Los altos kindercare: Daycare, Preschool & Child Care Centers in Los Altos, CA

Source: The New York Times

eBay’s CTO sent his kids to a school located in Los Altos, California. So did the employees of other Silicon Valley giants such as Google, Apple, Yahoo, Hewlett-Packard.

However, for teaching at this school they use the usual, not connected with the latest technologies, tools: pens, pencils, sewing needles, sometimes even clay, etc. And not a single computer. Not a single screen. Their use is prohibited in classrooms and discouraged at home. nine0003

Across the country, schools are rushing to equip their classrooms with computers, and many politicians say it’s just stupid not to. However, the opposite view has become widespread in the very epicenter of the high-tech economy, where some parents and educators make it clear that school and computers are not compatible.

This is the Peninsula Waldorf School, one of the 160 Waldorf schools in the country, which adhere to the philosophy of learning through physical activity and creative tasks. Those who use this approach believe that computers stifle creativity, mobility, human relationships, and mindfulness. nine0003

Waldorf pedagogy is almost a hundred years old, but its spread here, at the epicenter of digital technology, has sparked a lively debate about the role of computers in education.

“I completely reject the idea that computer assistance is needed in elementary school,” says Alan Eagle, 50, whose daughter Andy is one of 196 students at the Waldorf Primary School. His son William, aged 13, attends a nearby high school. “The idea that an iPad would be better at teaching my kids to write or count is just ridiculous.” nine0003

Mr. Eagle on short legs with technology. He has a degree in computer science from the University of Dartmouth and works for Google, where he writes speeches for CEO Eric Schmidt. He has an iPad and a smartphone. But he claims that his daughter, a fifth grader, “doesn’t know how to use Google,” while his son is just learning how to do it. (Starting in the eighth grade, limited use of electronic devices is allowed in the school.)

Most students’ parents are directly involved in high technology. Mr. Eagle, like other parents, sees no contradiction in this. “Technology has its time and place,” he says. “If I worked for Miramax and made great adult films, I wouldn’t want my kids to watch them before they turn 17.” nine0003

While other schools in the region pride themselves on their well-equipped classrooms, the Waldorf School has a very simple, old-fashioned look – blackboards with crayons, bookshelves with encyclopedias, wooden desks with notebooks and pencils.

Last Tuesday in 5th grade, Andy Eagle and her classmates were knitting small pieces of wool on wooden needles, revisiting the knitting skills learned in junior grade. This type of activity, according to the school, helps develop the ability to solve complex problems, structure information, count, and also develops coordination. But the visible end goal: tie socks. nine0003

In 3rd grade, the teacher was teaching the students how to multiply by asking them to be as fast as lightning. She asked them how much four times five would be, and they all shouted “20” together and flashed their fingers, deducing the correct number on the board. Full room of live calculators.

Second grade students stood in a circle and repeated a poem after the teacher while playing with a bag filled with beans. The purpose of this exercise is to synchronize the body and the brain. Here, as in other classes, the day may begin with a poem about God speaking about the Divine without any connection to any denomination. nine0003

Andy’s teacher, Cathy Waheed, a former computer engineer, tries to make learning practical and experiential. Last year, children learned fractions by cutting various foods (apples, cakes) into parts: halves, quarters, and sixteenths.

“For three weeks we ate our way to understanding fractions,” says the teacher. “Do you think I managed to keep their attention until the pie was cut so that there was enough for everyone?” nine0003

Some experts believe that the desire to equip classrooms with computers is unreasonable. There is no hard evidence that computers improve academic performance.

Does learning through pie sharing and knitting give better results? It’s hard to compare, partly because, as private schools, Waldorf schools don’t do standard checks in the lower grades. Waldorf proponents will be the first to say that their elementary students may not perform well because they are not coached on standard math and reading assignments. nine0003

When it comes to the effectiveness of Waldorf education, representatives of the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America refer to a study according to which 94% of graduates of Waldorf schools in 1994-2004. enrolled in colleges, including such prestigious institutions as Oberlin, Berkeley and Vassar.

These figures are not surprising when you consider that we are talking about students in whose families education is highly valued, and parents look for special private schools for their children and are able to pay for them. At the same time, it is very difficult to evaluate the very method of “low-tech” training without taking into account other factors. For example, parents of students at a Waldorf school in Los Altos say that good teachers come to such a school who have undergone serious training in the Waldorf methodology. This fact unites them into a creative circle of like-minded people, which may not be in other schools. nine0003

Since there is no single confirmed theory, the conversation boils down to subjective judgment and parental choice based on different understanding of such concepts as “children’s involvement in the learning process”, “striving for knowledge”, “awakening interest in learning” . Supporters of equipping schools with new technologies argue that computers help keep students’ attention, make learning easier, and that children who grew up with computers and other technological devices will not be able to focus and maintain interest without them. nine0003

Ann Flynn, Director of Educational Technology at the National Board of Schools, says computers are essential. “If schools have access to new technologies and can afford them, but do not use them, they are depriving our children of what they deserve,” Flynn said.

Paul Thomas, a former teacher and professor at Furman University who has written 12 books on educational practices in public institutions, disagrees, arguing that it is best for the educational process if computers are used as little as possible. “Education is primarily a human experience, gaining experience,” says Paul Thomas. “Technology is only a distraction when literacy, numeracy, and the ability to think critically are needed.” nine0003

And parents of Waldorf students claim that only a real teacher with an interesting lesson plan can keep a child’s attention.

“Involvement in the educational process is primarily human contact, contact with the teacher, with peers,” says Pierre Loren, 50, a former employee of Intel and Microsoft. Three of his children study at the Waldorf school, and his wife Monika was so imbued with the Waldorf education system that in 2006 she went to work as a teacher herself. nine0003

When proponents of equipping classrooms with computers claim that computer literacy is necessary to face the challenges of modern times, Waldorf parents wonder: why rush when all this is so easy to master?

“It’s super easy. It’s about the same as learning how to brush your teeth, says Mr. Eagle. “At Google and places like that, we make technology as stupidly simple as possible. I see no reason why a child cannot master them when he gets older. nine0003

Waldorf schools in San Francisco, Greenwood in Mill Valley also have many children whose parents are close to high-tech production.

There are 40 Waldorf schools in California – quite a lot, probably due to the fact that the spread of Waldorf education began from here, says Lucy Wurts. She helped set up a school in Los Altos with her husband Brad Wurts in 2007. Mr. Brad Wurts is the CEO of Power Assure, a company that helps computer centers reduce energy consumption. nine0003

Waldorf education isn’t cheap: Silicon Valley schools pay $17,750 a year for kindergarten and middle school (through eighth grade) and $24,400 a year for high school, although Mrs. help. She adds that the typical parent of a Waldorf student is a highly educated person with a liberal mindset, has a fairly large selection of elite private and public schools, and attaches great importance to education. And these parents believe that when it is really necessary to introduce their children to the latest technologies, they will always have the required skills and necessary opportunities for this at home. nine0003

The students themselves do not consider themselves deprived of high technology. Andy Eagle and other fifth graders watch films from time to time. Another girl’s father, an Apple engineer, sometimes asks to test new games. Another boy plays with flight simulators on weekends.

Students say that they are even disappointed when they see their parents or relatives entangled in various devices. Orad Kamkar, 11, said he recently went to visit his cousins ​​and found himself surrounded by five people who were playing with their gadgets, not paying him or each other any attention. He had to shake each of them by the hand, saying, “Hey guys, I’m here!” nine0003

Fin Heilig, 10, whose father works at Google, says he enjoys studying with pencils and pens more than with a computer because he can see his progress in a few years.