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Greetings people, I thought I would would write a brief response, as an individual who spent essentially 11yrs in a Waldorf school in Australia. You ask whether or not the Waldorf system works, the answer is yes and no, and strictly on an individual basis. My parents were, as I think many who post here are, looking for an alternative from public and private education institutions in which their children will be reduced to numbers. Although people generally pigeon hole parents who send their children to Waldorf schools as 'alternative' etc, I dont think this is strictly true, in many cases it is not possible to stereotype the parents in this way. What does unify the majority of parents who send their children to Waldorf schools is a deep caring for the adult they hope their children will belcome and the realization that most education systems are poorly equipt to achieve this. In my experience this is also often balanced with a good deal of self-righteousness and moral superiority, which in itself is a factor in the attitude of teachers and students at Waldorf schools.

Now a little background on myself, so that you may judge for yourself whether or not this system works. I started kindergaten at a Waldorf school when I was 5 and continued at this school until I was in year 11. During the early years (yrs 1-4 or 5) life at school was great fun, despite the fact that I had learning difficulties (short term memory) and was slow to mature intellectually. As I progressed through the years I found learning more and more difficult, despite the 'one on one' teaching Waldorf schools pride themselves on and found my teacher unable to meet my learning needs. Now having a single teacher for seven years can be a fantastic thing or on the other hand it may lead to serious problems in your childs development, and yes I am talking from personal experience. If your child does not get along with his or her teacher you have a serious problem. Now although I and my parents believe they saw some of these problems early on, the system is such that you want to believe the system is or will work.

The teacher I had from year 1-7 was not only unable to meet my learning needs but his fustration ultimately lead to my belief that not only was I un-intelligent but that I was consequently different from ther other children. The teachers attitude towards me also influenced the children around me and was to lead to social problems much further into my life. Ultimatelty I left the school in year 11, when my parents and I decided I should move to another school. Soon after I started at a new private school that rad a more tradtional curiculum, I realized that not only was I not un-intelligent, but that the fault had not been mine. Teachers bear the resonsibility to give children a confidence to ask questions and to enjoy learning. In my opinion my teacher during the first 7 years of my life did me a great disservice. Now those of you who support the Waldorf system may say that this is only one case and not only that but I have a chip on my shoulder. Both of these points are true but they do not change my experience and the fact that I know other students who had very similar experiences. There is no such thing as a perfect education system. Sending your child to such a school will not change the fact that teachers are human beings and thus flawed.

Having entered the mainstream education system I rapidly regained my confidence and having completed year 12 exams etc, Iwas accepted into a good university, completed my degree and went onto complete hons. I currently work as a professional archaeologist. If I have children I would never send them to a Waldorf school beyond year 7. Additionally, I would take great care to monitor my childs progress and happiness during these years.