DAD'S PANEL
In a time when education is opening up all over the world, we have both men and women teaching children in schools and at home. At home it is still largely women but that is changing as we speak with more and more families sharing the teaching load. As I have walked this path with families, more than once I have been confronted with the idea, generally from dads, that Waldorf isn’t robust enough or that you can’t do much with an education that focuses on fairies and gnomes. In this gathering we wanted a space for Dads to come together and celebrate the curriculum while diving into this false idea that it isn’t robust and that it’s all about fairies. We are inviting the Waldorf dads we know and also opening this up to others who you might know what we don’t!
Meet Erik: Co-Founder & Co-Owner Waldorf Essentials & Seasons of Seven, Editor, Director of Digital Media I've worn many hats in my life but these days I probably wear more than ever. They can be stacked so high I need to duck when I enter rooms, and I'm only 5'6. Right now, I'm a husband, father, entrepreneur, videographer and content creator, editor and teacher. Over the years I've been a journalist and filmmaker. Melisa and I decided to take a leap of faith years ago when I quit my newspaper job to pursue building Waldorf Essentials. It’s a decision we've never regretted. We are constantly bolstered by the kind words of clients whom we have helped over the years.
David Sewell McCann has written and told over 1,400 original children's stories for Sparkle Stories. Out of his history as a class teacher and parent of two lively boys, he developed a four-step method of intuitive, transformative storytelling, which he now shares with others through keynote speeches, workshops, training programs at Storying with David, and online courses at Story Steps Education. He lives in Austin, Texas.
Paul Johnson -Father of three Waldorf Homeschooled boys ages 10, 8, and 3. Self employed in digital marketing.
Jack Petrash is the founder and director of the Nova Institute, an organization that works to build a bridge between mainstream education and Waldorf Education. He has been a class teacher at the Washington Waldorf School for over thirty years. He recently completed his fourth class on the extended journey from grade one to grade eight. He is the author of Understanding Waldorf Education: Teaching from the Inside Out and his TEDx talk, Educating Children for the Journey, has been seen by many parents and teachers in Waldorf communities in North America.
In addition, Petrash has worked with parent education, and particularly with fathers. His pieces have appeared in the Washington Post and on NPR. He is the author of Covering Home: Lessons on Fathering from the Game of Baseball and Navigating the Terrain of Childhood: A Guide to Meaningful Parenting and Heartfelt Discipline Jack and his wife, Carol, have raised three children all of whom have gone through the Waldorf School from preschool to grade twelve.
Gerhard Siepker- Seasons of Seven Class 2 Teacher
- I have almost 15 years Waldorf experience
- In 2013 I left Education and became a Project Manager at the Medupi Power station in Limpopo.
- From 2013 -2016 I oversaw the bolt change out project that was completed at the 54 m level using Rope Access techniques.
- From 2016 -2018 I worked at SAPREF refinery working on tanks, floating roofs , flares and spheres within the refinery.
- I have been involved in a rite of passage for sons and fathers called "Passed through Fire” and I love this kind of work.
- I returned to teaching in 2019 and have been very fortunate to be part of Seasons of Seven virtual
school since August 2020. I am currently teaching 2 Class 2 Tracks of 28 children
I am passionate about the outdoors, camping, body boarding, mountain biking, knife forging, bee keeping, reading and of course this wonderful curriculum we have within the Waldorf movement.
Mark Lewis- Seasons of Seven Music Teacher
Hello! I’m Mark, and teaching music is one of my favorite things. I’ve been a professional performer (singer, musician, actor...) for most of my life. Still am. But around twenty-some years ago, when my own kids were little, I began to be interested in sharing my creative spark in a different way: through teaching. And I found such joy in sharing that spark that to this day it continues to burn bright. I am a certified Orff-Schulwerk music educator. I’m Waldorf trained -- my own kids were homeschooled Waldorf-style and went on to Waldorf schools -- and I spent several years as a Waldorf Kindy Teacher and then a Class Teacher for grades 5-6. I’ve taught music, acting, improvisation, Shakespeare, dramatic literature and more, to humans of all ages, from toddlers to octogenarians. (So ok, technically I guess that’s “most ages” not “all ages”... but you get the idea ....) I enjoy teaching my classes at Seasons of Seven.
Jamie York is a Waldorf math educator, teacher-trainer, math missionary, and the lead author of Making Math Meaningful books. He spent 21 years teaching middle school and high school math at Shining Mountain Waldorf School (in Boulder, Colorado), and has also taught at a college prep boarding school in New Hampshire, at a university in Nepal, a Waldorf school in Holland, and is currently on the faculty at the Center for Anthroposophy in the Waldorf High School Teacher Education Program. As a math missionary, he travels across the U.S. and internationally offering workshops for teachers so they can re-imagine mathematics and inspire their students. Jamie’s website, online math workshops, and books are resources for Waldorf teachers around the world. His latest creation is Jamie York Math Academy, which offers math classes to students in grades 5 through 12.
Matt Shelton from Waldorfdads.com
Born and raised in Santa Barbara, California, Matt Shelton is 31 years old and has a 1 year old daughter, Emma, with his wife Franziska, who is currently pregnant with their son Lucas.
