What are people's thoughts on Steiner Schools

[Suffragette1]

No no no - it must be the Brer Rabbit series!

 

Nah, the Faraway Tree. All those fairies and magic lands, suddenly a penny has dropped . . .

[hels1977]

I went to a steiner school and I was ahead of the class (in English & Maths) when I went to mainstream education. We followed the syllabus and I have fond memories of my time there - more so than the secondary school I went to later. I think my early (primary) steiner schooling served me very well to be honest. Go and look around, get a list of questions and see what you think - it's best to make your own mind up. Oh - I passed the 11+, with 80% steiner schooling up to that point so I don't think I can have been at all behind.

[Suffragette1]

I'm not sure that delaying reading is as bad as some think. Some children find it relatively easy to learn. But apparently most countries don't start teaching reading as soon as we do, and some of the children benefit from the delay.

 

The difference being that it's a level playing field with all kids starting from the same point and a small group not having to play catch up with the majority.

 

It's all very well encouraging self-expression and creativity, which is great, but some kids will not thrive in that environment, they will need clear structured tasks and boundaries. My view is that it could be detrimental for some.

[hels1977]

It's all very well encouraging self-expression and creativity, which is great, but some kids will not thrive in that environment, they will need clear structured tasks and boundaries. My view is that it could be detrimental for some.

 

I agree, but by the same rule, mainstream schooling can be equally detrimental to those who aren't so academically gifted.

[Suffragette1]

I agree, but by the same rule, mainstream schooling can be equally detrimental to those who aren't so academically gifted.

 

Are Steiner schools especially for the academically gifted then? I thought that they were non-selective.

[hels1977]

Are Steiner schools especially for the academically gifted then? I thought that they were non-selective.

 

Not to my knowledge, no. My point was that whilst some children will thrive in a more structured environment, some will thrive in a more artistic expressive environment (as is usually on offer in a steiner school). Yes a steiner education may be detrimental to some, but to others it may be very positive, likewise with "mainstream" schooling. One size doesn't fit all, I wish it did!

[Mathom]

No no no - it must be the Brer Rabbit series!

 

Oh they were fab too! My dad used to like those. Aren't they actually slave stories, you know, from the culture of slaves in southern USA?

[teeny]

I would suggest you look for yourselves and not listen to what people say , some of its hear say.

I am not going to say i agree with the schools back ground but i can tell you the 4 children I know who have been educated by this group, are well balenced, clever people now they are well qualifiedout of this 4 one is a lawyer, 2 teachers and doctor so i don't thi nk they did to badly , their friends have done well also .

But as i said go and look , talk to other parents at the school and children there too.

[onewheeldave]

Concerning the reading- it's not intended to deprive children or damage their long-term reading ability.

 

Some believe, and, there are studies which back this up, that delaying the age at which reading starts, improves long-term reading ability.

 

There's certainly no evidence that I'm aware of, which shows that not to be the case.

[onewheeldave]

Ok...............Name them.

Give me a routine day for a child at Steiner

 

Name them- all of them?

 

As I mentioned above, I know one person who went through the Steiner system and who found it good and who has down a careeer in computers- you'll excuse me if I don't post his name on a public forum, but, I assure you, he does exist

 

As for a routine day for a child at Steiner- I can't give the full details having never been at such a school.

 

But, I do know, all too well, the routine at an orthodox secondary school and, IMO, they involve far too much boredom, petty bullying and the numerous other negatives that go along with conventional education.

 

And so, I refer you back to the main point of my previous post, which is that, if people are going to condemn the entire concept of such an alternative education on the existence of a few negative aspects, then they should ask themselves, do those negative aspects outweigh those of a conventional education?

 

What I do know is that Steiner education has an emphasis on activities like crafts/knitting/juggling etc- which I would have loved to have experienced as a child, to break up the monotony of a dull maths lesson, or of standing on a freezing football pitch in mid-winter, trying to avoid getting anywhere near the ball.

 

Some kids simply do not fit in well to conventional education and, all too often, there is no catering to them, other than by attempting to hammer a square peg into a round hole- if Steiner education provides an alternative to that, them, IMO, all the better.

 

If Steiner education happens to be not 100% perfect in every respect for every child, then, so what? That's to be expected in every possible education system.