Looking for schooling options

[fairyandgnome]

Okay, well for years I was dead set on sending all of my children to Waldorf.  My best friend is a teacher and I learned about the schooling right along with her while she finished her masters at a very popular Waldorf college. I often flew up to visit her and sit in on classes as well. Anyway.. with out getting into detail about what has taken place.. yesterday, after years and years of teaching,  she came into view of what she says "waldorf is truely about" She immediatly pulled her daughter out of the school, enrolled her in public school and quit her job.

Needless to say, after doing my own research these months she has been warning me.. I am much more hesitant to send my kids any longer. This leaves me with a great void. I am a very picky person when it comes to my kids education. I love the holistic approach that waldorf has, along with the caring for others teachings. I like block learning as opposed to having several lessons of different subjects each day. I prefer art/ play based schools and little to no media esp while at school. (Ie mainsteam influence, not science type learning videos)

We are christian and have considered other christian schools, but I dont want a stern learning envirioment that I grew up in.

What other options are out there? I am not a fan of montissori, so that option is out. I see other types of education at the top of this forum, but am unaware as to what they are. I have never heard of them.

Any help you guys could offer would be amazing! TIA!

[alb6]

theres lots of options.. esp depending on your  location. check around the forum for ideas...

just curious though- why are you so against waldorf and montessori now?

[Linda on the move]

It really depends on the options where you live. My kids go to a VERY cool alternative school. Two of the students at the school have parents who teach at the Waldorf school, which totally cracks me up.

Our school has an animal center, a green house, a kiln, a dark room etc. Rather than having a stern philosophy that kids are supposed to fit into, they work to meet the needs of each child, and so our school has a funky mix of gifted, kids with slight special needs, kids whose parents just like to think outside the box, etc. We are the ultimate in eclectic.

We have a nice balance between structure and free time, with a very cool outdoor skills program.

But it isn't a chain or anything like that. It's just a funky school that started back in the 70's with some crazy ideas.

Check out the options in your city, there may be something very cool.

[fairyandgnome]

Well.. right now.. with the issues at hand.. I am not at liberty to discuss my issues with Waldorf.. BUT I will say on the montissori side.. I think my issue is more about the fact that they are not sanctioned in anyway.. so ANYONE can open a school and call it mont. So finding a "true" mont school, esp around here where everyone is more concerned about image than the real education at hand.. Is like pulling a needle out of a hay stack.

I looked into the other options around here.. so far the two types that stand out the most.. arent an option for us at all..  One is a world language school.. I would have like to tried that one out, but we missed the cut off. Then there was the school of  math, science and yadda yadda.. well.. its not my thing and even if it were.. they dont do Elementary here.

So far, we are lookign into moving to states that have a charter waldorf school. I think, for once, with the government being invloved and controling more and demanding a structer of sorts.. it could bring about balance between the two worlds.. IMO

[FarmerBeth]

Linda on the move is right that there are a lot of cool, non chain schools out there that might fit what you want.  Reggio Emilia schools are really arts oriented and generally non screen time based like Waldorf.  And if some of what is not clicking with you about Waldorf is the Anthroposophy thing, Enki schools have a lot of positive Waldorf, Montesorri and emergent elements but without all the dogma.  There are almost no official ones now (the first official one was in Halifax, NS, but by the time my son went there it had already had structural changes that prevented it from being officially an Enki school).  I gather there are few Enki schools left, but you might find some independents that started that way or with a similar arts integrated approach.