Frequently Asked Questions

• If my child has not been in a Waldorf school before, how easy is it to transfer in?
• Likewise, I have heard that once in a Waldorf program, it can be difficult to transition to other public or private schools.
• I’m worried that by having the same teacher for grades 1 - 8, my child will not be exposed to different viewpoints and methods.
• It seems like your school emphasizes arts and crafts over academics. I want to be sure that my child is well grounded in math, science and the humanities.
• Can you accommodate children with learning difficulties?
• Is it true that you recommend that all forms of media be eliminated for children in their early years?
• Will my child lose a sense of local neighborhood or home community by joining your school?
• As your high school is in its early years and has a relatively small enrollment, how are students’ social needs met?
• My family will have students at both the Freeport and the New Gloucester locations. Is there transportation offered between the two campuses?
• What are you looking to learn about a child and a family through your admissions process?

If my child has not been in a Waldorf school before, how easy is it to transfer in?

While Waldorf education, in which threads of the curriculum are interwoven throughout the child’s school years, optimally begins when the child is starting school, many students and parents have found the transition into later grades both enriching and comfortable. Generally, through 5th grade, the transition goes smoothly with slight adjustments to a new learning environment, artistic activities and foreign languages. In 6th through 8th grades, sometimes extra tutoring in French or German and a musical instrument can help a student “catch up” to the level of the class. Our experience is that new students typically catch up quickly and naturally as they immerse themselves into the routine of their classrooms.

On the one hand, the Waldorf high school is the extension of the holistic program established in the elementary school. Practical and fine arts are still central to the curriculum, complementing the humanities and sciences. On the other hand, the teachers approach their subjects in a distinctive enough fashion that all entering students, including those with a Waldorf background, find themselves challenged and stimulated.  

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Likewise, I have heard that once in a Waldorf program, it can be difficult to transition to other public or private schools.

In the early grades (1st through 3rd) transitions to other schools can be challenging, only because Waldorf students learn mathematics at a different, more accelerated pace than students in other schools, and learn to read at a more gradual pace – a pace we believe is more consistent with a child’s natural ability to absorb symbolic language. Despite these differences, transitions can be accommodated readily with a bit of extra help from parents and teachers. We have many examples of Merriconeag students who left out of necessity or because of family moves. Because of their early Waldorf experiences, these students typically love to learn, and thrive in any challenging environment.

We have a great deal of experience with students making the transition from 8th grade to a wide variety of high school settings:  Waldorf high schools, local public high schools, independent day and boarding schools. In most cases, students have the inner flexibility to readily adjust to their educational environments. Occasionally students who leave a Waldorf high school for a more conventional high school setting miss the imaginative approach to learning, the camaraderie of their classmates, and the care bestowed by their teachers. 

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I’m worried that by having the same teacher for grades 1 - 8, my child will not be exposed to different viewpoints and methods.

While it is true that the main lesson teacher remains constant in grades 1 - 8, students at Merriconeag learn from many teachers throughout their grade school years. Specialists interact with students every day for subjects such as French, German, handwork, music, art, woodworking, eurythmy and physical education. The consistency of the main lesson teacher is one of the foundations of Waldorf education, and provides a stable, nurturing relationship that evolves as the students grow. This consistency helps minimize transition and start-up from year to year, and encourages a partnership between parent and teacher. And, because teachers grow with their classes, they are able to stay fresh in their approach by continuously developing new topics and methods. This type of teaching requires an extraordinary commitment of time and energy from the teacher.

Of course, in the high school the role of the class teacher is no longer appropriate. Every subject is taught by a teacher with expertise in that discipline. While teachers share a common vision of the unfolding individuality in each young person, they retain the freedom to conduct classes as they see fit. In turn, teachers encourage students to discover and defend their own viewpoints.

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It seems like your school emphasizes arts and crafts over academics. I want to be sure that my child is well grounded in math, science and the humanities.

Art, music, woodworking, drama, handwork and movement are all central to encouraging students to absorb academic lessons more completely. A 1st  grader who draws a picture of greedy “Peter Plus” adding apples to his barrel, is more apt to understand the concept behind addition than one learning by rote. A 6th  grader who chooses an animal to research, draw and then hand stitch with wool fabric is more likely to remember what she has learned about that animal’s characteristics and habitat. For the 11th grader who designs a poster bearing some central image of Hamlet, or who enacts in class the “Get thee to a nunnery” scene with fellow students, Shakespeare’s work will leap to life more vividly than any experience of merely reading the text.

The aesthetic of the final artistic product – whether it be a illustrated report in the student’s main lesson book or a hand-crafted wooden stool– matters less than the learning process that goes into creating the product. We believe that an artistic education is highly important for children to reach their full potential, to help them build confidence in bringing their creative ideas into the world.

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Can you accommodate children with learning difficulties?

The teachers approach this question on an individual basis. We consider a student’s history and development, emotional and social well-being, health and sensory organization, intelligence and academic stage in determining whether he or she can be well served by our school. As we do not have formal support systems in place to meet special needs, we cannot serve students who require a high level of individual instruction, are unable to control their impulses, or who present ongoing behavioral problems.

If we feel that a student’s learning difficulties can be met by our pedagogical approach, but that extra support would be beneficial, we will work with the parents to determine what additional professional resources may be required, and what costs need to be borne by the parents. In past years arrangements have been made for academic tutoring, therapeutic eurythmy, therapeutic speech work, painting therapy, and testing or assessments to help our teachers better understand the student’s particular learning challenges.

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Is it true that you recommend that all forms of media be eliminated for children in their early years?

We – like many child development experts – strongly discourage electronic media use by children during their early childhood and grade school years. A guiding ideal of Waldorf education is the stimulation of creative thinking and imagination. On young minds, television and computers tend to have the opposite effect.

By the time students reach high school, we realize how much they need to feel themselves connected to the wider world. Nevertheless, we encourage moderation in terms of media exposure and time spent with technological gadgets. During their high school careers, students learn how to use the internet judiciously, how computers work from the inside out, how to perceive biases in news coverage. Teachers work hard to cultivate in young people a sense of discrimination regarding the media so that they can become discerning viewers instead of manipulated consumers.

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Will my child lose a sense of local neighborhood or home community by joining your school?

Students at Merriconeag come from more than 25 different towns in southern Maine. Parents have found that their children are able to join the Merriconeag community and remain part of their home community by participating in town recreational activities or religious organizations. In a certain way, the student’s sense of community is expanded by the geographic diversity of the school population.

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As your high school is in its early years and has a relatively small enrollment, how are students’ social needs met?

Teenagers have a number of seemingly contradictory needs. They long for the excitement and variety that large social gatherings offer. At the same time, they yearn for the recognition and sense of security that a more intimate setting can provide. In the initial stages of Merriconeag’s high school development, students will certainly enjoy the “family feeling” of a small but vital community. To satisfy young people’s needs for a “large pond,” we have created a loose association of young Waldorf high schools throughout New England – three in Massachusetts and one in Vermont. We are planning a number of get-togethers with these schools during the school year, so that students can socialize, discuss issues of import, engage in friendly competition, perhaps even perform some shared community service.

In addition, we are developing two other exciting opportunities to widen students’ social possibilities:  1) an active inter-scholastic sports program that will bring Merriconeag students into contact with athletes from schools throughout the region;  2) An international exchange program that will enable students to spend a term abroad at another Waldorf school.

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My family will have students at both the Freeport and the New Gloucester locations. Is there transportation offered between the two campuses?

A school van leaves the Freeport campus each morning promptly at 7:55. The van returns to the Freeport campus in the afternoon at 3:15. For our high school students who are practicing sports there is a later van that arrives in Freeport by 5:00.

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What are you looking to learn about a child and a family through your admissions process?

Most important, we want to be able to meet the needs of the child, so we are trying to make sure there are no issues beyond our ability to handle them. Also, we find that a child benefits most when parents understand and support our unique philosophy and educational approach. Towards this end, we encourage you to ask us questions and become informed about all aspects of our program.

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