It has come to our attention that The Sun Press published a letter from a reader in California who had some negative opinions about Waldorf education. Below is our response to that letter. We are so sorry to hear about the negative experience some families have at some Waldorf Schools. Waldorf Schools, like any other organization, are subject to the positive and negative aspects of the people who run them. It is always disheartening to hear that families have terrible experiences with any kind of school. The Urban Oak School is being started by a group of local parents who are drawn to the Waldorf pedagogy that involves constant exposure to nature, the rhythm of daily routine and an education based on deep respect for each child. Racism, extremism and adherence to any kind of religion are the opposite of what we intend for this school. Our mission and our guiding principles are rooted in a celebration of diversity and a commitment to community (both within the school and the larger Heights area). Anthroposophy is a philosophy (not a religion) based on the writings and speeches of R. Steiner. Steiner was an eccentric man who elicits strong responses from a great number of people. Some people are drawn to his sense of magic and wonder, some are drawn to the reverence he gives to the human spirit. While the Waldorf method is based strongly in his philosophy, the Urban Oak School will not force any of those ideas on the community and we feel strongly that families of all belief systems can find a comfortable home within the Waldorf world without experiencing any kind of stress or conflict with their religion or absence thereof. That said, Waldorf education is not for everyone and we value the opinions of all. Truthfully, none of the founding members of the Urban Oak School are Anthroposophists—instead we all come to Waldorf with the expectation that this method of educating our children will help them to become broad, deep thinkers who value their peers and their teachers. We have been carefully selecting faculty and staff that mirror those values. Urban Oak is a completely independent Waldorf inspired school that is growing organically from the community here in the Heights. We have no control over or affiliation with any other school—we can only pledge that our local school will be an exciting, nurturing educational option for our community. The founding members invite anyone with a concern about the school to come talk to us. Sincerely, Founding Committee, Urban Oak School
Posted on: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 17:17:21 +0000
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