For every child commented about in a negative way on here, I can think of another similar child from state education. And perhaps most people can also think of someone awful in their ds/dd class?
It is easy to remember a story that someone told you about someone they knew once... and it is worth telling an interesting story about the neighbours who are so awful (-must be because they are a Steiner lot)
But for me to actually sum up the benefits is very hard on a thread like this because it feels like first of all I need to defend a lot of what has been said.
I will try.. (for those who are genuinly interested to listen)
No school would function properly, let alone attract new people or have huge waiting lists, if the classrooms were filled with badly behaved unruley children. Steiner's schooling curriculum is very detailed and complex, they do have stratagies for disipline. (including detentions)
Having one teacher for 8 class years means that there is no option but to resolve any personal clash issues, and to tackle them as you would have to in everyday life.
If a teacher is to spend one year with a class it would be very easy to not work on it as at the end of the year the child will move on to another teacher and 'try their luck' with them.
Teachers work very closly with parents, they have half an hour slots with both parents every term to talk in depth about each child. The teachers need to get to know the children very well and their families in order to take into account the whole development of the child.
They will not (and cannot) ban TV but in some cases they may need to advise that tv/computer games are limited, exactly the same as any other conscientious teacher if they felt that it was not helping the child.
The homeopathy is entirely down to the choice of the parents (and why should a school pay for medicine?) But this demonstrates the depth of relationship that the teacher has with the child and also goes some way to demonstrate that the school are concerned with physical/emotional/mental and spiritual growth of their pupils.
This make it very different to state education where the curriculum tells the teacher that by aged 5 years and 8 months the child can read this many words and spell that many, and so and so on.
I very much agree that Steiner school may not suit all families, this goes for any school and is why there is a selection process for puplis to attend.
I would ask MTCF is your dh fully recovered or has his education messed him up? because reading your post it would seem that is what you are implying? aslo how long ago? perhaps we could compare it to other education around that time?
MB, I think you are very lucky to have a topic themed aproach to learning in your school, but I imagine that it is still very different due to the nature of the rigid targets and pure amount of knowledge such young children are expected to digest. It would take a very special and capable teacher to get round these targets and assessments at the same time as getting to know each of her pupils well enough to find their sparkle, thier passion, their creativity; how to make each child want to know all about the lessons being taught.
I'm sure these teachers do exist in state school somewhere. A steiner teacher learns with her class, it is a learning journey shared together by the whole class.
Competition does exist within Steiner ed. but is different from leauge tables or team a and team b.
The p.e lessons include athletics and team games but the teachers are encourageing the children to be competative within themselves and that it matters how good they are or could be rather than where abouts they come in the class (I know this aproach has been fostered by lots of state schools) but there is also an inter-schools olympics held each year where the kids compete in javalin, running and loads of other events.
ther is no head teacher but a small commity of senior teachers -without being called head, deputy, head of year for example. This enhances decision making but may take longer obviously!
I could go on and on but I wont, I will just urge you to go and have a look for yourself if you have the opportunity.
I think you will be amazed at what you find and also to hear from the teachers themselves who will be able to explain the school philosophy then that will give you a much fairer picture than 'I knew a family once...' as on here.
ugh!