http://thesfkfiles.blogspot.com/2009/10/san-francisco-waldorf-school.html
Don't miss the comments.
We were very excited about having our daughter attend Waldorf
High School It seemed like a perfect fit for her. My concerns began
at the first Parent/Teacher/Administrator get together. When asked
about getting progress reports on how our children were doing. We were
told that would only occur if they were failing. Try getting into a
good college with C s. My next concern was my daughter stating how
easy all her classes were. Coming from a student that has always
worked hard to achieve good grades this was a concern. Luckily we moved
to Marin and enrolled our children in a public school . Having always
felt private school was important to get the best education possible,
it was quite eye opening to hear from most of her new teachers that our
daughter was way behind in the basic s required for college. My
daughters fond memories of Waldorf turned into a nightmare for her in
the amount of additional work she needed to do to catch up. Other
friends who attended Waldorf were forced to spend several thousand
dollars to help their children score well on the SATs. Nice school, way
below average on teaching and preparing children for college.
Very rigid. Works well for children with absolutely no learning
issues, dyslexia etc. Otherwise it's a train wreck. The early grades,(
pre K-5), are fine to excellent if your child gets a good teacher as
they have the same class teacher for 8 years. However, even with the
best teacher, at the onset of adolescence problems arise. They seem to
have a very hard time letting children grow into young adults in an
urban environment in this century. There is drama, art and music but no
real creativity allowed. Parents are expected to provide a huge amount
of practical and financial support but have absolutely no voice in
school decisions. For the amount of tuition charged there are wiser
choices.
Our child has completed ten years at SFWS. While we
feel that the theoretical pedagogy is extraordinarily beautiful and one
every child anywhere would be nourished by... the bottom line is that
it is only as good as the teacher's own preparation. This is because
the child stays with the same teacher the entire 8 years of the lower
school. If the teacher's own academic preparation is mediocre and their
emotional fitness for the task of taking the children through the first
eight grades is tenuous than, this is naturally impacted upon the
child. As Waldorf is truly 'alternative' it tends to attract teachers
who are less rigorous academically and, definately more artistic! This
is lovely and makes for a highly sensitive and gentle curriculum but, it
can leave the student unprepared for today's secondary school
expectations eg. keyboarding and computer, math skills, creative writing
and standardized test taking. One can become 'locked-in' to the
Waldorf curriculum... at third grade there's no chance to leave because
most of the kids aren't reading yet; at sixth there's the fear of the
culture of public middle schools and, at ninth they don't have the
skills requisite for the fast track high schools (computer, math, test
taking). In the end, we are glad our son has gone to Waldorf but,
because this is such a different world than it was 30, 50 or 80 years
ago... perhaps we should have put him in a more competitive and
rigorously academic environment. The physical environment and the
performing arts of the K-8 lower school are wonderful.
http://gocitykids.parentsconnect.com/attraction/san-francisco-waldorf-school-2938-washington-street-san-francisco-ca-94115-us
Any prospective parents should learn about Anthroposophy, the religion/philosophy, that Waldorf education is based upon. Information and links to both pro and con Waldorf sites is available at Openwaldorf.com.
- Posted by Anonymous
No
Black crayons? No wearing Black? (Black is an "undesirable" color) No
photographs (except ones of Rudolf Steiner)? No mirrors? No reading
taught until your kid loses their baby teeth? The teachers believe that
gnomes are real life forms. They believe in curing cancer with
mistletoe. If all of the above makes sense to you, then you'll love
Waldorf Schools. - Posted by Anonymous
(Information on GoCityKids website is not
updated for this school) This school follows the Steiner
philosophy...arts-based, lovely curriculum but there is the
anthroposophical underpinnings which potential parents should know
about. Recently the school has had upheavals in the lower grades--poor
teachers and disgruntled parents. Please make sure you check out the
teacher for your child's grade before enrolling, as that teacher
remains with your child for 8 years! That said, you can find a very
pleasant, stress-free environment for your child, which is VERY
different from any other private school in the city. - Posted by Anonymous
