Calgary Waldorf School for Kindergarten- What do you think of it?

Question

We are thinking of putting our son into Calgary Waldorf school for junior Kindergarten. He will be 5 year Sept. I have been doing some research on it and it seems pretty good but I am still a little skeptical. Not sure about the idea of delaying his ability to read for so long. If there are any parents out there that have children in the school can you please let me know what your experience has been like, good or bad? Thanks.

Answer 1

I attended a Waldorf school up until the third grade and then my parents forced me(which they son regretted) to go back in high school.  When I left the school after 3rd grade due to financial problems I had to go to a public school. I was 3 years behind in almost every subject, not just reading. It took me years to catch up and teach myself how to read.  When I went back in high school I had the most awful experience of my life.  Regardless of what I was and was not learning, there were a number of incidents that occurred that were both illegal and horrifying for a child to go through.  My mom was so disgusted with all of it so she began to do some research.  She found numerous websites with people who also had awful experiences from all around the world.  Because you have to be careful what you say on the internet, Anthroposophists aka the people who run Waldorf schools, got the sites deleted.  One website that is still up that has a lot of good information about the schools and stories from ex students and families is: http://www.waldorfcritics.org/

I strongly urge you to read that website and to do as much other research as you can before you put your child in a Waldorf school.

Answer 2

I was on the fence for a LONG time about whether or not to send my kids to Waldorf. I'm not speaking from experience, but from research and opinion.

I love the Waldorf program. They believe in waiting until a child is old enough to understand the origin of language, and why an "A" is an "A", for example. So, when kids do learn how to read, they REALLY know how to read.

With that said, Waldorf is a commitment. You can't switch your kid to public school from Waldorf - while your child would probably be ahead on math, geography and art, your child would be way behind on reading and other subjects until about 7th grade. Make sure you have the financial security to continue Waldorf until middle school. If you don't have to worry about whether they can start and finish at a Waldorf, then don't worry about what grade they learn to read and such.

We are at a public school, and I helped teach my son to read before he was five. He doesn't enjoy it. Math comes far easier and more naturally to him (he's six now.) This is what the Waldorf philosophy focuses on, too. Young minds are wired for math, so tap into math and forget about the reading. I've found this to be true in our case.

Answer 3

Waldorf School  are great i wish i would have sent my kids to one,do you really think a child is ready to start reading at age 5?i remember kindergarten we played we took naps and had a snack i think the first year of school should fun for a kid they will have plenty of time to learn to read,

Answer 4

I am a teacher in Calgary. I think the Waldorf program would be an excellent idea to introduce to your child to school.  If you are worried about delaying your child to read your would be frightened to know that the majority of children now read prior to entering school.  Perhaps a skill the two of you can practice at home.

Answer 5

You will never regret waiting a year for Kindergarten!  I know nothing about Calgary Waldorf, but my daughter would have made the cutoff for Kinder by only 2 months.  We sent her to a "junior Kindergarten" kind of school for kids her age.  Every year I have been grateful for that extra year.  She was never the baby of the class.  She was always mature.  Also, consider things like dating when they are younger than everyone else.  And being the youngest in college.   Now she's 21 and has made straight A's in college.  Give him the extra year.  You'll be glad you did!