comparison thread

[Carita]

I just found out I have a Waldorf K-8 school nearby. I don't know much about Waldorf, but I'm curious about it and other types of education as I look ahead to preschool for my son. My old city had lots of Montessori schools and not much else. Now it seems I have lots of choices. Depending on our final move destination, we may even have a Quaker Friends school and a few others as well.

I was hoping there was a comparison thread on here somewhere, or some description of each type and the types of kids they are best for. Or maybe some people would be kind enough to chime in with their experience.

My son loves music, dancing, engineering (moving parts, figuring out how things work, big trucks LOL), reading/stories, and running (lots of running).

[ollyoxenfree]

Here's a link to an article that compares Waldorf, Montessori and Reggio. You can find upthread in the Learning at School Resource thread.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1114452

My ds and dd thrived in Montessori schools. Benefits: child-directed learning, multi-age classrooms, gentle organized classrooms, nurturing curiosity, love of learning and respect for each other. They were early readers. I suspect they would have been frustrated in a setting that did not encourage reading when they showed an interest, rather than when the teacher/school philosophy decided they "should" be ready to read. I liked the Montessori approach to nurturing the whole child - encouraging independence in practical life skills like dressing and preparing food, as well as more academic subjects.

Hope that helps a little.

[Carita]

I just read the mothering article. It talked about the ideals, and the fundamentals, but not much about personal experience.

I have heard some pretty severe criticism of Waldorf in that students are unable to read until much later, making it not a good Pre-K or K choice for preparing for other more traditional schools.

Thank you for your take on Montessouri!

[ssh]

We'd probably want to look into the Quaker friends school if there was one near us. I like their educational philosophy and emphasis on respect for the student. Here's a link : http://www.friendscouncil.org/Folder...nage/Guide.htm

[ollyoxenfree]

Oops - just re-read my earlier post - I've edited to correct it. It should have read that my dc would have been frustrated if they were in a setting that did not encourage reading when they showed an interest....

[sarahr]

Originally Posted by ssh

We'd probably want to look into the Quaker friends school if there was one near us. I like their educational philosophy and emphasis on respect for the student. Here's a link : http://www.friendscouncil.org/Folder...nage/Guide.htm

I went to a Quaker school and while it would say that if followed all this, in fact it was a pretty traditional school focusing on very rigorous academics that, at least in the upper grades, was quite competitive. My point in saying this is that schools can very so much in how they actually carry out a specific philosophy, so you might like one and detest another.

[Carita]

Ohh - I wish I could afford to send my kids to the Quaker school the whole time, but I think we will be stuck with the public school from K on. The burden of middle class you know - too poor to afford private education, and make too much to qualify for aid... *sigh* The Quaker school near one of my job prospects offers a full day Pre-K program, and it wouldn't be outrageously more than regular daycare.

Thanks for the help gals!