If the platform of  Steiner’s spiritual  work is seen as the “Mother” and the  “daughter” movements are such practical outreach movements as biodynamic agriculture, curative education, anthroposophic medicine, and Waldorf Education in the Waldorf Schools, I think the explosive growth of Waldorf homeschooling has left some of us wondering if Waldorf homeschooling is an independent daughter movement in its own right, not just something  “under” the Waldorf School?

As homeschoolers, we  often hear how the Waldorf School cannot be replicated in the home environment, but yet the Waldorf Schools give us the ideas of curriculum and implementation.  Unfortunately, first time Waldorf homeschoolers are often concerned about following the curriculum created for the school environment as closely as possible and often drive themselves crazy trying to do this as a parent with no teacher training and no specialized staff – and in the process ignore the way the curriculum could be implemented in the home for the benefit of the development of the child and family..  Steiner was the first to believe that a classroom should be adapted to the place and time in which one lived; therefore a classroom in Germany in one region would look different than a classroom in southeastern America.  Why do we act as if the homeschool environment should be  the same as a generic “model” classroom when this is not what Steiner even wanted for the school environment?

I recently found a link about the differences between the Waldorf School and the Montessori method and was struck by something Continue reading →