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By Laura M. Groenjes By the time the average student graduates from high school, he or she has spent the equivalent of nearly 2,400 days in school. This makes it important for those considering alternatives to traditional public schools to weigh their options. Some popular alternatives in the Twin Cities include Waldorf, Montessori and Open schools. Although all three educational models began with a similar goal - to design a curriculum that was developmentally appropriate to the child - they each put their own unique spin on the traditional public school model of education, with important similarities and differences between all three. Waldorf With more than 800 Waldorf schools in over 32 countries, Waldorf education is one of the fastest-growing educational movements in the world. Founded in 1919 by Austrian educator, philosopher, scientist, and artist Rudolf Steiner, the Waldorf education is based on Steiner’s philosophies on the human being and nature of the developing child. The mission of the Waldorf education is “to focus on nurturing the development of the whole child—academically, physically, and socially,” said Kristi Fackel, handwork teacher and faculty chair at the Minnesota Waldorf School in Maplewood - one of four Waldorf schools in the Twin Cities area. The Waldorf curriculum is primarily geared toward 3 1/2 to 14 year olds, with additional parent-toddler educational opportunities beginning as early as 18 months and expanded high school programs, such as local Watershed High School charter school. A unique aspect of the Waldorf education is that the class teacher stays with children as they move through the grades, sharing responsibility with parents for each child’s development. The goal of this approach is to allow the teacher to create a cohesive group of students, while working to help each child achieve his or her full potential. According to the Minnesota Waldorf School’s website, the grade teacher’s task is to transform all that the child needs to know about the world into the language of imagination. This is done through storytelling and song, through music and theater, and through the children’s artistic creations. “Teaching in a Waldorf school is considered an art,” said Fackel, “and it is essential to be able to bring something artistic to the children. Arts are essential to their learning and part of what makes them this rich human being that they become by the end.” The arts are integrated into the core curriculum at Waldorf schools. “[For example, the children] learn math through drawing difficult lessons, and use their bodies to understand difficult concepts. Everything we do, we do through the arts.” Fackel’s son attends the Minnesota Waldorf School. “As a parent, I wanted that education for my child - to be able speak a foreign language, to be able to learn math and science alongside music and art, to sing, play recorder, play string instruments, have movement, play games. I wanted that rich, rounding experience for my child,” said Fackel. Waldorf students engage in complex material through six-week main lesson blocks. Through these extended lessons, students are “asked to grow and stretch in ways that they may not if they always do what they want, or what they’re good at. Sometimes children are pushed past the point of comfort or enjoyment, but the end result is that they have created something to be proud of,” said Fackel. Fackel believes that Waldorf education fits all types of learners “because the Waldorf education is all-encompassing... We’re creating a whole child. We come at things in so many different directions, and with developmentally appropriate activities. And if there is an issue with a child’s learning, the communication between teachers is so strong, we all know it and know how to work with that,” she said. Because most Waldorf schools are not public, students are required to pay a yearly tuition to attend. However, financial aid is often available and transportation may be offered through the public school district. For more information on the Minnesota Waldorf School, check out www.mnwaldorf.org or call the school at 651-487-6700. Montessori Montessori education was founded in 1907 by Maria Montessori, the first woman in Italy to become a physician. She based her educational methods on her own scientific observation of children’s learning processes. She believed that children were able to learn best when placed in a prepared environment which allowed them to teach themselves. While there are more Montessori programs for ages 3-6 than any other age group, Montessori is not limited to early childhood. There are programs for infants and toddlers, (and training for parents of infants and toddlers), elementary and even a few Montessori high schools. However, because the Montessori name has no copyright protection, there is no way to regulate the use of the name “Montessori.” Parents considering placing a child in a Montessori school should ask about the school’s affiliations. The two major organizations in the United States are Association Montessori Internationale (AMI-USA) and the American Montessori Society (AMS). The modern Montessori educational model focuses on the preparation of an educational environment that enables children to learn through largely independent self-discovery. “This was a very radical educational model,” according to Lucinda Anderson, Admissions Director of Lake Country School in Minneapolis, “in part because it’s not a top-down model - it’s not about being a pitcher and pouring knowledge into a child. The belief is that the child has this great capacity and desire to learn. You simply need to create an environment where the child doesn’t have to push against the adult in order to have access to the myriad of opportunities to learn.” Young Montessori students learn through individual lessons and “presentations.” Lake Country School Children’s House teacher Peggy McKenna explained that “I sit one-on-one with a child and I have the child sit and watch while I do an activity, then I tell the child ’I will do this one time, then when I am done you can do it, as many times as you like.’” Once a child has been given a presentation, they are free to choose that activity from the shelves located around the classroom and do it whenever they want, as many times as they like. “Their internal drive tells them how much they need to do it - we don’t dictate when each child does what,” said McKenna. As children grow older there is an increased emphasis on group work and Montessori schools use multi-age classrooms to help facilitate the students’ education. “[Students are grouped within a] three-year age range, so that younger children are inspired by what older children are doing. Older children become helpers and teachers themselves and can help younger children with difficult activities. This very child-centered, community of children in each class is very important, allowing children to help each other out and develop great social skills,” said McKenna. Creativity and the arts are part of the Montessori classroom environment. “We have a lot of materials for exploring artistic expression… which become another one of the child’s choices,” said McKenna. According to McKenna and Anderson, the Montessori format works well for almost every style of learner because of its ability to individually fit each child’s interests. The greatest challenge for Montessori students is the transitional period for incoming students who transfer from traditional public schools. “If they have been trained and conditioned to be dependent on an adult for the go-ahead, un-training them in relation to that and their feeling safe during that transition is the hard part, and the important part,” said Anderson. However, once children make the transition, Anderson said they typically enjoy the increased level of freedom offered in a Montessori education. Anderson encourages any parents who may be interested in Lake Country Montessori to contact the school and set up a school visit. Check out www.lakecountryschool.org or call the school at 612-827-3707. Open Schools The mission of Open Schools, according to Saint Paul Open School art teacher Elizabeth Lehman, is to “work with kids where they are, to give them a lot of choices, and to work with them as individuals.” Open Schools provide education to students from kindergarten through high school, with two Open Schools in the metro area. The Open School curriculum is “based on the student’s desire to learn, and to learn through their interests,” said Lehman. “Choice is a big factor.” In place of the traditional public school system, which usually requires each student to complete the same (or similar) curriculum as every other student, Open School students participate in an advisory system. In this system, the student has a voice in the creation of their learning plan, and advisors act as family liaisons, learning plan facilitators, and advocates for the student. At the end of his or her Open education, each student compiles a comprehensive graduation portfolio that demonstrates the student’s accomplishments in secondary school. Like Montessori, Open Schools also employ the use of multi-age classrooms. According to the Metro Open School website, “Mixed ages in the classroom provide younger students with a variety of tutors, while older students review and practice their skills, grow in responsibility, and gain healthier self-concepts.” In place of the traditional letter grades given by many schools, Open School teachers prepare detailed narrative evaluations that outline each student’s academic and social progress, rich with specific details about each student’s growth. St. Paul Open School offers students a variety of opportunities to further explore their creative and adventurous sides. The school boasts a Suzuki strings program, secondary/elementary reading mentorship program, daily art opportunities, required community and school service program, thematic interdisciplinary courses, drama productions with opportunities for all ages, open education abroad travel learning program. The Open School model of education may not work for every student, according to Lehman. “Different learning styles in the extreme may not transfer well into an Open School. “A student who is self-motivated and directed... those who like to be project-based and hands on, and have a passion about learning in certain areas will excel [in the Open School program],” she said. Individual Open Schools may take different forms. The St. Paul Open School, home to 400 students, is a public school with no yearly tuition and transportation provided through district buses. Metropolitan Open School in St. Louis Park, on the other hand, is a private school with a total of seven students. For more information on either school, check out their websites: www.open.spps.org and www.metroopenschool.org.
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