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WALDORF / STEINER 

NEWS ARCHIVE

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January 16, 2011

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January 31, 2011

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This site supplements Waldorf Watch.

To go to Waldorf Watch itself, please click here:

Waldorf Watch.

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The news items below are presented in reverse chronological order — newest first, oldest last.

Please excuse a certain amount of repetition in the contents of this archive. Items that now appear close together on the screen may have originally been separated by intervals of several days.

Many of the items in this archive generalize about Waldorf schools, describing them as Rudolf Steiner and leading Waldorf representatives have said they should be and as evidence shows they often are today. Not all Waldorf schools, Waldorf charter schools, and Waldorf-inspired schools conform to this model precisely. To evaluate an individual school, you should carefully examine its stated purposes, its practices (which may or may not be consistent with its stated purposes), and the composition of its faculty.

— Roger Rawlings

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“Sixth- and seventh-graders got their hands dirty early Monday morning as they worked to restore the park they grew up playing and learning in [California, USA]. Waldorf School of Orange County students planted about 200 native plants in a section of Costa Mesa's Talbert Nature Preserve that's set aside as the private school's native plant garden ... As seventh-graders Nairi Ghazarian, 13, and Emma Morrison, 12, worked on getting a coyote bush in the ground, they agreed on at least one thing: Planting in the park is better than sitting in a classroom.”  

[1-31-2011 http://www.dailypilot.com/news/tn-dpt-0202-trees-20110131,0,2520007.story]

Response:

Attending a Waldorf school can be fun, and some of the lessons taught by the schools — the importance of green values, the value of good works — are excellent.

The occult underpinnings of Waldorf education may disturb some parents, however. Thus, the Waldorf view of nature is not all sweetness and recycling. Rudolf Steiner taught that nature is deceptive — within it lurk demonic snares and illusions. 

“I must emphasize this again and again, that the saying ‘the world is Maya’ is so vitally important." — Rudolf Steiner, THE MISSION OF THE FOLK SOULS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2005), p. 64.

The greatest liar, the author of so many illusions, is the demonl Ahriman. His minions hide just below the surface of the Earth, where they strive to create a race of subhumans residing within the elements of nature. 

“[T]heir efforts, which have actually been going on for thousands of years, have in fact succeeded in producing a whole race of sub-human beings ... They are there, in the elements of earth and water, a sub-human race.” — Rudolf Steiner, MAN’S LIFE ON EARTH AND IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLDS (Anthroposophical Publishing Company, 1952), pp. 83-84.

Be nice to nature, but keep your guard up.

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“Professor Defends ESP Study on Colbert Report — Prof. Emeritus Daryl Bem’s...support for the existence of extrasensory perception has roiled academic circles ... Bem defended his study, stating that the 53 percent likelihood of ESP derived from his experiment was significant. ‘53 percent sounds small,’ Bem admitted on the television show, but said the significance of the number is not immediately evident. ‘53 percent is what Obama won over McCain … 53 percent is actually quite large.’” 

[1-31-2011 http://www.cornellsun.com/section/news/content/2011/01/31/professor-defends-esp-study-colbert-report]

Response:

Actually, 53% doesn’t just look small, it is small. Consider. Let's say you would like to go skydiving, but you are scared. So you consult a clairvoyant who can see the future. He tells you sure, jump out of an airplane. “You can trust me,” he says. “I’m right 53% of the time.”

I imagine you’d prefer a seer whose average is a bit better — 99%, perhaps, or higher still. Steiner claimed to be such a seer. He said he used “exact” clairvoyance, by which he presumably meant something like 100% accuracy. Fortunately for him, much of what he claimed to “see” is unverifiable — we simply have to take his word (or not) on such matters as the existence of invisible bodies or the spiritual beings who knocked about during Old Saturn. But concerning some matters — statements Steiner made about observable conditions in the real universe — we are actually able to check, and Steiner’s record is quite poor. [See, e.g., “Steiner’s Blunders”.]

The moral of this story? Keep your seat belt on.

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“If you are in the midst of searching for the type of homeschooling that is right for you and your children you are most likely have run into various options such as Classical, Montessori, and another popular method called Waldorf. Waldorf education has its roots in a gentleman named Rudolf Steiner. Rudolf Steiner was an Austrian scientist who had a philosophy about developmental stages that ended up created [sic] what we now know [sic] as the Waldorf method of homeschooling.”

[1-31-2011  http://freeessays.essay-911.com/search/early_child_education.html]

Response:

The Waldorf approach does indeed provide one possible form of homeschooling. Know what you are getting involved in, however. The “gentleman” Rudolf Steiner was not a scientist. He was an occultist. [See “Occultism”.] And the “developmental stages” he described are complex and numerous. 

The various stages are recapitulated in various ways during various lives (we have many, many lives, according to Waldorf belief: We reincarnate over and over).

“[I]ndividual evolution...tends to recapitulate general human evolution....” — Rudolf Steiner, THE GENIUS OF LANGUAGE, Foundations of Waldorf Education (Anthroposophic Press, 1995), p. 105.

At the simplest level, Steiner taught, children develop through a series of seven-year-long stages during which various bodies incarnate and develop. 

At a more general level, Waldorfers believe, humans have passed through four major developmental stages during our life here on Earth: the Polarian, Hyperborean, Lemurian, and Atlantean great epochs. We are currently in the fifth or "Post-Atlantean" epoch.

At the macro level, Steiner taught, we have passed through three "planetary stages" of evolution: Old Saturn, Old Sun, and Old Moon. 

“If you recall the teachings of Spiritual Science on the subject of the education of the child you will know that in the first seven-year period of life...man develops principally the physical body ... [T]his is really a recapitulation of what man underwent on Old Saturn ... The second of the seven-year periods...is a recapitulation of what man underwent on Old Sun ... The third seven-year period...recapitulates the development of the astral body that normally belongs to the Old Moon epoch.” — Rudolf Steiner, THE MISSION OF THE FOLK SOULS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2005), p. 68.

We are now in the fourth planetary stage: Present Earth. Yet to come: Future Jupiter, Future Venus, and Future Vulcan. [See, e.g., "Matters of Form".]

The overall Waldorf scheme of developmental stages is complex, but don't worry about it. None of it is based in verifiable fact. It is all moonshine. 

In providing homeschooling, you may attempt to use Waldorf methods without adopting the Waldorf belief system. But the methods make little sense without the beliefs — the methods are designed specifically to apply Steiner beliefs to the education of children. [See "Methods".] If you believe the occult doctrines of Rudolf Steiner, fine. But if you don’t, you should realize that Waldorf is probably the wrong approach for you.

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“The Connection between Arts and the Brain in Education ... The difference between the approach of the Dana Foundation and Waldorf education is the difference between materialistic science and a spiritual — or anthroposophical — view of human beings. The first proceeds from cause to effect; the second begins with the wholeness of the child, which it allows to develop at its own pace, knowing that all learning must be digested artistically, and that the engagement of a child in education is essential.”  

[1-31-2011 http://asksprice.com/infos/ro954065132o/page_8291419944]

Response:

When reading statements about Waldorf education, be alert for loaded rhetoric and code words. What, for instance, is “the wholeness of the child” from a Waldorf perspective? [For the answer, see “Holistic Education”.] 

And should we equate “spiritual” with “anthroposophical”? Are there no other forms of spirituality, some of which are wholly incompatible with Anthroposophy? [See, e.g., “Was He Christian?”] 

What is meant by “materialistic science”? [See, e.g., “Materialism U.”]

What is the Waldorf approach to art? [See, e.g., “Magical Arts”]

Come to that, what is the Waldorf view of the brain? [See, e.g., “Steiner’s Specific - Thinking Without Our Brains”.]

Waldorf education often sounds swell on first acquaintance, but a closer look may lead to a different assessment. Waldorf concepts are often occult and false. In other instances, they are simplistic truisms that provide no basis for preferring Waldorf schools over any other schools. Can you find schools, for instance, that argue against “engaging” students in their own educations?

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"Tuition 2011-2012 - Pre-K, 8:30 am-1:00 pm, W,Th,F, $6,850 ... High School, 8:30 am-3:30 pm, M-F, $15,500."  

[1-30-2011  http://www.portlandwaldorf.org/admissions/tuition-2011-2012.html]

Portland Waldorf school, in Oregon, USA, has posted its tuition rates and fees for the coming academic year. Rates and fees at other Waldorf schools vary, some lower, some higher. Many Waldorf schools offer some scholarship assistance to low-income families, and numerous Waldorf/Steiner schools are attempting to qualify for government funding, which would enable them to dispense with most tuition charges. At present, Waldorf is primarily an option for the affluent.

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“I just finished reading an article about the benefits of Forest Schools in the United States. Are you ready for this? In the Forest School, also known as the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs, N,Y., children spend a total of three hours a day outdoors, rain or shine. Teachers there have noticed an improvement in motor development and children resolving social issues through imaginative play.”  

[1-30-2011  http://tokensofgoodness.blogspot.com/2011/01/for-birds-and-so-much-more.html]

Rain or shine? Yes. Generally. And this may be something for parents to mull over. It is one small indication of the ways Waldorf schools allow their belief system to trump good sense. There are days when sending kids outdoors for three hours is not precisely smart.

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"It’s never too late (or early) to learn how to knit! We will teach you beginning knitting skills and begin a simple first knitting project. Bring a set of knitting needles if you have them. Led by Wendy Coughlan and Nicandra Galper. Shelburne Campus [Lake Champlain Waldorf School, Vermont, USA]. FREE, please RSVP to Pam Graham pgraham@lakechamplainwaldorfschool.org. 

[1-30-2011 http://www.findandgoseek.net/listing/learn-to-knit-at-lake-champlain-waldorf-school/crafts]

Response:

There are surprising, "deep" (or at least superstitious) reasons for everything that happens at Waldorf schools. Here is a brief excerpt from FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, Foundations of Waldorf Education (Anthroposophic Press, 1998):

"The following was also noted.

"Bad teeth, the cause lies in the soul/spirit.

“Connection between eurythmy and the formation of teeth.

“Handwork. Knitting develops good teeth.”— [p. 112.]

[See "Faculty Meetings". For more on eurythmy, see "Eurythmy". For more on knitting, see "knitting" and "crafts" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia. Also see news items for January 23 and January 24, below.]

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''[I]t took over two years to get over the trauma of just two terms at the school [i.e., a Steiner Waldorf school]. But he was very young, so thankfully, has no [sic: now] forgotten most of it (aside from the odd nightmare still) so life is happier now.

"They get away with it because they lie to parents, simple as that."  

[1-29-2011  http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education/1134309-Should-Steiner-schools-become-free-schools/AllOnOnePage]

Some kids love their Waldorf experiences; some are traumatized. A discussion of such matters continues at mumsnet.

[Also see "Our Experience", "Slaps", and "Coming Undone".].

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"A sneak peek into the most beautiful kindergarten in the world! Part One  ...  These are photos of the outdoor space, and a few inside shots of a Waldorf school located about 90 minutes north of where I live ... 'It is just magical.'”  

[1-29-2011  http://www.mamamoontime.com/2011/01/sneak-peek-into-most-beautiful.html]

Response:

The blogger, MamaMoontime, is correct. Waldorf schools are often quite beautiful. What lies behind this facade, however, may be less attractive. The suggestions of a fantasyland in Waldorf facilities and grounds are quite intentional. Waldorf schools aim to shepherd children toward mythic fantasy worlds that Waldorf teachers believe are real. Don't make the mistake of thinking that the "enchanting" atmosphere of a Waldorf school is just an effusion of sweet dreaminess. Waldorf teachers work in service to a polytheistic, pagan creed. I realize how incredible this may seem, but it is so. [See "Here's the Answer", "The Gods", "Polytheism", and "Pagan".]

The faceless or nearly faceless dolls found in Waldorf schools sometimes represent human beings, but often they represent "nature spirits" such as gnomes or fairies. Fine; children enjoy make-believe. But there is no make-believe about such matters at Waldorf schools. Waldorf initiates believe that such beings really exist. [See "Beings", "Neutered Nature", and "Evil Ones".]

The odd lines and curves in Waldorf-style kindergartens are meant to transport children, in spirit, out of the normal world and into alternative worlds. Rudolf Steiner taught that such worlds exist and indeed one of the highest goals of Waldorf education is to preserve the intuitive connection that Steiner said children have to such worlds. The dim interior lighting (vastly overstated in this photo) and misty wall colors in Waldorf kindergartens are meant to reinforce an atmosphere of otherworldliness. This may seem sweet, and perhaps it is. But Waldorf schools take all this with great seriousness. One of Steiner's most important books is HOW TO KNOW HIGHER WORLDS - A Modern Path of Initiation.

Steiner also described other sorts of alternative worlds, including the "planetary stages" of human evolution: We began on Old Saturn and we will proceed to Future Vulcan. (Yes, Vulcan.) Along the way, humans have lived on Jupiter, Mars, and other planets.* The Moon today is a fortress housing souls who left Earth more than 15,000 years ago.** This is all literally true, according to Waldorf beliefs. [See "Everything", "Planetary Humans", "Vulcan", "The White Lodge", and "Lunacy".]

Yes, the schools are often pretty. Before falling for their pretty faces, however, be sure that you like what resides within.

(P.S. About the word "magical": For Waldorf teachers, this is not just an intriguing word meaning "exciting," "inspiring," "delightful," or anything of the sort. Initiated Waldorf teachers believe in magic, literally. [See "Magic" and "Magicians".] And as for the word "initiate" that I've used a couple of times here: This is a serious Waldorf concept. Rudolf Steiner taught of the need to be initiated into occult mysteries — that is, you should be accepted into inner circles of occultism where you will be privy to "truths" hidden from ordinary people. Many Waldorf teachers consider themselves to be such initiates. [See "Inside Scoop" and "Occultism".])

* “[D]uring the Lemurian epoch of earth-evolution [i.e., long ago]...the majority of souls withdrew from the earth to other planets, continuing their life on Mars, Saturn, Venus, Jupiter, and so forth.” — Rudolf Steiner, OCCULT HISTORY (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1982), p. 36.

** “[T]he moon today is like a fortress in the universe, in which there lives a population that fulfilled its human destiny over 15,000 years ago, after which it withdrew to the moon ... This is only one of the ‘cities’ in the universe, one colony, one settlement among many.” — Rudolf Steiner, RUDOLF STEINER SPEAKS TO THE BRITISH (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1998), p. 93.

This is serious stuff. Rudolf Steiner taught these things in all seriousness. Unless you believe such things, you probably should not send your children to Waldorf schools.

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“A private school that specialises in transcendental meditation is in talks to become a free school funded by the taxpayer  —  ‘Since I fear that [UK Education Minister] Gove is going to approve schools by that mystic barmpot, Rudolf Steiner, nothing would surprise me. The official version seems to be that the Steiner Waldorf foundation don't teach all the nonsense. It seems that the dept of education is quite prepared to believe the output of an organisation the job of which is to pretend that their cult has some sort of resemblance to Montessori or Summerhill. It doesn't.’”   

[1-28-2011  http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6068591]

Response:

The discussion begun at www.tes.co.uk includes some postings by the paid defender of all things Waldorf, Sune Nordwall, who points out that some famous people attended Waldorf schools (he forgets to mention Jennifer Aniston) and that some Waldorf students (e.g., in Austria) do better by some metrics than students who attend schools that Anthroposophists consider very bad indeed. (You see, ordinary schools are in the thrall of Satan, i.e., Ahriman. See, e.g., "Materialism U.")

I have long argued that Waldorf schools could have reasonably high academic standards if they so chose. Most of them have not done so, and indeed the task would be difficult, since it would require teaching students many things (such as the findings of modern science and modern scholarship) that Waldorf schools oppose. It could be done, however.

But even if Waldorf schools contrived to offer a good education as this concept is usually understood, the fundamental objection to Waldorf schooling would remain: The schools stand upon, and seek to advance, Rudolf Steiner's occult vision. [See, e.g., "Academic Standards" and "Here's the Answer".] 

Would you send your child to a "good" school that also, not incidentally, aimed to brainwash him/her in the ways of occultism? 

"Brainwash" is a harsh term, but it is apt. Choose whatever alternative you like, however: indoctrinate, influence, gently lead... The point is, this is what Waldorf schools exist for. [See, e.g., "Soul School", "Spiritual Agenda," and "Thinking Cap".] Is it what you want for your child?

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"Why Waldorf works has more to do with how the brain develops and functions optimally than Rudolf Steiner ever could have known. Sure the educator and founder of Waldorf Education theorized convincingly about how children learn best, but until MRI's and other sophisticated measures of the brain were developed, we had no way to prove or disprove any of Steiner's theories, not with the kind of precision and accuracy we can now. An overwhelming body of evidence from the last 20 years of neuroscientific inquiry supports Steiner's theories, including some of the most fundamental foci of Waldorf Education."  

[1-28-2011  http://waldorf--blog.blogspot.com/2011/01/fawlty-towers-kipper-and-corpsethe.html]

This is a claim Waldorf supporters have been making for some time now. 

Don't accept it without asking for particulars — which Waldorf supporters tend not to offer. 

And bear a few other things in mind as well. Steiner did not "theorize" — he claimed to know all about the brain (and virtually everything else) thanks to his use of "exact clairvoyance". [See "Exactly".] 

Also, Steiner said that the brain is actually not a very important organ. No real knowledge can be gained through use of the brain, he said. [See "Steiner's Specific".] True knowledge comes to us through invisible, immaterial "organs of clairvoyance". 

This is all nonsense, totally unsupported by MRI scans or any other reliable studies. Yet it is the basis of "Waldorf Education."

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"I’ve been meaning to write this for days now, but I was always too preoccupied or too tired or too busy fixing important (or sometimes just stupid, unnecessary or boring) things. My earlier post on this thriller with an anthroposophical theme — Souls of Terror — sparked an interesting discussion (read the comments!). It dawned on me that there are possibly a few anthroposophists (and maybe, too, some ardent waldorf proponents and other people in general) who have trouble understanding what fiction is and how it usually works, in particular when the theme of a fictional work is anthroposophy. It is, perhaps, too close to the heart. A commenter on this blog demanded of the author and practically everyone who enjoyed the book that they provide a clarification as to what’s fact and what’s fiction — in a work of fiction! It’s absurd, but perhaps to be expected, I don’t know."  

[1-27-2011 http://zooey.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/souls-of-terror-ii/]

Response:

The book in question was bound to stir up controversy, and the shouting has now begun.

Fiction is, indeed, tricky. (I say this as one who taught for years in an English/literature department, and who has edited many works of fiction.) At the surface level, fiction is untrue: Imaginary characters perform imaginary deeds. It is all invented, and to some degree it is merely entertainment, a release from reality.

Yet at a deeper level, fiction may take us to truths that are hard to sort out in the messy hubbub of reality but easier to spotlight in a controlled, focused work of imagination. Sometimes fiction can penetrate to the core of human experience and illuminate the most important issues of life.

SOULS OF TERROR is, I think, a fascinating and troubling book. I am troubled, in particular, that the book may be open to misreading. Properly understood, I think, the author’s target is not Anthroposophy, per se, but fanatical belief run amok. The portrait the author paints of maniacal zealots is chilling and persuasive, and I certainly agree that there is a strain of zealotry among Anthroposophists. Still, it would clearly be wrong to form opinions about Anthroposophy on the basis of a thriller. (I very much doubt, for instance, that Anthroposophists are any more likely to become violent than are the adherents of any other faith. Indeed, Anthroposophists are doubtless less prone to violence than are many other types of true believers.)

The primary virtue of the book, in my opinion, is that the debate it inspires may — after the inevitable screaming and chest-pounding — lead to some thoughtful discussion of esoteric systems like Anthroposophy, their appeal, and their dangers. Perhaps, eventually, the clouds will clear and some light will break through.

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"We have decided to send Paris and Seb [i.e., two of the writer's children] to the local primary school...leaving behind the Steiner school we have been a part of these past 6 years. We have our reasons; which primarily involve the cost, but also other reasons, which involve our hearts. This week was their first week wearing uniforms (EVER) and I can see the plus-es in this: ~ No more struggles of 'what to wear'! They have seen their first tuckshop (though not encouraged:)...but most impacting is the new WAY of teaching. I just hope they find their happy place. We will still follow elements of the Steiner philosophy at home and I trust they have the tools within to adjust.  (Deep breath...) and on with the show.

"Matisse [a third child] has a scholarship in Music, so is now at main stream High School along with 6 other talented girls from her Steiner class last year:) She is loving the change!"  

[1-27-2011  http://monpetitenfant.blogspot.com/2011/01/cha-cha-changes.html]

Personal accounts may not provide a firm basis for reaching general conclusions about Waldorf schools, for or against. But they are helpful nonetheless, reminding us that debates over Waldorf education are not abstract — they involved the lives of real people who are striving to find their way in an often confusing world.

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"We are considering changing from a public school to a public charter school.  What's your take on Waldorf schools?"  

[1-27-2011   http://sacramento.momslikeme.com/members/JournalActions.aspx?g=190531&m=16183012&source=stream_home]

This invitation to discuss Waldorf schools has been posted at momslikeme.com. (By "changing," the writer means moving her kids from one school to another.)

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“Cotswold Chine School in Box [UK] provides an 'outstanding' quality of education, according to its latest Ofsted report. 

“The school has successfully maintained its high standards from the previous inspection and students have made 'outstanding' progress because of the quality of the curriculum, teaching and assessment. 

“Also marked as 'outstanding' was the provision for the welfare, health and safety of the pupils and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and behaviour. 

“Cotswold Chine School, owned by the Novalis charitable trust, provides education for students with complex learning needs and significant problems associated with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. 

“A third of the students are autistic and ages ranging between nine and 19. 

"The school opened in 1954, was last inspected in June 2006 and is dually registered as a children’s home. 

“As a Steiner school, it aims to provide a holistic approach to both care and education.” 

[1-26-2011   http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/news/8813785.Cotswold_Chine_School_marked_as__Outstanding_/]

Response:

Anthroposophists operate numerous facilities intended to help individuals having developmental deficits. But whether real therapy can be developed from Rudolf Steiner's occult doctrines is, obviously, open to question. 

“Ofsted” is the UK’s Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills [http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/]. Its reports are sometimes criticized for relying too heavily on schools’ self-assessments, presented in Self Evaluation Forms (SEFs). Clearly, Ofsted reports cover matters that are highly subjective and difficult to confirm, such as the “spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and behaviour” of students. 

Ofsted defends its procedures. 

“The children's services watchdog Ofsted came out fighting yesterday as it faced growing criticism of its inspection regime by both social services and education executives.” [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/defiant-ofsted-rejects-mounting-criticism-of-its-performance-1826921.html] 

The value (if any) of Anthroposophical special education provided to challenged students is a different issue from the value of ordinary Waldorf education intended for the general population. Any form of education based on Anthroposophy is detached from reality to the approximately same degree that Anthroposophy itself is detached from reality. Whether, and to what degree, such education fails children of various sorts undoubtedly varies from case to case, but the underlying cause for such failure — detachment from reality — is always the same.

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“The London Waldorf Seminar [UK] offers a two year, part time training for those wishing to teach in Steiner Waldorf schools, and a one year, part time professional development course for Steiner Waldorf Upper School teachers. The courses are held at Rudolf Steiner House, near Baker Street station, in central London.” 

[1-26-2011 http://www.waldorftraining.org.uk/index.html]

Response:

Waldorf teacher training varies somewhat from training center to training center. Usually, however, emphasis is placed on occult Anthroposophical doctrines. [See “Teacher Training”.] 

Usually, Waldorf teacher trainees are not expected to become full-blown Anthroposophists with a deep comprehension of all Anthroposophical beliefs, but their feet are set on the path to Anthroposophical initiation. 

At the London Waldorf Seminar, for instance, one of the central courses is “Anthroposophical study - study of Steiner’s education and other lectures to support and deepen understanding of Anthroposophy as the basis of Steiner Waldorf education.” [http://www.waldorftraining.org.uk/courses.html] 

Waldorf education really cannot be separated from Anthroposophy. Anthroposophy is the “basis” of Waldorf education.

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"This is the third part in a three-part article about what Waldorf school looks like compared to public school." 

[1-26-2011 http://loveinthesuburbs.com/wordpress/why-waldorf-part-3]

A pro-Waldorf blogger continues her efforts at her site, Love in the Suburbs.

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"Should the state be funding schools which were founded by a racist mystic? — The news that there are 25 Steiner schools seeking to be funded as 'free schools' [in the UK] and that there is already one which has state funds should be deeply troubling for most right-minded people ... I wonder how many parents would want to send their children to these schools if they knew about their founder’s views on an array of issues. Rudolph Steiner (1861-1925) was a mystic who denied scientific evolution, believed passionately in Jesus Christ, but also believed in 'karma' and 're-incarnation] ... [H]e had strange attitudes towards pupils with Special Needs, claiming that their disabilities were due to 'bad karma' ... Most worryingly of all, he was deeply racist in his views." 

[1-25-2011 http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2011/01/should-the-state-be-funding-schools-which-were-founded-by-a-racist-mystic/]

A discussion triggered by this item has begun at Waldorf Critics: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/17067/.

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"Elmfield School is exploring the possibility of becoming a Free School, and what effects such a move is likely to have on our curriculum, our policies and our ethos."

[1-25-2011 http://elmfield.com/2011/01/academy-status/]

Response:

Elmfield is yet another Steiner Waldorf school that may apply to become a "free school" — i.e., it would receive government funding while remaining largely free to go its own way.

Note that the school sometimes identifies itself as "Elmfield School" and sometimes as "Elmfield Rudolf Steiner School." Elmfield is a member of the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship. 

The school's "policies and ethos" are thus clearly Anthroposophical. The school's curriculum "has been developed from the internationally recognised Waldorf curriculum introduced by Rudolf Steiner ninety years ago." [http://elmfield.com/about/philosophy/]

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"Sarah Kimball, visiting eurythmist, will offer to OSS [Oakland Steiner School] parents an opportunity to experience and learn about eurythmy this Friday, January 28th from 9 -10 am. Please join us in the Fellowship Hall." 

[1-25-2011 http://www.oaklandsteiner.org/events/a-parents-experience-with-eurythmy/]

Response:

Eurythmy is a form of dance devised by Rudolf Steiner; it is intended to create direct connections with the spirit realm. [See “Eurythmy”.] 

At most Waldorf schools, eurythmy is a required activity (and it is often quite unpopular). When the low academic standards at the first Waldorf school became apparent, Steiner considered which subjects might be dropped in order to make more time for serious academic studies. He decided that eurythmy was one of the subjects that had to be retained. 

“Sadly, technology and shop [can be dropped], as well as gymnastics and singing. We cannot drop eurythmy....” — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 688. 

Eurythmy is Anthroposophy in motion. Kids required to do eurythmy are being led into the practices and disposition of Anthroposophy.

Steiner considered eurythmy essential in Waldorf schooling. Not only should it be retained; it should be made mandatory.

"Eurythmy is obligatory. The children must participate. Those who do not participate in eurythmy will be removed from the school." — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, p. 65.

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Impression of eurythmy.

[R.R. photo rendering, based on image on p. 30 of

THE GOETHEANUM (Philosophical-Anthroposophical Press, 1961.]

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"Kim John Payne, a family consultant who speaks on 'slow parenting,' will give a lecture and workshop next month 'on using the extraordinary power of less to raise calmer, happier and more secure kids,' as a press release puts it ... He'll give his workshop from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, at Portland Waldorf School, 2300 S.E. Harrison St., Milwaukie [USA]. Cost: $35 advance tickets (recommended); $40 at the door."

[1-25-2011 http://blog.oregonlive.com/themombeat/2011/01/slow_parenting_advocate_kim_jo.html]

Slow parenting, like slow learning, is a dubious concept. Of course, parents and teachers should not push young children too hard; but it is also wrong to intentionally retard children's development. Waldorf schools are drawn to the slow approaches because of their commitment to an occult absurdity, Rudolf Steiner's doctrine that young children have not yet incarnated their "etheric bodies" and thus are not yet ready to begin any real schooling. [See, e.g., "Most Significant", "What We Are", and "Thinking Cap".]

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“The Waldorf education system advocates ‘slow learning’, and is different from the traditional education methodology which stressed on having the children mastering the most number of subjects and skills as soon as possible.

“In Malaysia, the concept is still relatively new as most parents here are afraid of their children losing at the starting point and their emphasis on slow learning seems incredible to the parents.

“The so-called slow learning scheme promotes natural growth and learning in freedom.

“In the Waldorf kindergarten, there is no computer class, no writing, no arithmetic, only singing, listening to stories, physical labour and painting. The small farm is for the children to work and learn at the same time, as well as a place to play.”

[1-25-2011 http://www.mysinchew.com/node/52069]

Response:

Whether “slow learning” works is just one of the many issues parents and others need to consider when evaluating Waldorf schools. 

The antithesis of slow learning is found in such early-education programs as Head Start, which encourage young children to develop their capacities as fully and as soon as they can. The multiple benefits of Head Start have been documented in voluminous research. (The following employs unfortunate jargon, but the information it presents is important.) 

“Substantial research finds that HS [Head Start] and EHS [Early Head Start] programs provide educational benefits ... Reliable studies have found that HS children experience increased achievement test scores and that HS children experience favorable long-term effects ... EHS children at age 3 had larger vocabularies ... EHS children demonstrated a higher level of social-emotional development....” — “Benefits of Head Start and Early Head Start Programs”, http://www.nhsa.org/files/static_page_files/399E0881-1D09-3519-AD56452FC44941C3/BenefitsofHSandEHS.pdf.

The Waldorf approach may deny children benefits that would make a crucial difference for them throughout their lives.

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“The Waldorf Book of Poetry was compiled and composed with the Waldorf teacher, student and parent in mind. Over 475 poems were specially chosen for rhyme, meter and content to support and enliven the Waldorf curriculum from first to eighth grade and beyond.”  

[1-25-2011  The Waldorf News, Waldorf Teachers.com; see http://www.waldorfpoetry.com/]

Response:

Waldorf schools rarely use conventional textbooks. (“I have nothing against using a textbook, but all of them are bad.” — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 284. He professed openness, but he condemned all textbooks: All of them are bad.) The problem is that normal textbooks contain normal information about the real world — information that Waldorf faculties view askance, preferring the “insights” attained through clairvoyance. Thus, Waldorf schools often turn to specially produced volumes that conform to Waldorf beliefs. For instance, THE WALDORF SONG BOOK (vols. 1 and 2) contains multiple hymns that would be out of place in public schools but that reinforce the spiritualistic agenda of Waldorf education. [See “Prayers”.]

THE WALDORF BOOK OF POETRY will contain “imaginative” works on “Fairies and Elves; Dwarfs and Leprechauns; Goblins, Giants and Gypsies; Jumblies and Puk-Wudjies; Rulers of the Desert and Monsters of the Deep”, poems about religious figures (“St. Michael and the lives of St. George, St. Jerome, St. Francis and St. Martin”), works of “inspiration”, fables, poems about planets and stars, and so on. If you are acquainted with the Waldorf worldview, you will quickly see how such poems can be incorporated in the Waldorf curriculum. [See “Curriculum” and “Oh My Word”.]

The book will be available in a few months, but Waldorf Teachers.com is taking prepublication orders now. Various prominent Waldorf educators are heaping praise on the book. 

“Read through these carefully selected and artfully categorized poems and you will receive the better part of a Waldorf education.” — Eugene Schwartz.

Postscript, added after the book appeared:

We might note in passing that several poems in the book were written by Waldorf teachers, including Eugene Schwartz. The literary quality of these poems — or rather the lack of literary quality — is such that these pieces would be included in virtually no other poetry anthology. [See "Sneaking It In".]

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Several Steiner-related domain names — including, apparently, "steinerparents.com" — are up for sale at DomainTools. [1-25-2011 http://whois.domaintools.com/steinerparents.com].

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"Ashwood Waldorf School in Rockport [Maine, USA] will hold its second annual knitathon with a Cast-On Party at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 1, in the grade school building on campus. Knitters of all ages are invited to pick up their yarn, meet business sponsors, learn from more experienced knitters and enjoy a snack. The event is free and open to all.

"Over the course of two months, the knitters will create as many 8-inch squares as possible, with sponsors pledging donations for each square knitted. The squares will be stitched together into eight blankets at a Cast-Off Party in April. The blankets will be donated to local social support organizations, while the donated funds will go toward the school’s tuition assistance program and operating expenses." 

[1-24-2011 http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/01/24/lifestyle/special-olympics-maine-receives-hundreds-of-handmade-scarves/]

Response:

Fundraising is a continuing concern at most private Waldorf schools. 

If fundraising can be combined with good works, so much the better. Waldorf schools often encourage their students to participate in charitable undertakings, which is clearly praiseworthy. The schools are also aware of the need for good PR. Anthroposophists strive to excel in various spheres, hoping this will attract admiring outsiders to their ranks. See, e.g., Franz Winkler's pamphlet, "Our Obligation to Rudolf Steiner in the Spirit of Easter" (Whittier Books, 1955). [See "Guru".]

Knitathons are surely more common in Waldorf schools than in most other educational institutions. As I have pointed out previously, Rudolf Steiner attributed surprising benefits to handwork such as knitting. 

“Go into our needlework classes and handicraft classes at the Waldorf School, and you will find the boys knit and crochet as well as the girls ... [T]o drive the soul into the fingers means to promote all the forces that go to build up sound teeth.” — Rudolf Steiner, SPIRITUAL SCIENCE AND MEDICINE (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1948), lecture 17, GA 312.

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“The Edinburgh Steiner School [Scotland] topped the poll of primary and secondary schools, with 15 per cent of its pupils regularly cycling to school ... City transport leader Gordon Mackenzie said: ‘The council is delighted that cycling figures for the authority are, overall, on the increase. It is crucial that other schools follow the lead of the Edinburgh Steiner School.’" 

[1-24-2011 http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Capital-pupils-urged-to-saddle.6700411.jp]

This is commendable. Cutting back on carbon emissions by reducing automobile traffic is an excellent idea.

The green values of Waldorf schools are among the schools’ more attractive features. [To delve into Waldorf beliefs about nature, see, e.g., “Neutered Nature” and “Biodynamics”.]

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“Ecole Rudolf Steiner & Jardines d’enfants, Genéve {Rudolf Steiner School & Kindergartens, Geneva}, Practical Guide for Parents” 

[1-24-2011 http://www.ecolesteiner-geneve.ch/joomla/images/pdf/guide_steiner_school_geneva_english.pdf]

Response:

By all means, you should read any such publication put out by any Waldorf school you are considering. Try to be alert, however. The “Practical Guide” offered by this Swiss Waldorf school contains no references to occultism, esotericism, clairvoyance, etheric bodies, astral bodies, karma, or any of the other central beliefs cherished by Rudolf Steiner’s followers, including Waldorf teachers. Far more has been omitted than included.

You should realize that Anthroposophical beliefs often guide the practices of Waldorf teachers and may even pop up as subject matter in class. [See, e.g., "Here's the Answer" and "Spiritual Agenda".]

But, in general, Waldorf faculties hide their occult beliefs when dealing with the general public. [For some assistance in penetrating the Waldorf facade, see “Advice for Parents” and “Clues”.]

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“...A women contacted me about her experience in The Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs. She said that she felt so pressed to take NXIVM classes ... A simple check of the WSSS [Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs] Board of Directors [showed many ties to NXIVM] ... Saturday was an open house at the school, so after notifying the local authorities of my intentions and with their tacit blessing, I went over in the last half hour to avoid a scene ... I asked the magic question. How much NXIVM influence is in the school? ... Yes they admitted there was a NXIVM problem at the school. They told me there were about eight hard-core NXIVM families ... I asked about the administration and they confirmed there were problems and complaints of favoritism, particularly in the allocating of limited scholarship money.” 

[1-23-2011     http://saratogaindecline.blogspot.com/2011/01/waldorf-school-of-saratoga-springs.html]

Response:

Reports about Waldorf schools, pro and con, often involve great strangeness. Some of these reports are are significant; others, not so much.

NXIVM is not, so far as I can tell, a branch of Anthroposophy.

“NXIVM is a new ethical understanding that allows us to build an internal civilization and have it manifest in the external world.” [http://www.nxivm.com/index.php]

If one Waldorf schools has become entwined with NXIVM, perhaps others have as well. The subject may be worth pursuing. People who are attracted to one esoteric system may be attracted to others. 

A discussion of the subject is occurring at Waldorf Critics [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/16940].

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“In December, a neighbor told me that a friend of hers who is a teacher said her school had just had an influx of students from Highland Hall [a Waldorf school in California, USA]. Apparently, they were part of yet another mass exodus. My neighbor did not know why the families had left HH, but she said that the parents were very angry. “ 

[1-23-2011 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/16864].

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Waldorf schools sometimes undergo distressing upheavals [see, e.g., “Scandal”]. The message above launched a discussion at the Waldorf Critics discussion page. Here are excerpts from another message in the discussion:

“I thought I'd check out some recent reviews of Highland Hall by parents...

“• ‘Waldorf education can be an amazing thing, but Highland Hall is a very poor example of a Waldorf school. There are very real reasons this school is under-enrolled, has no waiting lists, and often turns over 20% of its children a year. There is no functioning leadership. Teacher quality is uneven. Most crucially, Highland Hall lacks integrity, their mission statement a hollow promise gutted by fear and money. Look elsewhere.’ — Submitted by a parent

“• ‘My 3 children did not feel they learned any basic curriculum. Knitting, art and woodworking are great, but math, science, english, history are weak. Many of their high school students don't get into college. We left because our children were bored.’ — Submitted by a parent

“• ‘Highland Hall Waldorf school...[has] an immediate opening for a Fifth Grade Class Teacher for the 2010/2011 school year." [http://jobs.waldorfteachers.com/job/3519/fifth-grade-class-teacher-immediate-need-at-highland-hall-waldorf-school/]

"There's an immediate need for a new 5th grade teacher in the middle of the school year... that spells trouble. And exactly WHAT qualified teacher is sitting around without a job? This is EXACTLY how Highland Hall gets the bottom-of-the-barrel teachers to work there. They have lost at least one teacher over the latest ‘exodus’ apparently, and are dredging the bottom of the teacher pool for a replacement. Teachers who are out of work at this time of year are the worst of the worst. And Highland Hall is inviting them to be around YOUR KIDS. When they did this previously (see my blog) the result was kids being molested and teachers covering it up.” 

[1-23-2011 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/16867]

The discussion has not been entirely one-sided. Some fans of Waldorf education rushed to the defense of the school. The entire discussion is worth reading..

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"Download holy books, sacred texts and spiritual PDF ebooks in full lenght [sic] for free."  

[1-23-2011  http://www.holybooks.com/an-outline-of-occult-science-by-rudolf-steiner/]

Holybooks.com is offering a free download of the key holy book of the Waldorf movement: Rudolf's Steiner's OUTLINE OF OCCULT SCIENCE. (For reasons of their own, Anthroposophists usually deny that Anthroposophy is a religion. They prefer to refer to it as Steiner did: They call it "spiritual science." But indeed it is a religion. [See "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?"] One of the complications in dealing with Anthroposophists is that they often — in all sincerity — deny things that are actually quite clear.)

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"A Stitch in Time Teaches New Skills - Part of school's curriculum is knitting, sewing and cross stitching, which shows them how to be patient and gives a way to bond with their families ... The second-grade class at the Waldorf School of Orange County [California, USA] was practicing knitting skills Thursday afternoon in a bi-weekly handwork class ... The private school, tucked away near the Talbert Nature Preserve, incorporates handwork into its curriculum. The school starts students in first grade with weaving and knitting, and trains students to build upon such skills with each grade, said handwork teacher Angie Meier.”  

[1-23-2011  http://www.dailypilot.com/news/tn-dpt-0123-itc-20110122,0,3347736.story]

Response:

I wonder if the reporter got this quite right ("bi-weekly handwork class"). Kids at most Waldorf schools engage in some form of handwork — knitting, crocheting, and so forth — almost every day. Outsiders are often surprised that handwork forms such a large part of the Waldorf curriculum. The schools give all sorts of justifications for such activities, some of which make perfect sense. What the schools usually do not admit is the occult reason for handwork. (If you are new to the Waldorf world, the following will seem surpassing strange. But that, in and of itself, is a useful insight to acquire about Waldorf thinking.) 

Rudolf Steiner, the ultimate authority for all things Waldorf, taught that handwork has a spiritual effect on the teeth. (I kid you not.) 

“Go into our needlework classes and handicraft classes at the Waldorf School, and you will find the boys knit and crochet as well as the girls ... This is not the result of any fad or whim ... [T]o drive the soul into the fingers means to promote all the forces that go to build up sound teeth.” — Rudolf Steiner, SPIRITUAL SCIENCE AND MEDICINE (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1948), lecture 17, GA 312.

Now, teeth are very important in the Waldorf worldview. Steiner taught that human beings are born four times: once when the physical body is born, again when the invisible “etheric body” is born, a third time when the invisible “astral body” is born, and a fourth time when the invisible “I” is born. [See the “Index” for the scoop on the three invisible bodies.] Waldorf teachers believe that the etheric body is born or incarnated when a child reaches age seven, more or less. They usually refrain from teaching their students reading and arithmetic until the kids’ etheric bodies arrive. And how do Waldorf teachers know when this invisible (indeed, imaginary) event has come to pass? They use "clairvoyance" and other techniques, but mostly they study the kids' teeth. The etheric body announces its arrival through the replacement of the kids’ baby teeth by adult teeth. (Or so Waldorf teachers believe.)

This silliness is actually fundamental to the Waldorf approach. 

“Waldorf education is based upon the recognition that the four bodies of the human being develop and mature at different times ... According to Steiner, one of the indicators of the birth or emancipation of the etheric body is the loss of the child's baby teeth, which takes place at the age of seven.” — Waldorf teacher Roberto Trostli, RHYTHMS OF LEARNING: What Waldorf Education Offers Children, Parents & Teachers (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), pp. 4-5. 

Note that Waldorf education is "based" on these weird concepts.

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“When the Regulator Believes in Fairies, Who Protects the Public? - Experts who advise regulators on alternative medicine need to take a rational and objective view of risks. Practitioners, themselves, are not the right people ... Dr Michael Evans is a GP who is one of the UK’s most prominent advocates of anthroposophical medicine. This is a belief system first advocated by mystic Rudolf Steiner ... Whilst using conventional medical techniques, anthroposophists use their spiritual beliefs to wedge in various forms of pseudo-medicinal techniques such as their versions of homeopathy, herbalism and hydrotherapy ... Homeopathy is classic pseudoscience. As are most forms of alternative medicine. Being cowardly in saying so risks peoples health, defrauds them by allowing government endorsement of useless products and undermines our regulators abilities to carry out their duties to protect the public.”  

[1-22-2011  http://www.quackometr.net/blog/2011/01/when-the-regulator-believes-in-fairies-who-protects-the-public.html]

Response:

Hear, hear.

Note that “Anthroposophical medicine” is often practiced in and around Waldorf schools.

Note this, too: In Waldorf belief, fairies really exist — that is, the word "fairy" is one of the names human beings have applied to nature spirits or elemental beings — invisible creatures that live inside the natural world. 

“[A]longside the I [the third of our three invisible bodies] are found the elemental beings of the myths and sagas. There they are called elves, fairies, and so on.” — Rudolf Steiner, THE RIDDLE OF HUMANITY (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1990), lecture 5, GA 170.

The nature spirits most commonly referred to as fairies are sylphs, nature spirits of the air. [See "Neutered Nature".]

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“Since its founding by Rudolf Steiner in 1919, the Waldorf school movement has grown to over 1000 schools throughout the world, over 150 of them in the United States and Canada. Waldorf education balances artistic, academic and practical work with intent of educating the whole child; head, heart and hands. Its innovative methodology and development-oriented curriculum, permeated with the arts, address the child's changing consciousness as it unfolds, stage by stage. Imagination and creativity are cultivated, as well as cognitive growth and a sense of responsibility for the earth and its inhabitants.”  

[1-22-2011  http://www.corvalliswaldorfschool.org/about_us]

Response:

This standard description of Waldorf education has been posted by the Corvallis Waldorf School, Oregon, USA. Essentially the same description is offered by many other Waldorf and Steiner schools. When reading such material, stay alert for what is being omitted. For instance, leading Anthroposophist Christopher Bamford has written that Waldorf education derives largely from Rudolf Steiner’s clairvoyance and the spiritual knowledge he gained by being an occult initiate: 

“[W]e are interested in what shaped Rudolf Steiner as an educator. Certainly, his native clairvoyant capacities played a role....”   — Christopher Bamford, introduction to THE EDUCATION OF THE CHILD, p. viii. [See “Quotes 2011 (a)”.] 

Information of this sort is strangely absent from most materials released by Waldorf schools for public consumption. 

When they do not wholly omit important information, Waldorf schools often present various matters through the use of code words. Thus, for instance, the “whole child” as conceived in the Waldorf universe is a being who has four bodies, a karma, an aura, a temperament, a racial identity reflecting her/his level of spiritual evolution, and so on. [See “Holistic Education”,”Karma”, “Auras”, “Temperaments”, and “Races”.] The “child's changing consciousness as it unfolds, stage by stage” refers to the gradual incarnation of each child’s three invisible bodies, accompanied by movement toward the development of clairvoyance and/or the retention of a child's early, natural clairvoyance. [See “Most Significant”, "Thinking Cap", and “Thinking”.] Waldorf schools consider imagination to be a preliminary stage of clairvoyance, and they emphasize art because Steiner said art creates portals to the higher spirit worlds. [See “Magical Arts”.]

For reasons that are not hard to comprehend, Waldorf schools usually do not spell out any of this. Instead, they tend to indulge in careful public relations strategies. [See “PR” and “Secrets”.] Websites such as Waldorf Watch and People for Legal and Nonsectarian Schools aim to provide you with the information you need in order to understand what really goes on in Waldorf schools — information that will enable you to understand what Waldorf schools usually omit when they present glowingly incomplete portraits of themselves to the public.

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"This is not defamation (ie, a false statement that is damaging to a person’s reputation): John Cole wasn’t manipulated into saying what he said and he offered his views willingly in full knowledge that he was being recorded. Yes, it’s damning, but it’s the truth, which actually makes what he says even worse ... A former teacher of the Titirangi Rudolf Steiner School, uses the current loophole in the law for justifying the maltreatment of children."  

[1-21-2011  http://www.todaynewsweb.com/?p=3442]

A video has been posted by a family that has been engaged in a long-running struggle with a Waldorf school in New Zealand. Somewhat uniquely for people who find themselves at odds with Waldorf authorities, the family wants to be allowed back into the school.

Some comments have been posted in response to the video.

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"150 Years Rudolf Steiner 2011 is on Facebook - Sign up for Facebook to connect with 150 Years Rudolf Steiner 2011."  

[http://www.facebook.com/pages/150-Years-Rudolf-Steiner-2011/162585780441417]

A Facebook page devoted to celebrating the 150th anniversary of Rudolf Steiner's birth has generated a lot of multi-lingual discussion. (Not all of it is wholly disinterested. E.g.:

"Find and order t-shirts, hoodies, tops and more for men, women, kids and babies with the 150 Years Rudolf Steiner 2011 design at Waldorfshirt | Rudolf Steiner Waldorf T-Shirts!")

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“Ecole Rudolf Steiner de Montreal [Canada] has led a nomadic existence since the school first opened in 1980, changing locations several times ... The school is based on Waldorf education, an approach developed by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner ... The school community has been selling tickets for a car raffle scheduled for yesterday and hoped to raise $250,000 for the renovations [to the school building] ... ‘I think shutting down in this location is something that we're facing, though, due to the costs,’ [parent David] Rosenberg said.”  

[1-21-2011  http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Reno+costs+could+force+school+move/4142529/story.html]

Response:

Waldorf schools like to claim that they constitute the fastest growing independent school movement in the world. This may be true, although the facts are a little difficult to pin down.* The schools sometimes move around, sometimes they fail outright [see “Failure”], and sometimes they are so small as to fly under most radars — some have total enrollments that can be counted on the fingers of one hand. See, e.g., the item at the end of this page, reporting on a Waldorf school that has three students. 

The bruited triumphal progress of Steiner/Waldorf education is not quite what Waldorf advocates often claim.

* A note added in 2014: The most reliable tallies indicate that there are about 1,000 Waldorf schools in the world. Other school movements are comparable — e.g., the Gülen movement has about the same number of schools and a similar growth rate. [See. e.g., http://www.gulen-charterschools.com/.]

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Posting by a Waldorf student, seeking advice:

“I am going into year 12 this year, I have previously attended a Steiner school for my high school years. I love steiner school and I believe in their education system, but they do not offer a high school certificate or an ATAR (Australian version of SAT). I would like to get a design bachelor at university after I finish high school, so I was thinking of going to a local college to get my High School Certificate and an ATAR. This is a big dilemma because I do love the school I'm at but I feel as we are the first year 12 group going through in the state it might limit my opportunities for later on in life. I would love some ideas or other perspective on my situation, thanks.”  

[1-20-2011  http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110120185826AA1gEBo]

Response:

This student’s plea has apparently not yet received any responses.

Waldorf schools are easy to love. They tend to be small and cozy, with caring teachers and lovely surroundings. There is minimal academic pressure, plenty of spare time for play, lots of lovely art, an emphasis on imagination, an embrace of green values extending to nature walks and gardening...  What’s not to like?

The deeper questions, however, are 1) Do the schools provide good educations, and 2) What effects do the schools’ underlying occult beliefs have on the students?

There is a deep moral concern, as well. The schools often pursue their occult objectives without the explicit permission of the students’ parents. Often, indeed, the schools fail to inform the parents about these objectives. [See, e.g., “Our Experience”, “Coming Undone”, "Ex-Teacher 3", “Advice for Parents”, and “Spiritual Agenda”.]

A final point. Waldorf schools often promise to prepare students for college and for productive lives in the working world. Far too often, however, this promise proves to be empty. [See, e.g., "Academics at Waldorf" and "I Went to Waldorf".]

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"The Waldorf School of Philadelphia [Pennsylvania, USA], located at 7500 Germantown Ave., was founded in 1996 ... Faculty members seek to educate their students using the educational philosophy and curriculum of Rudolf Steiner ... According to Wikipedia, Steiner was an Austrian philosopher and the founder of anthroposophy, a discipline that attempts to clarify spiritual experiences using the scientific method. His educational principles emphasize the role of imagination in intellectual development in both the creative and analytical elements.” 

 [1-20-2011  http://chestnuthilllocal.com/blog/2011/01/20/mt-airy-teens-spread-joy-through-stringed-harmonies/]

Response:

Most reporters seem to do little or no research when writing about Waldorf schools. Here’s an example of a reporter who went a step farther — a very small step. He consulted Wikipedia.

Relying on Wikipedia suggests a somewhat casual concern with the truth. Certainly the result in this instance merely skates across the surface of the Waldorf worldview. 

What, for instance, is the connection between examining “spiritual experiences using the scientific method” and “the role of imagination”? The reporter seems not to realize it, but the connection is clairvoyance. Steiner claimed that he studied the spirit realm using clairvoyance, and imagination is stressed in Waldorf schools because it is deemed to be an initial stage of clairvoyance.

Whether Steiner actually used the scientific method is another question. Here’s the short answer: No.

[See, e.g., “Exactly,” “Steiner’s ‘Science’”, “Thinking”, and “The Waldorf Teacher’s Consciousness”. (For good measure, you might also peek at “Fooling (Ourselves)”.)]

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"We, the brothers and sisters of the Gnostic movement, go in a distinct way. It is urgent that scientists study the Treatise of Occult Science by Dr. Rudolf Steiner, the great Hungarian medic, born in 1861, friend and disciple of Nietzsche and Ernest Hegel." 

[1-20-2011  http://gnosticteachings.org/books-by-samael-aun-weor/fundamental-notions-of-endocrinology-a-criminology/1458-the-supraconsciousness.html]

No comment.

Oh, all right, if you insist. Here's a comment: 

Steiner was not a medic, nor was he Hungarian. Born in Austria, his wrote and spoke German. [See "What a Guy".] The title of his key book, in various English-language editions, is OCCULT SCIENCE - AN OUTLINE, AN OUTLINE OF OCCULT SCIENCE, or (Anthroposophists have become skittish about the word "occult") AN OUTLINE OF ESOTERIC SCIENCE. Steiner's ties to Nietzsche and Hegel were tenuous, at best. (Some would phrase this more strongly.)

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"[A] substantive discussion...needs to proceed on the likely probability that Rudolf Steiner was neither a fraud or completely delusional about his clairvoyant, Imaginative, Inspirational, or Intuitive capabilities, and that these terms are in-house technical ones denoting very specific and possible capabilities, as clearly defined by RS."

[accessed 1-20-2011  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/16721]

Peeking into the discussion at Waldorf Critics is often rewarding (although the discussion often veers far from Waldorf schools as such, and some participants make minimal use of non-occult texts or spelling checkers — but who am I to complain about typos?). The discussion is not entirely one-sided. Anthroposophists and others turn up, making attempts to defend Steiner and his doctrines. These attempts can be quite interesting, if unpersuasive.

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"I’d add that Souls of Terror seems to me better researched than the Da Vinci Code. I should get around to writing an Amazon review."  

[1-20-2011  http://zooey.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/anthroposophy-in-the-form-of-a-thriller/]

A discussion of the Anthroposophists-being-nasty thriller SOULS OF TERROR is occurring at the English/Swedish/Elvish website The Ethereal Kiosk.

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"India’s first rural Waldorf school comes up near Mulshi. Here, students have no bags or textbooks, but are given a wholesome education — heart, hand along with the mind! Here, study books and school bags are replaced by playful learning. This is what an innovative education system is providing to rural kids. Children in Sadhana English School can be seen weaving, knitting or dancing along with their classroom studies. The internationally-renowned Waldorf education system has made this possible. The first Waldorf school in rural India has begun near Kolvan Valley in Mulshi."  

[1-19-2011  http://www.punemirror.in/article/2/2011011920110119020458195cf51eef/Different-school-of-thought.html]

Response:

Whenever you read an article that unquestioningly reflects Waldorf slogans (“head, heart, and hands”), or one that expresses unqualified admiration for Waldorf schools (“internationally-renowned”), you should put your guard up. Such articles are almost always written either by followers of Rudolf Steiner or by reporters who know little about the subject and simply accepted the claims made by Waldorf representatives.

Waldorf schools are cropping up in many parts of the world. Nonwhite parents should think doubly hard before enrolling their kids. Investigate Rudolf Steiner’s racial teachings. [See, e.g., “Steiner’s Racism”, “Steiner’s Bile”, and “Races”.] European teachers who bring Waldorf schooling to India and other non-European lands are arguably behaving as whites have long behaved toward nonwhites: We know best; come, let us provide you with the fruits of our superior civilization.

Hindus may be comfortable with some of the doctrines of Anthroposophy, such as belief in karma, but the essential Eurocentric and "Christian" nature of Waldorf education may cause great discomfort when they are revealed. Steiner taught that the white race is the most advanced and European culture is highest. This is why, for instance, Norse myths are emphasized in Waldorf schools. [See "Oh My Word" and "The Gods".] Steiner said that these myths, coming out of Northern/Germanic Europe, contain the greatest wisdom of all ancient myths and legends. And of all the gods, Steiner taught, Christ the Sun God is now the most important. In Norse Myths, Christ is represented by the god Baldr, Steiner said.

Hindus and Muslims alike face a serious decision when considering Waldorf education. To fully embrace the thinking behind Waldorf education, you must be prepared to renounce many elements of your faith and become an Anthroposophist instead. Waldorf schools exist to spread the occult religion known as Anthroposophy. [See, e.g., "Here's the Answer".] Anthroposophy overlaps many other religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity, but is not truly compatible with any of them. It is truly compatible only with itself.     

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“There are no textbooks in this class; each student writes and illustrates his or her textbook. Music is played during class hours and lessons are taught through movements and expressions. To learn measurement, the class is taken bushwalking through mountains, and to learn the gist of religions, every possible festival is celebrated traditionally. Learning is radically different at schools that follow the ‘Waldorf’ education system, which is an application of ‘anthroposophy’.”  

[1-19-2011  http://www.deccanchronicle.com/chennai/they-write-their-own-textbooks-499]

Response:

Waldorf schools generally use few conventional textbooks. Such books do not conform to the Waldorf approach or worldview. Indeed, they contain information about the real world that Waldorf faculties generally reject, information attained through conventional/scientific modes of thought that Waldorf faculties consider unreliable (i.e., no clairvoyance was employed). 

“I have nothing against using a textbook, but all of them are bad.” — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 284. 

Despite professing openness, in other words, Steiner condemned all textbooks ("all of them are bad”), and he created a system in which students usually must do without.

The books “created” by Waldorf students usually consist of messages and pictures produced by Waldorf teachers and copied by the students. In some cases, the copies are almost slavishly literal; in other cases, students can — within limits — create their own drawings and choose their own words. Older students are given more leeway in these matters, but — at all grade levels — the teachers direct the ideas that are expressed in the books prepared by the students. 

Waldorf teachers wield extraordinary influence over their students, and this is one example. During school hours, Waldorf students rarely hear anything except the views of their Waldorf teachers. Few outside voices or views are considered, a situation made possible in part because so few non-Waldorf textbooks are used.

[For more on this subject, see “Lesson Books”.]

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“Who’s Gonna Rock Your Reality?  ...  Melody Park Shin: Melody's boys were happily unschooled, then self-doubt crept in as Waldorf schooling played out its seduction. Wanting the best for her family, Melody went through a three year Waldorf teacher training, founded and ran a lovely Waldorf homeschool program, even shortly worked at a Waldorf kindergarten, and sent her two older boys to a Waldorf school. She ended up pulling them out twice, each time in the Spring. Melody will share her humorous journey as she fully immersed herself in Waldorf and how she got out of it.”  

[1-18-2011  http://www.liferocksconference.com/presenters]

Melody Park Shin now has a homeschooling website: mommychick [http://mommychick.typepad.com/mommychick/].

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“Troubling Trend of Biodynamic Winemaking - There is no elegant way to put this: Part of the newest fad in winemaking involves placing German chamomile flowers in a cow's intestine, hanging the intestine from a tree in the summer, burying it in the ground over the winter, digging it back up again in the spring, discarding the intestine (thankfully), and adding its contents to the compost that is then spread on the soil ... Biodynamic agriculture is based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner ... A shocking racist and anti-Semite (though, to his credit, he was denounced by Hitler for being not racist and anti-Semitic enough), Steiner wrote that the Aryan race was descended from the people of the Lost Continent of Atlantis ... History is full of charlatans and nut jobs, of side-show hucksters and snake-oil salesmen. Usually they have their day in the sun and are quickly forgotten. The problem is that Steiner is being rediscovered, and that his ideas are being put into practice.” 

[1-18-2011  http://toledoblade.com/article/20110118/COLUMNIST47/110119586]

Wine is rarely found in Waldorf schools, but biodynamic gardening is often practiced on Waldorf school grounds. There are numerous reasons for questioning biodynamic practices. The use of animal body parts for magical purposes is one. [See “Biodynamics”.]

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"Inspired Learning — Waldorf schools offer a developmentally appropriate, experiential approach to education to inspire life-long learning and enable students to fully develop their capacities." 

[1-18-2011 http://michaelmaspress.com/links/]

Michaelmas Press offers some links to various pro-Waldorf sites. 

The festival of Michaelmas is one of the religious holidays observed in Waldorf schools. As comprehended by Anthroposophists, Michaelmas is the celebration of the Sun Archangel, Michael, who presides over the current phase of human evolution. Michael is the warrior/champion of the Sun God. 

"The rulership of Gabriel was replaced by another archangel, under whose leadership we now stand, the archangel Michael. He is the radiant sun that esoteric wisdom lets shine forth on a small band of people [can you guess who Steiner means?] ... [S]imultaneously with Michael a dark god has entered into his rulership: the god Mammon. For esotericism, Mammon is not only the god of money. He is much more the leader of all vile black powers."  — Rudolf Steiner, ESOTERIC LESSONS 1904-1909 (Steiner Books, 2007), pp. 232-233.  

[See "Michael" and, for a discussion of the festivals observed at Waldorf schools, "Magical Arts".]

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“Dr. Elizabeth Englander Speaks on Internet Safety & Cyberbullying, Thursday, Jan 27 7:00p to 9:00p, at Waldorf School of Lexington, Lexington [Massachusetts, USA] — Well known author (NY Times) and researcher Elizabeth Englander addresses one of the most pressing issues facing today's parents: how to ensure kids are safe (and respect the safety of their peers) in the online world. How can parents best help children navigate the challenges of social media, from online sites to texting? This event is open to the public and admission is free. Donations gratefully accepted.”  

[1-18-2011  http://calendar.boston.com/lexington-ma/events/show/161077845-dr-elizabeth-englander-speaks-on-internet-safety-cyberbullying].

Response:

Cyberbullying is certainly a bad thing, and computers can pose various other problems as well. Waldorf schools are particularly concerned about computers, since they generally deem those devices to be tools of the arch-demon Ahriman. 

“The computer is special because of its relation to the spiritual being here called ‘Ahriman.’ The name Ahriman comes from the Zoroastrian god of darkness, the being eternally opposed to the god of light, who is called Ormazd. In Rudolf Steiner’s conception, Ahriman is opposed to Lucifer (literally, light-vessel), and the two of them together are opposed by the redeeming power of the Christ.” — Rudolf Steiner College, description of THE COMPUTER AND THE INCARNATION OF AHRIMAN [http://www.steinercollege.edu/?q=node/384]

As for the equivocal Waldorf stance on bullying, see “Slaps”. In Waldorf belief, some kids need to be bullied — it is their karma.

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“In Sweden we have been quite fortunate to not have the same, vociferous anti-vaccination movement as seen in the US and the UK. But this has changed in recent years. Perhaps it was the slightly chaotic handling of the A(H1N1) vaccination. Perhaps it is due to the fact that some well-regarded figures in Sweden have voiced skepticism of the A(H1N1) vaccination in particular and vaccination in general ... One of Sweden's most visible antivaccinationist public figures is author Sanna Ehdin ... On her web site Ehdin mentions that she is ‘... not opposed to the vaccination of children’, but (there's always a but) the question is ‘... when it is done and with what.’ First, we note that it sounds uncomfortably like Jenny McCarthy et al.'s ‘Too Many Too Soon’ propaganda, and we note that Ehdin's literature reference for this statement is from the anthroposophic Vidar Clinic's Child Health department. (Anthroposophy is a Central European cult based on the writings of Austrian mystic Rudolph Steiner, a one-time collaborator of Helena Blavatsky. Go figure.)”   

[1-17-2011 http://scienceblogs.com/aardvarchaeology/2011/01/sweden_has_antivaxers_too.php]

Many students in Waldorf/Steiner schools are unvaccinated. This results partially from parental preferences and partially from Rudolf Steiner's teachings on the dangers of vaccination. [See "Steiner's Quackery".] Students in such schools are endangered in two ways. 1) Kids who have not been vaccinated run a grave risk of contracting serious diseases from which they could easily have been protected. 2) Contagions may spread through such schools, which may affect even vaccinated students. (No vaccine is 100% effective. A vaccinated child who is surrounded by unvaccinated kids may become infected.) These dangers are unnecessary and could easily be alleviated by sensible attitudes toward vaccination.

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A Waldorf mission statement: 

“Based upon the principles of Waldorf education, as initiated by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), our mission is to create a healthy educational environment where we support teachers in their work to foster imagination, inspiration and intuition in the children, thus encouraging them to develop their intellectual, creative and social capacities. We aspire to be protectors and advocates for children and childhood. We strive to maintain Waldorf education in our area. We embrace Waldorf education as a means to free the human spirit.”  

[1-17-2011  http://www.waldorfsantabarbara.org/mission-statement]

Response:

Waldorf or Steiner schools rarely come out and say “We pledge allegiance to the cult established by our guru, Rudolf Steiner, and to the occult doctrines he promulgated.” Still, reading the schools’ mission statements can be useful, if you learn what Steiner’s followers mean by certain words.

For instance, “imagination, inspiration and intuition” are essentially code words for clairvoyance. Specifically, they are preliminary stage of nonrational thought meant to lead to clairvoyance. The use of the brain for rational thought is very different, and it is de-emphasized in Waldorf/Steiner schools. [See, e.g., “Steiner’s ‘Science’”, “Clairvoyance”, and “Steiner’s Specific”.]

Developing various “capacities” is good. But note that the mission statement stresses capacities while omitting any reference to knowledge. Shouldn’t a school aim to impart real knowledge to children? Isn’t this an important part of what most people think education means? [See, e.g., “Holistic Education”, “Curriculum”, and “Thinking Cap”.]

Words like “free” and “intellect” have specific — and unusual — meanings in the Waldorf/Steiner universe. Essentially, human beings become free, Steiner taught, though the process of spiritual evolution. Then they may freely choose between two (and only two) paths: the true path leading to divinity (i.e., the path of following Rudolf Steiner), and the downward path leading to perdition. Some choice. [See, e.g., "Freedom" and “Hell”.] 

As for intellect, this is a tricky concept for Steiner’s followers. Mainly, they repudiate intellect, associating it with the arch-demon Ahriman. [See “Ahriman” and “Materialism U.”.] At a lower level, they affirm the need to develop intellect — but not too much. 

“The brain is an instrument for purely intellectual apprehension. Intellectualism and materialistic thinking are one and the same ... [T]he materialistic brain represents a process of decay: materialistic thinking unfolds only through processes of destruction, death-processes, which are taking place in the brain.” — Rudolf Steiner, THE FESTIVALS AND THEIR MEANING (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1996), pp. 147-148. [See, e.g., “Thinking”.]

By all means, read Waldorf/Steiner mission statements and all other materials the schools make public. But come to these materials equipped with a knowledge of Anthroposophical concepts and terminology. Otherwise, the materials may mislead you — which may be quite intentional. [See “Secrets”.]

(P.S. What do Waldorf/Steiner schools mean when they speak of educating "from the inside out"? They mean that they respect the individuality of each child, drawing out of him or her the spirit and ability residing within. This sounds great. But how do the teachers learn what the students have inside? If they follow the guidance of Rudolf Steiner — which the devout Anthroposophists among them almost invariably do — they use such techniques as clairvoyance, horoscopes, and dreams. They also consider the "temperament" and race of each child. Some readers may doubt the validity of such procedures. Certainly the concept of respect for individuality is weakened when children are categorized by such dubious divisions as temperament and race.)

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