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Very pretty. Not known for being good for boys.
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09.12.11, 06:16 PM
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Are you kidding? It can be great for boys. Lots of time outside, lots of learning by doing. I don't think it's flawless (it's a nightmare if your kid is learning disabled) but it's equally good for both genders.
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09.12.11, 07:55 PM
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My impression is that the individual tactics are often great, overall strategy is limited. Philosophy behind it is creepy. At best I'd say most people doing it mean well but it's not for every kid. You may be able to learn something from them, but the really hardcore waldorf people are batsh!t. Joyful toddlers is a blog that gives waldorf based ideas.
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09.12.11, 06:30 PM
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It means that the parents have to reduce/hide their TV watching.
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09.12.11, 07:07 PM
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my dc's both did Waldorf for preschool/K. It depends a lot on which Waldorf, the ones in NYC are very good, bc there is a lot of competition. It's fantastic for a lot of kids, not every kid though. It's a very sweet environment, and I like their educational philosophy a lot, of not pushing early academics, focus on play and interaction and arts in the early grades, in a non competitive way. The drawback is that they do not want any parent presence in the classroom, you feel kind of shut out.
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09.12.11, 07:44 PM
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and yes, they request that parents limit media. But honestly the parents atracted to Waldorf already do that anyway, its a crunchy crowd. Great for us, but not everyone.
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09.12.11, 07:46 PM
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Waldorf is dreadful for children that are of color. The originator of the Waldorf philosophy was racist. His racist ideologies are integral parts of the philosophy and come out in the things that children are told where outside imagination is concerned. http://www.waldorfcritics.org/active/articles/Racism_McDermott.html Aside from this site, there's numerous info both online and in education journals attesting to the racist belief system of Steiner (waldorf originator).
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09.12.11, 10:58 PM
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really? I'd never heard that before. Very disturbing.
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09.13.11, 05:50 AM
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The roots of it are indeed very weird German stuff, but that has been very thoroughly purged from the curriculum at any Waldorf school I've ever seen. It's not a cult, at least not any more...
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09.13.11, 06:13 AM
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np: Even so, the impression of the school, at least to those outside of it, remains. Should you care.
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09.13.11, 06:15 AM
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This could not be further from the truth. Waldorf schools are COMPLETELY opposite of racist. They are very much about love everyone and everything kumbaya type of environment. They make a special point of including and teaching everyone's cultural traditions. Waldorf is not for everyone but if you are interested there are many books about their teaching philosophy as well as Steiner the man and his beliefs. It is very clear you have never had any experience with a waldorf school.
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09.15.11, 04:11 PM
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We toured Steiner, and were so turned off that we didn't do the application. On the other hand, many people are happy with it: definitely take the tour so that you have all the facts.
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09.13.11, 05:51 AM
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It's not for everyone. The pace is slow, the emphasis is away from media and because it's so different than any other program, I can see how it can seem out there compared with the mainstream. My experience is only with the NYC school so I can't speak for other Waldorf programs. However, I've never seen racism within the program - all cultures are celebrated. Could the school be more diverse? Absolutely. In the younger grades the storytelling is sophisticated and wrestles with deep moral issues and the school emphasizes teaching and modeling how to be conscious, respectful members of society. The kids seem happy and independent. As a side note, the parent community has been truly welcoming in our first few years. And even though there are some very wealthy people at the school (NYC + UES) it's been quite interesting for us to note that it's not part of the culture to show off, which is refreshing in NYC.
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10.10.11, 02:13 PM
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Smartest person I know had a Waldorf education.
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10.10.11, 02:15 PM
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