Oakland Steiner School is located in Rochester Hills, MI.
http://www.education.com/schoolfinder/us/michigan/rochester-hills/oakland-steiner-school/#reviews
Anonymous:
My sons teacher was very mean to him. She yelled at him for not being
good at art or musical instruments. The teachers here are mean to the
unartistic children and the ones who are allowed access to technology.
Never send your child here
Submitted by a Parent on Nov 5, 2011
I have to agree with
the previous reviewer, although our circumstances were not as tragic, my
daughter is currently in therapy still working on the emotional scars
left by her Oakland Steiner kindergarten teacher. I love the Waldorf
curriculum, but this school doesn't follow it, and there are many
children in third, fourth and fifth grade that still cannot read and
write. Parents are told not to worry, it is the Waldorf way, and
problems are never really addressed. There is a heavy emphasis placed on
a child's ability to craft and draw, which is great, but my daughter is
a bit delayed in that area, and she was belittled, teased and openly
compared to other students, by her teacher. Labeled as naughty, she
began to act out. When this was addressed to administration, we were
ignored, then told that it was because she watched too much TV. To be
clear, we don't have cable, and do not watch TV, but we watched a family
movie together once a week. By February of kindergarten, we were no
longer taking her to class, just coming in for lunch, and playtime,
after her teacher had left for the day. We had already paid tuition in
full and were unable to afford to pay for another school. Because of the
wonderful friends I made, and the parent community, I was willing to
give the First grade teacher a chance, but thankfully by that time our
financial situation had changed and we were not able to return. I have
watched my friends children fall further and further behind, not have
their issues addressed, be bullied by adults and children, have mixed
age grades, because of a lack of qualified teachers, and have teachers
dismissed because of poor administration.
Finally, after a year of being through with the school, they came back at us with some unfair, and previously agreed upon financial issues. They wanted money. We ended up fighting with them all summer over it, and finally went in with our piggy banks and paid them so they wouldn't send us to collections. At the very least, if you do make the decision to put your child here, make sure you get every agreement in writing. Do not trust them, because they will come after your heart, and then your pocket book.
Submitted by a Parent on Sep 23, 2010Finally, after a year of being through with the school, they came back at us with some unfair, and previously agreed upon financial issues. They wanted money. We ended up fighting with them all summer over it, and finally went in with our piggy banks and paid them so they wouldn't send us to collections. At the very least, if you do make the decision to put your child here, make sure you get every agreement in writing. Do not trust them, because they will come after your heart, and then your pocket book.
Debbie Smith:
I would seriously caution anyone from having their child attend OSS.
While the Waldorf philosophy is great, this school does not apply it.
There is much talk of nurturing childhood, maintaining the same
classroom teacher from 1st - 8th grade, teaching children where they are
at academically, providing a compassionate and loving environment, and a
wonderful curriculum.
Sadly, in my opinion, this private school is really all about money. Along with high tuition, parents are constantly being asked for more and more throughout the year. They make you sign a tuition contract that they enforce even if circumstances change.
If you were to get transferred mid year, you would still owe your full tuition. If your child was diagnosed with cancer (as ours was) and you removed a sibling from the school - you would still be required to pay the full years tuition. My son's teacher -who we adored, was fired abruptly at the end of 2nd grade. (The main reason we enrolled at OSS was for our child to have the same teacher). We were assured the new teacher was going to be wonderful - not so. We decided to give her a try and were so amazed at how cold, mean, unapproachable and negative she was.
Just one week into the school year, our daughters (6 yrs old) cancer had returned and it eventually took her life 5 months later. During this time, our son had the worst experience at OSS. The teacher was the most callous person imagineable regarding our family and what we were going through. We did remove our son half way through the school year and the school is suing us for the remainder of the tuition contract. Our sons self esteem was shattered and it has taken countless hours of therapy and a wonderful new school to erase some of the things his teacher said to him. She made him feel stupid, inadequate, nervous and unteachable.
Don't be misled by all the "talk" about nurturing children - this is a business and they are all about the tuition.
Submitted by a Parent on May 4, 2009
Sadly, in my opinion, this private school is really all about money. Along with high tuition, parents are constantly being asked for more and more throughout the year. They make you sign a tuition contract that they enforce even if circumstances change.
If you were to get transferred mid year, you would still owe your full tuition. If your child was diagnosed with cancer (as ours was) and you removed a sibling from the school - you would still be required to pay the full years tuition. My son's teacher -who we adored, was fired abruptly at the end of 2nd grade. (The main reason we enrolled at OSS was for our child to have the same teacher). We were assured the new teacher was going to be wonderful - not so. We decided to give her a try and were so amazed at how cold, mean, unapproachable and negative she was.
Just one week into the school year, our daughters (6 yrs old) cancer had returned and it eventually took her life 5 months later. During this time, our son had the worst experience at OSS. The teacher was the most callous person imagineable regarding our family and what we were going through. We did remove our son half way through the school year and the school is suing us for the remainder of the tuition contract. Our sons self esteem was shattered and it has taken countless hours of therapy and a wonderful new school to erase some of the things his teacher said to him. She made him feel stupid, inadequate, nervous and unteachable.
Don't be misled by all the "talk" about nurturing children - this is a business and they are all about the tuition.
I've attended classes to become a Waldorf Teacher and I have two young children that planned on erolling in OSS. However, due to our financial situation and seemingly "normal"situation (one income family), we can not afford the school. I find it very strange because most of what I get from my research and training is that being at home or in a home like environment is most important for the children. However, if you are a one income family practicing Waldorf methods at home, how does one afford the school? I'm now finding myself most frustration and disenchanted with my own studies and the school. Which by the way is heartbreaking because I had planned for our children to go here before they were even born. Reality has finally set in. Is the school about money? How do people who follow the practice at home afford to send all their children to the school? $20,000 a year for grade school for two children seems unattainable.
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