Waldorf

So I've been reading a lot about Waldorf Education/Waldorf Parenting lately. It grew out of my latest obsession with homeschooling, which I've actually decided to put on the shelf for a while since it's...you know...forever away still. So much can and will change before then that there is no point making decisions now. I'm keeping it open as an option, even an option that I'm fond of, and leaving it at that. Plus I got sidetracked.

It's taken me a long time to decide what I think about this whole Waldorf thing, I never heard of it in my early childhood development courses. And honestly I'm still not 100% sure of my opinion. There are so many interpretations out there and so many levels of the philosophy itself. But so far I think where I stand right now is ironically enough the exact opposite of my stance on the Montessori Method.

Being a bit more knowledgeable on Montessori, I have long felt that it's a great preschool teaching method (it is rarely used with children over 7). I thought it was a great parenting method too...before I had kids. Now I've realized that it makes for ridiculously unattainable (and rather joyless if you ask me) parenting taken it its pure form. That being said, I do adore the activities, and when I was working in childcare I picked up Montessori activity books whenever I found them. Like I said, its a great teaching method. I cant wait until Zeke is older and we can do a lot of the activities.

Waldorf, however, is a horrible schooling method (though it is ONLY used in children over 7). 1. I'm starting to believe a waldorf education, because of the way its organized, could not help but to be a bit...splotchy? I think you learn a great bit about certain things, and miss out on quite a bit else. 2. I think it only teaches to creative types and poor math guys like my husband would be miserable. And 3. Anthroposophy, the spiritual philosophy that the waldorf method grew from, is rather silly at times. I cant help but feel that Steiner (its founder) was all too aware of our innate desire (even innate NEED) for the Holy, but instead of going to what is actually Holy, he skirts the edges of truth by worshiping what has been created instead of the creator, and celebrating saint's days without understanding what the saints were actually about.

But THAT being said, it's a quite inspiring parenting method. I really love the focus on being involved with nature, and including your children in the everyday tasks of homemaking, and the importance of rhythm, and not stressing the academics so much in the preschool years (although some waldorf writers take this to extreme, with an almost FEAR of academics pre-7. I would never KEEP my child from any knowledge he wanted to gain, I just agree that not only is there no need to push it at this age but pushing it could be really harmful).

So that is where I stand on that, lol. Not that anyone actually cared. Before I die I will probably have a stance on absolutely everything, seriously.

I long for the day that I can just not have an opinion and be done.