What Previous Students Say

“To me, LifeWays is embracing our journey into life’s uncertainties with courage, faith and trust, it is bringing magic in the mundane and blessing our children with our presence, our love, our laughter and our joy.”    Kahlil

“It is authentic, natural living and keeping childhood kindled with magic and mystery.”  Rebecca

“It means to stimulate my mind, to nurture my heart and to nourish my soul, and to bring joy and purpose to the children that I meet.”  Serena

“Bringing Beauty to the lives and families of young children.”   Elisa

“I find that I have so much more patience, calm and peace in my relationship to my boys and the other children in my life since our two weeks in Wisconsin [at the LifeWays training].  I really do think it changed something deep within me and the daily practice as well as the reading are continuing to provide inspiration and insight.” Marcy

“The paper has been an amazing experience for me; it has deepened my learning and understanding so much.  I know that is what they are supposed to do, but I didn’t expect this much integration to happen. It is wonderful!”  Lots of love, Michelle

“I’d like to say something especially eloquent about my experience there, but I’m afraid I won’t do it justice. It was an experience I will treasure for the rest of my life. It was practical and yet also transformational for me. It was a perfect blend of both. I feel unspeakably blessed to have been a part of it.” Julene

“The LifeWays training has literally changed my life.  I started working in early childhood planning to do it for a year while I ‘figured out what I wanted to do with my life,’ and my LifeWays training helped me realize that I was doing exactly what I wanted.  It gave me new ways of looking at mundane tasks and gave meaning to every interaction I had with the children.  It gave me a framework to view my work with children and a way to explain to parents that what I was doing with their children was meaningful.

Each segment of my LifeWays training had me coming back to my class filled with inspiration, new ideas of things I wanted to try, and new energy to approach old problems.  I was truly sad when my training ended, and was thrilled when another graduate in the area suggested that we start a LifeWays graduate group.  That group met once a month and was a mainstay for all of us over several years.  LifeWays has influenced my life in a meaningful way, and continues to do so, to this day.  I would recommend the LifeWays training to anyone who spends their time with young children.”  Faith Collins

“Sometimes after an experience such as LifeWays returning to “real life” can be difficult. However, the bridge between all we experienced and the lives we lead connects so clearly. I returned home renewed and ready to put to work all we learned. LifeWays, in my opinion, fuels our spirits and the spirits of those we love and teach. It’s about real and meaningful work, in our homes and with the children we teach. It emphasizes the connection to spirit and accepting all that is available to us as we strive to be the best we can. It all fits and the training has given me renewed confidence in myself and all the opportunities that exist for my professional and personal life…thank you!”  Jennifer

“LifeWays has been a great support to me as a Pre-K assistant in the Waldorf School I work at here in Nashville. It has deepened my understanding of child development, according to Steiner’s work, and aided in my ability to work well with the children.

LifeWays has also given me the confidence and the inspiration to start my own home program for 2 1/2 to 6 year olds called PeaPod Playgarden during the time that I am not working at the Waldorf School. I am also using it to help our school in considering expanding our EC department to include children younger than 3 years and 3 months.

Thank you for the wonderful gift of LifeWays! I loved it and it is a gift for life!”  Molly

“I am a graduate of LifeWays, and I have benefitted enormously from the training.  LifeWays was very DO-ABLE; its structure as a one-year program with the intensive workshop sessions interspersed with lots of independent study and mentoring worked out beautifully for me. My current job is directly a result of my LifeWays training. I think about the LifeWays principles every day, and strive to serve the children and their families in accordance with them.

The LifeWays teachers, my fellow students, and my wonderful mentor, were so warm and supportive; coming back to LifeWays for each set of workshops felt like coming home every time. I loved the developmental curriculum, and the “living arts” curriculum as well.

Now more than 5 years out from my LifeWays graduation, I can truly say that my experience with the LifeWays was a real turning point in my life. I am proud to be a LifeWays graduate and affiliate, and I believe that LifeWays’ work in the world is very important.

Thanks, Rahima, Cynthia, Mary, and everybody, for all you are doing for young children and their families.”  Elizabeth

“I took the LifeWays training in San Francisco with Marianne for the 2010/2011 year.  It immediately impacted my own parenting with my two girls (now 3 and 5 years old).  It helped me set up boundaries, a home rhythm, and learn to bring the domestic arts into my home.

More recently it has helped me make a career shift to parent education.  I have done some parent education workshops for a local parent non-profit.  I am now teaching my first parent-child class with moms and their children (age 8-16 months).  I was just hired at Palo Alto Medical Foundation to teach a class for expecting parents called “New Parenting ABCs” which discusses infant care.

Without my Lifeways certificate, I am sure I would not have gotten these recent jobs.”  Kelly

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