Hi ladies, I am considering sending my children to a local Steiner School and I am hoping that some of you could share your experiences. My oldest just turned 3 and the other is a newborn so I have a bit of time up my sleeve. I haven't been on a tour yet...
I guess I am struggling because I am a primary school teacher who works in a mainstream public school. I believe in public education and there are many aspects of the system that I like but also lots that I don't like. I feel that the Steiner School will offer my children the freedom to be who they truely are and won't be as limiting as mainstream schooling but at the same time I don't want them to fall behind because the expectations are lower; for example, is it true that they learn to read only when they start to show an interest in doing so?
My 3 yo is a caring, considerate, funny and imaginative boy who takes great pride in creating and problem solving. I guess I am just worried that these qualities will be squashed in a mainstream setting..
3 Replies
Different Steiner schools adhere to Steiner philosophy to different degrees. But if there is any history of developmental delays, dyslexia etc in your family I would avoid Steiner like the plague. Do your homework on specific schools.
They are great schools for self directed learners. Not every child is a self directed learner though and self directed learners tend to do well in any setting usually.
The children who aren't self directed learners and have some quirks end up working with people like me, to give them a push. My job was to tutor Steiner students in literacy. I also worked with the children, some in year 6, 7 and 8 on basic things like how to set out there work so that people could read it. Simple things like writing on the line, writing the date, penmanship, because there writing was unintelligible. Of course as a teacher you could do those things yourself. You can imagine the nightmare that creates for a child with dyslexia who has to catch up 6-7 years of literacy. Many Steiner schools won't correct things like spelling mistakes until a certain age.
If your oldest is 3 I'd definitely enroll now. Some Steiner, Montessori and other private/alternative schools have waiting lists years long.
I personally don't like the public schools system and my child goes to a private school. It's not Steiner but it's fantastic. If you don't like it or decide it's not the school for your kids you could always take them out.
Research the Steiner philosophy first, then attend your local school to understand their interpretation of Steiner's teachings. I believe they focus on reading from age 7, not a bad thing when you look at Finland's results.
It's not all creative, follow your own path, touchy feely stuff, for example no wearing black, using black crayons, and possibly no tv or plastic toys at home, so it all does depend on your local school, and then your philosophies in life. Look into conscious/gentle parenting if you're questioning mainstream approaches.
PS I was keen to send my kids, but they have learning difficulties and ultimately, I still like to choose, I take a bit of this and a bit of that. As John Marsden describes his Candlebark school in Victoria, as "somewhere between The Simpsons and Steiner"