People who support Waldorf ascribe to an unquestioning belief in
the "teachings" of Rudolf Steiner. They are passionate! Hopefully,
you'll get a great teacher. Otherwise, you're child is stuck from 1st
grade 'til 8th. There is only the "Board" to talk to - mysterious,
apparently made up of other teachers - no principal, not easy to voice
concerns and see results. Your child must dress and eat according to
acceptable guidelines. If you don't conform your family is ostracized.
Too much parent involvement! "Therapy Sessions" is how one parent we
know describes "parent evenings." The EC was more diverse in our
experience - much more cultish and rigid later. If your child has
special needs, class sizes are enormous and the special kids are left to
flounder with one teacher to manage the group. They are suing people
who leave the school for legitimate reasons, so don't sign a contract!
The worst school with no rule to follow when there is a social problems. They are over protective for the teachers and not willing to provide any cocret solutions. No diversity.
Politics amongst the admin is full of egos, an inability
to take meaningful action, and rarely holds each other accountable in
support of an individual family. A large part of the delivery of a
Waldorf education depends on the teacher's ability to meet each child's
needs with sensitivity and support (including supporting the parents).
If u have bullying concerns or other problem(s),it's difficult to feel
heard at Merriconeag without entering a series of meetings where, if
offered, solutions are vague and dismissive, or the responsibility is
left up to the parent to back off, pay for extra tutoring, Eurythmy,
Speech, etc. The admin. is often not very supportive, and as a result,
families leave disappointed, for multiple reasons. Unfortunaltely, the
delivery of a quality Waldorf education is being compromised at this
school. If you can handle the politics, dishonesty, & volunteering,
welcome & enjoy!
It was undisciplinary and supplied very low support. I am dissapointed with this school.
Words from a parent of a former student: A great
school for the average to above average child provided the teacher and
class are a good match for your son or daughter. If your child has any
learning disabilities, look for private tutoring or the public school.
Parents are not welcomed into the classroom, but are active in
fundraising and larger school activities. A lovely, nurturing approach
to education, but definately not for every child. Our extremely bright
high school graduate (top 10% of class/800 SATs) does not reflect
fondly on the 5 years at Merriconeag. Memories of favoritism and
elitism predominate.
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You may ask, "where are all the 5=Star reviews?" Well, the problem with those reviews is that many tend not to be too honest. I have included 4-star reviews that appear honest. Often, gushing reviews are placed by teachers and administrators - as some comments here indicate. "This school educates the whole child!!!" - 5 stars - by Anonymous... I say baloney! Notice, many of the reviewers have been misled by Waldorf and are still buying the PR, even after having been disappointed. Feel free to comment but understand the intent of this blog. Comments are no longer moderated.