Another thing that I have come to realize about Waldorf is that there is a huge emphasis on rote copywork. The children produce these beautiful lesson books, which at first glance look amazing (lovely drawings and notes that seem so clear and nice) but I believe it is all copied verbatim from the board. There is surely some justification for this in the philosophy, but it seems weird to me. A child with fine motor limitations would also find it quite challenging, I think. My DD happens to be a great artist, but even in "regualr" school I often feel bad for unartistic children or those who do not like to draw because it is so emphasized in the early years, and Waldorf takes this much further. You can see Waldorf lessonbooks here:
http://www.waldorftoday.com/gallery/Main+Lesson+Book+Pages/ As I say, they are rather lovely, but think of the time spent drawing and consider that they are copied. I believe in learning to synthesize information and put it in one's own words.
In the end, Waldorf bothers me in large part because it seems guru- and superstition-based rather than logic- and information-based. It is not dynamic, but static. Consider also the content of the lessons in those books. While it is nice content in many ways, I can't help but find it strangely dated. I believe that is because they are still teaching the curriculum dictated by Steiner.
