Q. I'm getting suspicious about the real agenda at my child's Waldorf school. How can I learn what is really going on?

A. Here is one possible approach. Ask the teachers which of Rudolf Steiner's teachings they reject. What was he wrong about?

• Was he wrong about the heart, for instance? He said the heart doesn't pump blood. 

• Was he wrong about the brain? He said the brain isn't involved in real cognition. 

• How about islands? He said they float in the sea and are held in place by the stars. 

• Gnomes? He said they exist. 

• Atlantis? He said it existed. 

• Christ? He said Christ is the Sun God. 

• Jesus? He said there were two Jesuses. 

• Buddha? He said Buddha went to Mars and underwent crucifixion there. [1]

If the Waldorf teachers you meet stoutly defend Steiner on points like these, you may well have cause for concern. If, on the other hand, they admit that Steiner was wrong about many things — if they have fundamental disagreements with Steiner — you might inquire why they are teaching in the Steiner system. [2]

What is the real agenda of Waldorf education? It is to surreptitiously spread Rudolf Steiner's belief system, Anthroposophy. Not all Waldorf teachers are firmly committed to this goal, but a high percentage are. And Steiner said this goal is central to the Waldorf movement; it is "one of the most important facts" about the founding of the first Waldorf school: 

“One of the most important facts about the background of the Waldorf School is that we were in a position to make the anthroposophical movement a relatively large one. The anthroposophical movement has become a large one.” [3]

You may wonder how a religion can be spread if this agenda is kept largely secret. The effort calls for subtly and stealth. 

See, e.g., the Waldorf Watch pages 

"Indoctrination" and "Sneaking It In". 

For more on the Waldorf agenda, see, e.g., 

"Here's the Answer" and "Spiritual Agenda".

o0O0o

[1] To dig into these statements of Steiner's, and many more like them, see "Say What?", "Wise Words", "Steiner's Blunders", and "Steiner Static". And to see some remarkable statements made by Steiner's followers in recent years, see "Who Says?", "Today", "Today Too", and the subsequent pages ("Today 3", "Today 4", etc.). Put together your own list of points on which you would like clarification.

[2] Gauging the truthfulness of the answers you receive may be a challenge. Knowing how strange Steiner's teachings seem to outsiders, Waldorf faculty sometimes mask their commitment to Steiner. But bear in mind that the training for Waldorf teachers usually includes extensive study of Steiner, and the trainers are usually deeply devoted Anthroposophists. One Waldorf teacher-trainer is on record as saying, "I am a missionary on behalf of Steiner." [See "Teacher Training".]

[3] Rudolf Steiner, RUDOLF STEINER IN THE WALDORF SCHOOL (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p.156.