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Hello New Families,
All new students begin the school year on probationary enrollment for the first 10 weeks of school. Someone recently said to me that we should call it the “trial period” as that sounds much more accurate and less punitive. I agree!
Probationary enrollment is a trial period for both families and the school. This first 10 weeks of school gives each family an opportunity to exit their enrollment contract for any reason. It also gives our faculty time to observe and truly get to know students to ensure they can thrive in a Waldorf environment.
The fact is, Waldorf education is unique and sometimes it isn’t an ideal fit. While leaving our school is a rare occurrence, here are a few reasons why it might happen.
Toileting -- School readiness in regards to potty training is the #1 reason families hit pause on attenting our Early Childhood program. No judgement! It's a developmental milestone. And, for us, it’s about regulations. As an ODE licensed preschool (and not child care), we have restrictions about what we can do to help children in this area. Here is our toilet training policy.
Following Teacher Directions – Teachers here at Spring Garden almost never raise their voices. This means that students have to respond to gentle, loving authority. If a child feels that adults who “mean business” raise their voices, count down, or use external reward systems to obtain desired behavior, that same child may struggle in a Waldorf environment where those methods are not used.
Behavioral Needs – Occasionally students will exhibit behaviors that we cannot accommodate. During the first few weeks of school, many students will need a level of support that includes repeated reminders and one-on-one attention. However, if that support does not help new students progress to a level of classroom independence within 5-8 weeks, we may determine that we cannot serve the student and also equally serve our other students with our teachers’ time.
Mismatched Expectations – While we do our best to accurately represent the essentials of Waldorf education during our admissions process, occasionally parents find that their child’s experience is not what they expected. If you find this is the case, please let us know! We can spend our first 10 weeks together in partnership to see if we can be a fit for your family and, if not, that’s okay! Every child and family is different and every school offers something unique and valuable.
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