Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Waldorf preschool--could it possibly work?

ah, here we are:

http://www.ime.usp.br/~vwsetzer/reading.html

"In a similar way that one may train a horse to dance - which is not proper to its nature -, one can train a small child how to read. In this case, one would be forcing a capacity which is not proper to the child's development. The problem is that, as the child is in the beginning of this process, improper actions disrespecting a "normal" development may disturb the whole future life. In fact, forcing its formal abstraction abilities one would be robbing the child some inner "forces" which should be devoted to his/her physical (that is, organ) and psychological develpment. "

"We have said that a small child loses a lot if s/he is trained to read too early. One may ask the question: what is gained through that learning? In our opinion, nothing is gained in terms of inner positive development, on the contrary, the child has made a negative development, that is, of something that should had remained strange to him/her. One of the negative developments is precisely the early development of intellectual abilities. This is what attracts some parents to early reading. For us, this is a tragedy. One is not letting the child be as childish as s/he should. This is done through the sacrifice of the forces we referred to above. We conjecture that, as a consequence, one triggers cristalization processes, leading to eventual precocious sclerosis processes later on in life. "

Re my concerns--my friends like the school very, very much, which is in itself an advertisement for it, I realize. I have tentatively discussed my concerns with them but it hasn't gone anywhere useful.

This all sounds very familiar, ha ha. My good friends all sent their kids to the DS's preschool, and they all gave rave reviews. Alas, some things you cannot comfortably discuss with your friends without offending them. I guess I would try to go with your gut instinct about the school. If things don't work out, you can always change school situations.

Wow, no wonder I got the vibe that my kid was damaged goods. Thanks for sharing.

I think I noticed DS crystallizing a bit just the other day, around the eyes.

The important thing is that these beliefs are founded on solid scientific data, and not on uninformed opinion and conjecture, right?

Right.

Yeah, I know. It's nuts. And I am a natural skeptic and atheist and it all makes me insane. But man, I do not see an option that looks better in terms of the day to day. Well, I do have a lead on one place but it's out of the way and likely oversubscribed.

I would almost keep him home for the year, but he'd hate me for it. And I want him to learn to "do school" before starting public K.

I try my best not to listen when school folks talk about why they do what they do. Most people just aren't self-aware to have any idea what they are doing anyway.

I think a Waldorf inspired school can be great for certian gifted kids, there is a lot to like. And I can squint my eyes and agree with 99% of what they are saying. Imagine for example, a typical bright child. Is that child really benifited by a parent who drills reading with flash cards at age 4? We aren't 'those' parents but those parents really do exist, and in large numbers, right?

There is a lot to like about the ideas and expertise that Waldorf folks have developed - helping kids develop physical maturity, cook, do handicrafts, sing, playing the recorder, good interpersonal skills, appreciate and interact with nature. Waldorf teachers seem, as a group, to like children.

I used to try and send my son to the local schools summer camp for at least a week or two each summer. He hated it! He's a very fact orriented person, and wants the 'real' answer, as fast as possible. Whenever I walked in the school and saw the art supplies and smells, I would instantly get a happy feeling, a feeling like 'ah...this is where I should have spent my elementary school years.'

If you child is already reading, and could handle the idea that school is for playing and he isn't allowed to read there, then I'd give it a try. Schools have lots of strange rules, and we expect kids to follow them (asking permission to use the bathroom?) so if your family can treat the reading thing as just another quaint school rigidity then I would encourage you to give it a try. If your child hasn't yet learned to read, I wouldn't worry that a few years delay in teaching is going to do any long term damage - our kids catch up fast as long as there aren't any other issues.

Just like I wouldn't allow a conventional school's ideas about when it's too soon for what level of reading affect what I did at home, I wouldn't allow this school's ideas to influence me to somehow try and prevent a child from teaching themselves to read. I'd even give what every assistience the child actually wanted afterschool.

I think it's a huge advantage to have a preschool that doesn't try and 'teach' reading to a gifted child and focusing on the important things - play and learning to enjoy people of all ages outside the family.

Smiles,
Grinity

He is reading at around K level and will definitely be reading more soon. He is passionate about books and about facts. But he also loves to play and is social and popular with other children. One concern is that he is a gentle child who sometimes gets pushed aside by more aggressive kids. My understanding is that Waldorf believes children should always work out their own problems and is very hands-off with conflicts; in that environment he could end up getting the short end of the stick.

I wish I had any information about this - I'd request to visit a classroom to see this in action if possible. They seem to guide the kids very throughly in everything else, so I can't really picture this. I'd want to see the particular teacher who he would have and ask her to tell some example stories about this to see if it passes the sniff test with you.

What do you think about the reading? Do you think your family would be comfortable leaving it for after school 'on the low down?'

G