Does anyone here have experience with the Waldorf Schools?

Jump to Last Post 1-12 of 12 discussions (15 posts)
  1. rebekahELLE profile image85
    rebekahELLEposted 13 years ago

    I am currently doing some research on private school education.
    The Waldorf schools are expensive and non-traditional, emphasizing the whole child. I have heard both pros and cons.  While I like some of their philosophy, I'm not sure I agree with their view towards technology. Does anyone here have direct experience with a Waldorf school education?  What are your thoughts?

  2. rebekahELLE profile image85
    rebekahELLEposted 13 years ago

    Well, I'll give this one more try before I let this thread wither into nothingness. anyone?

  3. wordscribe43 profile image90
    wordscribe43posted 13 years ago

    Yes, actually.  My twin nephews went to a Waldorf school for a few years.  There are pro and cons.  I have a lot going on, so maybe you could ask specific questions. 

    My sister and brother-in-law ended up leaving their Waldorf school in Seattle for a variety of reasons.  After I make dinner wink  I can share their story a bit, if you'd like...

    In the meantime, perhaps you have some specific questions you'd like answered???

  4. rebekahELLE profile image85
    rebekahELLEposted 13 years ago

    Hi WS, nice to see you.
    Yes, I do have a few questions.

    How are academics taught?
    Technology is not emphasized?
    Do these children use technology in their homes?
    If you can share why they left the school, it may be helpful.
    One more, is spirituality taught in school?

    Thanks!

    1. wordscribe43 profile image90
      wordscribe43posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Academics weren't what my sister had hoped!  In fact, that was my sister's biggest gripe.  They still didn't know how to read in second grade.  The school theorized "all kids eventually learn to read" and primarily read TO them.  They teach mainly by pictorial methods and experience.  Science is hand-on through gardening and experimentation.  They also do a lot of plays, drama is big for teaching history and folk tales, etc...  ART IS HUGE!

      Technology is practically taboo.  No TV, video games or electronic anything at home.  Toys should be wooden.

      Their school didn't teach spirituality.  My sister would have had a fit.  smile

      They were originally placed in Waldorf because they liked the emphasis on art and creativity.  The boys were knitting in preschool!  They are twins who were born very premature, one has mild cerebral palsy.  So, they worried about putting them in a "conventional school".  They didn't want them to feel behind.  Trouble was, they just weren't learning any of the conventional academics.  As I mentioned, they still didn't know how to read in second grade.  They felt that was unacceptable, since they are clearly bright kids.  Now they are in a private "conventional" school and WAY below the curve. 

      I should write a hub on the topic, and I'm running out of time.  It's a great school for a certain constituent of kids.  Ones that are more independent learners, I'd say.  It's fabulous for kids who are artistic.  It's great for kids who don't thrive in a regular academic setting and learn through experience and hand-on methods. 

      Does that make sense?

  5. leahlefler profile image94
    leahleflerposted 13 years ago

    I have a cousin-in-law who had his children go to a Waldorf preschool, but then they transitioned into a public school (a magnet school for gifted children in Pennsylvania).

    I don't have first-hand experience with the program, but they loved the Waldorf philosophy for the preschool years. They decided it wasn't a good fit as the children got older (probably since their older child is a math and computer whiz, and the anti-technology philosophy doesn't jive with his abilities and needs as a pre-adolescent).

  6. rebekahELLE profile image85
    rebekahELLEposted 13 years ago

    I have read that this is one of the biggest drawbacks of their schools, and I can easily understand their concerns.
    There is a Waldorf school in the area and I'm considering asking for a tour to see it in action, and ask a few questions. I know from working in education that it's one thing to espouse a certain school philosophy, and sometimes quite different seeing it in action and evaluating the benefits. Websites easily make schools sound very ideal and yet it's hard to find schools that match exactly their ideals.

  7. rebekahELLE profile image85
    rebekahELLEposted 13 years ago

    I don't believe in pushing young children to read, but not reading in 2nd grade in 2011 is a handicap to the child, imo.
    At some point in the not too distant future, there will no longer be books in the classroom. It will all be technology driven. Whether we easily accept that or not, it doesn't change the reality that it will happen, and is happening.
    I know for a while these schools were very popular, but I think more parents are starting to question the long-term effects.
    I asked about the spirituality because of the Waldorf belief in anthroposophy. I believe it is woven into the way the schools teach and work with the students. 

    Thanks a lot, both of you, for your responses. smile

  8. Tracy Lynn Conway profile image94
    Tracy Lynn Conwayposted 13 years ago

    Waldorf education has many wonderful points and is a well thought out method of education. 

    Three of my four children attended a Waldorf School for five years.  My daughter has thrived by this method of learning and has received very high scores on national achievement tests.

    The elimination of media is of a great benefit to young children, media forces a child to be passive and this hinders learning.  Media is introduced when the kids get older and have mastered reading. 

    I wrote a comparison between Waldorf and Montessori that might be helpful to you.
    http://hubpages.com/hub/Waldorf-or-Montessori

  9. rebekahELLE profile image85
    rebekahELLEposted 13 years ago

    I just glanced in the forums and saw your response. Thank you. I will gladly read your hub. I am more familiar with the Montessori style, and have worked in a school that mixed the style with a more creative curriculum.
    That's wonderful to hear how well your children have progressed with the Waldorf education. I do have questions, so I'll hop over to your hub. Thanks for posting!

  10. lrohner profile image68
    lrohnerposted 13 years ago

    All three of my kids went to Montessori schools, and I wouldn't have changed that for anything. Despite the fact that the system lets kids work at their own pace, my kids all wound up reading by Kindergarten age.

    1. profile image53
      Edward Wholesaleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      My kid also went to Montessori schools....

    2. profile image53
      Edward Wholesaleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      My kid also went to Montessori schools....

  11. rebekahELLE profile image85
    rebekahELLEposted 13 years ago

    The Montessori philosophy works and I wish more schools would incorporate the methods. Especially in the primary grades, it's important for the kids to actively be using their minds, and improving their cognitive skills. The educational materials used are excellent.

  12. Monisajda profile image59
    Monisajdaposted 13 years ago

    I have had indirect experience with a Waldorf school. My understanding is that it varies from school to school. There are some basics covered by each but the owner can change the dynamics of a particular one. The one I am familiar with is definitely against any use of media, to such extent that you as a parent are supposed to sing a paper saying that your children won't watch TV, use PC or listen to CD and radio. Which, in my case is a huge disadvantage because I love music and without it my life wouldn't be complete. The philosophy is rooted in 19 century when there was no such thing as media. However, even though I don't encourage my children to watch TV, I am aware we live in a different time and it is not always possible and smart to avoid technology. If I kept my daughters without any exposure to media they wouldn't know many beautiful pieces of classical music and wouldn't have danced to it.

    Waldorf schools don't encourage reading before the second grade and are slow with introducing academics. I have a friend who switched her son from Waldorf school after first grade and he didn't read or write at all. It fits some people and the emphasis on natural wooden toys is nice if you consider it for a preschool but I am not sure about elementary school. My feelings about this school are mixed. I see a lot of snobbism among parents who sent their kids there.
    The teachers don't always intervene when a little one is hurt by his peer but believe children should resolve it themselves.

 
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)