I Can't Shut Up About Waldorf Education

Take The Last Train To Special Interest Town

I have written about Waldorf Education, and it’s weird founder, Rudolf Steiner (or as I like to call him, Rudy), before. You can find some of my thoughts from way back in 2021 here, and here. I tend to go on rants about ol’ Rudy whenever I get the chance, and many have gotten the distinct impression that I am not a fan of him, or his work, and therefore have a lot of problems with the educational movement he created.

That is not untrue. From my first brush with a Waldorf teacher trying to “reassure” me that my kid might not really be left handed (she is) to that time when I tried to read one of old Rudy’s books and my eyeballs nearly fell out, the deeper I look into the logic behind Waldorf, the less impressed I am.

But I have a confession to make.

For nearly a year and a half, I have been a member of a paid online mentorship community for Waldorf homeschool teachers. That’s right, I have paid real money to spend time, on zoom calls and in a private facebook group, with people who, to varying degrees, buy into the ideas of Waldorf education, under the guidance of a very nice lady who homeschooled her own children using Waldorf methodology. I also took her masterclasses (included in the membership) and the number of Waldorf books both on my bookshelf and my various wish lists has grown. I have listened to podcasts by Waldorf classroom teachers and purchased more “Waldorf style” art supplies for my own home school. And the question is, why?