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hondaicivic
Joined: 01 Jul 2010 Location: Daegu, South Korea
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Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 5:12 am Post subject: I would definitely enrolled my kids in these type of schools |
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldorf_education
"Waldorf education (also known as Steiner or Steiner-Waldorf education) is a humanistic approach to pedagogy based upon the educational philosophy of the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy. Learning is interdisciplinary, integrating practical, artistic, and conceptual elements. The approach emphasizes the role of the imagination in learning, developing thinking that includes a creative as well as an analytic component. The educational philosophy's overarching goals are to provide young people the basis on which to develop into free, morally responsible and integrated individuals, and to help every child fulfill his or her unique destiny, the existence of which anthroposophy posits. Schools and teachers are given considerable freedom to define curricula within collegial structures."
What do you guys think? |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 5:21 am Post subject: |
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My cousin went to a Waldorf school. They seem great in principle, but I'm not big on the whole looping thing, as I think it limits scope and social ability. You can conceivably spend your entire schooling, from elementary school through high school, with the same classmates and teacher. In general I think this can stifle kids and lead to an environment that is a bit overly sheltered. While I'm all for alternatives to the public school system (coming out of an extremely liberal boarding school myself), the Waldorf system isn't really my cup of tea. |
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Stalin84
Joined: 30 Dec 2009 Location: Haebangchon, Seoul
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Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 5:31 am Post subject: |
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northway wrote: |
My cousin went to a Waldorf school. They seem great in principle, but I'm not big on the whole looping thing, as I think it limits scope and social ability. You can conceivably spend your entire schooling, from elementary school through high school, with the same classmates and teacher. In general I think this can stifle kids and lead to an environment that is a bit overly sheltered. While I'm all for alternatives to the public school system (coming out of an extremely liberal boarding school myself), the Waldorf system isn't really my cup of tea. |
Despite this, Waldorf schools and Montessori schools are significantly better than the public school system  |
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definitely maybe
Joined: 16 Feb 2008
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Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 5:32 am Post subject: |
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My cousin went to High Mowing in New Hampshire. Weird, weird, WEIRD! |
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hondaicivic
Joined: 01 Jul 2010 Location: Daegu, South Korea
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Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 5:41 am Post subject: |
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Stalin84 wrote: |
northway wrote: |
My cousin went to a Waldorf school. They seem great in principle, but I'm not big on the whole looping thing, as I think it limits scope and social ability. You can conceivably spend your entire schooling, from elementary school through high school, with the same classmates and teacher. In general I think this can stifle kids and lead to an environment that is a bit overly sheltered. While I'm all for alternatives to the public school system (coming out of an extremely liberal boarding school myself), the Waldorf system isn't really my cup of tea. |
Despite this, Waldorf schools and Montessori schools are significantly better than the public school system  |
It seem they're even better than those elite private school like Philip Exeter or Daewon Foreign Language high school in Seoul. Check this article in the NYT about Daewon. It said that the students there would have 14-15 hours school M-F. Totally insane and counterproductive!
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/world/asia/27seoul.html |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 5:55 am Post subject: |
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hondaicivic wrote: |
Stalin84 wrote: |
northway wrote: |
My cousin went to a Waldorf school. They seem great in principle, but I'm not big on the whole looping thing, as I think it limits scope and social ability. You can conceivably spend your entire schooling, from elementary school through high school, with the same classmates and teacher. In general I think this can stifle kids and lead to an environment that is a bit overly sheltered. While I'm all for alternatives to the public school system (coming out of an extremely liberal boarding school myself), the Waldorf system isn't really my cup of tea. |
Despite this, Waldorf schools and Montessori schools are significantly better than the public school system  |
It seem they're even better than those elite private school like Philip Exeter or Daewon Foreign Language high school in Seoul. Check this article in the NYT about Daewon. It said that the students there would have 14-15 hours school M-F. Totally insane and counterproductive!
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/world/asia/27seoul.html |
You say it's counterproductive, but its results show otherwise. I've known a lot of Andover kids, and they tend to stand out as people who are really going to do special things with their lives. Exeter tends to embrace the stifling aspects of boarding school a bit more, but it still shows results that your average Waldorf or Montessori school never will, much of which is do to instilling a crazy ability to work in its students. |
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Steelrails

Joined: 12 Mar 2009 Location: Earth, Solar System
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Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 6:42 am Post subject: |
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Ahhh Rudolf Steiner, I only went for a semester, but here were some of the highlights-
Eurthymy (sp?)
Most kids drinking soy milk
Pastels were preferred over pencils
Mandatory Violin
Our major story time was Exodus, Deuteronomy, Leviticus, and Numbers in children's book form
After that it was The Black Cauldron
Candle Lighting
The weird books we did Grammar in
French and German, no Spanish
Knitting and Crocheting were mandatory
In other words it was a very good educational program and I would recommend it. Seriously. It sounds weird on the surface but you really get a lot of the essentials. |
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hondaicivic
Joined: 01 Jul 2010 Location: Daegu, South Korea
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Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 4:49 pm Post subject: |
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northway wrote: |
hondaicivic wrote: |
Stalin84 wrote: |
northway wrote: |
My cousin went to a Waldorf school. They seem great in principle, but I'm not big on the whole looping thing, as I think it limits scope and social ability. You can conceivably spend your entire schooling, from elementary school through high school, with the same classmates and teacher. In general I think this can stifle kids and lead to an environment that is a bit overly sheltered. While I'm all for alternatives to the public school system (coming out of an extremely liberal boarding school myself), the Waldorf system isn't really my cup of tea. |
Despite this, Waldorf schools and Montessori schools are significantly better than the public school system  |
results? Learning how to get perfect SAT scores and A's on your exam. That's all it is, you're being taught how to take exams, not think critically or creativly, or be a socially responsible person. No wonder Koreans have one of the highest drop out rates at American universities.
It seem they're even better than those elite private school like Philip Exeter or Daewon Foreign Language high school in Seoul. Check this article in the NYT about Daewon. It said that the students there would have 14-15 hours school M-F. Totally insane and counterproductive!
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/world/asia/27seoul.html |
You say it's counterproductive, but its results show otherwise. I've known a lot of Andover kids, and they tend to stand out as people who are really going to do special things with their lives. Exeter tends to embrace the stifling aspects of boarding school a bit more, but it still shows results that your average Waldorf or Montessori school never will, much of which is do to instilling a crazy ability to work in its students. |
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Steelrails

Joined: 12 Mar 2009 Location: Earth, Solar System
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Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 5:53 pm Post subject: |
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hondaicivic wrote: |
northway wrote: |
hondaicivic wrote: |
Stalin84 wrote: |
northway wrote: |
My cousin went to a Waldorf school. They seem great in principle, but I'm not big on the whole looping thing, as I think it limits scope and social ability. You can conceivably spend your entire schooling, from elementary school through high school, with the same classmates and teacher. In general I think this can stifle kids and lead to an environment that is a bit overly sheltered. While I'm all for alternatives to the public school system (coming out of an extremely liberal boarding school myself), the Waldorf system isn't really my cup of tea. |
Despite this, Waldorf schools and Montessori schools are significantly better than the public school system  |
results? Learning how to get perfect SAT scores and A's on your exam. That's all it is, you're being taught how to take exams, not think critically or creativly, or be a socially responsible person. No wonder Koreans have one of the highest drop out rates at American universities.
It seem they're even better than those elite private school like Philip Exeter or Daewon Foreign Language high school in Seoul. Check this article in the NYT about Daewon. It said that the students there would have 14-15 hours school M-F. Totally insane and counterproductive!
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/world/asia/27seoul.html |
You say it's counterproductive, but its results show otherwise. I've known a lot of Andover kids, and they tend to stand out as people who are really going to do special things with their lives. Exeter tends to embrace the stifling aspects of boarding school a bit more, but it still shows results that your average Waldorf or Montessori school never will, much of which is do to instilling a crazy ability to work in its students. |
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Funny, you get all those people on Dave's saying that the Ivy-Prep schools don't work and fail to instill critical thinking and all that. So how many Ivy Leaguers are on Dave's? If we are all such great critical thinkers why are we here?
Most of the Ivy League Asian kids I knew are right now working for investment firms or as lawyers and doing quite well for themselves. Some dropped out and went to a lesser school (say a Duke or U-M) and are still doing great.
Some of them are designers or engineers or working in the Arts.
Work ethic is huge.
As for scoial responsibility and all that. That is not a school's job. That is the job of the parent and the child and the community. The school is there to educate you in Math, Science, Korean, Art, etc.
Are they really less creative or worse at critical thinking than you or I?
I mean I hear lots about the great creative skills of people of Dave's but instead its just one carbon-copied blog after another belching out the same notes. I hear about the great critical thinking skills here and I don't know, real life does not exactly seem to be bearing out the results.
Not to knock the majority teachers here because they aren't involved in this nonsense.
Basically just saying to all of you out there knocking those schools and the students they produce, I'd take them any day over you. They have a proven track record of success. Success breeds success. |
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DorkothyParker

Joined: 11 Apr 2009 Location: Jeju
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Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 4:55 am Post subject: |
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I definitely like the idea of sending my possible not yet conceived future child to a Montessori or other creatively minded school... when they are like 4-7.
After that I really think they should go to a normal school with normal kids with a wide range of abilities and social classes. I don't know why. Also no year-round schools for my kids. They can play on the streets with their friends all summer and hopefully pretend to solve "mysteries."
(Vicarious living through children ftw) |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 5:11 am Post subject: |
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hondaicivic wrote: |
results? Learning how to get perfect SAT scores and A's on your exam. That's all it is, you're being taught how to take exams, not think critically or creativly, or be a socially responsible person. No wonder Koreans have one of the highest drop out rates at American universities. |
You seem to have a lot of expertise on the subject for someone who hasn't been through the elite prep school system (and I fail to see how it relates to Koreans in the least). How many people do you know to come out of it, if any? |
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sulperman
Joined: 14 Oct 2008
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Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 5:26 am Post subject: |
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DorkothyParker wrote: |
I definitely like the idea of sending my possible not yet conceived future child to a Montessori or other creatively minded school... when they are like 4-7.
After that I really think they should go to a normal school with normal kids with a wide range of abilities and social classes. I don't know why. Also no year-round schools for my kids. They can play on the streets with their friends all summer and hopefully pretend to solve "mysteries."
(Vicarious living through children ftw) |
I am 100% with you on the only when they are young thing. I know two people who went to schools like that their whole learnin' lives, and they absolutely do not live in the real world and are incapable of feeling true empathy for people not as, um, artistic as they are. They are two of my favorite people in the world, but I wouldn't want my kids to end up with as narrow a world view as they have. The most annoying part of it is that they think they are the only open-minded ones in a world that is unable to understand them......grrrrrr............. |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008 Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 5:34 am Post subject: |
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Quote: |
and to help every child fulfill his or her unique destiny |
Oh boy.... |
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