WALDORF WATCH
Welcome.
This Web site deals with
◊ Waldorf schools, also known as Steiner schools;
◊ Rudolf Steiner, the mystic who established the first of these schools; and
◊ Anthroposophy, the bizarre religion concocted by Steiner.
My name is Roger Rawlings.
I attended a Waldorf school from second grade through high school.
My mother was secretary to the headmaster at that Waldorf.
Because I was in the school for so long, and because I occasionally questioned the headmaster,
I gained some insights into the school's secret, occult agenda.
More to the point, as an adult I have studied approximately one zillion books,
booklets, and essays about Steiner's doctrines and about Waldorf education.
(It feels like a zillion, anyway.)
Some of these materials were written by my old headmaster,
but the great majority were either written by Steiner himself
or they contain transcripts of lectures, meetings, and private conversations
conducted by Steiner.
My objective is to share the fruits of my research with anyone interested in understanding
the educational program Steiner laid out.
A large part of the material on this site is my own work. However,
several other critics of Waldorf education and/or Anthroposophy are also represented
— including Dan Dugan, Pete Karaiskos, Ian Robinson, Margaret Sachs,
Debra Snell, Peter Staudenmaier, and Diana Winters.
You will also find many statements made by Anthroposophists,
including Clopper Almon, Christopher Bamford, Hermann von Baravalle,
John Fentress Gardner, Franz E. Winkler — and, of course, Rudolf Steiner himself.
I feel that I almost should apologize for writing so much about
Steiner and his products. But please remember that I am
trying to cover the work of a man who published many books
and delivered almost innumerable lectures on a vast array of subjects.
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By far the longest and most comprehensive essay on this site is "Unenlightened" —
far too long for many people's taste.
So, I have included two briefer versions.
"The Waldorf Scandal" is extremely brief, while
"I Went to Waldorf" falls somewhere in the middle.
All three report the strange doings at the Waldorf school
I attended. Choose whichever version suits you.
The other essays on this site branch out in multiple directions,
examining all manner of issues related to Waldorf schools.
For a guide to them, see the Table of Contents.
The site also includes and alphabetized Index.
Happy browsing.
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Quite understandably, my criticisms of Rudolf Steiner, Anthroposophy, and Waldorf education are upsetting to some people. Various attacks have been aimed at me as a result. They are unimportant. The occasional true statements made about me in such attacks are unimportant; the many false statements made about me are equally unimportant. I am unimportant.
All that matters is the truth of the essays you will find here at Waldorf Watch. I have done my level best to write the absolute truth throughout this Web site. Because I am human, I have undoubtedly made some mistakes — but whenever I find one, I correct it immediately.
Don't take anything anyone says on blind faith. This certainly includes the things I myself say here at Waldorf Watch. Check me. I have documented all of my essays thoroughly, making it easy for you to see what sources of information I have used. So read my words objectively and reach your own conclusions about the truth.
- Roger Rawlings
credit
The wet-on-wet painting, above
— typical of Waldorf school art —
is from the PLANS Web site
[http://waldorfcritics.org/index.html]
