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The Waldorf Way: Silicon Valley schooleschews technology

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Hotmail More TODAY Nightly News Meet the Press Dateline Morning Joe Hardball

By Rehema EllisNBC News

From the moment you walk into the Waldorf School of the Peninsula there are clear signs that

something different is happening.

Allysun Sokolowski, a third-grade teacher, greets each one of her 29 students by name and shakes

their hand as they enter the classroom. It's easy for her because she's known these kids at the Los

Altos, Calif., school for a while.

"I've been teaching the same children from first grade, second grade and now we're in third grade.

And I will teach these children all the way through eighth grade," she said.

It's the Waldorf way.

Teachers establish a strong bond with students. As a result, Waldorf teachers quickly point out there's

no need for tests or grades.

Calif. school picksblackboards overiPads

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"I don't need grades to know how well they're doing," said Sokolowski. "I know their strengths, I

know their weaknesses. I know what will be hard for them and where they will shine. I'm their

teacher with a capital 't.'"

The intense student-teacher connection might help explain why students from elementary to high

school are thriving. The school boasts a nearly perfect graduation rate.

Despite being in the heart of Silicon Valley, Waldorf students are not caught up in the gadget frenzy

that has consumed so many other school children nationwide. Computers are not used in the

elementary school and they are used sparingly at the high school level. Teachers say they're not

anti-technology, but, as they put it, they're just in favor of healthy education.

Read the New York Times’ report on the Waldorf school

"I'm concerned that if we say we need technology to engage students we're missing the fact that what

engages students is good teachers and good teaching," said Lisa Babinet, a Waldorf math teacher.

I asked a group of high school students if they misssed having computers and iPads as part of their

lessons they all emphatically said "No."older newer

"I don't think we're gonna be left behind at all because it's not like we're not a part of technology at

all," said sophomore Isabelle Senteno. "We are a part of it, we just don't incorporate it in the lessons."

Jack Pelose, a freshman who transferred to Waldorf from a school that used a lot of technology, said

he noticed the benefits of not using computers in class. "My cursive has gotten a lot better since I've

been here," he said.

"Everything about technology is so easy to pick up and use nowadays," added senior Zach Wurtz

added. "The companies design it so anyone can use it when they choose to."

The students talked about being annoyed sometimes when they hang out with friends who are not

Waldorf students, who spend a lot of time on social networking sites and texting.

Video: At another Silicon Valley school, iPads are in vogue

Techno-School

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The San Antonio Elementary School focuses on technology and feels it helps close the achievement gap in under-served

communities by getting students ready for the digital age.

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One Waldorf student said he

sometimes has to ask his

friends to put down the

gadgets so they can just talk.

And if you're wondering, like I

did, how the Waldorf

education translates in the

outside world, Laila Waheed, a

graduate now in her first year

of college, offered some

insight.

Waheed, 18, has a laptop but

never takes it to lectures. She takes notes

by hand -- like she did at Waldorf -- and

she later transfers her notes into her

computer. It's a form of studying, she said.

"If you stood at the back of the classroom

and looked at every screen, at least half of

them would be on Facebook," Waheed

said of all the other students who are

typing away on their laptops during

lectures.

"A Waldorf education gives you a

foundation to say, 'OK, I can put my phone in my bag. I can have a half-an-hour conversation with a

person. I don't need to be totally connected all the time,'" Waheed said. "And that's more valuable for

making personal connections that will last longer than the next text you're going to get."

It sounds like something a Waldorf student would say. But it’s also a sentiment echoed by her father,

an engineer manager at Cisco.

"I don't think anyone is debating the value of technology and the use of computers," Muneer Waheed

Education Unpluggedolder newer

Optional short answer (140 characters left)

Make your case! Keep it short and classy. Other users may flag anything less.

This feature requires a profile.Create a new profile or sign in to comment.

31.4%Yes

919 votes

68.6%No

2,008 votes

said. "There is no going back. This is the future."

But he and his wife have been clear about wanting the mostly technology-free zone that Waldorf

provides for their two children.

"They need the environment and the foundation to develop and get their core values -- the love of

education and their own passion," he said. "That's what's going to stay with them. The computer is

just a tool."

Should technology be used in schools to help students learn?

Submit

See more of Rehema Ellis' reporting on NBC's Nightly News with Brian WilliamsWednesday evening.

Results with 97 short commentsTotal of 2,927 votes - click on the "Display Comments" bar below to sort comments

Display Comments: All

No

Yes

No

older newer

10 votes#1 - kbwright - 3:37 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

4 votes#2 - CMM-4637544 - 5:03 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

7 votes#3 - Catherine Carter - 6:33 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

4 votes#4 - SeattleDolt - 7:31 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

6 votes#5 - Phil Johnson - 7:34 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

My three Waldorf educated children are articulate, well-spoken,

polite, creative, and well above grade level. What more could a

parent want

No

We're proud parents of three children attending the Cincinnati

Waldorf School-the best gift we could ever give them and us!

No

Human wisdom/intelligence FIRST to fully develop inner

confidence in their own ability. With technology, it's the "smart"

board that knows.

No

This is a lot like what it was like for me in school. We did not use

computers as an everyday thing, but used them as tools.

Yes

Like it or not technology surrounds us. Our modern times require

at least a basic knowledge of the internet and computing.

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6 votes#6 - Laura Froemling - 7:35 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

2 votes#7 - IBuyChinese - 7:46 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

6 votes#8 - Carl Anderson-3205010 - 7:51 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

8 votes#9 - givemeabook - 7:52 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

2 votes#10 - DanUSA - 7:58 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

No

I've written a book with the blueprint of a new school system. The

book supports what Steve Jobs believed - technology can't fix

education.

No

The most important people you meet, are those around you in real

life, not some social networking site.

No

As a high school teacher in a district with a one-to-one program, I

find laptops distracts from education more than they add to it.

Yes

Technology should be used to HELP not REPLACE teaching.

Teaching to test has already gutted education enough.

Yes

My vote is yes if the technology makes sense and is a proven to

enhance the learning experience. Otherwise No.

older newer

1 vote#11 - trajan8 - 8:07 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

3 votes#12 - jrion - 8:08 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

1 vote#13 - trust2112 - 8:10 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

1 vote#14 - VT - Baker - 8:15 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

No

Too much input. Technology is a money maker & has nothing to do

with education. I've seen kids w/iPads and they just surf around in

class.

Yes

Technology is not what is effecting education so negatively.

Education has been watered down from the "no child left behind

act". Teach

No

Prime example is kids turning in homework done in the texting

language. How proud their politicians are at gutting education at

every turn.

No

Technology today is extremely easy to pick up and learn. There is

no good reason for it's use in early education.

Yes

Everything in moderation. I'm a computer teacher and I feel there

are diminishing returns when over-saturated, but there ARE

older newer

3 votes#15 - PLM-4639180 - 8:17 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

2 votes#16 - absolutelyright - 8:17 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

2 votes#17 - mdsj - 8:21 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

3 votes#18 - EEK the EEK - 8:22 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

1 vote#19 - catgoddess - 8:24 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

benefits.

Yes

...but not at the expense of learning basic skills everyone should

have!

No

Nope, distracting

No

No doubt that some use the technology to goof off while they are

supposed to be listening. School is about learning more than how

to log on

Yes

Yes, but only when it's used as a TOOL and not a replacement for

use of one's own wits and imagination.

Yes

I think for my daughter, The Waldorf education blended with

older newer

#20 - Edward-768429 - 8:27 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

2 votes#21 - Anne-297812 - 8:28 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

#22 - prestwood - 8:28 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

#23 - Rodentrack - 8:34 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

1 vote#24 - Big Trouble - 8:36 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

technology would be the best!

No

The majority of students do not need adaptive technology. Save

that for special ed and teach the students how to reason instead.

Yes

if the students do not have test or grade then how do the students

compare to regular schools education level !

Yes

You have to use ALL available tools. Totally rely on them... NO!....

Use, YES!

No

Please don't waste my tax dollars on trendy products with no

proven record in education.

No

I taught a 7th grade class in the 50's and 60's and we did not have

older newer

1 vote#25 - Fred Moore-450151 - 8:43 pm EST on Wed Nov 30, 2011

computers at that time. We did fine without them, and no texting..

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Discuss this post

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We're proud parents of three children attending the Cincinnati Waldorf School-the best gift we could ever give them andourselves!

#1 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 5:06 PM EST

I'm a tech writer (programming manuals). My husband's an engineer. We met at Apple. I now work at Adobe. And... we sendour kid to this school.

After much research, we found Waldorf to be the best way to build our kid's mind, not just to fill it. And from 20 years ofexperience in tech, I can tell you that strong minds are much more successful in tech than are filled minds. Of all the brilliantpeople I have worked with, very few had tech at home growing up. Instead, we had books, math, and the ability to self-focus,to think rationally and creatively in a controlled, extended manner. These things strengthened our minds so that, when weencountered tech, we didn't just use it, we created and innovated it. We *owned* it, as they say. Not vice versa.

The knitting in Waldorf builds rational thinking (ask any knitter :-). The woodwork is about building confidence and, veryimportantly, focus (lest you hurt yourself). There's much more, but for us Waldorf is incomparable at the task of engineeringstrong, capable, flexible minds. And, as Steve Jobs believed, there's power in combining tech and art, science and beauty, asequal partners. Waldorf is the *only* educational system that gives equal time to both halves of that equation.

#2 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 7:06 PM EST

Well said.

Anyone can fill a mind but that doesn't mean the mind is strong. In most educational environments, the overuse oftechnology becomes an obstacle which changes the relationship from teacher-student to teacher-device-student.The devices themselves end up doing far too much of the actual work for the students, devaluing the teachers'instruction even further.

The basics of technology needs to be taught so students are prepared for what they will face in the real world butteaching technological skills doesn't mean putting an iPad in the hands of every student.

#2.1 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:12 PM EST

It's great that this has worked for your children and you can afford to send them to a private school. But there are a

CMM-4637544

techmom1

Captiosus

PLM-4639180

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lot of affluent private schools that incorporate technology into their curriculum and teach the arts as well. You statethat this is the only school to give equal time to both halves of the equation, but they don't use technology for half ofthe education.

I'm totally in agreement that there is over-saturation of technology, but we can't ignore it.

#2.2 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:50 PM EST

This isn't just about knitting and woodworking and who has money to send their kids to private schools. This is analternative school based on the philoposphy of Rudolf Steiner, a prominent New Age-style Austrian philosopher andself-styled clairvoyant. it's not just technology that's not part of the school...it's science and modern medicine andcommon sense (unless wood fairies and incantations to spirits are really part of the daily curriulum missing fromyour child's life.) We pulled our child out after just three months of this nonsense when we realized just how poorthe academics were and how badly we'd been misled about what the school is really about. (It's harshest critics callit a religion...I wouldn't go that far but the indoctrination is NOT about any kind of critical thinking....)

#2.3 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 10:03 PM EST

Hi, PLM! Fair critique of my statement. In the lower grades, they don't use high tech for half, or at all, as you saw.But, in the upper grades they do use tech and they do teach science. And it becomes a much more evenrelationship, with one feeding the other. Also, living in Silicon Valley, ignoring tech is completely impossible. It'severywhere from cafes to libraries to car washes. :-)

Hi, also, AP! Yes, Waldorf schools are based on Steiner, but all differ in how they approach the curriculum, as doeseach teacher. That said, I've not run into a Waldorf school here in CA or in FL, where we used to live, that ignoredscience or medicine or common sense. The relationship is just less about taking things for granted and more aboutconscious analysis, at least when it's done well. Ironically, looking at the scientific mindset as one among manyphilosophies of mind is how we approached things when I was at the University of CA, as well. We discussedscience as a religion, a philosophy, which is useful in giving perspective and not making assumptions aboutanything. Just because someone may choose to be conscious about something doesn't mean they are necessarilybeing superstitious. It can mean just the opposite -- a certain level of rigor that is often taken for granted. Ourhousehold is definitely not anti-science, and we sure wouldn't be putting our kid anywhere that was. Fwiw. Sorryyour experience wasn't a good one. Waldorf is much *slower* about academics for sure, but have never seen it tobe anything but academically strong, imho.

#2.4 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 11:50 PM EST

Every private schools is a wonderful learning experience, iPads or wood blocks, when the poor and the middleclass are excluded to raise the averages. Many of these schools have some sort of name-brand cultish appeal thatrequires intensive parental involvement. If your child isn't in the top 10% of public schools, it's easy to hide theirabsence of genius with exotic learning methods.

AP-1414066

techmom1

Vincent Denali

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#2.5 - Thu Dec 1, 2011 12:42 AM EST

Wow, only is such a strong word. I'm amazed you've been able to visit every school across the US.

#2.6 - Thu Dec 1, 2011 8:34 AM EST

Hi, Vincent! Fwiw, admission to our school, as with many/most Waldorf schools is not based on ability to pay.Families are provided tuition assistance if needed.

Hi, also, NYC! Sorry for my not being clear. I meant only education *system*, not only *school*. We did do researchon all major educational systems (pedagogical systems) in use in the U.S. For sure didn't mean that there weren'tother options -- just not widely available ones.

#2.7 - Thu Dec 1, 2011 9:21 AM EST

NYC Educator-4638577

techmom1

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I am the very proud parent of two girl's who are Aurora Waldorf School graduates. They attended from Kindergarten andgraduated from eight grade. It is by far the best gift I could have given them. They now attend the public high school and areflourishing. Our high school is excited when a Waldorf graduate enrolls and the teacher's embrace the students for their viewson the world. Waldorf protects childhood and teaches to child development. We are lucky to have a Waldorf school in ourarea.

#3 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 7:22 PM EST

After viewing the segment, I want to add that our school, like most Waldorf schools, offers financial aid to many families.Ability to pay is not a requirement for admission.

#4 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 7:40 PM EST

My brother-in-law took a job at a Waldorf school so he and my sister could send their 4 children there. They arewell-adjusted members of society and a bit on the 'artsy' side.

#4.1 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:20 PM EST

TM, you've been online defending this school for six hours. Why?

#4.2 - Thu Dec 1, 2011 1:12 AM EST

Hi, Foothill! I'm online practically 24/7, as I work in tech. ;-) And, part of my work is blog-based, so I'm just used toit. But, the real reason is that our family does love Waldorf. It's been really positive for us, so I feel like I owe it toWaldorf to try to share some of what's good and respond to folks' concerns.

#4.3 - Thu Dec 1, 2011 9:26 AM EST

Best article I have read in years. Its time to teach children and allow them to explore ...they can always learn technology....

#5 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 7:55 PM EST

Kyle Hennessy Snow VIA FACEBOOK

techmom1

PLM-4639180

Foothill Web Design

techmom1

doubt1

AP-1414066

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At Waldorf, they'll be learning things like mysticism and the spirituality of wood nymphs...not academics. The lack oftechnology is the least of their problems. This is the worst example of an alternative education reporter Ellis couldhave picked if she wanted to show a great education is possible without technology. (One that does not teachthings like the junk science of astrology could surely have been found NBC? )

#5.1 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 10:12 PM EST

Kids who don't know computers are about as useful as a one-armed pitcher. If these kids didn't have rich parentsworking for Apple, Google, HP, etc. they would be woefully unprepared for the working world. As things stand now,they'll probably be your boss in a few years.

#5.2 - Thu Dec 1, 2011 1:17 AM EST

I guess this school won't be getting anything from the Gates Foundation.

#6 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:13 PM EST

Bill Gates was educated without the conveniences that he helped introduce 25yrs ago, as did we all in thatgeneration.

He is well aware of the difference between of an educated student and the tools that can either help or destroy thepotential of that student. Which came first, knowledge or computers, or for that matter, the slide rule?

If you stood at the back of the classroom and looked at every screen, at least half of them would beon Facebook," Waheed said of all the other students who are typing away on their laptops duringlectures.

That about says it all.......

#6.1 - Thu Dec 1, 2011 1:43 AM EST

I would venture to guess that a Waldorf school might soon benefit from a grant from the Gates Foundation after thisnews story. I love that the Gates Foundation supports all kinds of learning. Besides, all our kids are such greatcritical thinkers that they pick up computer skills with great ease. My kids taught ME how to use my new laptop!This isn't a slam on computers but a call to give kids MORE than that. There is a time and place for computer use,childhood is not that time.

#6.2 - Thu Dec 1, 2011 1:46 AM EST

Foothill Web Design

dirp101

DW Brown

Nina Rhys

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So happy there are some school districts with common sense.

#7 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:13 PM EST

Raptor -- I'm pretty sure this is a private school.

#7.1 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 11:10 PM EST

The daily nightly news? Is that like an oxymoron? Is that the best a college education gets you nowadays? Isn't there somesong or movie that you could be remaking with all that mental prowess? How about the retarded intelligent news?

#8 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:14 PM EST

Did you miss the comprehension class, didn't you? Let us know if you need clarification, we'll be more than happyto 'educate' you...

#8.1 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:07 PM EST

While I voted yes to the survey, I think the question illustrates that the author of the article (or at least of the question) justdoesn't get it.

Computers are just a tool. Hammers don't design or build great houses. Carpenters do. If schools become all enamoured withtechnology and decide that it's some silver bullet, then the technology becomes an impediment to learning, not an enabler.

At the same time, technology, properly applied, can be a wonderful tool to aid learning. It doesn't replace, and will neverreplace good teachers though.

I suspect this school is in an affluent area, with educated parents who value education, good facilities, and well-paid andhighly qualified teachers. That's what matters most; everything else: technology, no technology, charter, segregated sexes,etc is just a gimmick.

#9 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:21 PM EST

Raptor22

Susi-Oh

trust2112

justiceforall-2038290

Richard-1988385

PLM-4639180

older newer

Well-stated. I'm a computer teacher and try to incorporate the human element into the projects that the kids do. Mystudents make movies in one of my classes and I always emphasize the 'story' they are telling. The computer is atool to tell the story in a unique and interesting way.

#9.1 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:42 PM EST

Without fear of being called obsolete, when I was in school we were not allowed even to use calculators. The'calculators' we used were paper, pencil, and our brain. You would be kicked out of class if you pulled out one for anexam, not even on finals.

#9.2 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:10 PM EST

Exactly right Richard. There are still many technophobes who don't get that technology doesn't replace humaninteraction--it's merely a tool for learning.

(And by the way, the Waldorf schools have a whole lot of other challenges completely apart from their shunning oftechnology...Academics is not a priority and we were extremelly disappointed--pulled out our child from thatexperiment after just 3 months.)

#9.3 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:41 PM EST

Sorry Richard. I bear a different view. Let me share that with you. I teach undergraduates in a private college and Isee the negative impact of technology use in schools. Sometime for simple addition/subtraction/division/multiplication, students type in their calculator or in their cell phone. As you use your brain less and less its counterproductive (if you allow me to exaggerate, recall Mendeleev's law). Some colleagues suggest that as we aredealing with millennium students, we should embrace technology more and more; use power points andsimulations during lectures to make our point. I think, as a teacher explains certain things and the students listenand create an image of that in their mind, that helps them the most. For learning, there is no alternate of using yourbrain more and more and more. One needs to learn the use o technology so that when one needs to serve, it canbe used it as much as needed.

#9.4 - Thu Dec 1, 2011 12:01 AM EST

Learning tools are changing. Teachers are behind.

"Kids. They don't make them like they used to." Anonymous, 1215 B.C.

#9.5 - Thu Dec 1, 2011 12:51 AM EST

justiceforall-2038290

AP-1414066

Pradip

Vincent Denali

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I taught IT at a two year college for ten years. Reading comprehension was the biggest problemfor many of the students. People do not read web pages like they would a book.Humans skim web pages and skip large parts of them. Students might find theanswer but they would skip some critical part of the reading that explained whyyou did X when you got to that step.

Most could Google for an answer but were unable to filter the results to findthe correct answer.

Students need to read books and work on problems with pen and paper, or on achalkboard!

#10 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:22 PM EST

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bill870

justiceforall-2038290

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I have the same problem today, and I am teaching critical thinking. I 'forced' my students to go beyond Google orWikipedia, by dismissing the sources have they come from those two places. By doing that, I exposed them toacademic research, peer reviewed items and different databases. I agree with you that we need to nurture theirbrain, and in a sense, simplifying their workload by allowing them to skip that analytic aspect of their education weare doing a disservice to them.

#10.1 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:14 PM EST

Bill870 wrote " People do not read web pages like they would a book. Humans skim web pages and skip largeparts of them. "

Students of today know how to search for information on the Web. In the past, we were marched into a library tolearn the Dewey Decimal system. After high school, I never used that system again.

#10.2 - Thu Dec 1, 2011 12:52 AM EST

The human brain is the greatest computer available to humankind! Let's learn to use it!

#11 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:25 PM EST

Amen to that, Lee.

#11.1 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:16 PM EST

Bravo! Finally some intelligent thinking from a school system.

#12 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:25 PM EST

Yep...I was right. Waldorf School of the Peninsula is $17,750 for K-8, $24,400 for grades 9-12. While money isn't everything, certainly guarantees a higher level of education among its parents. You can certainly pay teachers better and equip betterscience labs with that kind of money, especially when you're not spending big chunks on computers.

#13 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:31 PM EST

Vincent Denali

Lee-663389

justiceforall-2038290

wayne-1547424

Richard-1988385

Kim Allsup VIA FACEBOOK

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Many Waldorf schools have tuition much lower than this and also offer tuition support to those who need it. Ingeneral, public school teachers have higher salaries than Waldorf teachers.

#13.1 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:35 PM EST

Many Waldorf schools have tuition much lower than this and also offer tuition support to those who need it. Ingeneral, public school teachers have higher salaries than Waldorf teachers.

#13.2 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:36 PM EST

Richard: The tuition is not expensive by private school standards, but their academics are not a priority. This isdefinately an "alternative" school and it's not alternative because of any kind of rigor.

#13.3 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:43 PM EST

AP, my nieces and nephews went to a Waldorf school and have a higher appreciation for the arts, is all I can tell.There was nothing special about their educational standards and they did not excel above the norm. I agree, it'smore alternative than anything else. I think the news piece simply put the technology spin on their curriculum.

#13.4 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 10:22 PM EST

PLM: they DO stress the arts and that's the appeal for some parents, but there are great schools for the arts thatare not indoctrination centers for mystical philosophies in the place of academics. I hate to see Waldorf used as anexample of what a GOOD education can be like minus the technology. Reporter Ellis must've had one heck of atime finding a decent example of a quality, rigorous education that didn't involve technology of some sort (even inthe heart of Silicon Valley), to bite on this story....but then a story that says technology is pervasive in Silicon Valleyschools wouldn't be much of one...

#13.5 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 10:34 PM EST

Agreed that, in our experience, including our school, admission is not based on ability to pay. It is very, verycommon for families to receive tuition assistance at Waldorf or any private school.

#13.6 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 11:54 PM EST

Kim Allsup VIA FACEBOOK

AP-1414066

PLM-4639180

AP-1414066

techmom1

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Kim Allsup wrote " public school teachers have higher salaries than Waldorf teachers."

But the public school kiln does not fire every day as it does in the art room after hours in the Art room. I alwayswondered what that funny smell was.

#13.7 - Thu Dec 1, 2011 12:54 AM EST

This is an educational system from the turn of the Last Century. It works because it teaches children how to think, learn andfind out what they don't know (among a lot of other things).

Our two children are products of the Sacramento Waldorf School now young adult, college grads. They will tell you thatWaldorf is a large part of what made them the people they are today. The school changed our entire family's lives.

#14 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:33 PM EST

The problem with these model schools is that they are not the norm. You look at kids from well-heeled homes and class size

Vincent Denali

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pegn

PLM-4639180

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is small. This model would work well for a technology-rich environment as well and you would have just as high rates ofgraduation and all the gratuitous statements. I agree that too much technology makes us have short attention spans andbecome anti-social, but if technology is used in moderation and at the right time, it is exciting and meaningful for the studentsAlso, the average person cannot spend $24,000 a year on their child's education. I have three children and that would amounto well over what I make in a year as a teacher. I TOTALLY agree that we need more hands-on and engaging education, butwe cannot ignore the technology that is around us.

#15 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:37 PM EST

its a good thing this is no "model school". Waldorf schools are anything but advanced and have nothing to do withbeing "well-heeled". These are alternative schools that teach "spiritual mysticism" and reject not just technology, butmodern science and medicine as well.

#15.1 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:57 PM EST

AP, you keep stating that ALL Waldorf schools teach mysticism and shun academics. This is simply not true. Mythree children have gone, and are still attending the Seattle Waldorf School. My daughter is 22 and graduated fromWaldorf HS, she now teaches special needs children in the UK. My oldest son is currently a senior at SWHS andcolleges are seeking him out because he is so unique, an incredible critical thinker, and high intellectual. He's nodummy. My youngest is a 10th grader and already interested in becoming a doctor. You really are no authority ifyou spent three months in a Waldorf school. Try 20 years and then we'll talk! This education has been the singlegreatest gift that I have given my children. They are incredible human beings and so are their classmates. Oh, andguess what, they can all navigate a computer, or Iphone, with ease.

#15.2 - Thu Dec 1, 2011 1:29 AM EST

Using a computer or an ipad in school to "learn technology" is like driving a car to "learn mechanical engineering". This schoomaybe "old school" but look at the minds that the "old school" curriculum turned out. I would say that they are definitely on theright track.

#16 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:38 PM EST

Research has proven that humans use a small fraction of our brains. We have the capacity to multi-task.Computing speeds up tasks that we don't need to spend time thinking about. This will free up our minds toconcentrate on more important and higher thinking ideas. I agree that technology has become a toy rather than atool for children.

I'm all for learning skills that promote coordination and focus, but going full-board backwards is not the answer. Ifthis is the right track, then we're going to wind up in the stone age writing on cave walls. Scale back the technology,

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but don't ignore it entirely.

#16.1 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:14 PM EST

Students must learn the "fundamentals" first. Metaphorically speaking they must learn to crawl before they learn to walk andthen run. The use of "technology", even something as simple as a calculator shouldn't be allowed into the classroom for anyof the "three R subjects"; reading, writing and arithmetic. The use of "technological" tools; calculators, digital books,cameras, recorders and computers should be an altogether separate course.

#17 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:40 PM EST

I take it you haven't been around young children in a while. By early grades, computers are an integral part of thecurriculum, just as they are for many kids at home. They don't need altogether separate classes and are very verycomfortable in integrating them. It doesn't mean they can't read, write or do basic math. These are simply tools.

#17.1 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:48 PM EST

Malachi wrote "The use of "technological" tools; calculators, digital books, cameras, recorders and computersshould be an altogether separate course."

Even in my day, 8 year-olds were typing computer programs. Are you a lawyer or some other greater being?

Honestly, what's the difference between reading a text book on a piece of paper vs. an ipad?

#17.2 - Thu Dec 1, 2011 12:55 AM EST

Mal'achi

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Vincent Denali

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I personally believe it is how technology is utilized that determines whether it is bad or good. You can't replace teaching withtechnology. With that being stated, I do not think kids need iPads and need to constantly use computers. Many of thedepartments and professors at the university I attended actually banned lap tops from being used during classes. Even theclasses that they were allowed in I typically took notes by hand and then typed them up later, as somebody interviewed does.I graduated with a BS degree with very high honors. Growing up my parents always stressed it was the effort put into schoolthat mattered and not the grades I received. I believe that helped to foster my love of learning. I also agree with the securitythat being in one class continuously offers. I was in a program in elementary school that was located in one wing of theschool. I had the same classmates every year, but a different teacher. I knew exactly who I would have and most of theteachers knew all of the kids. We were a very close knit program. I think that all worked together to foster a great learningenvironment (which is much more important than technology in my opinion).

#18 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:48 PM EST

Jl wrote " With that being stated, I do not think kids need iPads and need to constantly use computers. "

iPad-like devices will simply replace the inflated costs of books. Did you ever notice how many revisions text bookson classic topics needed? Colleges realized that they could kill the used book market by requiring a new editionevery year. How often must Spencer & Mallory and Calculus be updated?

#18.1 - Thu Dec 1, 2011 12:57 AM EST

This school sounds similar to the schools in Finland. And they have some of the best schools in the world.

#19 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:00 PM EST

Waldorf schools are no where near that quality. They do not stress academics.

#19.1 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:46 PM EST

JL-1572004

Vincent Denali

50sBaby

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UNTRUE.

#19.2 - Thu Dec 1, 2011 1:49 AM EST

Waldorf teachers need to have first their teaching certificate and than have to go through a 3 year waldorf teaching trainingbefore the can teach a waldorf class.

The teacher teaches the same class through 8 grades in all subjects.(besides dance and music)

I was very impressed how my kids learnd geography in combination with world history to understand how everyting was/isinterrelated in this world. (frankly I wish that every kid in th US had/has that kind of education, specially voters and politiciansso they know how to understand the world)

In the 70th there was a bestseller book: "a nation of sheep" and frankly all the arguments and oservations in that book are stilvalid today.

anecdote: when I was 13 and in the elevator going to the top of the eifel tower(thats in Paris) a woman ask me where I wasfrom, I answered from Holland.

Oh she said, how is your King.

We had queens for over 100 years.

I live in the US since 1979, Portand,OR.

#20 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:27 PM EST

Had that person you run into been a Waldorf student, that story would be just as believable.

Waldorf's underlying philosophy rejects modern medicine and philosophy and promotes pseudo sciences likeastrology. The promote prayer circles and honest to goodness, gnomes in woods. Waldorf is about as far fromadvanced education as one can get...technology or no technology.

#20.1 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:54 PM EST

Teaching history and geography in the same class is called Social Studies. I taught it for 5 years in the publicschool system before being transferred to technology. There is nothing special about that.

#20.2 - Wed Nov 30, 2011 10:27 PM EST

Nina Rhys

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Waldorf appeals to mysticism. I've met so many parents that actually believe that brand-name Montessori methodshave more to do with the success of their children than parental money, effort and connections. Educationalinstitutions such as Waldorf provide wealthy parents with emotional salve for a high price.

#20.3 - Thu Dec 1, 2011 12:59 AM EST

Teaching history and geography in the same class is called Social Studies. I taught it for 5 years inthe public school system before being transferred to technology. There is nothing special about that.

History and geography........Our Social Studies was American History and Civics(remember that deleted tidbit ofimportant knowledge?)

Social Studies was taught in 7th and 8th grades, Geography in 5th and 6th.

History (Russian, English, specific American, French, etc.) Was taught in high school, pitifully as an option, I wasthe odd one who loved it all.

Of course we are talking about the 1960's, our technology was a once in awhile film!

When the technology boom of the nineties hit, I went back to school, now I can use the computer, fix the computerand even set them up in fully integrated networks.

Now which came first a good education or technology?

#20.4 - Thu Dec 1, 2011 2:19 AM EST

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