East Bay Waldorf School Reviews by Parents

Famous for epidemics:

http://childrenshealthcare.org/?page_id=200

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local&id=6131662


Here is East Bay Waldorf School:

http://www.education.com/schoolfinder/us/california/el-sobrante/east-bay-waldorf\
-school/

I used to go here for middle school and everybody is hyper-Christian, judgmental
and exclusive towards those who are not part of an established social circle
there. Submitted by a Former Student on Feb 25, 2012

http://www.yelp.com/not_recommended_reviews/FULy3lHS9PwJEnrBXtQs0Q

• 
  
• 1/26/2014

Ditto on the below from Friday. There is a serious problem that goes even beyond physical and verbal bullying to the very disturbing. The school has shady practices and tends to silence people when they speak out.

• 
  

 1/24/2014
If you are thinking about sending your child here, do yourself a favor and ask about issues with discipline in the last year and how well the school is able to react to challenges. There has been a rash of bullying behavior and the school administration has been terribly slow at responding. Families have left as a result. The Waldorf method can be nice for the students but it seems to be an excuse for a lack of clear policies. The school had serious trouble for similar reasons about 5 years ago and it seems to be going through a crisis again. It just seems unstable compared to simalr private schools in the East Bay. We pulled our daughter out of the school after a year and a half, it was very difficult to make a transition, but better than staying in the environment at the school.

• 3/10/2014

Ridiculous! They don't teach your kid anything to prepare for mainstream school. They charge a ton of money to have your kid play around and develop motor skills until age 9 or 10 before teaching them reading, writing, and math skills! You can't let your kid wear logos or any type of name brand media nor can you let your child watch any type of media even at home! They say they don't teach religion, but a picture of the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus is in the classroom! That's an establishment of religion! Yet, they say all religions and cultures are welcome!

They charge you a very high non-refundable application fee as if you are applying for a college! They make you fill out a very thorough application before you can even find out if the school is the right fit for your child! After they accept your application, they set up an interview with you and the teacher to see if the school is right for you!

What really pissed me off is when the pre-school teacher handed me some essays on Waldorf philosophy on education and asked me if I know how to read English! Just because I don't look White doesn't mean I'm not educated!

http://www.greatschools.org/california/el-sobrante/10303-East-Bay-Waldorf-School/?tab=reviews

Posted March 8, 2014

I am sooo thankful that my parents got me outta there when they did. I'll warn people looking into this school that the teachers put on a nice face for visitors and parents and then yell or talk down to the students. Now that I'm in public high school I see all the science and history that they left out. And don't let anyone tell you that religion doesn't show up in the classroom because it does! Quiet kids do okay and so there are plenty of nice reviews but it's pretty creepy with some of the teachers and I saw plenty of bullying going on that didn't ever seem to get noticed. All the art stuff doesn't make up for the meanness.

Posted January 26, 2014

The bullying mentioned below is indeed continuing, even though its been reported since the first day of this past school year and as a result families are leaving mid year.
—Submitted by a parent

Posted January 24, 2014

There has been a shocking degree of bullying behavior at the school this year, and the administration has been slow to deal with it. This has caused a major rift within the school and many families have been leaving. There is a real problem with communication and follow-through.
—Submitted by a parent

Posted July 13, 2012

I am an advocate of Waldorf education and a trained Waldorf teacher. It is my opinion that the principles of Waldorf education are not present at EBWS. I have two children who attended the East Bay Waldorf school for a few years. The teachers are not well trained for classroom management and the children often felt fearful when any behavior issues came up. My son felt bullied both by students and teachers and every attempt to solve the issues failed. The educational environment was not conducive to learning. The "disappointments are too great to number" All and all it is not a healthy place for children.
—Submitted by a parent

Posted June 5, 2012

The Waldorf curriculum is a beautiful one a fully experiential method, leading children to develop strong powers of observation. In a healthy Waldorf school, teachers strive to recognize each child s unique human growth and learning. In this way, a variety of learning styles (within a normal range) are respected and supported. This requires good collaboration and trust among the entire faculty, staff and community, and a faculty and staff that are stable and experienced. This school does not meet this Waldorf standard. We have experienced this in other Waldorf schools and it results in an environment where children thrive. Given that current (spring 2012) enrollment is around 130, not 269, as reported here, it seems many families have recognized this and have moved on, as we have.
—Submitted by a parent

Posted June 5, 2012

Waldorf aims to surround children with three things: beauty, truth and love. After pouring my heart and soul for 6+ years at the school, both financially and as a very active volunteer, people ask why we left. With disappointments too many to number, I simply respond with "The school fell a little short on truth and love." My children never enjoyed EBWS, yet we believed so much in the Waldorf pedagogy, we stayed. Now that they are in places where they are cherished and treated with kindness and respect, they LOVE school and are thriving. 

—Submitted by a parent

http://www.greatschools.org/california/el-sobrante/10303-East-Bay-Waldorf-School\
/

Posted May 19, 2004
We did not have a good fit there. It might have been my daughters teacher, but
we found that if the child worked outside of their fairly specific norms, the
became quite agitated. Its probably ok for kids that fit a specific mold. Just
make sure your kid does before you go there. The school is fairly rigid and not
always in touch with the 'real world'. —Submitted by a parent