Emerson Waldorf School

Emerson Waldorf promised my son (and our family) they would welcome us with respect, warmth, and loving care. Our experience was quite the opposite. It is application season for families planning to send their kids off to school in a few months. Remember how much you love your child and choose a different school for them.I grew concerned quickly after school began that I had made a poor choice for my lovely son. EWS’ long standing reputation started to tarnish a few years back when they stopped treating all families with the dignity and consideration deserved. The experiences my family encountered were consistent with what we heard from the other (mostly former) EWS families. The main issue seems to come from the fact EWS is a very closed organization. They repeatedly demonstrated to families and business partners an unwillingness to integrate outside feedback and information to provide students with the right experiences. The school prioritizes teachers over students.I came to realize I would need to transition my son to a different school as more families shared their stories with me. I also discovered that professional educators who help families select schools for their children have stopped recommending EWS because of these ongoing issues. My son’s teacher had been teaching the Waldorf approach for over 40 years. I felt she was no longer capable of teaching a classroom of young children even with the full-time assistant she was provided. She appeared to be more focused on cultivating a classroom that was easy for her rather than right for her students. We have to be the best advocates for our children. I voiced my concerns to the teacher which produced what I felt were retaliatory responses toward my son, I escalated to the school administrator. She simply turned me back over to the teacher to resolve my concerns. I went so far as to communicate our experience and concerns to the EWS Board Chair who is the mother of two EWS students. Weeks later I have yet to even receive an acknowledgement from her.Fortunately, my son transitioned to his new school remarkably well. His teachers are actually warm and welcoming. They have a diverse set of students in the classroom and the kids benefit from the diversity of styles the kids all bring. I could not be more grateful he is no longer enduring the environment at EWS.

I'm not sure that any one school is a perfect fit for everyone, but Emerson Waldorf School has been a great fit for our kids. They enjoy school and love their teachers, and come home happy and tired from a day spent well engaged in their learning. Waldorf teaching is much more experiential than most schools - using head, hands and heart - and the contrast is really strong, when you compare with the general push for schools to have their students all glued to screens for hours and hours each day. My own kids impress me every day with the talents and confidence they have, and I know that a great deal of that comes from the time they spend each day at the Emerson Waldorf School.

My daughter attended the school from Kindergarten through grade 12. It helped her develop into a marvelous young woman.

I'd like to touch on the people stating you are doing a disservice to your children's education sending them here. While it's true then don't learn at same level, initally in early education, as public school, they catch up by third. My husband went to Waldorf and her is one of the smartest Misty well rounded people I've met. What they aren't addressing is how developmentally children shouldn't be pressured to start reading in kindergarten. It causes undue anxiety. What they also aren't discussing is how my son at 6 is sewing. He is learning how to treat everyone with respect. He's learning how to cook (so is my 3 year old). They aren't just teaching reading and writing, they are teaching life skills as well. I love those school. My children feel safe and cared for. Learning is fun

I graduated from this school and my experience was invaluable.