Feedback from those who transitioned out of a Waldorf School
We're considering sending our 7 year old to a Waldorf school, but one of the things that my husband is concerned about is how our child would do, academically and socially, if we decided to transition him back to his local public school in a few years (say for middle school). Has anyone done this transition with their child and can speak to the adjustment experience, whether it was positive or negative? Thanks in advance!
Mar 30, 2021
Parent Replies
Decades ago, I went to a Waldorf School for 2nd grade. When I went to public school for 3rd grade, I was behind in reading and math. Also, I didn't love my teacher and didn't want to get stuck with her for 8 years.
My daughter transitioned in 6th grade, having done K-5 in Waldorf. She did absolutely fine academically and with the classroom setup in terms of changing classes/classrooms and was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. She wanted to leave Waldorf for middle school to have the opportunity to make new friends and have new experiences. However, she ended up having trouble with the social transition. It's hard to say if that is because she is prone to social anxiety or if it was the onset of puberty, shyness, etc. I also had a child who did Waldorf through 8th grade with no difficulty transitioning to a normal high school. If you are absolutely following Waldorf guidelines in terms of media, I would say your child might have some difficulty with the transition due to not knowing what's going on the broader world. That said, my children and I love the Waldorf education and my daughter, now 18, wishes she had stayed through 8th grade. Waldorf children are often ahead academically when they transition to regular schools. Hope this helps.
Hopefully there will be Waldorf parents who reply to this. We did not send our kiddo to Waldorf, but we have a friend who transitioned their fourth grader out of Waldorf and into a more traditional elementary program and their child really struggles, even two years later. They were very behind in math (and still are!) and also behind in writing. I'm not a huge believer in forcing kids to be on track with the common core, but if you are going to transition into a traditional school, unfortunately you probably need to have acquired skills at a similar pace as the other kids. It is hard to watch our friend's child struggle so much with math and I know it impacts their confidence too. All that to say, if you plan to stay in waldorf, it could work really well. But if your intention is to leave, it could be a bad idea.