Waldorf Schools:Anyone familiar ?

[BLTby40]

What can folks tell me about their experience with this kind of school?
My son is in 2nd grade and our public school is awesome, but he doesn't quite fit in.
Looking for a program with fewer worksheets and competition to be #1, (and 90 minutes of HW in 2nd grade) and more community.
(He's a few years ahead academically, but the competitive environment and type A parents are a breeding ground for bullies).

 

[punkin]

What can folks tell me about their experience with this kind of school?
My son is in 2nd grade and our public school is awesome, but he doesn't quite fit in.
Looking for a program with fewer worksheets and competition to be #1, (and 90 minutes of HW in 2nd grade) and more community.
(He's a few years ahead academically, but the competitive environment and type A parents are a breeding ground for bullies).

Not a lot of academics at all in a second grade Waldorf "classroom."

If you actually think your public school is awesome, then maybe Waldorf is not a good fit for you. Your son may love it though. If he is academically inclined, take a look at "progressive" schools. Waldorf (while great for some people) has a very specific and unique educational philosophy.

 

[BLTby40]

Thank you! He learns differently than most kids, and I'm tired of blaming the school for not being "it" for him, YKWIM? I don't see how that could improve but I see him slowly losing his love of learning. When he thinks outside the box, after he's mastered the content, he loses points for pulling himself & others off task. (Which I am not even saying is wrong-they have a job to do!)

Ever date someone and know that nothing that could say or do better/faster/nicer would make the person "the one"? That's how I'm feeling about his school.
"It isn't you, school. It is us."

I'll check out progressive schools. Thanks for taking the time to think about it.

 

[ccgirl]

What can folks tell me about their experience with this kind of school?
My son is in 2nd grade and our public school is awesome, but he doesn't quite fit in.
Looking for a program with fewer worksheets and competition to be #1, (and 90 minutes of HW in 2nd grade) and more community.
(He's a few years ahead academically, but the competitive environment and type A parents are a breeding ground for bullies).

Personally, not a big fan of them.

Your son is a few years ahead academically but they haven't moved him ahead and you are looking for less homework? I'm sure I'm going to get flamed but life is a competition and, IMHO, the sooner they learn that the better. It is okay to lose. It is part of life and a very important life skill. You will probably get more community there but I think a lot of that has to do with the size of the school more than anything. Good luck with your decision.

 

[ccgirl]

Thank you! He learns differently than most kids, and I'm tired of blaming the school for not being "it" for him, YKWIM? I don't see how that could improve but I see him slowly losing his love of learning. When he thinks outside the box, after he's mastered the content, he loses points for pulling himself & others off task. (Which I am not even saying is wrong-they have a job to do!)

Ever date someone and know that nothing that could say or do better/faster/nicer would make the person "the one"? That's how I'm feeling about his school.
"It isn't you, school. It is us."

I'll check out progressive schools. Thanks for taking the time to think about it.

So, it sounds like after he is done with his work he is disruptive to others? Has he been tested for a Learning disability? You mention "outside of the box" and I know that is common in children with ld's.

 

[punkin]

So, it sounds like after he is done with his work he is disruptive to others? Has he been tested for a Learning disability? You mention "outside of the box" and I know that is common in children with ld's.

If he quickly finishes his work, then it is unlikely to be a learning disability.

The problem with Waldorf schools is they are almost anti-academic in the early grades.

 

[bekkiz]

There is an excellent Waldorf school in our area. I heard a member of their community speak, and while I don't think it would be a good fit for our kids, the passion behind their curriculum was evident! But, I think researching schools is a huge undertaking. You have to feel comfortable with the whole staff and that they will appraoch your kid in the best way!

If you are open to other types of private schools, it sounds like any place with an emergent curriculum and project based learning might be a good fit for your son. Reggio-Emillia is getting more popular in the elementary grades, and follows these ideas as well.

 

[Aisling]

If I'm not mistaken, Waldorf schools teach more than academics. It's a philosophy of living, of spirituality. They believe that children live half in the physical world and half in the spiritual world and the function of the teacher is to help the child meld the two. It has to do with reincarnation, with karma, with ideas that inanimate objects have energy and that the energy in wood blocks is better than the energy in plastic blocks.

Look into it very carefully.

 

[BLTby40]

If I'm not mistaken, Waldorf schools teach more than academics. It's a philosophy of living, of spirituality. They believe that children live half in the physical world and half in the spiritual world and the function of the teacher is to help the child meld the two. It has to do with reincarnation, with karma, with ideas that inanimate objects have energy and that the energy in wood blocks is better than the energy in plastic blocks.

Look into it very carefully.

whoa! I didn't know that. I better get to the library.

 

[BLTby40]

Personally, not a big fan of them.

Your son is a few years ahead academically but they haven't moved him ahead and you are looking for less homework? I'm sure I'm going to get flamed but life is a competition and, IMHO, the sooner they learn that the better. It is okay to lose. It is part of life and a very important life skill. You will probably get more community there but I think a lot of that has to do with the size of the school more than anything. Good luck with your decision.

No flame. I asked for your opinion.

Thanks.

 

[BLTby40]

If you are open to other types of private schools, it sounds like any place with an emergent curriculum and project based learning might be a good fit for your son. Reggio-Emillia is getting more popular in the elementary grades, and follows these ideas as well.

That's a good idea.
There is a school like that a few miles away. I'll look into it.

 

[monkeyboy]

I vote home school

 

[punkin]

whoa! I didn't know that. I better get to the library.

Look up Rudolf Steiner. The schools are based on his philosophy.

 

[BLTby40]

If he quickly finishes his work, then it is unlikely to be a learning disability.

The problem with Waldorf schools is they are almost anti-academic in the early grades.

Sort of both. He was evaluated last year. They came up with "OHI" (Other health impaired) for low muscle tone, and attention, and some poor motor planning (clumsy with bad handwriting).

But they found that part of his distraction was that his IQ was high. The highest the principal & counselor had ever seen. However, his handwriting is poor, so if he has to write an essay he has big ideas and no way to get them onto paper (I asked them to do an assistive tech eval so he can use a word processor).
So, he tells the teacher his big ideas, whatever they are, and the kids don't love that he is monopolizing the conversation. I wouldn't either and we talk about how to be more into what other people are saying because that is part of being a friend. (He doesn't have Asperger's either).
He gets 100s all day, but cries about going to school because he feels like "a weirdo." When he did the assessments, they said he did well and really liked the word games & puzzles, and when they said, "Have you had enough? Should we stop?" He kept saying, "Bring it. BRING IT ON!!! MORE QUESTIONS
I'm looking for a weirdo academy, I guess. LOL.

 

[BLTby40]

I vote home school

 

[abdmom]

But they found that part of his distraction was that his IQ was high. The highest the principal & counselor had ever seen. However, his handwriting is poor, so if he has to write an essay he has big ideas and no way to get them onto paper (I asked them to do an assistive tech eval so he can use a word processor).
So, he tells the teacher his big ideas, whatever they are, and the kids don't love that he is monopolizing the conversation. I wouldn't either and we talk about how to be more into what other people are saying because that is part of being a friend. (He doesn't have Asperger's either).
He gets 100s all day, but cries about going to school because he feels like "a weirdo." When he did the assessments, they said he did well and really liked the word games & puzzles, and when they said, "Have you had enough? Should we stop?" He kept saying, "Bring it. BRING IT ON!!! MORE QUESTIONS
I'm looking for a weirdo academy, I guess. LOL.

You should be looking for a school for the gifted.

 

[bumbershoot]

Personally, not a big fan of them.

Your son is a few years ahead academically but they haven't moved him ahead and you are looking for less homework? I'm sure I'm going to get flamed but life is a competition and, IMHO, the sooner they learn that the better. It is okay to lose. It is part of life and a very important life skill. You will probably get more community there but I think a lot of that has to do with the size of the school more than anything. Good luck with your decision.

And that would be the exact opposite of how a Waldorf person is going to view the world.



OP, we use Oak Meadow homeschool curriculum, which is based on Waldorf. AWESOME. I'm loving it more and more and DS is learning a lot.

He's doing 2nd grade work, and we did OM for 1st as well.

Yes they are slower to get into things. Although actually, they are BEYOND what my classroom was doing in 1st and 2nd grade. We were NOT having multiplication and division introduced to us then. X was in 3rd and / was in 4th for me (graduated in '87). Now, however, they seem to expect *mastery* of those things very very early. Oak Meadow (and I assume Waldorf) is in between. They introduce it, but they don't force it.

The last couple days I've been making up simple problems for the 4 processes (add subtract multiply divide), putting them into his book, and then he does them. It's hardly non-academic. But of course they are an offshoot, not THE Waldorf.

You gave a thumbs up to homeschool...I do recommend you check out Oak Meadow if that's what you're interested in.


DS likes math a whole lot, so we give him extra, no biggie. They just don't want things to get *forced* on kids in those primary grades, because that can suck the joy of learning from them. Loving to learn should last a lifetime...unfortunately, institutions are good at taking away joy.



I do have to say, though...that Waldorf doesn't mean no rude kids. When I was in practice one of my patients sent her really smart, really talkative, kinda "geeky" son to one, and some of the kids teased him, just like he had been teased at public school. So his mom still had to do work to help him through that emotionally, just like she had been doing before.

I actually do think she ended up homeschooling him. It's been a long time. Memory is imperfect.

 

[madscrapper]

Well, my 6th grade daughter attends a Waldorf school - we switched from public school after grade 3. It was the best decision we ever made. There is a lot of misinformation on the internet about Waldorf schools. I would suggest visiting a Waldorf school if you live near one. I know our school has many open houses throughout the year.

The Waldorf school is not for everyone. We have found our to be challenging academically in a way vastly different from public schools. The kids have the time to really know and understand the lesson, which is typically taught in 4 week blocks, some more, some less. It is amazing what my daughter has learned and more importantly retained and integrated into her life. I also have a daughter in 10th grade in public school, so I am well aware of both sides of the coin.

They learn languages, music, choir, gardening, woodwork, and much more. I really hate when people who have no personal experience with Waldorf schools say they are not academic enough. They are, but in a different way.

OP, good luck and research well.

 

[Pigeon]

I would do a great deal of research about Waldorf before I signed on. I've got a family member who had an awful time with our local Waldorf school. When you read about it from the school's perspective, a lot of it sounds lovely. But the reality can be quite different. While the pp warns about misinformation about waldorf on the net, there's a lot of misinformation or perhaps omission is a better word, presented by some Waldorf schools to prospective parents.

I'd do some reading at http://waldorfcritics.org/ I'd also research Anthroposophy, which is Rudolph Steiner's very peculiar philosophy behind Waldorf which can almost be a religion for some of these people. I would also do a lot of research about the teacher training in Waldorf as it is really pretty odd.

 

[monkeybug]

Have you thought about Montessori at all? My daughter (3rd grade) is attending a Montessori school and doing very well!
The benefit of Montessori is that the kids go at their own pace and are encouraged to explore their own curiosity. My daughter loves math, and the Montessori program has allowed her to work on much more advanced problems than a 3rd grader in a conventional school would. We've also seen improvement in her behavior at home (she's always behaved at school) and in her confidence. (which was huge for me)

It's not for everyone though, and of course quality could vary from school to school.