Click below to meet some of our parents and hear them describe the school in their own words. Over time, we’ll feature different families and different perspectives, so check back now and again to read what they have to say.
A Different Approach to Learning
A Different Approach to Learning
My husband and I were lead to Waldorf education because we were concerned about schools that work from a state mandated curriculum and set of tests. Marin Waldorf supports the natural unfolding of a child's inner development at each stage and while their curriculum is rigorous, it is also harmonious and life-affirming. Our son approaches each day with an open, curious and trusting heart.—Lori WallaceThe Marin Waldorf School has a different teaching philosophy from other schools in the Dixie school district. For example, when we went to the Waldorf kindergarten we stepped into an open environment of wooden toys, lots of color, handwork, play, and gardens--completely different from a classroom where things are academically dosed into ten-minute slots. Waldorf asks, ‘If the attention span of a kindergartner is ten-minutes and the attention span of an adult needs to be an hour and a half, how can we prepare the child for an attention span of an hour and a half?’ And what that’s about is an ability to focus and to be able to sit in the silences of life, to not be scared by them and to have the imagination, curiosity and discipline to grow from inside yourself. –Mike Watt, father of three Marin Waldorf graduates
I had some questions about the Waldorf approach, specifically about their approach to reading. But I was open-minded and had confidence in our ability to discern whether we’d made the right choice with Waldorf. Sometimes I got a little anxious, but each time I saw that the results were exactly as I would have hoped. Our daughter mastered all the skills she needed, not with drudgery and fear, but with joy and enthusiasm. She learned to read because she learned to love books, not because she was forced to learn to read. It seemed exactly right to me.–Chris Lind-White
In the fifth grade woodwork class, the kids create a wooden egg which starts as a cube of wood. But they don’t use a power saw to cut off the edges, they do the slow work of hand filing those cubes until the eggs emerge and it takes weeks and weeks. What this teaches is discipline and focus and an understanding that you won’t get an instantaneous result from everything you do. And this is very much a metaphor for Waldorf education: the educators have faith that if you give children enough space and an environment rich in story and art, language and science, questions and community, the children themselves will discover who they are and what moves them. This creates kids with a strong sense of motivation and inner direction…All three of my kids are on paths toward healthy, happy and productive lives and Marin Waldorf certainly began that path for them. –Mike Watt, father of three Marin Waldorf graduates
A Different View of Media and Popular Culture
Our children have always been more interested in experiences, relationships, and nature. We think that limiting media while they were young helped. And it helps to be in a community of like-minded parents. Marin Waldorf really offers an extended family and community experience. –Michelle and Patrick Gannon
When our daughter, who is four, gets home from school she wanders off to her room and begins creating her world. She lays out silky cloths, sets up colored stones in a row, brings out her little wooden animals, and sitting in front of them on a stool, she begins singing and telling them stories.. She has found a way to bring what is inside of her out and into her play, and she does it everywhere she goes. To sit her in front of the television would kill that. –Kina Mandelbrot
What we see in a general science curriculum in most schools is a focus on learning the facts that other scientists have developed, whereas at Marin Waldorf they teach the skills of curiosity, observation and creativity so that a child might be the one to make the next important discovery, not just learn about what everyone else has discovered. –Chris Lind-White
I’ve learned how to be the parent I'd always dreamed of being here at Marin Waldorf. I knew how to change diapers and attend to the practical matters of parenting, but the school has taught me how to nurture my child's soul. It's great to feed your child good foods and know they are healthy, but it's the most amazing experience when you can go deeper and feed the inner, more soulful place in your child. There's nothing like it in the world.—Lori Wallace
Marin Waldorf children have an incredible appetite for learning: the flame of curiosity within them is nurtured and stoked every day. As a mother of a boy who has a lot of energy and excitement, this is particularly important to me. There's a lot of patience at Marin Waldorf to let each child unfold and be seen for who they really are. This is an environment that brings out the best in children.—Lori Wallace
As a pediatrician working with children in the public school system, I’m very aware that our educational system gears itself to filling kid’s heads full of information and facts, as well as basic skills like reading, writing and math-which are critical, but not the entirety of what’s important. Knowing those basics will get you through high school, but won’t get you beyond that. To succeed in college, and beyond, you need to be able to think. Thinking skills are very much what the Waldorf education is about. They teach reading, writing and math, but it’s in the context of critical thinking so that a child will be able to create something from what they are learning. –Chris Lind-White
One thing we appreciate about Marin Waldorf is that children are allowed to be who they are within the community, and the playground is a great example of that. The teachers don’t just say ‘it’s playtime, go out and play,’ they’re watching, guiding, and finding a way for each child to find their own expression within the community. It’s a spirit of cooperation. –Kina Mandelbrot
Being Waldorf parents has given us a real sense of community and a huge network to parent from. When we get together at school every month to plan events and to talk about the things that are going on between kids or in the classroom, we also talk about parenting issues and we learn from each other. In the Bay Area our families are far flung, and Waldorf has become that extended and nurturing family to us. –Chris Eaton
What led our family to Marin Waldorf was a desire to provide our children with this wonderful, rich educational experience. We also felt drawn to the school’s lively festivals as well as the beautiful, pastoral campus. The hidden bonus for us has been, by far and away, the people we have come to know here---the community of families, teachers and staff. Here we’ve found fundamental common ground around parenting and education, but we have also found a rich differentness. Diversity in cultural backgrounds and nationalities, professions and talents. I feel so grateful to meet and exchange ideas and thinking with people we might otherwise not have met. Amidst the interesting differences, there is interconnectedness and community that enriches our daily lives and serves as a worthy example of mindful living and cooperation for our children as they learn and grow. -Linda Spegar