Washington Waldorf School

[Anonymous]

TBH, I was also concerned about vaccinations when we were considering the school. After looking at the actual data for our particular well-educated, urban area, for me it became a non-issue. That has been borne out by my experience, including with Covid, which the school handled very well, even serving as an early vaccination site for the community.

I would say there is a general interest in the community in homeopathic and herbal remedies, as a supplement to rather than a replacement for modern Western medicine. As in any free-thinking community, you are of course free to make your own judgments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure whether that comment is directed at WWS, it does have gender-inclusive bathrooms and changing areas

Yes, directed at WWS. Having one gender inclusive bathroom that the entire school uses is not on par with other goals that are truly inclusive. You need to schools of a similar nature. I’ll leave it at that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Based on conversations I had with other parents when my child was enrolled there not long ago, some families use Maryland’s religious exemption to enable their children to enroll unvaccinated. I knew families that did this even though they didn’t have a true religious objection but rather were untrusting of vaccine safety. Plenty of WWS families do vaccinate their kids, but my sense was that there were more anti-vaxxers drawn to Waldorf Schools than in the general population. I heard faculty express their belief that vaccines block children’s bodies from gaining strength and resilience that is developed through battling viruses. I also heard faculty recommend against giving Tylenol to young children with fevers because they believed that fevers are a sign that the body is doing its job in fighting illness and are instrumental in the development of a person’s physical and mental resilience.

Well that’s an easy one to check off the list. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

My child has 18 students in her grade. The students are close and she has an excellent friend group. Some classes are smaller, but the students play on sports teams together and do elective/ some filed trips / forum together so it can feel bigger than your own class. Both my children looked at SSFS when they were rising up from G8 at WWS, as it seems similar in philosophy. After visiting they decided to stay at WWS for high school, but they did also like SSFS. WWS would be a good school to consider.

The students I know who graduated from WWS high school have done very well in college and graduate school. They are at NYU in International Studies, traveling the world and mastering languages. They studied STEM at U Michigan. Another is going to Northwestern to get a Phd in biology. Another HS graduate went to UCLA and is now getting their masters in architecture at USC. Another WWS graduate will graduate from their competitive liberal arts school with honors, and recently won a department award for best research/ work. I don't follow everyone but I hear a wide variety of success stories coming out of the small WWS HS. Recently I know students have been accepted to Duke, UC Berkely, Notre Dame, Naval Academy and many of course into U of Maryland (which I hear many good students form area good Mont County schools are not always getting into.)

Some in the on-line community (like you see at Next Door etc ) might go on-line to vent or share bad news/ anger. I am surprised to see all the fairy + negative comments about WWS. They don't teach the HS about fairies, but it is true that they tell the students a lot of stories and fairytales when younger and also encourage a love of nature. Hiding a gnome in the garden is like an Easter Egg hunt millions of families do without being attacked on-line. It is true that the philosophy of WWS tries to develop the whole person, and all students play instruments when younger and all students will create art and sing in all grades. I would consider it a peace school, as it creates well rounded students who can paint, sing, dance, play basketball, work out issues with classmates (as they know each other so well!) , and generally think deeply. The background philosophy, from my parent perspective, is to help develop well rounded peaceful people who will be critical thinkers. The school might encourage a breathing out sometimes, so to speak, with art or poetry or trip to a farm. That might not be what you want for your child but we appreciated that part of the educational experience.

We also appreciated the class trips the HS grades take each year. These are for a week in the Spring and can be to work on places like a farm. No phones are allowed and it is a time to unplug and be present with your classmates, and in nature.

Is WWS perfect? No, as no place is. Some teachers we really admired have retired or moved out of the area, but the school is working on growing the HS and adding new classes etc. to meet the requests of the community. The new faculty chair seems very involved and very good. Definitely check it out!

[Anonymous]

The way the world is now, fairies and gnomes might be preferred! Awesome education, great place, kids accepted at top colleges and universities without being stressed all the time. Refreshing, especially in the DC area. Go see for yourself, tours available….

[Anonymous]

It's a very highly rated Waldorf high school. DC is lucky to have one. Go on a tour and see if you like it yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child has 18 students in her grade. The students are close and she has an excellent friend group. Some classes are smaller, but the students play on sports teams together and do elective/ some filed trips / forum together so it can feel bigger than your own class. Both my children looked at SSFS when they were rising up from G8 at WWS, as it seems similar in philosophy. After visiting they decided to stay at WWS for high school, but they did also like SSFS. WWS would be a good school to consider.

The students I know who graduated from WWS high school have done very well in college and graduate school. They are at NYU in International Studies, traveling the world and mastering languages. They studied STEM at U Michigan. Another is going to Northwestern to get a Phd in biology. Another HS graduate went to UCLA and is now getting their masters in architecture at USC. Another WWS graduate will graduate from their competitive liberal arts school with honors, and recently won a department award for best research/ work. I don't follow everyone but I hear a wide variety of success stories coming out of the small WWS HS. Recently I know students have been accepted to Duke, UC Berkely, Notre Dame, Naval Academy and many of course into U of Maryland (which I hear many good students form area good Mont County schools are not always getting into.)

Some in the on-line community (like you see at Next Door etc ) might go on-line to vent or share bad news/ anger. I am surprised to see all the fairy + negative comments about WWS. They don't teach the HS about fairies, but it is true that they tell the students a lot of stories and fairytales when younger and also encourage a love of nature. Hiding a gnome in the garden is like an Easter Egg hunt millions of families do without being attacked on-line. It is true that the philosophy of WWS tries to develop the whole person, and all students play instruments when younger and all students will create art and sing in all grades. I would consider it a peace school, as it creates well rounded students who can paint, sing, dance, play basketball, work out issues with classmates (as they know each other so well!) , and generally think deeply. The background philosophy, from my parent perspective, is to help develop well rounded peaceful people who will be critical thinkers. The school might encourage a breathing out sometimes, so to speak, with art or poetry or trip to a farm. That might not be what you want for your child but we appreciated that part of the educational experience.

We also appreciated the class trips the HS grades take each year. These are for a week in the Spring and can be to work on places like a farm. No phones are allowed and it is a time to unplug and be present with your classmates, and in nature.

Is WWS perfect? No, as no place is. Some teachers we really admired have retired or moved out of the area, but the school is working on growing the HS and adding new classes etc. to meet the requests of the community. The new faculty chair seems very involved and very good. Definitely check it out!

According to what I have heard, several alums have faced challenges adjusting socially at university. The HS small class sizes could be a contributing factor limiting the social experiences necessary for this important life stage! Also, there is something that felt cultish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child has 18 students in her grade. The students are close and she has an excellent friend group. Some classes are smaller, but the students play on sports teams together and do elective/ some filed trips / forum together so it can feel bigger than your own class. Both my children looked at SSFS when they were rising up from G8 at WWS, as it seems similar in philosophy. After visiting they decided to stay at WWS for high school, but they did also like SSFS. WWS would be a good school to consider.

The students I know who graduated from WWS high school have done very well in college and graduate school. They are at NYU in International Studies, traveling the world and mastering languages. They studied STEM at U Michigan. Another is going to Northwestern to get a Phd in biology. Another HS graduate went to UCLA and is now getting their masters in architecture at USC. Another WWS graduate will graduate from their competitive liberal arts school with honors, and recently won a department award for best research/ work. I don't follow everyone but I hear a wide variety of success stories coming out of the small WWS HS. Recently I know students have been accepted to Duke, UC Berkely, Notre Dame, Naval Academy and many of course into U of Maryland (which I hear many good students form area good Mont County schools are not always getting into.)

Some in the on-line community (like you see at Next Door etc ) might go on-line to vent or share bad news/ anger. I am surprised to see all the fairy + negative comments about WWS. They don't teach the HS about fairies, but it is true that they tell the students a lot of stories and fairytales when younger and also encourage a love of nature. Hiding a gnome in the garden is like an Easter Egg hunt millions of families do without being attacked on-line. It is true that the philosophy of WWS tries to develop the whole person, and all students play instruments when younger and all students will create art and sing in all grades. I would consider it a peace school, as it creates well rounded students who can paint, sing, dance, play basketball, work out issues with classmates (as they know each other so well!) , and generally think deeply. The background philosophy, from my parent perspective, is to help develop well rounded peaceful people who will be critical thinkers. The school might encourage a breathing out sometimes, so to speak, with art or poetry or trip to a farm. That might not be what you want for your child but we appreciated that part of the educational experience.

We also appreciated the class trips the HS grades take each year. These are for a week in the Spring and can be to work on places like a farm. No phones are allowed and it is a time to unplug and be present with your classmates, and in nature.

Is WWS perfect? No, as no place is. Some teachers we really admired have retired or moved out of the area, but the school is working on growing the HS and adding new classes etc. to meet the requests of the community. The new faculty chair seems very involved and very good. Definitely check it out!

It sounds like a wonderful school. The bots on this forum are crazy. I’ll never understand the constant need to rain on someone else’s parade. Every school doesn’t need to be for every student.

[Anonymous]

I would ask specific questions about how closely the school adheres to Steiner's views on race, and the value of non-Western civilizations.

I know that German Steiner schools have done real work to detoxify the curriculum and pedagogy from its racist roots, but have not heard the same from WWS or other schools in North America.

[Anonymous]

I am pretty familiar with both schools and have spent considerable time at both WWS and SSFS. They are very different schools and cultures with very different philosophies behind them.

If you are an SSFS family, I would look closely at Waldorf philosophy before taking the leap.

[Anonymous]

I know many graduates from WWS HS as my children were at the school for years. I did not hear about graduates "having a hard time adjusting to college" , academically or socially. Sometimes students might transfer colleges, that is true no matter where you went to high school. (And I have heard of more of those stories from students outside of WWS.) I know many graduates who loved big state schools and also smaller liberal arts schools.

It's no problem if Washington Waldorf is not a good fit for your child or family. School is not a one size fits all situation typically. I know students who had learning differences switch schools and their needs were better met elsewhere. I also know students with adhd also thrived at WWS as they get to move around and go outside more than in many schools.

I would bet that WWS develops some of the best readers , of children loving to read on their own time as I have never seen so many children carry around books and read them in the car as I have at WWS. The students are also good writers as they have to write essays and papers almost daily. They are also good artists as they all have to draw, paint , sing etc. They are used to talking to adults face to face as their class size is small and filled with discussions daily.

WWS may not be for everyone and some students might not fit into their class. School can be hard for kids socially some years at any school. I just know for many students WWS has been an excellent fit and they have thrived. We appreciated the many years long effort to promote diversity at WWS and focus on BLM and anti racist work in the faculty and parent body.

We also appreciate students having to check in their phone each morning in high school so they can be present with friends and teachers all day and get a break from staring at their phone. We do hope with the new gym at school and expanded class offerings the high school grows over time, but again, it's fine if it's not a good fit for your child or family! We are lucky in the DC area that there are so many excellent public schools and a great variety of private schools as well. I would recommend you visit a few and talk to students and parents at each school to learn more directly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child has 18 students in her grade. The students are close and she has an excellent friend group. Some classes are smaller, but the students play on sports teams together and do elective/ some filed trips / forum together so it can feel bigger than your own class. Both my children looked at SSFS when they were rising up from G8 at WWS, as it seems similar in philosophy. After visiting they decided to stay at WWS for high school, but they did also like SSFS. WWS would be a good school to consider.

The students I know who graduated from WWS high school have done very well in college and graduate school. They are at NYU in International Studies, traveling the world and mastering languages. They studied STEM at U Michigan. Another is going to Northwestern to get a Phd in biology. Another HS graduate went to UCLA and is now getting their masters in architecture at USC. Another WWS graduate will graduate from their competitive liberal arts school with honors, and recently won a department award for best research/ work. I don't follow everyone but I hear a wide variety of success stories coming out of the small WWS HS. Recently I know students have been accepted to Duke, UC Berkely, Notre Dame, Naval Academy and many of course into U of Maryland (which I hear many good students form area good Mont County schools are not always getting into.)

Some in the on-line community (like you see at Next Door etc ) might go on-line to vent or share bad news/ anger. I am surprised to see all the fairy + negative comments about WWS. They don't teach the HS about fairies, but it is true that they tell the students a lot of stories and fairytales when younger and also encourage a love of nature. Hiding a gnome in the garden is like an Easter Egg hunt millions of families do without being attacked on-line. It is true that the philosophy of WWS tries to develop the whole person, and all students play instruments when younger and all students will create art and sing in all grades. I would consider it a peace school, as it creates well rounded students who can paint, sing, dance, play basketball, work out issues with classmates (as they know each other so well!) , and generally think deeply. The background philosophy, from my parent perspective, is to help develop well rounded peaceful people who will be critical thinkers. The school might encourage a breathing out sometimes, so to speak, with art or poetry or trip to a farm. That might not be what you want for your child but we appreciated that part of the educational experience.

We also appreciated the class trips the HS grades take each year. These are for a week in the Spring and can be to work on places like a farm. No phones are allowed and it is a time to unplug and be present with your classmates, and in nature.

Is WWS perfect? No, as no place is. Some teachers we really admired have retired or moved out of the area, but the school is working on growing the HS and adding new classes etc. to meet the requests of the community. The new faculty chair seems very involved and very good. Definitely check it out!

According to what I have heard, several alums have faced challenges adjusting socially at university. The HS small class sizes could be a contributing factor limiting the social experiences necessary for this important life stage! Also, there is something that felt cultish.

The cult part comes from the intense pressure to build your entire lives around school activities. We regret getting sucked into the cult. It’s not a healthy relationship.

[Anonymous]

Have family whose kids attend Waldorf. Their third grader was not able to read when he was in second grade. His teacher kept insisting that he would “get there” and apparently the students get to pick other things that interest them if they don’t like reading as much. Another family member who’s an educator in public had to assess his reading skills and found them to be at the kindergarten level while he was in second grade. Waldorf was going to do nothing about this. My family member had to obtain private tutoring to remediate. I am sure some people have good stories and experiences with Waldorf but wanted to share my second hand story. It didn’t leave a good impression after hearing all they went through

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have family whose kids attend Waldorf. Their third grader was not able to read when he was in second grade. His teacher kept insisting that he would “get there” and apparently the students get to pick other things that interest them if they don’t like reading as much. Another family member who’s an educator in public had to assess his reading skills and found them to be at the kindergarten level while he was in second grade. Waldorf was going to do nothing about this. My family member had to obtain private tutoring to remediate. I am sure some people have good stories and experiences with Waldorf but wanted to share my second hand story. It didn’t leave a good impression after hearing all they went through

Our experience was similar. We observed that our son fell behind academically during the early grades at that school. It was disheartening to tour other schools and realize he wasn't keeping pace with his peers. Other schools had suggested that he repeat a grade. We agree that significant supplemental tutoring and summer programs became necessary for him to catch up. Based on this, we are skeptical of the highly positive high school reviews. While we initially accepted the 'gentle education' philosophy, we ultimately found it fostered passivity and somewhat misguided thinking in students rather than challenged engagement. We were relieved we could transfer schools before becoming too deeply invested in what quickly became apparent to us that was an unhealthy academic environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When my kid had trouble sitting still in first grade they insisted we do "eurythmy therapy." It didn't help and doesn't have any real science behind it. It made me lose trust in the school as a source of legitimate teaching for my kid. The parent community was warm on the surface, but when I didn't accept the school's anthroposophical rationale for the way things were done I began to feel outcast. It was a weird juncture in my kid's education, and while there were some neat aspects, like learning to knit, there was a lot that I look back at and ask myself what I was thinking. It took a lot of time and effort for my kid to catch up when they switched to a different school, even though they were already reading when we make the change.

We had a very similar experience.
Also, some children and parents had very questionable personal hygiene. Kids showed up to school wearing dirty clothes with holes, dirty hair and hands. My child told me that some kids had bad BO.
We were there for kindergarten and left.
And yes! They teach children that fairies and gnomes are real!