Blog Posts
Rooted in Reflection, Guided by Growth

At Fáilte Microschool , everything begins with relationships. Before academics, before behavior plans, before expectations — we start with connection. When a child walks through our doors, our first goal isn’t to teach them math or reading. It’s to help them feel safe. Because only when a child’s nervous system is calm and they feel truly seen can real learning begin. That’s not philosophy — it’s neuroscience. This is the foundation of Dr. Stanley Greenspan’s Floortime model

For some families, the hardest part of finding the right school isn’t choosing between programs — it’s recovering from the last one. Many of the children who do well at Fáilte come to us after a painful experience somewhere else. They’ve been misunderstood, excluded, or even bullied. Their parents are searching for a safe school environment for children where their child can finally be cared for and thrive. How Bullying and School Mismatch Show Up After a negative school exp

Why Twice-Exceptional (2E) Children Often Have Nowhere to Go—and What Makes Fáilte Different Parents often come to Fáilte with the same question: “Do you think my child would be successful here?” Families on the Main Line and surrounding areas  often reach out to Fáilte after realizing there are very few schools that can support both their child’s giftedness and their learning differences. By the time they get to us, we're often their third, fourth, or fifth attempt at findin

When School Feels Overwhelming: A Child’s Point of View You step into a room full of new people. You 're nervous, feeling all kinds of feelings in your body: tingly hands, heart pounding in your ears, butterflies in your stomach. All around you kids YOUR age are talking, running, everyone seems excited to be in this place that for you just seems too loud, too busy, too scary to even think straight. You try to come up with ways to cope. You take a lot of trips to the bathroom.

The Hard Truth: Children Can’t Learn When They’re Dysregulated If your child is refusing to go to school, melting down on the way home, having anxiety at night about tomorrow, or being removed from class for “behavior,” here’s the truth: they’re not learning. When a child is in fight, flight, or freeze mode , their body and brain are working overtime just to survive the day. Learning isn’t possible in that state — no matter how engaging the lesson, how kind the teacher, or ho

When parents first hear about microschools, they often ask me the same questions: 💭 Can a microschool really replace our current public...

When people hear “individualized learning,” they often picture kids moving at their own pace on worksheets or computer programs. At...

When my son started kindergarten, he was full of excitement and curiosity. Every new letter, story, and project was an adventure. But...

I recently saw a post from a public school teacher who gave her second-grade class a “Yes Day.” The idea was simple: the kids could come up with anything they wanted to do—as long as it was safe and they could clean up afterward—and the teacher would say yes. She shared the list her students created and talked about how amazing the day was. The kids loved it. Here’s what they asked for: But here’s what struck me: their “dreams” weren’t wild at all. They asked for things like

I remember being on maternity leave with my son and feeling completely isolated. It was the opposite of what I had imagined—so far from how motherhood is portrayed in movies or the media. Back then, Instagram wasn’t quite the world it is today (or maybe I just wasn’t in it yet). But I often wonder: if I were having a baby now, would it feel even worse? I picture myself at home—covered in spit-up, laundry everywhere, too tired to move—scrolling through photo after photo of ser

At Fáilte we’re not trying to teach kids to behave perfectly. We’re trying to teach kids to know themselves deeply. Kids who can navigate...

We’re honored to share that Fáilte Waldorf Microschool has been named a Family Favorite by Main Line Parent Magazine. This recognition is...

A Conversation Worth Having I don’t typically wade into political discussions because I want this school to be a welcoming place for all...

I watched the boys at our microschool on the swings, and wow—do they love  those swings. They spend nearly an hour a day out there, just...

And How Does It Work in PA? If you’ve been researching education options for your child, you’ve probably come across the term...

Let’s Talk Waldorf When I first started homeschooling my son a few years ago, I was searching for a curriculum that truly understood a...

When I am facing a challenging behavior with a child, that I just can't seem to get past, especially behavior that has emotion behind it,...

I recently had a conversation with a parent who was exploring different school options for her child. She mentioned being concerned about a zero tolerance policy for physical aggression at school she was considering. Her worry wasn’t that her child is typically aggressive, but that in a moment of overwhelm or being taunted, he might instinctively push a child—and that could lead to him being expelled, leaving her back at square one. At Fáilte Waldorf Microschool, we don’t be

Change is a constant in any learning environment, and at Fáilte Waldorf Microschool, we embrace it as an opportunity for growth. Whether it's a schedule adjustment, the addition of a new student, or the departure of another, we understand that these changes can be unsettling for children—especially those who have experienced trauma in previous schooling environments. To support our students through these transitions, we use a trauma-informed education approach, focusing on su

Since adding a new student I have been keeping a close eye on on the students while they play. I don't direct or involve myself with...