I know I'm thinking about this really early lol but who has their kids in a Steiner school. The philosophy really sits well with dh and I and the local Steiner school is only 10 mins away, looks beautiful and, well, sounds perfect for ds!
What I'd like to know is if you are happy with how the school runs and what do you like best and is there anything that you don't like?
I don't know myself, but I met someone once who attended a steiner school in NZ. He couldn't talk it up enough.
Other than that, I've always been interested. There is one around here, but out of the way a bit.
I don't have DD in a Steiner school at the moment, she is on the waiting list, but we have in the past and are again part time home schooling using a Steiner homeschooling curriculum, so do get involved with the school events like the festivals etc and are regular patrons at their supply store.
Steiner education is wonderful, and suits auditory, and kinesthetic learners really well. Some visual learners and kids that are very left brain might struggle a little bit with not learning reading until class 1 (age 7) depending on the temperament of the child, but most kids thrive. In the schools, I love that the teachers will stay with the kids from year 1 to year 6, they get to really know the kids and if they're running things properly will conduct parent teacher interviews in the home so they can tie home and school rhythms together. Steiner is ALL about rhythm!
Steiner is very sensory mastery, which is also wonderful for special needs kids like my DD, although I do know some autistic kids don't do well there because it does involve a lot of fantasy as a teaching tool. Perhaps because DD is a girl we've not found this to be an issue. The only con (not that it's a huge con, but some people wouldn't like it) I can see is that the first few years of stories/festivals/events etc. are very Western and European based but that's not an issue for us homeschooling because I'm able to substitute some of that to be more multicultural. I'm sure if this was an issue for you, you could do a similar thing outside of school. It does become more multicultural from class 3 I believe. The only other con could be that extended family may not "get" it and see it as fluffy because it's more arts based than traditional school.
My DH, his older sister and younger brother went to a Steiner school for their whole of their school careers. My DH is the most un-steinerish person you will ever meet, he is not airy-fairy or arty-farty at all! He didn’t learn to read or write until he was 12! I’ve looked though all his school books and his drawings are amazing, so detailed and colourful (with lots and lots of dirty fingermarks around the edges). He did really well in his HSC, went on to uni and is now a successful professional (environmental scientist). He talks about his school days with such fondness, it truly sounds like he had an amazing and very happy time.
His brother and sister, who you would think would have personalities better suited to a Steiner school than my DH, had very different experiences. His sister thought it was OK and it really did not suit his brother at all, he ended up redoing his HSC at TAFE after he left school.
I guess what I’m trying to say is different kids can suit different schools with sometimes unexpectedly good and bad matches. So I guess I’ve not really been of any help at all.
My husband is a Steiner teacher, my children go to a Steiner school. And I work out of Anthroposophy (Steiner Philosophy) with children under 7. So it's a big YES do it from me. Too many wonderful things to say to write them all down. There are some introductory books that you can get to help you understand the philosophy behind the schooling.
Every school is different, and has their own individualised way of working with the indicators that Steiner left. So be sure to attend open days and ask questions. But mostly, you can feel that it is right for your family something spoke to you, and that is mostly the first step towards choosing this schooling!
We follow Anthroposophical Philosophy to a degree and love the Waldorf/Steiner philosophy with regard to education. Its a great education system and very child centred but like many schools it does follow a philosophy and I urge anyone who considers Steiner education to look at the ideology behind it before placing their children.
We intend to homeschool with a Steiner/Unschooling slant but both our boys are still a little young yet.
Thanks for all of your replies, some great info and interesting experiences for sure!
I called the school yesterday and asked a few questions and it's just my luck that their childrens festival is on in May so we are going to go and check it out! So excited about it and so is dh. We are going to start DS in their play group when he is 2.5yrs and if all is well then book him in to go to school
I love Steiner. Unfortunately I think your local is also our nearest Steiner! Boooooo. I have been to a couple of open days, and I love what they do. A friend is a Steiner high school science teacher, and also teaches mainstream. Loves the challenge of doing both, and definitely feels that the learning is equivalent.
My brother went to two Steiner schools (Collingwood, and then Warranwood for VCE), and he loved it. He has aspergers, and his writing improved while he was there (he had shocking writing!). My brother, who I certainly wouldn't pick as an actor-type, was even in the school productions there! I would love to send my kids to a Steiner school, but there are none close by.
Hi, just wondering if the Preschool you are talking about is taraleigh? We went to the open day and are really excited about it. DD#1 is on the wait list for preschool next year
Have you started at the play group?
If this us the same place I am keen for your opinion as MJ loved it at the open day and wants to go back straight away!
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He didn’t learn to read or write until he was 12!
I’ve looked though all his school books and his drawings are amazing, so detailed and colourful (with lots and lots of dirty fingermarks around the edges). He did really well in his HSC, went on to uni and is now a successful professional (environmental scientist). He talks about his school days with such fondness, it truly sounds like he had an amazing and very happy time.
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