What's up with artificial intelligence at the Denver Waldorf School? On this week's episode, Charlie Orphanides (current 8th grade teacher) sits down with Talon Poole (IT Director and high school teacher) for a wide-ranging conversation about AI. Together, they explore the functions and limits of AI's ability to recognize patterns and draw conclusions, while also considering human responsibility, morality, and even consciousness. As Talon notes, being human can be a superpower in an increasingly AI-driven world. Listen to learn more about how our Waldorf approach sets up our students to excel in this ever-changing environment.
On this week's episode, School Director Kelly Molinet sits down with our interim education director, Betsy Doyle White, and current 8th grade class teacher, Charlie Orphanides. As many of you know, Charlie was our education director last year and transitioned to be the 8th grade teacher for the 2025-26 school year. As Charlie dives back into the role of Waldorf class teacher, we thought a discussion on "What's Up with Being a Waldorf Teacher" would be a natural opening for this new school year! Together, they share what it means to be a Waldorf teacher, what training is required, the freedom and responsibility in delivering our curriculum, and the inner and lifelong work they pursue for their own development. We like to say that our students are our curriculum -- and that is only made possible by teachers who view education as their true calling, who reflect deeply on how best to meet their students each and every day, and who embrace that elusive quality of "teacherness" to remain curious and connect meaningfully with their students.
What's up with Waldorf education at DWS over the next 50 years? That is the question that DWS school founder Ina Jaehnig addresses in this week's episode. Together with School Director Kelly Molinet and Education Director Charlie Orphanides, they start by discussing what makes or does not make Waldorf education what it is. As they then look to the future for what this education will hold, they look at the children of today. Where are they? In what world do they live? As they examine these questions together, they emphasize the necessity of an education grounded in the beauty of language, an embrace of artistic work that enlivens the imagination, and a deep commitment to love for humanity.
In honor of our school's 50th anniversary, DWS Educational Director Charlie Orphanides sits down with long-time Waldorf educator and administrator Betsy Doyle White to discuss how relevant and vital Waldorf education is in today's times just as it was more than a century ago. Betsy shares her thirty-plus years' worth of experience to reflect on Waldorf education's founding principles and evolution through the years. Recognizing that education is an art form that teaches not just the intellect but the whole human, Charlie and Betsy explore how the DWS curriculum integrates foundational principles while innovating and expanding the curriculum to meet the needs of an ever-changing student body.
In past episodes, we've heard Kelly Molinet (School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (Education Director) discuss what makes our Waldorf high such an engaging, unique, and fulfilling experience. But what do our students have to say about our high school? This week, we are grateful to five of our high school students for running the show and sharing all about their high school experience. They candidly talk about our school culture, the unique relationships they share with our teachers, their workload, and how they feel their Waldorf education has prepared them for life beyond our doors. It is always a great gift for us to be able to hear our students reflect on their educational journey with gratitude and joy!
There is a lot of talk of wonder at The Denver Waldorf School. As we celebrate our school's 50th anniversary this year, wonder has been the theme throughout - for our "Wonders of Waldorf" Michaelmas event, for our annual giving campaign to "The Wonder Fund," and for our upcoming gala celebrating "50 Years of Wonder." In this week’s episode, Kelly Molinet (School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (Education Director) discuss the deeper underpinnings of this concept of wonder and how it is beneath all that we do in Waldorf education. They will also share how we as parents can support the cultivation of wonder in our children, and how wonder is a necessity for true knowledge to develop.
Imagine asking your high schooler, “how was school today?” and receiving an engaged and enthusiastic response. That is the wonder of The Denver Waldorf High School. In this week’s episode, Kelly Molinet (School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (Education Director) take a deep dive into what makes our high school such an engaging, unique, and fulfilling experience. High school should be challenging, not a grind, and it should open up new opportunities, not foreclose possibilities. Listen to their conversation to hear how we cultivate a learning environment with depth, purposeful intensity, curiosity, and joy as our students prepare for their journeys beyond DWS.
On this week's episode, Kelly Mollinet (our School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (our Educational Director) discuss the question: "what's up with community at The Denver Waldorf School?" Our families, our students, and our educators choose this community with love and intentionality. But what does it mean to join a diverse community? How can we move from curiosity and interest to deep enthusiasm for the journey of our fellow community members? And where do we find the courage, heart, and vulnerability to show up as our authentic selves? Join Kelly and Charlie for an exploration of the ways in which community serves as the glue for everything we do at The Denver Waldorf School!
For this week's podcast episode, we are grateful to be able to catch up with DWS alum, Ian Connolly from the class of 2015. He is a legal scholar, a whitewater river rafting guide, and a key contributor to community environmental nonprofits. He was recently awarded the Wyss Scholarship, which seeks to support a new generation of leaders focused on land conservation issues. Ian is currently a third-year law student at Lewis & Clark Law School with a focus on environmental and Native American law. We appreciated the chance to sit down with Ian and hear his reflections on how his Waldorf journey shaped who he is today.
Episode notes referenced by Ian: https://canyonsinc.com/rivers/main-salmon/
On this week's podcast, DWS high school students ask and answer the tough questions about smartphone use -- and some of their answers may surprise you! Rising 12th grader, Oscar, interviews his fellow high school students on the positives and negatives of smartphone use, the appropriate age for a student to receive that first device, and advice for students and parents alike when navigating the world opened up by a smartphone. Honest and heartfelt, these students offer wisdom and practical tips for healthful smartphone use in these modern days.
What's up with technology at DWS? The Waldorf approach to education has always emphasized the importance of giving room to our children's imaginations to blossom - to be open to receive the beauty of the world we live in, to be free to grow into their unique selves, to nurture their creative spirits - and time away from technology is a significant part of this belief.
At the same time, our Waldorf school is not inherently anti-technology. Yes, you will not find iPads or computers in our kindergartens or lower grades. Yes, our students are asked to leave any phones that come to school in their lockers during the day. And while in our classrooms you will see the focus is on the human to human connection between teacher and student, we do however integrate technology in an intentional and developmentally appropriate manner. Our high school has a wonderful Mac lab and 3D printer. We have introduced assistive technology for neurodiverse students starting in 4th grade. With technology touching every corner of our lives these days, on this week's podcast episode with School Director Kelly Molinet and Education Director Charlie Orphanides, they discuss the challenges and opportunities of raising children in this ever changing world.
On this week's episode of What's up with That?, Kelly Molinet (School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (Education Director) speak on the school's essential work and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Together, they identify and dismantle the barriers that often impede progress when it comes to addressing issues of race, ethnicity, and other identities within our Waldorf community. Recognizing that DEI work can be both essential and frightening, they offer practical advice for how to cross the threshold, embrace learning moments, and strive to create an inclusive community.
What's up with homework at DWS - what is the nature of it, how much, how often? On this week's episode, Kelly Molinet (School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (Educational Director) discuss our Waldorf approach and goals with homework. In elementary school and even leading into middle school, we want children to experience childhood - to play, to interact with nature, to interact with their family and friends - and so the assignment of homework must be carefully considered. While you may see some math practice coming home or vocabulary, the usual rhythm of homework in our younger grades consists of reading and instrument practice. What we value most in a lesson is engagement, creativity, deep learning, and a meaningful lesson within our classrooms.
On this week's episode of What's up with That?, Kelly Molinet (School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (Educational Director) address a question that all too often provokes parental anxiety: how does my child measure up? Together, Kelly and Charlie contrast the holistic Waldorf model of assessment with the rote standardization at public and other private schools in the wake of federal legislation.
At The Denver Waldorf School, teachers are attuned to each and every student's neuro and physical development, across multiple environments, on a daily basis. Charlies describes "teaching as an art form," in which an educator continually assesses each student as an individual, based upon a relationship of trust and growth over the years. Instead of just measuring a child's learning and progress through incremental assessments manufactured by outside companies, Waldorf teachers assess the whole child, in particular each child's readiness to learn and ability to digest class material and bring that knowledge back into the world. The Waldorf model allows students to flourish while aiming to remove the anxiety out of assessments.
In a recent New York Times article by Adam Grant, the power of "looping" was discussed as a key educational component in being able to unlock hidden potential in each student. In Waldorf education, this is something we have always understood and implemented - our students stay with the same main lesson teacher for multiple years through two loops- one teacher is with our students for main lesson from grades 1 through 4, and then the next loop follows from grades 5 through 8.
In this episode, School Director Kelly Molinet and Education Director Charlie Orphanides discuss the value of these deep, connected relationships with our teachers, and how they benefit our students in receiving a social education- an education where they learn not just content, but a way of being in the world.
We're bringing back The Denver Waldorf Podcast with a new series of discussions with School Director Kelly Molinet and Education Director Charlie Orphanides, inspired by the question, "What's Up With That?!" In this first episode, we explore the question of what's up with that- where are all of the textbooks? In Waldorf schools across the globe, you will find "reverse textbook learning" as an integral part of our curriculum - meaning that our students don't study directly from textbooks, rather they create their own main lesson books which serve as a record of the academic facts of the lesson. These main lesson books integrate art along with other creative elements to synthesize the material. In this episode, Kelly and Charlie discuss the intention behind this part of our Waldorf education.
It is always a great gift to be reminded why the work of our education is so vitally important, and hearing our alumni reflect on their educational journey with gratitude and passion does just that. On this week's episode, we were able to catch up with two DWS graduates, Ivy Hunter and Ian Connolly. They candidly shared about how their experience at DWS prepared them for the world beyond our doors, how the relationships they built here have served them, and how they in turn are serving the world.
We start our days always with movement - whether jump roping, a run around the field, or a game of spaceball! And it’s not just during the beginning of the day- we find ways to incorporate movement throughout our learning all day, each and every day. We understand that the body plays a vital role in all of our intellectual processes. On this week's episode, Movement Teacher Charlie Orphanides shares more about the importance of movement and the role it plays in our education and development.
This week, Education Director Vernon Dewey is joined by Movement Teacher and Therapeutic Movement Specialist Charlie Orphanides to talk about the nine-year change - a developmental stage that is a significant turning point in childhood. It is a time when the child first begins to see themself as an individual, and develop a new self-awareness of the world around them. They share how our curriculum is designed to meet them on this journey and how parents can help their child through this new awakening.
This is a recording of a parent education morning led by Education Director Vernon Dewey. Rhythm is a integral part to how we go about our days in the classroom - the predictability and consistency allow the children to flow from activity to activity naturally. During his discussion with parents, Vernon shares how rhythm can support our parenting in the home - whether at bedtime, gathered around the table, getting ready in the morning, or any part of our family life.
