a positive caring approach can be effective.
• Support structures and for students, teachers and parents applicable in the home as well as at school.

For more on Kim John Payne visit our Links and Resources