unschooling technology vs. waldorf (zero-tech) education

A long time ago, I learned of a book called The Plug-In Drug, and it was about how horrible TV was.

I loved it!

I swore my kids would never play video games or watch TV.

This was in 2002, pre-unschooling, when I had two young kids and a lot of unexamined opinions.

When my kids were younger and I was trying to find our niche in the world of homeschooling, I was briefly interested in Waldorf style education (and by “interested in”, I mean obsessed. There’s almost never a middle ground).

All Waldorf toys are beautifully carved from wood and need to cost hundreds of dollars to be effective for learning.

I loved Waldorf's ethereal, nature-y aesthetic, and their emphasis on analog, outdoor play seemed like a viable way to keep my kids safe in (what seemed to me) a scary, dangerous, fast-moving world.

The older they got the more I realized that Waldorf philosophy was actually pretty rigid…!

Incidentally - people love to talk about Montessori along with Waldorf, as if they’re similar. In fact they’re strikingly different except for how controlling they both are.

Both offer manipulation with a sugary Umbridge-smile.