Forum Index
»
Schools and Education General Discussion
Green Acres, Waldorf, Oneness
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
Much of it is true. My kids are Waldorf kids (but now in public school). There were indeed no black crayons, and reading was strongly discouraged before age 8. |
Anonymous
|
If I recall correctly "early" reading is so strongly discouraged that they don't have things like calendars in the class or allow clothing with writing on it. Doesn't the reading delay have something to do with the whole reincarnation issue? I know they link it to the second set of teeth but can't remember what the deal was underlying that.
In hindsight, a lot of Waldorf reminds me a bit of Scientology. Anyone know if L. Ron was a fan of Steiner? Wonder how similar the schools are. |
Anonymous
|
My sister sent her kids to Waldorf for pre-K or through K. She found that by waiting until a child is really ready to read, they will pick it up so quickly, rather than the constant practicing required of a 2-4 year old.
Anyway, she loved the creativity at Waldorf for the early years and her kids today still rave about it. Her older child got 100% on his reading and writing sections of the SATs and is at Williams College, and the other is excelling in high school, great self-esteem, a star in all the school productions, etc. Great kids. Her only complaints were the Euro-centric curriculum and she felt judged at how she was parenting. I like the fact that for kids who are very high energy, they will simply give them something to do with their hands (like polish silver) rather than punish them or suggest they get medicated. Not sure yet which pre-K program I'll be choosing. So many great ones around. May end up coming down to convenience (of location and for working parents). |
Anonymous
My kids had a very positive Waldorf experience as well. They went to Acorn Hill in Silver Spring for preschool, and are now in (public) middle and high school and doing great. They didn't know any numbers or letters until they started public school, but they learned quickly (within days) and were reading within months. They are both excellent students now. The Waldorf culture is very pro-SAHM and yes, I felt judged wrt my parenting as well. Given how good the program was for my kids though, I didn't really care. |
Anonymous
| I recently visited Acorn Hill and was told that only 3 out of 100 students stay beyond 3:00 p.m. (when I mentioned that I'd be needing extended daycare until 5:00). They told me that R. Steiner believed the best place for a children under age 6 is at home. So much for feeling welcomed! |
Anonymous
18:02 here. I completely understand. In my first child's class of 20 children, I think there were two working moms (and the other was part-time). I felt very, very judged for working, and the other parents occasionally made remarks about how great my nanny was (intended, I suppose, to assauge the guilt they assumed I was feeling). It was very hard. Even the fact that the extended care goes to 5PM (and not later) speaks to the strong beliefs they hold. All that said, it was a wonderful preschool for my kids and I am glad they went there. (I'm also glad they are no longer there and I'm not encountering those moms any longer, LOL.) |
Anonymous
|
Oh, no, PP!
when I was a SAHM I FREQUENTLY told other moms (and dads) when I saw them ithat I thought their child's nanny or babysitter or au pair was doing a really good job, I'd mention stuff I had observed and so on. I wasn't trying to assuage anyone's guilt -- I just figured I was being neighborly and that they'd appreciate hearing it! I never thought it would be taken in a bad way, now I feel awful. |
Anonymous
| NP here. I actually like hearing that my AP is good. |
Anonymous
| I have a little bit of experience with all three schools. My daughter went to Acorn Hill Waldorf School for a year in pre-K but we hated it. It was cultish and not a lot of fun for her. The teachers told me that you shouldn't answer a child's questions because that limits the child's creativity. They also told me that my daughter was too verbal and that was a sign of "disharmony in the home." We didn't like the teacher and my daughter did not enjoy most of the activities. Then we tried the Oneness Family school and that was pretty awful too. Parents can't even walk into the classroom and my daughter thought her teacher was mean. I know some kids who have attended all the way through middle school and they seem behind in academics. My children never attended Green Acres but we did visit and apply and it looks like a nice place. We ended up with Sandy Spring Friends because there was very little diversity at Green Acres. I had the impression that the academics were reasonably good. My daughter is now at Maret which is great but it is definitely academically rigorous and my son attends Rosemary Hills in Montgomery County which is also great. He loves it. |
Anonymous
|
We have one child at Washington Waldorf and one in another private school, as well as experience in another Waldorf School in a different region of the country prior to moving here, so I can speak to this a bit (plus I am a Waldorf child as well - attended through 8th grade prior to going to a very academic high school). In our experience, there is not explicit literacy instruction prior to first grade, but there is plenty of "pre-literacy" work done to prepare the children for reading and writing so that when they are taught, they learn very quickly. I think the studies show that Waldorf children tend to be about a grade behind until fourth grade and thereafter test about a grade ahead of their more traditionally-taught peers.
We definitely never found, in either school, that reading was discouraged at home - our daughter has been a voracious reader since 5 yrs old. She taught herself, and the teachers have never done anything except been proud of her for this. Rather than penalizing us for her reading, her teachers always have incorporated her reading ability into the class, as in sending other children to ask her to read something for them, if they are asking what a sign says or something like that. Her current teacher is also wonderful about differentiating her instruction for the children who do read well, as well as who are more advanced in math. Our daughter regularly is given more challenging tasks than the bulk of her classmates are during class. Several of the countries at the top of the international rankings for education (Norway, Sweden, etc) start their explicit academic instruction much later than we do in the U.S. If children are 'ready' to learn and are given the time and room to develop other capacities, then they will usually learn very quickly when reading and writing are finally taught. As an aside, I was taught to read in 2nd grade and read slowly til about 5th grade. I now have a PhD in one of the humanities and am a college professor, so certainly my "delayed literacy" did not hold me back at all! Not all children learn well in a Waldorf setting - our other child is one of these - and Waldorf is not right for all families. Like others have said here, there is some tacit pressure for moms to be home and creating as natural a homelife as possible - I have always been one of the few (very few!) working moms in the class. But we have not found Washington Waldorf to be nearly as hardcore as other Waldorf SChools, our old one specifically. We never attended Acorn Hill, but I also have the sense that it's more hardcore than WWS. As a working mom, I do not feel judged at WWS, either by the teachers or by the other moms. Hope this helps! |