PRIVATE SCHOOL
learning models ls
By Eleanor Linafelt
IF YOU ARE THINKING about enrolling your child in a private school, you may be
overwhelmed by all of the options — not only the sheer number of schools to choose from,
but also several different learning models and educational philosophies across the country
that these schools employ.

Three of the most popular are Waldorf, Reggio Emilia and Montessori.

Though distinct, these types of schools, all founded in the early 20th century, are similar
in that they offer creative, individualized and child-driven approaches to education.

Yet their philosophies have notable differences in terms of how the classrooms are
structured and what the curricula prioritize.

It’s important that you find the right fit for your child, but according to the experts
and teachers we spoke with, one thing is true for Waldorf, Reggio Emilia and Montessori
models: Any type of student has the potential to thrive in them.

“Head, heart and hands”
Founded by scientist and thinker Rudolf
Steiner, Waldorf education “aims to meet
children where they’re at by an approach to
education that makes sure that we are always
including the head, heart and hands,” says
Ona Wetherall, the lead teacher and head of
the early childhood program at Kimberton
Waldorf School in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania,
and the parent of three Waldorf students.

Waldorf teachers foster not only their
students’ cognitive development, but
also their physical and social-emotional
development. “All of those things need to be
cared for and educated together,” Wetherall
says. “That’s what makes the whole human
organism be the very best that it can be.”
“A feast for the senses”
One way Waldorf education supports the
“whole” child is through sensory engagement.

“We feel that even from the very beginning,
children learn with their whole bodies and
with all of their senses,” Wetherall says.

“The early childhood classroom is such a
feast for the senses in the way that things
are made with natural materials, and we
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make all our food from scratch.”
In adhering to that philosophy, Waldorf
classrooms don’t contain plastic or artificial
learning materials. “Our crayons are beeswax
crayons,” Wetherall says. “Our watercolor
paints are natural pigment paints that don’t
have any additives in them.”
Creative thinking
Students in Waldorf schools learn from
hands-on experiences rather than from
textbooks. In fact, Waldorf students often
create their own textbooks.

“At the end of the year my children come
home with multiple books that they’ve made
themselves with the material they’ve learned,”
Wetherall says. “It’s a unique aspect of our
education.” It’s one of the many ways Waldorf
education promotes original thinking.

“We’re trying to foster the imagination
so when kids get older they can be creative
free thinkers when it comes to doing things
like math and problem solving,” Wetherall
says. “As a parent, I appreciate that because
we need people to be able to think outside
the box and approach situations with
flexibility.” GEORGIJEVIC / E+
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