Question about Kindergarten discipline

[Mommyintraining2]

I have heard of a Waldorf school that has a chart where everyone starts in the middle "Ready to Learn" box.  If someone misbehaves, their clip goes down to "Thnk about it" and on down until they go to the principal's office.  If they do well, it goes up.  Apparently hardly anyone gets clip ups and some of the children feel frustrated that they are noticed for their misbehaviors rather than commended for their "good" behavior. One child calls it "the good and bad chart".   Is this a normal way to discipline in Waldor schools?  I'm not too familiar with the discipline philosophy with Waldorf. 

[frogautumn]

Huh. That certainly doesn't seem like the Waldorf way and that's not the way discipline goes in our Waldorf Nursery/Kindy.

First of all, Waldorf stays away from reading and writing until grade school. There are no books...stories are told in oral form through songs, verses, and puppet shows. You usually don't see much writing or labeling of any kind...even the children's cubbies are marked by symbols rather than their written name. So a chart like this seems to be, by contrast, very academic and very out of place in a Waldorf kindy.

Second of all, Waldorf early childhood philosophy is all about imitation and discipline is usually done by guiding the child to appropriate behavior in a gentle way. For example, if a child was acting in a disruptive manner, the teacher would probably redirect the child by leading them away with an outstretched hand, handing him a towel and saying, "Here Tommy, you may help me fold the tea towels."

So I can't say for certain that charts like that don't exist.Bbut what you describe seems out of place, and you wouldn't find it at our school.

ETA: Oops! I just noticed that you weren't specifically talking about Kindergarten. Maybe some mamas of older children can speak from their experience about discipline in the older grades.

ETA#2: Oops again! Looking back at the thread title and realizing that you ARE specifically talking about kindergarten!

Edited by frogautumn - 11/16/10 at 11:31am

[Melaniee]

Originally Posted by frogautumn 

Huh. That certainly doesn't seem like the Waldorf way and that's not the way discipline goes in our Waldorf Nursery/Kindy.

First of all, Waldorf stays away from reading and writing until grade school. There are no books...stories are told in oral form through songs, verses, and puppet shows. You usually don't see much writing or labeling of any kind...even the children's cubbies are marked by symbols rather than their written name. So a chart like this seems to be, by contrast, very academic and very out of place in a Waldorf kindy.

Second of all, Waldorf early childhood philosophy is all about imitation and discipline is usually done by guiding the child to appropriate behavior in a gentle way. For example, if a child was acting in a disruptive manner, the teacher would probably redirect the child by leading them away with an outstretched hand, handing him a towel and saying, "Here Tommy, you may help me fold the tea towels."

So I can't say for certain that charts like that don't exist.Bbut what you describe seems out of place, and you wouldn't find it at our school.

ETA: Oops! I just noticed that you weren't specifically talking about Kindergarten. Maybe some mamas of older children can speak from their experience about discipline in the older grades.

ETA#2: Oops again! Looking back at the thread title and realizing that you ARE specifically talking about kindergarten!

Ditto...Never heard of such a thing and I find it hard to imagine it's at a Waldorf school. 
 

[melamama]

This doesn't make sense at all to exist in a Waldorf kindergarten.  Waldorf kindergarten is not about being "Ready to Learn".  It is a place focused on play.

I also find it hard to believe that it would be at a Waldorf school at all--even in the grades.  Most do not have principals as they are teacher run, so the child's class teacher would have the highest authority.  Also the description of the chart doesn't even sound too "Waldorfy".  My first grader's teacher sometimes writes the names of the kids who have been really super on the board that day, so this is exactly the opposite of the original post.

[zoebird]

i've never seen it at a waldorf kindy or school, though i admit i have only seen 4 kindys and 3 schools so far.

i would check the waldorf school in question, and if i see such a chart, i would ask about it specifically. 

it wouldn't be a chart that would work for my family. :)