Waldorf and Unschooling
[email protected]
In a message dated 9/10/01 1:50:28 AM US Mountain Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:
I just took Zak out of Waldorf. He was only there 5 days. The things I
liked about the Waldorf is that they are gentle spirits, it's very "granola",
lots of love and attention and affection., only 10 in Zak's class with 2
teachers. The things are don't like about Waldorf are the same as I don't
like about any school. (1) It's not a real environment - kids together of
the same age. (2) Teacher driven not child led - Zak didn't get to determine
when he played outside, it was determined by the teacher. (3) Control - lots
of control in Waldorf, although they don't appear to be that way. Example.
Zak would not each salad for a snack or soup for a snack so I packed him a
Health Valley Tart Bar and explained to the teacher that I didn't want him
going hungry. At the end of the day she gave it back to me and said "we
couldn't give it to him because then everyone would want to do this"... My
response was "so what let them?" she said "well then we would have chaos over
eating"... I said "maybe you'd learn something from the children about what
they really want to eat and when rather than on your schedule. I insist that
Zak has the opportunity to eat something else".... She said "I'll have to
talk about it with my peers, but I don't think we can do that".
I actually think the above scenario was the straw that broke the camel's back
about putting him in any kind of school and bringing him home. I suddenly
realized that it was all about adults having control over children, just
because they were bigger and thought that the adult ideas were better than
the kids could come up with.
Plus it would have cost $600 a month. We are taking that $600 and bought a
playsystem for our backgarden for the kids for $3500. So in a few months
we'll have something that will last them all their childhood and not scar
them as opposed to paying for something to potentially do them harm (the
being in school).
As for convincing your ex... I wouldn't bother... that's the reason she's
your ex... Just start doing the unschooling thing (if that's the way you want
to go) and once she sees the rewards maybe she'll come around.
Read as much as you can as well... I just finished reading Linda Dobson's The
First Year of Homeschooling and it was a wonderful help to me and my husband.
Good luck.
Dawn
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Dawn Falbe
Personal Development Coach
Relocational Astrologer
(520) 579-2646
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The Path of Least Resistance is Inside of You
www.astrologerdawn.com
Enlightening women on how to live their Soul Purpose
"The people who get on in this world
are people who get up and look for the
circumstances they want, and,
if they can't find them, make them." - George Bernard Shaw
"The only time my education was interrupted was when I was in school."-George
Bernard Shaw
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected] writes:
> My name is Mark, I'm a 39 year old divorced father of 2, and I amWelcome Mark:
> homeschooling my 11 year old son this year. His mother is a Waldorf
> School teacher, and he's been in the school since Kindergarten. His
> class no longer has a teacher, so I am pursuing my ideal of
> homeschooling. His mother is stuck on the Waldorf thing, and I value a
> lot of what it has given to him. But I'm curious about the unschooling
> concept. Does anyone out there have any experience with Waldorf
> Education, and the comparison between the two approaches?
I just took Zak out of Waldorf. He was only there 5 days. The things I
liked about the Waldorf is that they are gentle spirits, it's very "granola",
lots of love and attention and affection., only 10 in Zak's class with 2
teachers. The things are don't like about Waldorf are the same as I don't
like about any school. (1) It's not a real environment - kids together of
the same age. (2) Teacher driven not child led - Zak didn't get to determine
when he played outside, it was determined by the teacher. (3) Control - lots
of control in Waldorf, although they don't appear to be that way. Example.
Zak would not each salad for a snack or soup for a snack so I packed him a
Health Valley Tart Bar and explained to the teacher that I didn't want him
going hungry. At the end of the day she gave it back to me and said "we
couldn't give it to him because then everyone would want to do this"... My
response was "so what let them?" she said "well then we would have chaos over
eating"... I said "maybe you'd learn something from the children about what
they really want to eat and when rather than on your schedule. I insist that
Zak has the opportunity to eat something else".... She said "I'll have to
talk about it with my peers, but I don't think we can do that".
I actually think the above scenario was the straw that broke the camel's back
about putting him in any kind of school and bringing him home. I suddenly
realized that it was all about adults having control over children, just
because they were bigger and thought that the adult ideas were better than
the kids could come up with.
Plus it would have cost $600 a month. We are taking that $600 and bought a
playsystem for our backgarden for the kids for $3500. So in a few months
we'll have something that will last them all their childhood and not scar
them as opposed to paying for something to potentially do them harm (the
being in school).
As for convincing your ex... I wouldn't bother... that's the reason she's
your ex... Just start doing the unschooling thing (if that's the way you want
to go) and once she sees the rewards maybe she'll come around.
Read as much as you can as well... I just finished reading Linda Dobson's The
First Year of Homeschooling and it was a wonderful help to me and my husband.
Good luck.
Dawn
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Dawn Falbe
Personal Development Coach
Relocational Astrologer
(520) 579-2646
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The Path of Least Resistance is Inside of You
www.astrologerdawn.com
Enlightening women on how to live their Soul Purpose
"The people who get on in this world
are people who get up and look for the
circumstances they want, and,
if they can't find them, make them." - George Bernard Shaw
"The only time my education was interrupted was when I was in school."-George
Bernard Shaw
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]