Every now and again, someone likes to come along and get all Steiner-er-than-Thou and tell me how I'm not really "doing Waldorf". To which, nine years down the parenting path, I can finally say, "Well... you're right." I'm not an anthroposophist-- I'm Catholic. I love books and have zero interest in eliminating them from my young children's lives. I have four small children and not enough time or patience to plan two separate main lessons, the perfect Waldorf nursery experience, and a picture-perfect babyhood. And while this may sound defensive, I have to say that I am finally at a place where I'm OK with it.
Maybe I shouldn't be. After all, I've written a series of books that lots of Waldorf mamas use for their little ones. And they're pretty great, if I do say so myself. And I've run some mailing lists that attempted to bring Waldorf ideals to every day life. But I've always made the caveat that I am not an anthroposophist, I'm not a purist, and I'm not channeling Steiner.
My baby has a nice little collection of board books. I nurse beyond a year. My kids get a half-hour of screen time each day. Etc, etc, etc. My Waldorf failings are many.
I'm about a interested in listing my supposed Waldorf failings as I am in listing my Waldorf credentials, which may lead you to wonder why I'm even writing this. I think it's because I am at a crossroads. We brought Michael home and now I am homeschooling a first grader and a third grader. I feel this compelling need to pick a method and stick with it soon. I'm drawn to so many things--the beauty of Waldorf, the orderliness of Montessori, the practicality and loveliness in Charlotte Mason, the timelessness of classical education. Yet in times of confusion and stress, I tend to fall back on good (hah!) old-fashioned school-at-home, which leaves no one satisfied. I have multiple homeschool personalities!
Any advice would be welcome. I'm reading, and praying, and hoping. I'm re-reading You Are Your Child's First Teacher and Waldorf Education: A Family Guide as well as Elizabeth Foss's Real Learning. I have a whole bunch o' Charlotte Mason on hold at the library. I'm trying to cut back on the textbooks and read, read, read. We'll figure this out.
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14 years ago
1 comments:
Good luck! I sure know the feeling; every year I re-examine what I'm doing with my teaching. I say take what works for you from any philosophy you like. There are pros and cons to all of them. I've been very drawn to Waldorf lately (that's how I found your blog) but I'm certainly not a purist either.
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