Parents Warn Prospective Parent

http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/parenting/1232574-Any-steiner-school-experiences/All\
OnOnePage

Original poster: "I went to a toddler group at our local steiner school today
and it was just lovely. There was such a calm atmosphere and my daughter adored
it. We've been thinking about schools for a while now and I wondered if anyone
had any good (or bad) experiences of a steiner education, in preschool, primary
and secondary levels. Many thanks in advance."

One poster: "I have a young nephew who attends a Steiner school. I have also
attended several of the school's fundraising events, and all I can say is that
my impression is not good. The kids are allowed to run wild, with no basic
manners or social skills in evidence. The parents all float around wearing their
hand-knitted-in-Peru ponchos, totally ignoring their kids' inappropriate
behaviour. The kids appear to be dab-hands at climbing trees, building bonfires
etc, but there's no great evidence of anything more academic than that. They
have to wear clothes made entirely of natural fibres, and are not allowed TV or
computer games, and "ordinary" kids' toys are frowned upon. However the thing
that most shocked me was that the teachers (who get called by their first names)
actually visit the kids' homes to inspect their bedrooms, and ensure there is
nothing "inappropriate".
My DS attends the local state school, and he is thriving under the routine and
discipline, and his literacy and numeracy are very good. IMHO children need a
bit of well-structured discipline. It pays dividends in the long run, and better
equips them for the real world, where you can't just wander off to look for
ladybirds whenever you fancy."

Another poster: "I think if you want a Steiner school which would not discourage
reading before the age of 7, you have to find a "poor" Steiner school, if you
see what I mean... one in which the teachers are not too really doing the
Steiner thing 100%... I do know of parents who have been called in for a talk
when it became clear in the Steiner nursery that their under 4s were allowed to
paint at home. This was considered by Steiner to be too early to be allowed to
use a paint brush and those nursery teachers were conscientious Steiner teachers
and put some pressure on the parents to stop painting at home.
I would also recommend you to read as widely as you can regarding anthroposophy
before sending your child to a Steiner school - there are an awful lot of books
which Steiner wrote himself. Then you have to look at your own school and try to
get an impression of how they implement Steiner´s ideas. This is not so easy, I
think, as a parent."

In the end:

Original Poster: I just wanted to thank you all for your posts! I've had some
lovely PMs too from people who were a bit worried about airing their views in
public - so thank you for those too!

To be honest I'm intrigued! The school seems lovely, the literature looks good,
the staff seem nice, the toddler group continues to be nice and the kids seem
happy...but there are so many people with bad experiences of Steiner it does
worry me. And there doesn't seem to be any middle ground - people have either
had horrific or amazing experiences.

So I'm left confused...albeit more informed! Thanks again"

Waldorf Abuse

http://www.mothering.com/community/t/683104/life-after-waldorf-a-support-group/3\
20

Oh wow
I am so glad to find this. I was feeling pretty lonely in post-traumatic
anthroposopohy. I could literally write a book about this... but I will spare
you guys all the grisley details! I want to say that I do not think people that
go to Waldorf are "bad" I am just relating and looking for healing in my and my
childrens experiences. When I first found out about Waldorf I was so happy I
thought that it sounded like something that supported my beliefs..Not pushing
children into things before they are ready, being surrounded by gentleness and
beauty, etc. I enrolled my eldest son who was 5 at the time. I also began to do
classroom support every friday. Nowkeep in mind I was 23 at the time and my
husband and I were pretty low income at the time so we would take turns getting
up early to come clean the school-to help with tuition. At the first parent
/teacher meeting the teacher expressed concern about our son- he kept insisting
on - gasp-drawing dinosaurs!! When the rest of the class was drawing what they
were supposed to. You see the "beautiful" artwork that children at waldorf
create is basically dictated to them--this is what we are drawing, these are the
colors we use, this is how we do it. So you have 20 pictures in the hall of an
apple. ( I would rather see the childs own creative perspective) Well my sons
drawings were showing that he had emotional problems- they were concerned for
his poor,little, damaged spirit. Now at the time I immediately felt like a
terrible parent, I wanted to do anything I could to be better and to help him. I
did not even think to question... Over the next couple years I did everything I
could think of to help my son and to follow the waldorf way but i started to
become aware of a few things..the children were not allowed to use the color
black, All the women teachers are supposed to wear long pastel dresses and speak
quietly, I did not observe any way the male teachers had to dress or speak
differently. The children were supposed to observe the female teachers making
specific gestures such as sewing, ironing, cooking and knitting. Hmmmm.... I
observed that the whole thing was incredibly eurocentric and elitist. We can
only use this paint brush and this paint and these toys and this color. Now I
can get all behind fair trade and responsible consumerisim- but this is alittle
beyond --to me it feels very materialistic. Everything came to a head when I
found out that my youngest son was being molested in the bathrooms by older
children. The whole staff knew that the 2nd grade boys were messing with the
kindergartners- cps had even been called. But no one had told me that my son was
involved!!! I diddnt even know about it until my son told me. I marched into the
office and demanded to know how the children were going to be kept safe... They
refused to talk to me and I was given the cold shoulder by all the staff. Now
this same week I had another parent/teacher conference the teacher told me that
she believed that my eldest son was a sociopath. She believed this because he
kept running away and he had bitten a child. When I got the whole story from her
it turned out a group of children had my son cornered -they had sticks and were
poking him with them. He bit one of the children to get away and ran off. Okay I
call this self-defense. Some of the children who did this and who regularly did
this were the staffs children-who NEVER got reprimanded. They were literally the
biggest bullies of the school. After hearing this I pulled my children out and
began to homeschool. Since that time I have also done some research into Steiner
and I am not all that impressed. Here is another guy telling us moms everything
we do wrong to mess up our kids-including family beds ( pushes your etheric body
on to the child), breastfeeding past 9 months-very bad!! having certain colors
or patterns oin your childrens clothing. Competitive sports are very bad- they
will give you diseases- yes it is true! Also any taped music/sound is very bad.
I just have to say I really dont care for the everything is scary, bad and gonna
mess us up perspective. I will not make my desicions based on fear of the bad
thing. And I dont think it is a healthy message for children that they are the
center of every fear-based desicion. Okay I am going to get off the soap box!! I
am glad to find this thread and to connect with all of you.


 

Waldorf Vindictive to Parents who Ask Questions

http://www.mothering.com/community/t/683104/life-after-waldorf-a-support-group/4\
80

The vindictiveness that can be unleashed when one even questions the party line
is very worrisome to me. We are considering *not* sending our dd to high school
there- every time I asked a question at the meeting for 8th grade parents I was
met with dissembling worthy of the Catholic recusants in the Jacobean age. But I
am really worried that asking teachers to write recommendations will not be a
wise thing to do- and how to put this concern across to the new school we'd be
applying to?

My child has not learned one thing in two years there- grades seven and eight,
when they assure you (when you're in kindergarten heaven) that your child will
eventually embark on a rigorous curriculum. When I've complained that she's
bored they say she doesn't pay attention (yeah, no duh, because she's
B-O-R-E-D), and that she is already so "in her head" that she should focus more
on gym (though the gym teacher is SO awful and rude I would pull her out of
school on that principle alone). And if she's so bored, they say, why can't she
finish her work or put more effort into it? That's what she "needs to struggle
with." -sigh-

I can't get anyone to answer a straightforward question about the science
curriculum, for instance- my daughter misses textbooks (she was homeschooled
with Calvert, which was wonderful!) and loathes the block system. I asked if
there are science classes in "extra main," ie when there's no English block they
have a few periods per week in English, when there's no math block they have
extra math, etc. They answered that their kids get more science than public
schools (not true; I checked), and that since "math is the language of science,"
their math and history and art includes plenty of science. So that means the
math problem about the shadow and the building and the Pythagorean theorem,
that's enough science for a month? I'm an adult and I forget things from my
science classes earlier in the *semester.*

I know the stats they provide show that their kids do go to college, and most
are not doctors or lawyers or scientists. That's ok for my daughter; she's into
art anyway. But the lack of substance, and worse, the absence of a standard for
excellence and achievement (everything I've seen is mediocre or worse, even on
the high school level), has me very depressed. Especially since if my daughter
is going to be an artist or a writer, I want her to absorb enough information to
be a well-educated person, with a firm grounding in all the subjects she is
*not* drawn to.

And how to ask them to write a good recommendation so we can get the hell out?"

"Yes, I'm learning that where we live, saying your children are at the Waldorf
school is actually something to be embarrassed about, or to be followed by an
explanation that you're not really one of those people- we watch television and
believe in Evolution and the Scientific Method, and we don't talk in a singsongy
voice all day long. I meet people everywhere who've left the school for one
reason or another; many are reluctant to speak frankly about why they left.

People at the school, whether faculty or parents, seem to have so little contact
with the "outside" (the school's term, not mine!) that they have no clue. They
imagine they are envied and admired. Even C-students at the community college
have a low opinion of the Waldorf school!

My daughter's teacher is a god at this school- everyone talks about what a
wonderful class it is (no credit to us families!), so any complaint would fall
on deaf ears. Even other parents in the class get involved when they don't have
a complaint, so concerned are they that we - or others - are "troublemakers;"
I'm sick of that attitude and would rather she go to public school with its
out-on-paper protocols of accountability and privacy than remain here. She
refuses to attend the public school, however, so it's either a more expensive
private school or homeschooling for high school, which I never wanted to do.

I even consider leaving her where she is for social reasons- if they'll keep her
for high school after our "troublemaking-" except then I think of the PE
teacher, or what could be learned during the time wasted on Eurythmy..."

"She has visited our local school for a day, and the experience was so awful her
eye doctor, that afternoon for a regular visit, could not measure her eyes, they
were twitching so badly. That particular school is unfortunately known for
having pretty rough kids- the middle school girls' basketball team from that
school actually started punching our girls' team members during a game recently!
But more importantly, even at the middle school level when she visited, they
were doing work she had done years before as a homeschooler. Being behind is not
going to be a problem wherever she goes.

You make a good point about the public school bigotry at Waldorf schools. My
daughter does not like that either- in fact she was in tears one day last year
(gr 7) when she and another girl got into an argument about public vs Waldorf
schools! My daughter dared to point out that contrary to the belief that art is
better at Waldorf, in her opinion the art on display at county events from the
public schools is better than that from ours.

Also, if one more comment is made in my presence about "people from outside," or
"at the public schools," I will blow my stack. I do intend to say something if
it happens again. There is one parent in particular, a founder of the school
actually (the school is 35 or so years old), who does this at every meeting, in
every conversation, and I am sick of it. For one thing, we're all there for
whatever reason. For another, both my and my husband's PUBLIC high schools are
ALWAYS listed on WSJ's or US News/World Report's lists of best schools in the
country, or WSJ's "How to Get Into Harvard." So I just don't want to hear it. I
haven't seen a school that can touch my high school in any area, including
socially, and I do live in the world- the way the teachers speak as though they
are privy to some terrible dangers of "outside" is also getting on my nerves.

Speaking of socially, more than one friend has said they are unhappy with lots
of things at the school (ie even with tutoring their children cannot do basic
math), but they are so sure their kids will get beaten up at the public schools
they feel they have no choice (we are all in different districts, or we could
send them together!). They have ALSO said that as far as applying to any of the
other private schools here (as well as the grotesque expense), they are quite
sure their kids, knowing no math or writing skills, could not even get into
another school.

Our local Sylvan learning center joked with one friend of mine that she was very
early (grade four or five); "we don't usually see students from ----- until
tenth grade when they can't pass the PSAT!" : Meanwhile the school boasts that
they have a finalist or two every couple of years- this is proof their (tiny)
classes do comparably well?

PS- Has anyone read the study that's being flaunted all over the place about how
Waldorf students do after high school? Has anyone else noticed any elementary
statistics class gives enough info to render that study useless? Or that even if
their stats were reliable, the results are alarming rather than reassuring?

General Discussion about Waldorf Schools

http://parents.berkeley.edu/recommend/schools/waldorf.html

We sent our daughter to Waldorf in Emeryville, lo those many years ago (1993). Maybe we were out of our minds (we were victims of the east bay "firestorm" and were in the middle of a three year nomadic period in which we moved 7 times and were forced to sue the insurance company or face starting all over from zero with toddler twins and two teen-agers. Yes, our decision to send her there may have been unbalanced).
What attracted us was an active music program and a certain global, intellectual/educational curiosity on the part of the teachers. It looked good. We tried to ignore our initial gut reaction that the staff and dedicated parents seemed all to exude an eerie, "Landru is All. Are you part of the body?" syndrome. We felt like alien hyper-intellectuals. Firstly, they misrepresented themselves. We asked explicitly about the religious nature of the school and were told that, though they were, in some tangential way, a "Christian" organization, historically, there was no theological/religious bias. Around the winter vacation, our daughter came home, rattled, and in tears.
"I don't understand," she said. "At school, they told us that the child is coming and everything will be o.k."
"Who's the child?" we asked her.
"I think it's a boy in the other kindergarten class. He's in a play about the saviour. Is he the saviour? Why is everything going to be all right? Why is he coming again? He didn't even come into our class once."
oh boy.
We marched off to school and asked what was going on. The answers were feeble and meandering, at best. It was evident that they had no clue of the effect of their "tangential" Christian metaphoric roots on growing young children.
Then there was the Landru effect. They really did have an image of children being these innocent little waifs, happy, serene receptacles into which their teachers might pour an entire Waldorf world-view. The rigidity of materials used in class, the dim lighting, the low energy level....were geared to kids with low metabolic function who were, by nature, obedient, malleable and unquestioning. O.K. My obvious bias is showing. I recognize that. It wasn't long before the teacher took us aside and suggested that since our daughter wanted to explore outside the prescribed lines, question the logic of instructions, and pretty much, follow her own creative, exuberant curiosities (that different drummer), she must be hyper-active and have oppositional problems. Hmmmm. I understand that the Waldorf systems in Europe are not so rigid or sanctimonious, so lecturing or idiopathic. And I hear that even in the states, the severity of the intellectual/spiritual anti-gravity effect differs from school to school. But, gee whiz, if your child is an independent thinker and a vibrant personality, I would recommend against Waldorf.
Oh, I forgot: They have a mystical ceremony on a child's birthday. There are a lot of candles lit, and the birthday kid sits in a chair across from the parents, separated by a bridge. The teacher explains that the angel child, before it was born, selected the two perfect parents, and then after much mystic m-bo jm-bo, crossed over this ethereal bridge to join its parents in the physical world. Then this bridge-crossing is acted out. There was a hitch in our ceremony, because our daughter, while lighting the candles along the bridge, caught her hair on fire. It was hard to return to the ethereal, metaphoric plain after rolling her in a towel and drying her tears. Still, that weird smell of burning hair.........."happy birthday to you....happy birthday to you...happy biRTHday......".
This was kindergarten. I shall give them the benefit of the doubt in suspecting that this kind of air-headedness subsides as the children get older. This has been simmering in me for a number of years. I apologize for the strength of my opinions if they have offended anyone. But this has been completely honest. I am also very sure that there are inquisitive, gifted and unusual children who are suited very well to the Waldorf atmosphere. I also hear that the dogmatic, religious adherence to Waldorfian principles varies from school to school.
Tobie 

Feb 2002 There are good things about some parts of Waldorf- teaching to the whole child, but and it's a big But there are some parts that aren't too great. Academically I worry about the level and quality of academics. While some schools may really overemphasize reading- Waldorf isn't very fast on the draw with reading. On the surface, this sounds ok- but in reality, your child may not have the emphasis put on reading that he or she should have. Math is another weak area- I have concerns about math teaching. While there are great classes such as eurhythmics (movement) taught, the curriculum is not clearly articulated. Parents are not, and I mean not encouraged to give their feedback on curriculum. The school believes that they, and only they know the appropriate methods for teaching children and they definitely, have no interest in parents giving input into curriculum. Hope this helps anonymous 

Steiner School Lawsuit

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2016998/Assault-pupil-6-cost-Steiner-sch\
ool-100-000.html#ixzz1Sn05O33u

An `alternative' private school is facing a £100,000 compensation bill after
ignoring a whistle-blowing teacher's complaint that her daughter had been
assaulted.

Jo Sawfoot, 42, worked at the fashionable Steiner school – where exams are
considered harmful and pupils learn through gardening and playing with wooden
blocks.

Her six-year-old daughter was also a pupil at the school.

Miss Sawfoot, a Cambridge graduate and the school's designated child protection
officer, claimed that bosses failed to investigate when she reported that her
child had been assaulted by another teacher, Anna Letts.

Instead, she told an employment tribunal, the school misled social services by
falsely claiming the girl had to be restrained after biting a staff member.

Lynn Kern - Highland Hall Waldorf School has a not-so-new administrator

http://www.highlandhall.org/Our%20Leadership

"Lynn served Highland Hall for a decade as the school's first administrative
director, during which time the school's enrollment grew markedly and its
financial strength was significantly improved."

During Lynn's previous term as Highland Hall's administrative director, children
were molested and cover-ups ensued at her direction. This document describes
the steps Lynn Kern did NOT take, and why she WASN'T prevented from taking them.

http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html
Highland Hall - Breaking Mandated Reporting Laws

Lynn's first response was to cover up the first molestation by the teenage son
of Wendy Wilkins, a Waldorf teacher employed at Highland Hall. Her reasoning
was that the child wasn't enrolled at Highland Hall. The pedophile was allowed
to play on the grounds with many children. His activities are describe in this
eloquent letter by a parent:

http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/2010/10/letter-from-angry-parent-1.html

Meanwhile, concurrent to the first incident, a COMPLETELY SEPARATE groping
incident involving an assistant teacher and high school girls was underway.
Again, the incidents were covered up - children were even bullied by teachers
modify their testimonies. The detail of those incidents are related here:
http://waldorfcritics.org/articles/DisillusionedParent.html

Lynn Kern was forced to resign after failing to comply with mandated reporting
laws. Now, she's back... running Highland Hall! And remember, for the first
time, Highland Hall is offering a SUMMER CAMP - and hiring transient
"counselors" to work there - a week at a time!

Parents should be warned about Lynn Kern and her administrative style. Secrecy
and cover-up is the name of the game - that and intimidation of students to keep
them quiet. All one has to do to confirm this is to look at Highland Hall's
track record... and Lynn Kern's.

Desert Star Community School - Waldorf Charter - Reviews by Parents

http://www.greatschools.org/school/parentReviews.page?id=3566&state=AZ#from..HeaderLink

Posted May 18, 2011

Desert Star has many pros and cons. If your main interest is knowing that school will be fun place for your kids. This is a good school. There does seem to be a lot of emphasis on extracurricular activities such as knitting, gardening, field trips, painting and drawing, mixed with a bit of music. However, it is lacking in the basic curriculum in regards to reading, writing, and math. There are no text books for each child and most of the work that is handed out is hand-printed. In two years, my child has not had one spelling test nor has spelling been taught as a class in and of itself. There also seems to be a lack of clear organization and direction. I would have to honestly say that if one's priority is in learning the basic educational curriculum, then this will not be the school for you. However, if one's priority is that your child thinks that school is fun and that people are nice and, if that is good enough for you, you will more than likely like this school very much.
—Submitted by a parent

Waldorf School of Garden City - Reviews by Parents

http://www.greatschools.org/school/parentReviews.page?id=5070&state=NY#from..HeaderLink

Posted November 7, 2011

The Jury is still out for me.My sons first Month in 5th grade was a challange.The bad weather days the students are sent out in the rain. A bully pulled my son shirt to get his attention about his Violyn playing. The teacher said oh the bully was so helpful to the others in the class before.My son does not feel safe or trusted. Health reasons he has missed 10 days so far. I took him from a school in NYC for this?
—Submitted by a parent

Posted October 2, 2009

I did not care for this school at all. The environment was not fun or friendly. It was more of an environment for discipline. The problem with this approach is that the teacher (s) did not first establish any relationship or any sort of trust with the child and before you know it, they are repremanding the children and sending them out of the room.  —Submitted by a parent

The Brooklyn Waldorf School - Reviews by Parents

http://nycprivateschoolsblog.com/contributors/private-school-focus-on-the-brooklyn-waldorf-school/11/25/2009/

Smaro January 19, 2011 at 10:04 am
My daughter attended one session of the parent child program before I become completely fed up and left the school. Initially, I applied online and received a confirmation email. After hearing no response, I called and left 2 emails to follow up. The admissions staff told me she would get back to me on all occassions. Heard nothing. Then, I decided to make a visit to the school and after speaking to the admissions coordinator in person, she said she would email me the next day with a response. Heard nothing, and contacted her two days later. After numerous emails (over 10), she states that she lost my application and to please apply again. After applying, I had to follow up twice before receiving any confirmation. When it came time to pay tuition, I decided to pay in person just to make sure everything went smoothly. A few weeks later, she tells me she never received my check (which I handed her!) I felt like I spent more time dealing with problematic issues than the amount of time my daughter spend in this 2hour class. After speaking with three other parents, they told me they have encountered communication issues with admissions or staff. As a parent, I find this unacceptable. I am not continuing with the parent child program or continuing onto nursery.

Susquehana Waldorf School - Reviews by Parents

This is one of the Waldorf schools that was an example of Waldorf schools that hide their Anthroposophical underpinnings:

http://www.greatschools.org/school/parentReviews.page?id=4576&state=PA#from..HeaderLink

Posted January 26, 2012

Sadly, the Susquehanna Waldorf School (SWS) is the worst run institution that I have come across in both the public and private sectors in the United States. Most of the teachers at SWS are wonderful educators, but the school itself is in such disarray due to their incompetent, uneducated administration powers that be. Furthermore, I seriously question the safety of the building that the school is physically housed in at present in Marietta on many levels (e.g., mold, radon, roof stability, lead paint...). SWS has had a numerous and significant change overs in staff and board members in the past few years and for very just reasons. It is seriously questioned whether or not the school will be reaccredited as a true "Waldorf" school once again given all of these circumstances. Again, it is a most unfortunate situation because there are many wonderful educators working at SWS... but one cannot take a blind eye to the real problems at SWS. The bottom line is that SWS a poor example of how a "Waldorf" school should operate, may even be the worst.
—Submitted by a parent

http://www.judysbook.com/members/8238/posts/2005/7/20473/
Colin N., Saturday, July 09, 2005

This review is for: Waldorf School See Susquehanna Waldorf School

The Susquehanna Waldorf School is a great experience for young children ages 5-8. It is funny while still learning the basics of education. The child will come to like learning and learn to respect others. However, as the child begins to mature further it is a good idea to switch schools as the Susquehanna Waldorf School is not that good for children ages 10 and up as it begins to become childish for them and they begin to dislike it.

Summerfield Waldorf School - Review by Teacher

http://www.greatschools.org/school/parentReviews.page?id=8886&state=CA&sortBy=dd&page=2#revPagination

 

Posted August 26, 2003

The total lack of a comprehensive science program hurts this school. There is no coordinated physical science program.  —Submitted by a teacher

Santa Cruz Waldorf School - Reviews by Parents and Students

http://www.yelp.com/biz/santa-cruz-waldorf-school-santa-cruz

Sierra D.

Arlington, VA

2/14/2008

Haha, rate your school. I went here for a couple years. Some good things, some weird things. This educational foundation lets the child set their own pace, its a little separated from the real world. I remember no shoes in the classroom, a little lunch basket with a cloth napkin, gnomes, drawing with pastels and no clothing with characters. I remember there was a girl in my class that had never watched TV. I think Waldorf is great.....they have an amazing Halloween festival there, and I think a May Day one too. Unfortunately, I don't think I am the Waldorf type.....but I also learned how to knit and I remember a lot of good times being imaginative there.

Y C.

Scotts Valley, CA

5/23/2011

Unless you're a genius, don't go there or you will be so behind academically when you leave. It will take months if not years to ever catch up, if at all.

Prarie Hill Waldorf School - Reviews by Parents

 http://www.greatschools.org/school/parentReviews.page?id=2879&state=WI#from..HeaderLink

Posted April 16, 2012

The school is not teaching the children to be compassionate to one another. Maybe they learn to have respect for the earth, nature and their schoolwork, but it seems to end when they enter recess. There are too many incidents of inappropriate language and behavior. The school seems to not take it seriously enough to implement rules to keep everyone emotionally and physically safe. The Waldorf curriculum is wonderful and impressive, but the school lacks the guidelines that holds the children responsible for their ill behavior. The most important thing we can teach our children is to be kind to themselves and others.
—Submitted by a parent

Posted March 21, 2010

We have been a family with the school for nearly 3 years now, and the school just has not maintained an acceptable level of safety regarding access into the school. There is no buzz in or check in process. Anyone can walk in and this is a huge safety issue to me. My son had a horrible experience as a kindergardener directly related to this. The school was aware, but nothing was done. Use caution when sending small children here, they may not be as protected as you are lead to believen they are.
—Submitted by a parent

Posted February 25, 2010

Our three sons attended Prairie Hill. Two of our sons had wonderful experiences and had two of the best teachers we have ever known! Our then 3rd grader had a truly horrible experience with a teacher that he is still trying to heal from. Sadly, I cannot recommend the school overall. Other children had a similar experience and also left, but their siblings are still in other classes. The classroom environment must be safe physically, emotionally and spiritually for a child to learn, grow, and thrive. All of the teachers must be emotionally stable. Because of the school's horizontal leadership structure, overall lack of leadership and economic pressures, serious safety issues still exist. Please use caution when interviewing a potential teacher for your child. 

Posted January 19, 2008

The Waldorf pedagogy in itself is very prescritpive. But, we found Prairie Hill to be very rigid. Not good with special needs.  —Submitted by a parent

http://www.education.com/schoolfinder/us/wisconsin/pewaukee/prairie-hill-waldorf-school/#reviews

Our 3 sons attended Prairie Hill.  Two of them had wonderful experiences, but our then 3rd grader had a very bad one that he is still healing from.  We assumed that all of the teachers would provide a safe classroom environment, both physically and emotionally and that the teachers themselves were emotionally healthy.  This was not true of one teacher and it was very harmful to several students who left.

There are many good things about this school, but because of the horizontal leadership structure, economic difficulties, and overall lack of leadership, serious issues that affect student safety remain.

Submitted on Feb 25, 2010

 

 

Merriconeag Waldorf School - Reviews by Parents and Students

http://www.greatschools.org/school/parentReviews.page?id=819&state=ME#from..HeaderLink

Posted July 8, 2010

People who support Waldorf ascribe to an unquestioning belief in the "teachings" of Rudolf Steiner. They are passionate! Hopefully, you'll get a great teacher. Otherwise, you're child is stuck from 1st grade 'til 8th. There is only the "Board" to talk to - mysterious, apparently made up of other teachers - no principal, not easy to voice concerns and see results. Your child must dress and eat according to acceptable guidelines. If you don't conform your family is ostracized. Too much parent involvement! "Therapy Sessions" is how one parent we know describes "parent evenings." The EC was more diverse in our experience - much more cultish and rigid later. If your child has special needs, class sizes are enormous and the special kids are left to flounder with one teacher to manage the group. They are suing people who leave the school for legitimate reasons, so don't sign a contract! —Submitted by a parent

Posted April 29, 2010

The worst school with no rule to follow when there is a social problems. They are over protective for the teachers and not willing to provide any cocret solutions. No diversity. —Submitted by a parent

Posted February 3, 2010

Politics amongst the admin is full of egos, an inability to take meaningful action, and rarely holds each other accountable in support of an individual family. A large part of the delivery of a Waldorf education depends on the teacher's ability to meet each child's needs with sensitivity and support (including supporting the parents). If u have bullying concerns or other problem(s),it's difficult to feel heard at Merriconeag without entering a series of meetings where, if offered, solutions are vague and dismissive, or the responsibility is left up to the parent to back off, pay for extra tutoring, Eurythmy, Speech, etc. The admin. is often not very supportive, and as a result, families leave disappointed, for multiple reasons. Unfortunaltely, the delivery of a quality Waldorf education is being compromised at this school. If you can handle the politics, dishonesty, & volunteering, welcome & enjoy!  —Submitted by a parent

Posted May 4, 2008

It was undisciplinary and supplied very low support. I am dissapointed with this school.
—Submitted by a student

Posted February 19, 2006

Words from a parent of a former student: A great school for the average to above average child provided the teacher and class are a good match for your son or daughter. If your child has any learning disabilities, look for private tutoring or the public school. Parents are not welcomed into the classroom, but are active in fundraising and larger school activities. A lovely, nurturing approach to education, but definately not for every child. Our extremely bright high school graduate (top 10% of class/800 SATs) does not reflect fondly on the 5 years at Merriconeag. Memories of favoritism and elitism predominate.
—Submitted by a parent

Waldorf School Reviews - General Info

As we can see, I'm compiling a LOT of negative reviews for Waldorf schools around the world here.  I have a couple of things I'd like to say about these. 

First, you may ask, "where are all the positive reviews?"  Well, the problem with the "positive" reviews is that they tend not to be too honest.  When they are from actual parents, they are indeed worthwhile I suppose.  One never really knows what the relationship of the reviewer is to the school when it comes to positive reviews.  Often, they are placed by teachers and administrators.  Many comments indicate that negative reviews have been flagged and removed.  Having a high "star rating" is important to some schools.  We see LOTS of 5 star reviews that are obviously there to pad the ratings - many are a single line right out of any Waldorf brochure.  "This school educates the whole child" - 5 stars... I say baloney!  The negative reviews make us aware of what's REALLY going on in these schools.  I've included a lot of 3-star reviews, BTW, because they tend to highlight what's wrong with the school along with what's OK. 

Second, I want to say, I'm not done with the review pages yet.  There are many that are sub-titled "Reviews by Parents" yet contain only a single review.  That's a place holder for more negative reviews as they come in (and they will) - and while I'm giving each school its own page, I can include news stories and other interesting stuff about each individual school.  Additionally, the keyword labels need a lot of work.  I want to identify the exact problems in each review and attach only those keywords to them.  So, if we want to search for all the reviews that contain "bullying" we will be able to do that.

Having said this - it's probably time to announce my intention to produce a second blog JUST for Waldorf school reviews, school data, news stories and so forth (not focused on Highland Hall as this one is).  I'll be copying my reviews to the new blog when I set it up.  My intention is to make it a source of critical information about Waldorf schools.  Parents/students will be able to comment on the new blog... and NO, we're not going to have a bunch of bliss-ninny's debating Waldorf here.  I've got way too many places to go around the internet - I don't want to be babysitting a blog. 

So, look for the new blog to show up right around the time I finish posting the list of Waldorf schools on this blog (yes, there will be duplicate lists - so what?). 

OK - on to more reviews!

The Hartsbrook School - Review by a Student

Here's another one I've never heard of. This is a very poignant student review:

a student
Posted on 02/20/11
This is only for the High School: Look beyond the beautiful campus and the
hospitality of the student body, teachers and staff. If you want a half hearted,
learn nothing (in terms of academics) education then Hartsbrook is for you. The
arts are OK, and I say this only because there are some really interesting and
great art classes and others are complete crap. The teachers of the school are
mixed. There are about 3 really amazing teachers that have taught at college
level. Then about 2/3 of the rest of them are utter shit. They are people who
cant even make a proper conversation with a student, and have to have other
people pass the message on. Alot of them are lousy teachers in that they do alot
of this "cutting around the bush", "Well blah blah blah, now how do u feel about
this" and "Thats a great question, but lets concentrate on this topic for a
little longer" Or "thats a great question, would anyone else like to answer it?"
However the biggest problem at Hartsbrook High is that the administration works
SOOOOOOO SLOOWWWWWW. If you want to appeal something, it takes weeks if not
months, and continuous reminding and persistence even to be considered by the
faculty. There are days when I come to school and ask myself, WTF am I doing
wasting my time at an institution like this. There are some days when I simply
cant believe what utter bull shit I just went through. I didnt learn anything.
Classes are cancelled or wasted, by the lack of grip, enforcement and
supervision of the students. Students will goof around and waste entire classes
without the teacher truly making an effort to stop it or penalize them. Now this
next part you can only take my word for, if you really would like to know for
yourself simply ask a student. Most of the students would agree with me on the
feedback I have given and the reason most of them are continuing to go to school
here is because their parents force them too, or they went to the lower school
and the parents were convinced that the high school is just as amazing as the
lower school, or that they dont care and just wanna goof around. Having said
that the number of rich goof off kids has risen, just look at the dances for
example, there never used to be drugs at any of them. Now there are people
lighting up outside and coming buzzed to prom etc. The faculty dont even notice
it and I cant even begin to tell you the amount of parties/get togethers people
have weekly where the entire group gets blazed or sauced. You have been warned.
Please visit multiple times and make sure this is the school you would like to
attend. P.S. I will have to say the 3 teachers that were absolutely amazing
truly changed my learning experience and my life. I will never forget or regret
being taught by them. If anyone for Hartsbrook is reading this. You guys have
got to fix your administration and get it straight.

Four Winds Waldof School - Reviews by Parents

Common problems here:

http://www.greatschools.org/school/parentReviews.page?id=7225&state=IL#from..Hea\
derLink

Posted December 10, 2011
After participating actively in this school for many years I am deeply concerned
about recent changes in quality, management and mission. Its claim to put
children first is not in active practice. Massive departures of families over
the last several years raise significant red flags. Children having come as far
as the end of elementary school are not able to transfer well to other school
situations due to curriculum differences and parents maybe shocked to find their
children several grade levels behind. Not the best value in this economy. Seems
to have lost its way in terms of mission, focus and quality. 501c3 status is
deceiving and not at all warranted. This school is more focused on bottom line
than quality education. Care for the children is easily dismissed when it suits
their other agendas. Buyer beware.

Emerson Waldof School - Reviews by Parents

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1\
519&bih=733&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=Emerson+Waldorf+School+reviews&fb=1&gl=us&hq=Emerson\
+Waldorf+School&cid=7671664443242281728&ei=CKCiT6O5HNLSiALJiI22Bw&sa=X&oi=local_\
result&ct=placepage-link&resnum=4&ved=0CFUQ4gkwAw

Jason ‎ - 2 months ago
The preschool is excellent. However, more than 50% of the kids in the school are
not vaccinated, posing a serious health risk to the students and the community
at large. Beyond the preschool, the curriculum is anti-intellectual and based on
superstition.

Posted September 7, 2011
Please do not send your child to this school unless you don't care about his/her
well being or quality of education. It is by far the worst school in the
district. The high school is a joke and if you send your child there, be
prepared to spend a lot of money on tutors since your child will not learn much
from the very unqalified teachers there. —Submitted by a parent

Posted February 18, 2011
This school is terrible. Don't send your child here. They brainwash children and
parents slowly until you realize it one day and it's too late. After being 4
years in this school, my child was so behind in academics that I had to hire a
private tutor before transferring him to a different private school. It's a fun
school for kids, but strong academics is just not its strongest point. Please,
do a lot of outside research before sending your child to this school.
—Submitted by a parent

Detroit Waldorf School - Reviews by Parents

http://www.greatschools.org/school/parentReviews.page?id=4273&state=MI#from..Hea\
derLink

Posted March 6, 2010
As for extracurrricular activites, as a parent I feel the neccesary tools and
subjects are not emphasize enough on preparing the children towards higher
education (high school), such as Math, Reading, Science and American History
instead of so much Mid- Evil History. Too much emphasis foucus on Nature.
—Submitted by a parent

Corvallis Waldorf School - Reviews by Parents

Posted March 6, 2007
it is not a place where your child will learn to compete. The chidren there are
very calm, but on the other hand if your child is a high energy type 'A'
personality - she/ he will not fit there.  —Submitted by a parent