Waldorf Watch - Help 2

Help 2

Messages Meant to Aid

Here is an Internet conversation consisting of a cry for help

and various attempts to provide that help.

I wrote most of the entries reproduced below.

Additional entries can be found at the Waldorf Critics list.

For another instance of such a cry, see "Help!"

(I have edited many of the messages, slightly,

for clarity and to eliminate typos.)

The initial message,

from a father with a child in a Waldorf school

My daughter has been in Waldorf kindergarten for three years. Her mom and I are divorced and she recently won another arbitrator's decision to be able to choose the school (Waldorf). Arbitrators don't want to listen to facts, they just are willing to leave the kids where they are for continuity.

On the first day of first grade, I asked the administrator for a meeting between her, the first grade teacher, and myself. We followed that request up with a phone call where I voiced my concerns and basically said that I disagree wholeheartedly with Waldorf education.

Two hours later, my ex called and said that we have been dismissed from Waldorf due to my phone call, my not believing in Waldorf, and "my hostility" towards them.

Now my ex is taking me to court to try and gain full custody, legal and physical, so she can put our daughter back into Waldorf.

Any advice about where to go, or whom to talk with, about how I should defend myself? Specifically about how I can explain that Waldorf wants my kid without any interference from me, which goes against my legal rights. Can someone show me examples of how Waldorf goes about creating a wedge between you and your kids?

Thanks,

Neil

[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/20447]

An answer from former

Waldorf student Roger Rawlings

Hello, Neil.

There are several participants here who will, I'm sure, have good advice for you. I have never been in your position; I was a student at a Waldorf school for 11 years, but I never sent a child to such a school. Thus, I do not have firsthand knowledge of parenting issues in and around Waldorf schools. I do have some knowledge, however, based on research. Thus, I have a website, Waldorf Watch, which may be of some use to you.

Rudolf Steiner told Waldorf teachers that they should supplant parents as the most important adults in their students' lives. He said that Waldorf teachers should be unquestioned authorities and that they serve a priestly office. He said that Waldorf teachers need to undo the damage caused by parents, and he said that Waldorf teachers should treat parents as outsiders, telling them as little as possible about what actually happens in Waldorf schools.

You will find many statements along these lines in "Faculty Meetings" and other pages at Waldorf Watch, including "Secrets". Other pages at the site that might prove helpful include "Advice for Parents", "Clues", and "Six Facts You Need to Know About Waldorf Education".

I will be happy to attempt to answer any specific questions you may want to ask, although again I will defer to other participants here who have had children in Waldorf schools. Some of them have kindly allowed me to post their recollections at Waldorf Watch. [See, e.g., "Our Experience", "Coming Undone", "Moms", "Pops", etc.]

I feel sure that Dan, Debra, Diana, Margaret, Pete, and other participants here will have much good advice for you.

- Roger Rawlings

[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/20448]

An answer from Margaret Sachs,

who sent her children to a Waldorf school

Hi, Neil, and welcome to this list.

I think it is very important to educate your lawyer about the occult nature of Waldorf education. Anthroposophists are fairly skilled at lulling people into believing that everything is on the up and up in the world of Waldorf. It is hard for people who have not had negative experiences with Waldorf to understand the scope and enormity of the deception that goes on. Beware of straw-man arguments and misinformation. Never accept the accuracy of any claim made by an Anthroposophist without doing your own research to establish whether it is true.

It's been my observation that Waldorf not only attempts to create a wedge between parents and their children but sometimes creates a wedge between husbands and wives. The latter might not be intentional. It might be the typical result of one partner falling under the influence of a cult while the other does not.

Another wedge they drive is between your children and the world outside the cult. When our children were in a Waldorf school, we were encouraged to keep them separated from the mainstream world by limiting what kind of toys they played with, which meant not playing with children who played with non-Waldorf toys, keeping them away from television with its deluge of mainstream information, and even limiting their access to books during the early years. The way I see it, Waldorf students' minds were to be kept as empty as possible to make them better receptacles for Anthroposophical mumbo jumbo and pseudoscience.

Your expressing your concerns does not sound like interference to me. A school might be justified in not wanting parents who actually "interfere" with the education they provide. You might want to think of a more accurate way to describe the role you are entitled to in the matter of your child's education....

Warmest regards,

Margaret

[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/20454]

Another message

from Roger Rawlings

Hi again.

A specific suggestion. I think your basic argument, to a judge or anyone else, should be that in removing your daughter from a Waldorf school (whether or not you did this intentionally), you did her an enormous favor. Indeed, you acted as any loving, rational parent should act.

(Forgive me for suggesting a lot of reading, below. Eventually you may want to do a tremendous amount of reading on these subjects, but for now merely skimming some of the following may prove helpful to you.)

Waldorf schools are built on Anthroposophy, which is a pagan, occult religion. [See, e.g., "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?" and "Was He Christian?"]

In effect, Anthroposophy is a cult, centered on Rudolf Steiner, who was a self-described clairvoyant and occultist. [See "Clairvoyance", "Occultism", "The Waldorf Teacher's Consciousness", and "What a Guy".]

Waldorf schools exist to spread the religion of Anthroposophy, and they try to lure their students into this religion. Usually, they do this be stealth. [See "Here's the Answer" and "Spiritual Agenda". Also: "Secrets" and "Sneaking It In".]

The damage inflicted by Waldorf schools can last a lifetime. Saving your daughter from this is precisely what you, as a good parent, should have done.

- Roger

[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/20450]

Yet another message (!)

from Roger Rawlings

Hi, Neil.

Here are a few indications of the relative roles of teachers and parents in Waldorf schools. You'll see that many of these indications can easily be recognized as wedges, separating children from parents.

Waldorf schools should be literally authoritarian, according to Rudolf Steiner. Waldorf teachers should exercise "a natural, unquestioned authority" on the souls of their students. [1]

Naturally, teachers must be vested with authority. But note Steiner's precise phrase: "unquestioned authority." Steiner wanted students to look on Waldorf teachers as ultimate, unchallengeable communicators of truth: The kids should sit down and attentively, unquestioningly listen. And the parents of Waldorf students should support the teachers in this role. But wait. Who will the teachers replace as authorities? The parents themselves. Steiner put it this way when addressing Waldorf parents:

"Much of what the parents can contribute to supporting this authoritative strength, to enabling their child's teacher to be the authority he or she must be, can have its source in something as simple as the fact that the school is taken seriously, with a certain ceremonial seriousness. A lot of sifting out goes into choosing teachers for the Waldorf School, and they are people you can have confidence in. And if you do not understand something, rather than wrinkling your nose at it right away, it is important that you trust in the great overriding principle [i.e., authority] in which you yourself believe." [2]

Steiner gives us a lot to chew over in this statement.

◊ A lot of "sifting out" occurs during the hiring process at Waldorf. Who is sifted out? Steiner knew that Waldorf schools might sometimes need to hire outsiders, teachers who do not subscribe to Anthroposophy. But the goal he had in mind is quite different.

"As Waldorf teachers, we must be true anthroposophists in the deepest sense of the word in our innermost feeling." [3]

The careful sifting Steiner describes consists of hiring Anthroposophists whenever possible, and avoiding any teachers who would overtly oppose the Anthroposophical coloring of Waldorf education. One of my favorite teachers, long ago, slipped into our Waldorf school's faculty because no candidate more suitable could be found. But he was soon let go — the headmaster explained to him that he was too anchored in the physical, animal realm. [4]

◊ Parents should have confidence in Waldorf teachers. Why? Because of the sifting process, which produces a staff consisting, primarily, of Anthroposophists. Do the parents understand what this means? Those who do understand and who want an Anthroposophical education for their children should, by all means, feel confidence in Waldorf teachers. But all other parents should take warning. To paraphrase Steiner: Waldorf is a school of spiritualistic purposes where we will try to lead your kids down the pathways of occultism. Welcome in! (Now please don't interfere as we work over your children.) [See "Here's the Answer".]

◊ Parents should take the school seriously, which means approaching it with "a certain ceremonial seriousness." Please. Should parents approach their local public schools with "a certain ceremonial seriousness"? Isn't constructive criticism a wiser attitude? Not at Waldorf schools, thank you.

What sorts of schools should be approached ceremonially, with unwavering faith in the authority of the teachers? Religious schools, particularly those that espouse a religion that the parents embrace. Waldorf parents who are not Anthroposophists should be suspicious if they are required to show this high level of deference to a nonsectarian preparatory school (which is how Waldorfs often misrepresent themselves). [5] In reality, Waldorf schools are Anthroposophical religious institutions.

◊ If parents do not understand something, they should not expect much clarification. Steiner told Waldorf teachers to keep quiet about what happens inside the school. To protect the reputation of the school, they should talk to no outsiders, including parents — with the sole exception that they may answer parents' questions about their own kids.

"We should be quiet about how we handle things in the school, we should maintain a kind of school confidentiality. We should not speak to people outside the school, except for the parents who come to us with questions, and in that case, only about their children, so that gossip has no opportunity to arise...." [6]

Students should sit down and keep quiet, and to a large extent so should their parents. We are the authority figures. You believe in authority, don't you? So step aside while we work our magic on your children. (And remember, we consider you an outsider.)

◊ Who impedes the children's moral/spiritual progress? Among others, parents:

"Given the difficult, disorderly, and chaotic conditions of our time, it might almost be preferable from a moral viewpoint if children could be taken into one's care soon after birth." [7]

Let that sink in. The "moral" thing would "almost" be for Waldorf teachers to remove children from parents' control "soon after birth." Few parents would accept such a proposition, of course. But only those parents who are prepared to accept the underlying tenet — that Waldorf teachers know best, embodying "authoritative strength" in ways parents cannot — should consider Waldorf schools for their children. All other parents should start looking for different types of schools

In brief, Steiner said that Waldorf teachers should supplant parents, assuming the central guiding role in children's lives. This specifically means undoing the harm caused by the kids' foolish parents. Someday perhaps parents will become as wise as Waldorf teachers, but in the meantime Waldorf teachers must take control. Addressing Waldorf teachers, Steiner said,

"You will have to take over children for their education and instruction — children who will have received already (as you must remember) the education, or mis-education given them by their parents. Indeed our intentions will only be fully accomplished when we, as humanity, will have reached the stage where parents, too, will understand that special tasks are set for mankind to-day, even for the first years of the child's education. But when we receive the children into the school we shall still be able to make up for many things which have been done wrongly, or left undone, in the first years of the child's life. For this we must fill ourselves with the consciousness through which alone we can truly teach and educate." [8]

In sum, if we want to speak of wedges pushed between parents and their children, Waldorf schools quite clearly and intentionally insert such wedges.

•

[1] Rudolf Steiner, RUDOLF STEINER IN THE WALDORF SCHOOL, Foundations of Waldorf Education (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 4.

[2] Ibid., p. 197.

[3] FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 118.

[4] I received this account in private correspondence with the teacher and his wife.

[5] "Waldorf schools are non-sectarian [sic] and non-denominational [sic]. They educate all children, regardless of their cultural or religious backgrounds. The pedagogical method is comprehensive, and, as part of its task, seeks to bring about recognition and understanding of all the world cultures and religions. Waldorf schools are not part of any church. They espouse no particular religious doctrine but are based on a belief that there is a spiritual dimension to the human being and to all of life." [www.awsna.org, Frequently Asked Questions, Are Waldorf Schools Religious? [I last checked this on Oct. 28, 2006.]

[6] FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, p. 10.

[7] Rudolf Steiner, WALDORF EDUCATION AND ANTHROPOSOPHY, Vol. 2, Foundations of Waldorf Education (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 69.

[8] Rudolf Steiner, THE STUDY OF MAN (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2004), p. 16.

- Roger

[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/20477]

An answer from Pete Karaiskos,

who sent his child to a Waldorf school

Neil,

If they're not willing to let you be who you are, what makes you think they will let your daughter be who SHE is? The answer is - THEY WON'T.

If your daughter doesn't fit — they will mess with her mind. They will use her as an example of a "bad" child (for as long as your ex is blind enough to keep her there). She may become the example to other children — of what not to do... how not to behave. They will break her down, little by little, for years if necessary. There is NO such thing as a defiant child in Waldorf. They take care of that in whatever way they need to.

Please read my blog — especially the parts about expelling my daughter, abuse and bullying. Then get your child out of that place — whatever it takes!

[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/20479]

•

Even if we neutralize the term "occultism" by defining it as "hidden" or "secret," we still should reflect deeply before sending children to schools based on an occult system.

Waldorf schools often claim to be non-denominational, but this is untrue. They serve the denomination called Anthroposophy. The links between Waldorf and Anthroposophy are fundamental. The schools exist to spread Anthroposophy. As Steiner said,

"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." — Rudolf Steiner, RUDOLF STEINER IN THE WALDORF SCHOOL (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p.156.

When parents realize that Waldorf schools are religious, they generally assume that the religion involved in Christianity, since Christ is such an important figure in Anthroposophy. But the Waldorf Christ is not the Christ of Christianity. The Christ Steiner described is pagan god, specifically the Sun God. Whereas Christians believe that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are persons of a single God, Steiner taught that they are three separate gods.

"The highest Ruler of Saturn, the Ego Spirit, appears to us as the Father God, and the highest Ruler of Sun, the Sun-God, as the Christ. Similarly the Ruler of the Moon stage of Earth appears to us as the Holy Spirit with his hosts known in Christian esotericism as the Messengers of the Godhead, the angels." — Rudolf Steiner, ROSICRUCIAN WISDOM (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2000), p. 100.

The easiest way to grasp that Waldorf schools are religious is to consider the prayers that the students, led by their teachers, typically recite in unison at the start of each school days. Steiner wrote these prayers. Here they are:

For the lower four grades:

"The Sun with loving light

Makes bright for me each day;

The soul with spirit power

Gives strength unto my limbs;

In sunlight shining clear

I reverence, O God,

The strength of humankind,

That thou so graciously

Hast planted in my soul,

That I with all my might

May love to work and learn.

From Thee come light and strength,

To Thee rise love and thanks."

For higher grades:

"I look into the world

In which the Sun shines,

In which the stars sparkle,

In which the stones lie,

The living plants are growing,

The animals are feeling,

In which the soul of man

Gives dwelling for the spirit;

I look into the soul

Which lives within myself.

God's spirit weaves in light

Of Sun and human soul,

In world of space, without,

In depths of soul, within.

God's spirit, 'tis to Thee

I turn myself in prayer,

That strength and blessing grow

In me, to learn and work."

[See https://sites.google.com/site/waldorfwatch/prayers]

Waldorf schools usually disguise these prayers by calling them "morning verses," but they are quite clearly prayers, addressing and praising God.

The prayers themselves are deceptive in another sense. They address "God," but Steiner said that there is no one and only god. He said that the universe teems with gods and, indeed, Anthroposophy is polytheistic. Steiner taught that monotheism is only a distant dream.

"Monotheism or monism can only represent an ultimate ideal; it could never lead to a real understanding of the world, to a comprehensive, complete view of the world." — Rudolf Steiner, THE MISSION OF THE FOLK SOULS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2005), p. 115.

This is the worldview Waldorf students are lured toward.

- Roger

[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/20482]

R.R. again

Returning to the question of wedges: Waldorf teachers have been known to literally ban private communication between students and their parents, at least for brief periods. Here is a report from a former, alienated Waldorf teacher:

In September 2005, the high school students, teachers and some staff members went to what was called a "communication retreat" on an island setup for summer camps.

The retreat was the creation of two staff members who claimed to be experienced in this kind of group work. It was later discovered that they had never tried this with a large group of students.

The main activity of students (ages 14 to 19) and staff members was to sit in a large circle, 67 people in total, in the cafeteria for six hours divided by three sittings.

All were asked to keep silent unless the individual felt moved to speak. The beginning of this activity was signaled by a chime used by a staff member. No one could speak until they said their name each time they wanted to speak, i.e. "My name is ...".

The stated goal of this five-day activity was to bring all members of the group to one consensus of one thought. By the end of the second day, many students were intimidated by this process and were not able to express themselves. Many students showed signs of restlessness, agitation and they were clearly uncomfortable. They were not allowed to call their parents privately. Some students called this cult indoctrination and refused to attend meetings.

I tried many times during the first days of the retreat to share my concerns with the other staff members. I tried to convey the damaging effects of this type of imprinting. This retreat was far too intimidating for most students to communicate anything but fear and anger. Some students wanted to leave; a teacher physically threatened a student if she did not comply.

Brainwashing and indoctrination are defined 'as unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulators often to the detriment of the person being manipulated'.

Isolated on an island, not allowed to call parents privately, sitting long hours in a circle, falls into this category.

Thought control begins by having individuals reveal things about themselves they would not normally reveal. Some students expressed feeling inadequate for not wanting to speak. Students who refused to attend were threatened with expulsion from the school. Students who followed directives were praised effusively.

[See "Satanic Cult?"]

•

The central activity of Anthroposophy is the use of "clairvoyance" to study the higher, spiritual worlds. Rudolf Steiner outlined the development of this technique in his book KNOWLEDGE OF THE HIGHER WORLDS AND ITS ATTAINMENT. According to Steiner and current Anthroposophists such as Eugene Schwartz, Waldorf teachers are expected to become clairvoyant or, at an absolute minimum, to accept the guidance of their clairvoyant colleagues.

Steiner claimed to use a high form of clairvoyance, "exact clairvoyance," which made his teachings virtually unquestionable — he saw the absolute truth and thus should not be doubted. [See "Exactly".]

This claim to virtual omniscience is reflected, at a somewhat lower level, by all Waldorf teachers who claim to be clairvoyant. [See "The Waldorf Teachers' Consciousness".] Hence the extraordinary authority that Waldorf teachers claim for themselves.

Of course, all of this is delusion. There is no such thing as clairvoyance. [See "Clairvoyance".] The frightening inference to be drawn is that Waldorf schools are largely manned by delusional occultists. It is primarily for this reason that I urge parents in almost all circumstances to remove their children from Waldorf schools as soon as possible. The process can be difficult, wrenching, even traumatizing. To reduce the trauma, switching schools may take longer than one would otherwise wish. But leaving a child under the control of people who are out of touch with reality is a dreadful alternative.

- Roger

[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/20483]

R.R. again (!!)

What is the harm in Waldorf education? Why should anyone oppose the Waldorf movement?

Waldorf schools usually admit that their practices are based on Anthroposophy, but they almost always deny that they teach Anthroposophy to the kids. Thus, for instance, Michael House — a Waldorf school in the UK — has issued the statement,

"Steiner's philosophy, which he named Anthroposophy, can be applied to all walks of life and provides guiding principles for the teachers' work. It is important to note, however, that Anthroposophy itself is not taught to the children." [10-9-2010 http://www.michaelhouseschool.com/rudolf_%20steiner.htm.]

For a moment, let's accept this disclaimer. How reassuring do you find it? Consider this analogy. Imagine a school that says, "All of our methods are based on voodoo. However, we do not teach voodoo to the children." Would you be reassured? Would you send your child there?

But is it true that Waldorf schools do not teach Anthroposophy? Sometimes Steiner said that the schools must not teach it, but on other occasions he said the opposite. And in practice, the schools do indeed teach it. Generally they do this indirectly (a point I will return to), but sometimes they do it quite directly, as in telling the students that there are only four elements: earth, air, wind, and water. Indeed, various Anthroposophical beliefs are openly conveyed.

Although he vacillated and contradicted himself on the point, Steiner sometimes said that Anthroposophy should be taught to the students in Waldorf schools. Addressing Waldorf teachers, he said,

"You need to make the children aware that they are receiving the objective truth, and if this occasionally appears anthroposophical, it is not anthroposophy that is at fault. Things are that way because anthroposophy has something to say about objective truth. It is the material that causes what is said to be anthroposophical. We certainly may not go to the other extreme, where people say that anthroposophy may not be brought into the school. Anthroposophy will be in the school when it is objectively justified, that is, when it is called for by the material itself." [1]

On another occasion, Steiner told a Waldorf teacher:

"The problem you have is that you have not always followed the directive to bring what you know anthroposophically into a form you can present to little children. You have lectured the children about anthroposophy when you told them about your subject. You did not transform anthroposophy into a child's level." [2]

Bringing Anthroposophy down to a child's level, so that the child can understand, is very different from leaving Anthroposophy out of the classroom.

Parents of Waldorf students often realize, sooner or later, that the schools are conveying Anthroposophical beliefs to the students.

"It frustrates me when people...[claim] that [Waldorf] schools don't teach Anthroposophy to children ... My daughter's books [i.e., class books created by copying from the chalkboard] show that indeed she was taught Anthroposophy, in picture form as well as in written form. `The human being is like a little universe inside a big one. Sun, moon and stars find their likeness in mans head, trunk and limbs'; `The Sylphs, Salamanders, Gnomes and Undines are the earth's scribes'; `The body is the house of the spirit,' etc. If you deconstruct the lessons, the curriculum and the pedagogy, you cannot ignore the fact that Waldorf is a mystery school, a magical lodge for juniors." — Sharon Lombard. [3]

But usually Waldorf schools are more subtle than this. They generally convey their occult beliefs indirectly, subtly. They are circumspect for a couple of reasons:

1) Anthroposophical "knowledge" is often wacky. Embarrassingly so. For instance,

"[A]n island like Great Britain swims in the sea and is held fast by the forces of the stars." [4]

Waldorf teachers don't consider such beliefs wacky, but they realize that outsiders would not "understand" such things, so they usually try to conceal them.

2) Teaching Anthroposophy to the students' brains would be nearly worthless. Steiner disparaged the brain and intellect, saying that these have little to do with real thinking and truth. [See "Steiner's Specific".] Waldorf teachers want to bring Anthroposophy to the students' hearts and souls. They care much more about how students feel about things than how they think about things.

Steiner said that the path to spiritual wisdom comes through our emotions:

"I...want you to understand what is really religious in the anthroposophical sense. In the sense of anthroposophy, what is religious is connected with feeling." [5]

Feelings are far more important than thoughts.

"[T]hinking is oriented to the physical plane. Feeling really has a connection with all the spiritual beings who must be considered real ... In the sphere of feelings, human beings cannot liberate [i.e., separate] themselves from the spiritual world." [6]

Feel it, kids. Feel it. If you feel the invisible spiritual beings around us, you will know the truth.

So, to summarize: Do Waldorf schools teach the kids Anthroposophy? Arguably, no. As ideas, as concepts, as mere fodder for the brain — no, they usually do not teach it. But as feelings, as attitudes, as an orientation, as a deeply felt (and unexamined) disposition, absolutely, yes, they teach it. They immerse children in a well-nigh impenetrable fog of Anthroposophical attitudes and feelings for day after day, week after week, year after year. Steiner told Waldorf teachers:

"As Waldorf teachers, we must be true anthroposophists in the deepest sense of the word in our innermost feeling." [7]

And the same holds for Waldorf students. Who cares what they think? But as for what they should feel: As Waldorf students, you should slowly drift toward becoming true anthroposophists in the deepest sense of the word in your innermost feeling.

What is the harm in Waldorf education? Waldorf schools lead students toward occultism — specifically, Anthroposophy. They usually don't jam Anthroposophy down the students' throats; they usually do not spell out Anthroposophical doctrines as intellectual propositions. But as feelings, yes, they convey the Anthroposophical perspective. The schools do their best to convert children — and, often, their parents — to acceptance of Anthroposophy in their hearts and souls, if not entirely in their brains. [8] (Conversion in the brain can wait. It will come later.)

- Roger

•

[1] Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 495.

[2] Rudolf Steiner, EDUCATION FOR ADOLESCENTS (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 60.

[3] Sharon Lombard, "Spotlight on Anthroposophy", CULTIC STUDIES REVIEW, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2003.

[4] FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, p. 607.

[5] FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, pp. 44-45.

[6] Rudolf Steiner, PSYCHOANALYSIS AND SPIRITUAL PSYCHOLOGY (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1990), p. 70.

[7] FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, p. 118.

[8] But along the way, at least some Anthroposophical ideas do make their way into the students' brains. As one former Waldorf teacher has written,

"[S]cience, social studies, and history theoretically were all explored and integrated into the curriculum, but always on a 'Waldorf' timeline and scale, and never in-depth. Additionally, the information imparted was often not accurate. For example, the children were taught that there were 4 elements — Earth, wind, fire and air, and that the continents were islands floating on the ocean...." [See "Ex-Teacher 5" ]

[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/20489]

RR (!!!)

I'd like to remain on the subject of "help" for at least one more posting, and I'll do this by discussing that infinitely fascinating and instructive subject: myself.

Actually, let me remind everyone, please, of something I have said often. I have told my story as a Waldorf student and Waldorf survivor only because I have a right to my own story. I know people who were far more damaged by their Waldorf experiences than I was by mine, but I feel the obligation to respect their privacy. They may tell their own stories if they wish. Meanwhile, please allow me to stress that I do not urge anyone to make any decision, for or against Waldorf, based on my personal experiences. What happened to me happened to me alone. If you send a child to a Waldorf school, s/he may be affected as I was, or s/he may have even worse experiences, or possibly s/he will have better experiences.

OK. That said, here are some of the upshots of my 11 years as a Waldorf student. I will begin by quoting from my classic essay, "Lesson Books".

Waldorf teachers often deny that they instill Anthroposophical doctrines in their students. In many cases, they may be telling the truth — as they understand it. They may simply inform the students about the real universe, as they understand it. This "reality" is, however, Anthroposophical — it derives from the mysticism, esotericism, religious conviction, and occultism that they find so compelling. The evidence clearly shows that Waldorf schooling is deeply devoted to Rudolf Steiner's doctrines. By the time I graduated from a Waldorf school, I had accepted all of these tenets:

The modern world is wicked; most people have no inkling of the Truth; science is wrong; technology is evil; unseen spirits are all around us; beings such as gnomes really exist, in a hard-to-specify way; the various human races stand at different evolutionary levels; Christ (who is different from what one learns in church) is central to human life; one improves spiritually through a process of meditation and prayer; Norse myths have special meaning and power; imagination is better than intellect; ordinary knowledge, such as one finds in encyclopedias, is suspect; powers of special spiritual insight can be attained (we didn't use the word clairvoyance, but this is what was meant); a "natural" lifestyle is greatly superior to the sorts of lives most people lead; nature should be revered but also feared; the physical universe is illusory and empty (unless it manifests the spiritual world beyond); the community in and around a Waldorf school is greatly superior to other communities; and so forth. Not all of these concepts are exclusively the product of Steiner's teachings, but all of them are woven through Waldorf education. And directly or indirectly, my teachers taught me these things, and I believed all of these lessons for many years. (In fact, I still believe a couple of them. Not everything taught in Waldorf schools is wrong.)

•

It took me many long, weary years to rid myself of the occultism that Waldorf slipped into my consciousness. Here is how things stood for me on the day of my graduation from the 12th grade at our Waldorf school. [I will quote now from my classic memoir, "I Went to Waldorf"]:

During my eleven years at Waldorf, I stood quite close to the fire, and I was drawn to its warmth — yet I pulled back. My nearest approach to full allegiance came during the excitement and nostalgia of graduation day. On that June morning, I considered myself profoundly religious (although I could not list the Ten Commandments nor quote more than a few short Bible verses). I thrilled to the knowledge that the world is more spirit than physics, more ideal than actual. I was vain, moralistic, priggish, innocent, shy, racially bigoted, and (confusingly, for a kudo-swollen student) utterly lacking in self-confidence. I was judgmental yet uncertain. I had no patience with science and its shallow half-truths. I prized imagination over intellect, sensibility over sense. I was right about everything, always — don't even ask. (Please, don't ask.) I had only superficial knowledge of the US economy and the major political issues in the wide world — and I didn't care. Everything that I saw outside the school seemed to be beneath me. I was directionless. I had no career ambitions, no academic focus, no marketable skills. I had precious few social skills. I longed for a beauteous, buxom Aryan mate. (Few real girls approximated my fantasy. Marilyn, where are you? I never dated much.) I half-yearned for easeful death, or better yet a crusade, or salvation. I dreamed of writing a book titled GOD that would reconcile all the world's religions. I dreamed of becoming President of the United States. I dreamed of performing — I wasn't sure what — something — a titanic, stupendous something. But I had no intention of lifting a finger. I was on hold, waiting... In other words, I had been brainwashed, with a thoroughness and intensity I could not fathom. (Call me the Manchurian Schoolboy.) And, I should add, I was — without quite realizing it — deeply unhappy. Thank God, I was deeply unhappy. As the realization of my dejection slowly dawned on me during the following years, I became motivated to try to comprehend my condition and then to repair it. Even so, only gradually was I able to fight my way down from the fog in which (metaphorically speaking: only a metaphor) I levitated and at long last find my footing in reality. It took me more than twenty years to fully deprogram myself.

•

Again, let me stress that I am talking about my own experiences, no one else's. But I can truthfully tell you that many former Waldorf students have told me that they had very similar experiences and that they struggled long and hard to figure out what happened to them in a Waldorf school and to decide what to do about it. [For my own post-Waldorf struggles, you could take a peek at "My Sad, Sad Story".]

The point I am making is simply this: Waldorf schools are not like other schools. They have appealing qualities, but they are also centers of occultism. Choose a Waldorf school for your child only if, with your eyes wide open, you decide that you truly want what Waldorf offers, which — in a nutshell — is the mystic visions of Rudolf Steiner. To delve into those visions, you can buy and read some of Steiner's books, or study the extensive literature available on the Internet, including at Waldorf Watch. Look particularly for pages that make no reference to the life of yours truly.*

- Roger

•

* I strive to tell the objective, verifiable truth throughout my work. Thus, I quote Steiner and his followers extensively, documenting everything I say, so that you can check on me and have confidence that I am indeed telling the truth.

[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/20498]

Another message from Pete Keraiskos

No worries Roger,

I've been burning the midnight oil lately and haven't had much free time to post but I intend to post on this topic.

Your experience describes my son's experience (so far after Highland Hall) perfectly (to me). It could have been my son writing it.

[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/20500]

[R.R., recollecting Waldorf.]

AFTERWORD

I’d like to summarize my argument in the following manner. For clarity, I will paint the picture in broad strokes. Individual situations vary, and there are always unique circumstances that must be considered. But in general, here’s how I see the question.

When one parent wants to send a child to a Waldorf school and the other parent doesn’t, one is right and one is wrong. The wrong one, almost always, is the one who wants to send a child to a Waldorf school. Waldorf schools are based on Anthroposophy, which is a form of occultism dependent on a bogus psychic power: clairvoyance. Anthroposophy, in other words, is backward, blinkered nonsense. Consigning a child to a school infused with such benighted thinking is wrong* — it can twist a child’s mind and heart and spirit, inflicting damage that may be irreparable.

If both parents want to send a child to a Waldorf school, they have the right to do so. That is, they have the right to make a potentially awful mistake; they have the right to be wrong. We might wish they would wake up and smell the coffee, but according to the values of most modern, democratic societies, parents have the right to make fundamental decisions for their children, and lest we create Big Brother totalitarianism, we probably must accept this. People must be free to make their own decisions, including decisions for their children.

But if one parent demurs — if one parent resists sending a child to a Waldorf school — then that parent is almost always correct, and s/he deserves all the support rational people can provide. Why? Because every child deserves all the love and support that a caring, rational community can give, and the child will be supported when the parent is supported.

* One of the few exceptions, a case in which sending a child to a Waldorf school might seem advisable, would arise if the Waldorf were the lesser of two or more evils. If all the other schools in a region were based on even more backward thinking than Anthroposophy, then Waldorf might represent the best available option. Fortunately, such a situation is unlikely in most densely populated countries. Usually, there should be at least one school nearby where real knowledge is conveyed by rational educational methods. And if not, it would be advisable to start a new, rationally based school — or give the child rational homeschooling. Finding an alternative to irrational forms of education is always best.

— Roger Rawlings

August, 2011

ADDENDUM

Here is a report by another parent

who found a Waldorf school inserting

wedges between members of her family.

(I have done some light editing,

and I have concealed the names of the

school and individuals involved.)

My children attended the [X] Steiner school...for grades K-5 and K-3, respectively, until 2001, when I was attacked by the school as a negligent parent, and Child Protective Services were called and informed that I was ‘manic’ and potentially capable of negligence. I am divorced and shared joint custody with my ex-husband at the time, although I was the primary caregiver of the children. He and I saw each other frequently, as we lived close to one another, and I took my children to his house three times a week for dinner, leaving them there two nights per week, and picking them up in the morning, so that he was able to see them most days each week, if only for an hour or two.

During the time period in question, I had become aware that Steiner school was inadequately preparing my children for academic studies in later grades, and had attacked the school’s curriculum and pedagogical preparation. As a math teacher, I had been approached by the school to tutor some students in the 7th grade, and been very disappointed and surprised to see that these students were far behind the mainstream math curriculum. I had also learned about the Steiner school’s homeopathic doctor and medical teachings, and, as a cancer survivor, was very distressed to learn that fellow parents, who had been diagnosed with cancer, were eschewing chemotherapy. To some extent, these choices were based on the advice of their circle of friends and school counselors, who were members of the Waldorf community. One of them, a mother of a boy in my son's class, had died of breast cancer during our children's first grade year, and another parent of another boy in his class, the father of my son’s best friend, died in three months after making a similarly alternative medical choice. Prompted to research the Waldorf community, I realized increasingly how shut off from the modern world parents of young children became as they followed the guidelines imposed upon them, isolating themselves by shutting out media, computers, and non-Waldorf friendships at the advice of the school teachers and administrators.

When I threatened to expose what I had learned about the Waldorf community to other parents and schools, and as I made the decision to remove my children from the Steiner school during this period, the school called not only Child Protective Services but also my ex-husband, and told him that if he did not act against me in some way to restrain my comments and actions, they would consider him negligent as well, and consider calling Child Protective Services about both of us. My ex-husband called his lawyer, who acted to protect my ex-husband at my expense, resulting in a long legal process during which I was examined by a psychiatrist as I defended my claim to joint custody and refused to take medication for the diagnosis of ‘hypo-manic.’ Ultimately, the case against me was dropped, the Child Protective Service charges were deemed unfounded, and life returned to normal. My children were taken out of the school, tested at reading levels of 3% and 8%, and were tutored for three years in order to regain their academic standing in mainstream schools. Many years of my life and tens of thousands of dollars were involved in this defense of my credibility, reputation, and home life, not to mention my ability to adequately parent my children. As their mother, and the more hands-on and active parent, I decided to focus on the well-being and maintenance of my children and their lives, which proved to be an excellent decision as they are now both in good universities and doing well in their lives; my son attends Vanderbilt as a junior and my daughter will begin her freshman year at St. Andrews in the UK this fall.

I was never able to recoup the money that I was forced to spend or the years of time spent defending myself. As well, my ability to maintain authority in the eyes of my adolescent children was irretrievably damaged, as they had been told by their class teachers at the Steiner school that they should ‘feel free to call them’ if they ever doubted their mother’s care. Despite the fact that I sent letters to the school in response, requesting that these teachers desist from contacting or harassing my children, the Steiner teachers felt free to overstep their boundaries in their attempt to undermine my parental relationship with my children once I had criticized the school publicly. Although I made some attempts to pursue further legal recourse, I found that one of my oldest family friends who was himself an attorney could not take on my case due to conflicts of interest, as he handled the affairs of other Waldorf parents who were on the board of the school, and I decided that I did not have the means to pursue further legal efforts.

Finally, I would like to state that I know of at least three other families who have had similarly unpleasant experiences with this school, and who decided that they feared that any public criticism of the Steiner school would result in harm to their children’s college applications and future academic careers, and so, once they had ‘gotten out,' they decided to ‘move on and forget it.’

My situation is similar: Having spent thousands of dollars in a defensive action already, and been successful, I am now confronted by the same situation as many divorced women. While my ex-husband has congratulated me on the "good job" that I have done with our children, my inability to earn anything close to his income is not sufficient argument for him to either reimburse me for these expenses, or to worry about whose fault it was that the Steiner school enlisted him in a destructive battle against the mother of his children, since that became my problem, not his. Thus, I make the statement that the administration of the Steiner school aggressively pits divorced parents against each other, using Child Protective Services to further their own agenda, without regard for the well-being of the child in question. Given that the school runs an excellent program for pre-K and possibly Grades 1 and 2, with many wonderful families who enter in the expectation that this will continue, I would hope that something can be done to ameliorate the situation.

[R.R.]