Love's Other Name: Discipline is the topic as Emerson Waldorf School and the Triangle Home Nurseries host the Heart of Discipline Conference for parents and educators of young children, March 1st and 2nd, featuring keynote speaker, Waldorf educator, and discipline expert, Sharifa Oppenheimer.

Sharifa Oppenheimer says "Children learn discipline naturally in an environment of conscious family culture that requires neither sternness nor empty pat on the backs, but encourages creative play, work and connection to rhythms, others and self. It also relates to healthy body and brain development." She will be articulating and demonstrating her approach in detail during the Heart of Discipline early childhood conference this March.

Oppenheimer explains that family culture works like a 5-pointed star. "The first point is Family Rhythm, the second, Family Work and Play, the third is Child's Play, the fourth is the Child's Artistic Expression. When these first four areas are balanced and functioning well, discipline, as the fifth point, is established in the subtle atmosphere of the home. This develops, eventually, into self-discipline for the child."

These same principles are used effectively in Waldorf early childhood classrooms. Waldorf education is currently in its 94th year, and there are over 2500 schools and kindergartens in over 60 countries.  94% of Waldorf graduates in North America attend university and an astounding 50% attain masters or PhD's.  The Emerson Waldorf School and the Triangle Home Nurseries are currently enrolling students for the 2013-2014 school year and admissions and faculty will be present at the conference to provide more information about their programs for interested parents.

The conference is open to all parents and educators and will take place at the High School building on the Emerson Waldorf School campus on Jericho Road in Chapel Hill.  Only 100 seats available!

 
Discipline: Love's Other Name-An Evening Lecture
Friday, March 1, 7-9pm 

The Heart of Discipline: A Morning Workshop for Parents
Saturday, March 2, 9-12pm

Total Conference cost: $25.00 per person (registration required)
 
Childcare (offered only for the morning workshop): $10.00 per child or $20.00 per family
 
Sharifa is truly gifted with the power of words.  This promises to be a wonderful event!

Sharifa Oppenheimer is the author of the best-selling book Heaven on Earth: A Handbook for Parents of Young Children. She also worked collaboratively to create What is a Waldorf Kindergarten, in which she introduces each subject and author. She was the founding teacher of the Charlottesville Waldorf School, Virginia, where she taught kindergarten for twenty-one years and served as day care director of the early-childhood program. She has helped develop new teachers through mentoring and offering practicum and internship opportunities to the teacher-training students at Sunbridge College in New York. Recently she initiated a home-based kindergarten program, The Rose Garden. Sharifa also travels offering lectures and workshops to school and parent groups, encouraging each one to discover their own healthy, heartfelt Family Culture. Sharifa is the mother of three grown sons, who were educated in the Waldorf tradition. She lives in an enchanted forest in Virginia.