Yesterday, after months of mounting difficulties, we shook the Steiner schooling tree and we removed our 2 younger girls, IS and ES, from the school.
Today we move on...though we know not quite where. (Home schooling for the time being)
After a fairly extraordinary 2½ years at this Steiner school we eventually discovered revelatory details of the covert core of the Waldorf teaching system.
With lightened hearts, we are looking forward to the Bank Holiday weekend...and beyond.
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3 comments:
The Steiner system can work so well for many children, especially in the early years when so much pressure is put in them in the conventional system.
The trouble is like all establishments, Montessori etc, Steiner schools interpret the philosophy of the Waldorf teaching methods in different ways and they are not always the right for individuals. The premise of 'teaching the whole child' works brilliantly in the younger age group and I wish the government would employ some of this in state schools instead of the horrendous tests that now weigh down our six-year-olds.
I have recently moved out of the classroom and on to wraparound care for children. There is no curriculum, no testing and I am, at last, having fun again with children!
Belatedly, Minx.......
I couldn't agree more with your sentiments. The theory appears to be holistic and encompassing. We were welcomed emphatically and given encouragement to be part of the whole (that is often lacking in the state system).
Essentially, we came across 2 major problems. ONE - the best Steiner teachers are those that have crossed from the State sysytem and bring those rigours with them.
SECONDLY, there is the basic Steiner concept of Anthroposophy which is not always explained to parents - for whatever reasons. Most of the anthroposophical concepts are pretty whacky if not bizarre.
We tolerated some of the anthroposophical mumbo-jumbo but in the end we couldn't take the poor teachers that our girls put up with - neither had previously taught AT ALL and were 100% Steiner.
I didn't like to be rude (unusual for me) but the word you are looking for is 'raving'.
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