5. Waldorf Schools (Worldwide)
To some parents, mainstream education is ‘cold and unfeeling’, and treats kids like mere statistics. Cue the Waldorf movement which advocates that all children must be treated as individuals. Developed in 1912 by Rudolph Steiner, the movement believes that children have three periods of development, and should be taught in different ways at each stage.
Steiner further classified children based on temperament, physical characteristics and race. But with no proof to back his claims, many have questioned the efficacy of the Waldorf method. Waldorf schools are also notoriously anti-technology, banning anything that requires batteries to run. Students are made to play with low-tech ‘toys’ like pine cones, wooden blocks and faceless dolls. Contrary to everything a school should be, reading is delayed in Waldorf schools. This is based on the belief that children shouldn’t learn to read until their baby teeth fell out.
Despite these unconventional ideas, the Waldorf Schools claim to be the fastest-growing alternative schools. Parents of former students have accused the school of being a cult, there are even ‘Waldorf survivor groups’ online!
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