Georgia Klenn was never content with traditional schooling. She taught seventh-grade math while pursuing a degree in education, and was so dissatisfied that she cried nearly every night.

"We did a block on percentiles," she says. "If I gave them the formula, they could plug into the formula and get an answer. But when I gave them a word problem and they had to think for themselves, they couldn't do it."

Frustrated, Georgia knew she didn't want to spend her life programming children to recite memorized facts. She wanted them to think. So when she heard of a style of teaching called the Waldorf method, Georgia knew it was the answer. "Even before I had kids, I read about it and started crying. I thought, 'I wish I taught that way.' It's absolutely incredible."

Defining Waldorf
The Waldorf method that so intrigued Georgia was founded by a man named Dr. Rudolph Steiner in the early part of the twentieth century. He believed very strongly that education should not only engage the minds of children, but the bodies and spirits as well. These elements are not treated as separate; the Waldorf method is designed to educate all of them in concert.

"[Children] are 'sense' beings," says Waldorf teacher Steve Johnson. "They smell and see and taste a great deal and we try to appeal to that." That philosophy was enough to convince Georgia Klenn to enroll her son Zachary in a Waldorf school, where he's been learning from Steve Johnson for most of the past six years.

The Waldorf Classroom
When Zachary turned 4, Georgia started him in the Great Oaks School in Evanston, IL and started volunteering there herself. In his early childhood classroom, Zachary and the other children participated in activities aimed at making them comfortable in their own bodies. They baked bread, made soup, sang songs, tended a garden, danced, and played dress-up and make-believe. Zachary's teacher, Steve Johnson, says all these activities aren't merely play; they have a very specific purpose.

"What we try to do is keep the children's imaginations alive," Johnson says. "That means we don't push academics in early childhood. We have the children play and do things with their hands, like making bread and puppets rather than putting a child in front of a computer and giving them intellectual concepts."

The arts play a role in everyday life at a Waldorf school. Zachary learned to play the wooden flute along with his first grade class. A few years later, they moved onto the recorder, followed by the violin. They molded clay, drew pictures, learned French and German, and recited poetry. But perhaps the most important part of the Waldorf formula: all of these things were done with a heavy emphasis on teamwork and togetherness. "It's more like a family than a school," Georgia says. "How many people come to pick up their children at a traditional school and the child sees another parent and runs over and gives them a hug?"

The family-like atmosphere provides children the opportunity to learn without the pressures of competition. "Everything is so competitive in life," Georgia says. "They're going to have enough of that when they're adults. There's so much horrible stuff out there; they don't need to be [competing] when they're this young."

Georgia proudly says that atmosphere has helped Zachary blossom, and take on things he might not otherwise try. "He learned how to knit and crochet and needlepoint -- and these are boys! And they love it," she says. "They don't look at it like it's a feminine thing."

In the Waldorf education, children are not taught to read until second or third grade. When reading was introduced to Zachary's class, he began having trouble. The cause of his struggles was not apparent until he was diagnosed with dyslexia, a reading disorder marked by a tendency to scramble letters, words and sentences. But instead of alienating Zachary because of his learning disability, his classmates and teacher supported his efforts to read.

"[One day] Mr. Johnson ran into the office and said, 'Georgia! Zachary read an entire paragraph and didn't make a mistake! And he told me that all the other kids started clapping for him," Georgia says happily. "It gives me goose bumps. It just makes me want to cry."

Waldorf students remain with the same teacher from preschool through eighth grade. This allows the teacher to develop a close relationship with all the students, and ensures that students' abilities and difficulties will be understood from year to year. "They adore this man," Georgia says. "He's like a second parent to them."

Johnson, like all other Waldorf teachers, doesn't give his students grades or make them memorize facts in a textbook. "Other schools are so concerned about science or math or reading," he says. "It leaves the child nervous and unsatisfied."

To help students feel more at ease, a Waldorf school is "all natural" --literally. Nothing in the classroom is made of plastic, because it's not a natural substance. The children have wood stumps, they use beeswax crayons instead of Crayola, and other natural materials such as silk and wool. According to Johnson, the children's mental development benefits from the feel, sight and smell of natural materials.

Waldorf Criticisms
Like anything that strays from the norm, the Waldorf method has its share of criticisms. Aside from those who believe Waldorf children are not taught enough academics, there are the plain facts, interpreted differently by different people.

To begin with, Waldorf schools are usually very expensive. The vast majority of Waldorf schools are private, and some charge several thousand dollars a year in tuition. Because of the cost, Georgia Klenn isn't sure if she'll be able to afford to send her children on to a Waldorf high school. While some schools offer tuition discounts, many parents end up paying the full amount.

Also at issue is the fact that Waldorf teachers do not need a college degree in education to teach. They are not state certified, but are certified by the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America. To get that credential, they must complete three years learning to teach according to Rudolph Steiner's ideas.

Georgia Klenn says a degree in education doesn't necessarily mean much -- it's the quality of person that matters. And she feels Waldorf has brought high quality people into her son's life, forever affecting the person he is becoming. "He is so warm and open to people," she says. "I think he has a better appreciation and respect for life."

To learn more about the Waldorf method or find Waldorf schools near you, visit the Association of Waldorf School of North America.