Waldorf vs Montessori?

[Anonymous]

Here is a FAQ on Waldorf that has a summary--

17. Are Waldorf schools religious?

In the sense of subscribing to the beliefs of a particular religious denomination or sect, no. Waldorf schools, however, tend to be spiritually oriented and are based out of a generally Christian perspective. The historic festivals of Christianity, and of other major religions as well, are observed in the class rooms and in school assemblies....

http://www.waldorfanswers.com/WaldorfFAQ.htm#List

Oh, OK. I"m the poster with a nephew in a Waldorf school in a different state. Well, since our family is "in theory" Christian (really we were raised with Santa Claus and Christmas, Easter from a fun with family and easter bunny way, but not going to church so I think of us as symbolically Christian but not religiously Christian) then this is why it doesn't bother my sister or I. Because to celebrate historic festivals of Christianity, and other religions as well, observed in school assemblies - that sounds like our schooling in regular public schools in the 70s, I have fond memories of Christmas pageants when I was an angel, or a whatever, all dressed up and going to school at night, in the dark, to do our performance for our parents, so exciting! I know it's not the thing anymore, and I wouldn't even suggest bringing it back, but it isn't something our family would balk at. And, honestly, his education was 4000 times more important than this. But I get that for some other people from other religious backgrounds this might be difficult.

[Anonymous]

And we're hoping that his transition to high school goes smoothly, we'll see. The children are bright, interesting, interested, are fascinated by learning, they go to a farm for hands on learning about animals, nature, farming, (different grades have a different focus at this farm each year), and he loves it. From a child who you had to DRAG out of bed and into school to a child who gets up and eagerly gets ready for school? Amazing transformation, and it took ONE WEEK.

[Anonymous]

Which Waldorf school does your nephew go to? What was hard for him in a traditional public school? What does he enjoy most about his new school? Do you think that in addition to being happy he is learning in an academically rigorous manner?

[Anonymous]

I love it too.

[Anonymous]

.

[Anonymous]

Nephew lives in a suburb outside of Boston. The issues were that he is active, and had a hard time "containing himself" all day in his classroom where they have one 20 minute recess and no more in grades 1-3. He has allergies and needs kleenex throughout the day - so he went from his seat in the last row up to the front to the teacher's desk many, many times a day to blow his nose and throw away the kleenex - disrupting everyone. When asked to move his desk and/or have him allowed to have kleenex at his desk, the answer was no, then "everyone will want to have kleenex at their desk." Sigh. No flexibility. He entered therapy in 1st grade for anxiety and stopped by 2nd grade, then in 3rd grade they were about to put him back in when they moved him to Waldorf. Tested many times, but no ADHD, no PDD, nothing - just active and working in a very old-fashioned system where it was the teacher's way or the highway.

[Anonymous]

There are anti-vax articles in the news but I cannot characterize "Waldorf" education or Washington Waldorf as an enclave of anit-vax parents. There are some, but nothing the stands out since I was first exposed (pun intended) to the idea of anti-vax in preschool somewhere else.

When I toured WWS I was lucky enough to go with a group of educational consultants. I'll never forget what one area private consultant said to me: "A child can have a fabulous educational experience here if their parent has the courage to send them to WWS."

Academics are not discouraged, rather the kids don't learn on paper with math sheets in the early grades and this can look confusing to parents (it did to me with my first child, I totally see how it works now with my younger child). They're hearing stories of the generosity of "Mr. Plus" and standing up and marching while reciting formulas and clapping their hands rhythmically (kinesthetic learning).

My youngest, however, learned to read early since she heard so much reading going on at home. So before first grade she had read all the Harry Potter books. She's still getting something wonderful from all of the story-based education in the meantime.

[Anonymous]

To the parent at 10:03, it was exactly that place of not "being brave enough" that had me on the fence about Waldorf. I toured the school several times and felt more and more impressed by what I saw but it felt SO different from what other schools were doing.

I happened to tour one time with educational consultants and the heads of schools/admissions directors from area schools. The questions they asked were different from those of parents thinking only of their child, I felt lucky to have been on that tour.

Finally, I got to speaking with a consultant that advises for area schools and out-of-state schools. He said to me that a child could have an incredible experience at WWS "if the parents have the courage to send them here." That was the final piece of the puzzle for me and we enrolled shortly thereafter. In my experience, his words were spot on and I'm grateful that we took the chance.

[Anonymous]

I see that I already answered this post back in November. Ah well, I guess I'm consistent. The moderator can delete the second post or leave it up, either way I'm fine with it.