Max Stibbe school parents and ex-learners comments

Parents and ex-learners comment on Waldorf independent schools

Parent's comments

We asked some parents to tell us about the Max Stibbe independent schools:

“The School has created a warm atmosphere in which each child is encouraged to be himself, and to develop his own personality. There are boundaries, but essentially, they are free to be who they are.”

“Arriving at the school with our children, we immediately had a sense of ‘feeling in place'. Also, there is a strong sense of community, of ubuntu.”

“The Waldorf private school method keeps children's fantasy alive, it retains their innocence. This is crucial to the development of healthy self esteem.”

“There is no fear of your children being marginalised, or of being judged, due to having a different belief system. There is no ‘them and us' conflict, as is often found in other schools.”

“Our children are not only taught facts and skills, they are taught life skills. This is the greatest gift they receive from the School.”

“I see the way that teachers relate to the learners, the intent behind the words…. the respect that learners have for the teachers, and vice versa, and how the teachers acknowledge them for who they are.”

“I was struck by the way the children were playing together - this is the most integrated school I have ever seen - not only racially, but also, between boys and girls. Here, the children form meaningful and lasting relationships.”

Ex-learners comments

We asked some ex-learners to tell us about their experience at Max Stibbe Waldorf School and why they thought it was one of the best schools in the country:

“It is the only place where I was seen as an individual and treated with respect, where I was not only a number amongst the masses.”

“The fact that the school is situated on a farm means that there is space to breathe, work and play.”

“My teacher taught me the values of tolerance, patience and respect that have made me successful at what I do now. Above all, though, she taught me to love learning. How she did it I will never know!”

“The greatest impact that the Waldorf method had on me was giving me the freedom as a student to discover things, as opposed to having information thrown at me to learn.… This let me know that limits to knowledge are entirely self imposed.”

“I came to understand that we are all different without necessarily being better or worse people. This allows me to relate better to other people, which in turn contributes to making me successful in my career.”

“I loved the long walks in the veld at junior level, the beautiful story telling that was such an integral part of my childhood, the understanding of different cultures through their mythologies and the role that art played in learning.”

“The understanding that different areas of knowledge are interlinked, that history is influenced by geography, that biology and chemistry impact on economies - this was invaluable to me.”

“The location of the school, its surroundings are so special. I remember playing for hours in the long grass in summer, skidding across the frost on the short grass in winter. Playing games in break time across the biggest playing fields imaginable…. Swimming in the dam, and catching frogs in the ditch. Climbing trees, and building forts in the grass, with our secret codes and signals that just we knew. And my mother's dismay as she constantly patched the knees of my trousers!”

“At Max Stibbe School, confidence is contagious!”

“The diversity of people who attended the school brought me into contact with a range of people that I would otherwise never have come to know and understand. I learnt so much about people from a wide range of backgrounds.”

“I valued the opportunity to be creative and allow one's natural creativity to come to the fore and the chance to learn things that many people would not consider traditional learning subjects.”

“The most rewarding experience of learning through the Waldorf method was the combination of all aspects of one subject into one class, instead of splitting everything up into separate classes. The way all parts of the subject interrelated to one another made a lot more sense than if science was to be split into physics and chemistry and biology, and each taken separately.”

“The essence of the Waldorf method is one which teaches with the actual physical and spiritual world in mind. To be a pupil of this method means that you will learn about the way the world functions in a more ‘first hand perspective'.”

“Waldorf Education helped me to realise parts of myself that I would otherwise have ignored in my life. The social classes and their teacher helped me to see myself, my life, and my country in a different light by talking to me, teaching me, and showing me how I was affecting the world around me, and those who are in it.”

“The most stimulating aspects of my years at Max Stibbe were the cultural diversity in the classroom, and the different teachers, who took the time to adapt their teaching plans according to our strengths and weaknesses, which allowed us to learn at a faster rate, rather than if they had left those of us not learning fast enough, behind.”

“The most special thing about Max Stibbe School was my transformation from a selfish teenager to a person who saw just how rude and arrogant I was. This allowed to effectively to change my point of view and to re-examine myself, who I was, and where I wanted to go.”

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