My preschool-aged children presently go to a Waldorf school. They made considerable advancement in their reading, creative, and social skills. I'm sure that Waldorf schools, by their nature as an alternative form of education, attract all kinds of weird folks: both hippies and "crunchy" conservatives. I appreciate the gentle, freeform and low-tech approach to schooling. But it's not for everyone, and like with anything, one must carefully discern. Obviously, this isn't an endorsement of everything Rudolf Steiner ever said or did.
Perhaps there is merit to the idea that not all waldorf schools are identical, with their being potential for quite a bit of diversity in the standards/results. This would account for the bad references, and this would account for good references. I am glad to hear that you are pleased with the results you are getting. Because, like with steiner gardening, the good present, is very good, and not sufficiently found elsewhere. However, unfortunately, the negative of steiners gardening method is not tolerable in my opinion. I recon if I dug deep enough into waldorf, I would likely conclude the same.
I gave a guitar lesson to a waldorf teacher a few months ago. It wasn't until a while after that I learned she was a waldorf teacher, which got me looking into the school. It would have made sense of many oddities that I encountered around her.
FYI I went to a montesori school for two years. I noticed there was another current thread on that subject. And, it seems waldorf is somewhat comparable to montesori. Yet, I had never heard of it. So, I thought I would give the subject a bump, and see what people think.
