Anonymous wrote:My child had a terrible experience at the Waldorf and not because of the occult or anything like that. While they are very big on outdoor time and nature, the actual teaching is very rigid and conformist.

I should have realized that when I walked down the halls and saw all thee beautiful pictures done but the kids that were almost identical. You are taught how to copy the etcher exactly. The same goes for cursive writing. The result is gorgeous but you get that by copying over and over and over,

My child has dysgraphia and is a lefty and simply could not do that kind of precision work and was always told he wasn't good enough, go back and do it again, and I understand from their perspective that was true but it was just awful for my kid,.

He's back in public school and yes, on screens (forbidden at Waldorf) and getting A's and loving writing again b/c he can do it on a computer.

So juts be aware that they have ONE model. And it your kid doesn't fit, they do not bend the rules. Also, your child will have the same teacher every year so it better be a good fit!

Anonymous wrote:I realize this post is OLD, but figured I'd put my thoughts into the conversation rather than starting a new one.

We are running--as fast as we can--away from our Waldorf school.

I was duped by the beautiful aesthetics, the no-tech classroom, the lovely outdoor space, the idea of holistic education. I knew that there was some "woo" going in, but figured we'd take it with a grain of salt and reap the benefits of more play-based learning, time in nature, etc.

Unfortunately, the "grain" of salt was more the size of a boulder.

What we really got was a lot of under-trained teachers, a heavy dose of parental judgement, and wackadoo philosophy that is not grounded in science or modern life. Our kid, who has always been curious and outgoing and popular, is now shamed for his interests and made to feel that he shouldn't be interested in the things he likes. I'm having to try extra hard at home to let him know his interests are normal and good, nothing to be ashamed about. And these are not wild interests--I'm talking about things like wearing black and listening to heavy metal music (the color black and recorded music are STEALING HIS LIFE FORCE!).

There are literally NO BOOKS ALLOWED in the early childhood classrooms. Kids can't even TALK about interests that go beyond fairy tales (forget talking about Ukraine or Transformers or anything that a kid might be exposed to outside of school... kids will be SHAMED for that). If a kid tries to write, they are discouraged.

The whole environment is cultish--former students are now teachers, parents quit their jobs to work at the school, families end up volunteering nearly 20 hours a week in some cases. There is Board drama and parent drama and faculty drama and the families who have joined this "peaceful" school are actually some of the most evil, hypocritical, judgmental people I've ever met. Not to mention the entire student body is white and blonde, in the middle of a very racially and culturally diverse city.

Happily trotting off to public school in the fall, and can't wait for my kid to be surrounded by a more diverse group of kids who are encouraged to have their own interests and whose parents are not brainwashed by the cult of Waldorf.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having kids for many years at a Waldorf, I have never found an education with so much reverence for other religions, races and beliefs. The children are taught to be racially blind and to appreciate those with handicaps or learning differences.

Talk about statements that don't age well. This school system sounds absolutely nutty.

And what IS "anthropophosty," did anyone ever say?

Anonymous wrote:Having kids for many years at a Waldorf, I have never found an education with so much reverence for other religions, races and beliefs. The children are taught to be racially blind and to appreciate those with handicaps or learning differences.