"One year Highland Hall [a Waldorf school in California, USA] had sample high school classes for parents in the evenings. I attended Quattro's [Waldorf teacher Noah Williams'] sample history class. He was a charming and charismatic teacher who held my attention and seemingly that of the other parents who attended. I could see how students would really like him as a teacher. After the class, however, I was disturbed to realize that I had not learned anything significant and that there seemed to be a lot of focus on topics such as astrology and the Genesis version of creation."  

[7-31-2011  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/20274]

For the Waldorf take on astrology, see "Waldorf Astrology". For the Waldorf take on Genesis, see "Genesis" and "Old Testament".

[Image: Rudolf Steiner, 

"Menschheitsentwickelung und Christus-Erkenntnis”, 

page 245.]

This schematic shows human evolution 

proceeding from Atlantis to modern Europe.

Two decadent racial groups branch off, 

failing to evolve properly.

Entwickelung der Menschheit : Development of Mankind

Atlantier: Resident of Atlantis (Atlantean)

Europäer: European

Dekadente Abzweigung: decadent branching

Affengeschlecht: apes (or ape species)

Indianer: Indian.

Response:

The books examined are SPIRITUAL-SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE OF THE HUMAN BEING and THE MISSION OF INDIVIDUAL FOLK-SOULS IN CONNECTION WITH GERMANIC-NORDIC MYTHOLOGY.

The report includes such judgments as this:

“The content of the book [by Rudolf Steiner] is, in the opinion of the board of 12 representatives, considered in part [to be] an incitement to racial hatred, respectively as discriminating on grounds of race.“

Some of the statements made by Steiner that the report holds up as examples of racist thinking are these:*

• “But the people, who underdeveloped their “I”-being [that is: their “ego”], who were exposed too much to the effects of the sun, they were like plants: they deposited under their skin too many carbon-like elements and became black. This is why the negro is black.”

• “[T]he completely passive soul of the negro is in completely abandoned to the environment, to the exterior physique…”

• “[T]hey are the ones who so denied their ‘I’ that it turned them black, because the exterior forces that come from the sun to the earth simply turned them black.”

• “The African location corresponds to those forces of the Earth which imprint on people the features of childhood…”

Writer Andreas Lichte adds this Steiner statement:

• “The white race is the race of the future, the race that works creatively on the spirit.”

* I have done some light editing; the original translations into English were somewhat stilted and unclear. — RR

“Waldorf education places as much emphasis on creatively as it does on academic content. Indications given by Steiner serve as a catalyst for teachers to begin to develop a deeper understanding of the subject to be taught and to work in freedom out of one’s own creativity to develop their lessons. The teacher training course will explore the Waldorf curriculum in kindergarten, lower school, and high school and will strive to awaken a reverence for beauty and a sense for truth in the teacher.”  

[7-31-2011  http://edrenew.org/waldorf-education]

Response:

Always pour at least a few grains of salt on any glowing description of Waldorf education you come across. What do the fine-sounding phrases in the above really mean, for instance? 

Well, the creativity that is emphasized in Waldorf schools is supposed to have magical effects, strengthening bonds between the students and the spirit worlds. [See. e.g., “Magical Arts”.] 

Academic content is de-emphasized because Rudolf Steiner and his followers distrust modern knowledge and, indeed, use of the brain. [See, e.g., “Steiner’s Specific: Thinking Without Our Brains” and “Materialism U.”] 

Waldorf teachers often “begin” to develop understanding of the subjects they are to teach only when the time to teach them arrives, because they are expected to teach so many different subjects, often with little or no prior knowledge of them. [See, e.g., “Methods” and “Ex-Teacher 9”.] 

Waldorf teachers work in “freedom” because they are often given little or no assistance or guidance by their peers. [See, e.g., “Ex-Teacher”.] 

Waldorf teacher training explores “the Waldorf curriculum” because, indeed, there is essentially just one such curriculum, laid out by Steiner and followed faithfully in almost all Waldorf schools, wherever they are located and whatever the students’ backgrounds and needs may be. [See, e.g., “Curriculum” and “Teacher Training”.] 

Waldorf teachers try to develop a “sense” for truth because they do not trust intellectual thought; they prefer, instead, imagination, intuition, and inspiration, by which they essentially mean clairvoyance. [See, e.g., “The Waldorf Teacher’s Consciousness”.]

Rudolf Steiner claimed that, as a boy, 

he saw a ghost. [See "What a Guy".]

Later, as an adult, he claimed to contact the dead.

He relayed messages from a dead German general

to the general's widow, a Steiner supporter.

[See "Steiner and the Warlord".]

Belief in ghosts is common among Steiner's followers.

“My first encounter with a ghost was in the Lee Irwin Theater at Ateneo University, a good 12 years ago. A book author, Dr. Jampolsky, was the guest lecturer that afternoon. His topic was forgiveness.

“The auditorium was full. My friend Mariel and I sat in the audience, right side, three rows from the front. Before the break, Dr. Jampolsky asked the audience to close their eyes for a five-minute meditation. But I opened my eyes too early and beheld, on the stage facing us, a plain, rather plump, middle-aged woman flailing her arms in what seemed like a wild dance. Then she was gone. 

“...In 1995, our son, Bey, died of kidney failure. He was 42 years old. I then belonged to a study group in anthroposophy facilitated by Nicky Perlas. We discussed the many writings of the clairvoyant Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, who died in the 20s [i.e., 1920s]. 

"A helper of Nicky’s in his farm had died, and one of the things the study group did was read Steiner’s VERSES TO THE DEAD. The reading was supposed to help the soul of the recently departed find its way by describing the stages in the afterlife it was to go through (as Steiner described them). 

"When I went home that night and closed my eyes in meditation, I beheld my son, Bey, looking as vibrant as when he was alive!” 

[7-31-2011 http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/7703/my-encounters-with-other-dimensions] 

The desire to “pierce the veil” and see into the spirit worlds is often very strong, especially after a loved one dies. As a result, people can delude themselves. [See "Why?"] 

Psychic beliefs often infuse Waldorf schools. [See, e.g., “Reality and Fantasy”.] Some of Steiner's instructions on how to contact the dead are given in STAYING CONNECTED: How to Continue Your Relationships with Those Who Have Died (Anthroposophic Press, 1999).

“The statistics we need to see are the educational outcomes of children whose went to Waldorf from preschool through the early grades (i.e., they learned to read in Waldorf) and whose parents followed anthroposophical advice fairly strictly: i.e., they did not provide help with reading at home before, say, second or third grade, and they made strenuous efforts to avoid even exposing their toddler or preschool child to print materials, did not read to their children (or only rarely) but instead told stories, deflected questions about words (refused to answer "What does that say?"), did not keep books - other than picture books - readily available at the preschool age, did not provide writing materials other than block crayons, and allowed no computer use at all in the elementary years.

“How many of THESE kids later do well academically (outside of Waldorf, that is)?

“This is research that cries out to be done on Waldorf education.  

[7-30-2011  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/20232]

Waldorf schools generally do not teach reading and writing until children turn seven, or even later. One reason is that they are waiting for the kids’ “etheric bodies” to incarnate. In other words, this Waldorf policy is based, at least in part, on a pure delusion. [See “Incarnation”.] Waldorf students are thus denied most of the benefits of early childhood academic education, such as is offered in Head Start programs. The resulting harm may last a long time, perhaps throughout a lifetime.

“Every year millions of children and young adults are confronted with traumatic experiences. Virtually all of them have to come to grips with these experiences and memories without any external help ... The emergency education of the Friends of Waldorf Education endeavours to aid traumatised children and juveniles in regions affected by war and catastrophes ... The concept of emergency education is based on Waldorf educational methods and related forms of therapy. These methods include elements of painting and drawing therapy, experiential and circus education, plastic-therapeutic design and many others.”  

[7-29-2011 http://www.aktion-deutschland-hilft.de/en/member-organisations/friends-of-waldorf-education/]

Response:

Waldorf faculties and Anthroposophists in general often undertake good works, basing many of their efforts on the teachings of their guru, Rudolf Steiner. Despite the best of intentions, their efforts are often questionable. In dealing with children who need special care, for instance, Rudolf Steiner advised using horoscopes. Here is Steiner discussing the cases of two sisters: 

“By looking at what the horoscope shows we can see what is really the matter [with a child]. 

“Take first this horoscope (of the elder sister). It will probably have struck you that you find here in this region, Uranus together with Venus and Mars. You will not really need to carry your considerations any further than this triangle. Here then are Mars, Venus and Uranus. Consider first Mars. For this child, who was born in 1909, Mars stands in complete opposition to the Moon. Mars, which has Venus and Uranus in its vicinity, stands — itself — in strong opposition to the Moon. Here is the Moon and here is Mars. And Mars pulls along with it Uranus and Venus. 

“And now I would ask you to pay careful attention also to the fact that the Moon is at the same time standing before Libra. This means, the Moon has comparatively little support from the Zodiac, it wavers and hesitates, it is even something of a weakling in this hour; and its influence is still further reduced through the fact that Mars (which pulls along with it the Luciferic influence [i.e., the influence of Lucifer]) stands in opposition to it. 

“Now let us turn to the horoscope of the young child. Again, here are Venus and Uranus and Mars near together, the three of them covering between them no more than this section of the heavens ... On this second horoscope, Mars, Venus and Uranus are in close proximity, exactly as before; but when we examine more nearly the position of Mars, we find it is not, as before, in complete opposition to the Moon. It is however very nearly so. Although the younger child does not come in for a complete opposition, there is an approximation to opposition.” — Rudolf Steiner, CURATIVE EDUCATION (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1972), lecture 11, July 6, 1924.

In other instances, Steiner said he had no good advice to offer, because some children are demonic: 

“That little girl L.K. in the first grade must have something really very wrong inside. There is not much we can do. Such cases are increasing in which children are born with a human form, but are not really human beings in relation to their highest I [i.e., a human spiritual/divine identity]; instead, they are filled with beings that do not belong to the human class. Quite a number of people have been born since the nineties [the 1890s] without an I, that is, they are not reincarnated, but are human forms filled with a sort of natural demon. There are quite a large number of older people going around who are actually not human beings, but are only natural; they are human beings only in regard to their form. We cannot, however, create a school for demons.” — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 649.

"Inspired by the growing success of arts-integrated Waldorf Education in private schools, a group of Mar Vista and Venice neighbors [California, USA] began organizing over a decade ago to create a public independent charter school in the Mar Vista neighborhood with an innovative arts-integrated program based upon the principles of Rudolf Steiner/Waldorf Education.

"In 2004 Ocean Charter School was born with a commitment to achieving academic excellence through creative learning, sparking imagination and fostering critical thinking.... 

"On June 21st of this year the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) School Board voted to approve leasing a two-acre portion of unused space on the Walgrove Elementary school campus to a charter school.

"The Ocean Charter School Board has announced plans to submit a proposal for LAUSD consideration....

"Offering an innovative arts-integrated program based upon the principles of Rudolf Steiner/Waldorf Education, Ocean Charter School (www.oceancs.org) is a public independent charter school within LAUSD serving K-8 students."  

[7-22-2011  http://www.westsidetoday.com/m5-5568/ocean-charter-school-seeks.html]

Response:

When you read an article on Waldorf education that glows with admiration, you would do well to pause and consider. What, for example, is the "growing success" of Waldorf education? Success at what? Success for whom? 

Think also about such terms as "arts-integrated", "imagination," and "critical thinking." Waldorf schools are not monolithic, but at most Waldorf schools the arts are used as a means of connecting children with invisible spirit worlds. Do you believe that such worlds exist? Do you accept Rudolf Steiner's description of them? [See "Magical Arts" and "Higher Worlds".] 

Similarly, at most Waldorf schools, imagination is considered a form or stage of clairvoyance. Do you believe in clairvoyance? Do you believe in the sort of clairvoyance Waldorf teachers think they possess? [See "Exactly" and "The Waldorf Teacher's Consciousness".] 

And, far from fostering critical intelligence, most Waldorf schools reject such thinking or strive to reign it in. Do you agree that rational thinking should be downplayed? Do you think we should use our brains less? [See "Criticism" and "Steiner's Specific".]

You may find a Waldorf school that is just right for you and your child. But choose a Waldorf school only after you have dug deep to find the truth about that school. Waldorf schools are well practiced in hiding their secrets. [See "Secrets".]

Attempting to maintain that professional objectivity, some scholars such as Heiner Ullrich seem not to wholly comprehend the extent to which occultism suffuses all elements of Waldorf education. Nonetheless, their critiques can be informative. The following is from a message by historian Peter Staudenmaier about Ullrich and his views on Waldorf education:

“...I thought I'd provide some brief information on Heiner Ullrich's book RUDOLF STEINER (London: Continuum, 2008), by one of the foremost German scholars studying Waldorf today ... He is an excellent example of how wide of the mark many anthroposophist perceptions of their critics can be. Far from a defender of conventional education systems, Ullrich is an expert on alternative educational models. That is exactly what drives his critiques of Waldorf....

“...He praises Waldorf for a variety of reasons while also offering substantial criticisms ... He notes that several central aspects of Waldorf schooling stand in direct opposition to standard principles of progressive education....

“...’To this day Steiner’s followers stress the fundamental difference between progressive education and Waldorf Schools; the similarities are only superficial and largely coincidental.’ (34)

“Ullrich is perceptive on the unsatisfactory nature of existing research on Steiner and anthroposophy (121-23)....

“The book includes a very good extended disquisition on the ways in which Steiner’s worldview meets the criteria of pre-scientific thought (127-35)....

“Ullrich's basic motif is to contrast Waldorf’s ‘dubious’ foundations with its impressive successes. Despite its fundamentally misguided underlying principles, he thinks many Waldorf schools in practice do some things quite well.  ... [T]he task now is to explore concrete details of how Waldorf schools actually function, what their real effects are, and so forth.

"The book argues that educational scholarship can learn from Waldorf on a variety of these issues, though Ullrich also points out that there are matters on which Waldorf’s approach is inseparable from its anthroposophical foundations....

"Ullrich is not particularly sanguine about the notion that Waldorf schools today are wisely leaving the outmoded aspects of Steiner's original model behind. He writes: “Within the broad spectrum of Waldorf Schools, most adhere to the traditional model of the original Stuttgart school in a more or less unchanged form.' (223)....”  

[7-27-2011  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/20196]

Here is a follow-up to a story reported here previously:

“An ‘alternative’ private school [in the UK] is facing a £100,000 compensation bill after ignoring a whistle-blowing teacher’s complaint that her daughter had been assaulted.

“Jo Sawfoot, 42, worked at the fashionable Steiner school – where exams are considered harmful and pupils learn through gardening and playing with wooden blocks.

“Her six-year-old daughter was also a pupil at the school.

"Miss Sawfoot, a Cambridge graduate and the school’s designated child protection officer, claimed that bosses failed to investigate when she reported that her child had been assaulted by another teacher, Anna Letts.

“Instead, she told an employment tribunal, the school misled social services by falsely claiming the girl had to be restrained after biting a staff member.

“Miss Sawfoot claimed she was regarded as an ‘irritant’  at the school, giving her no option other than to resign and educate her child elsewhere. Parents protested in support of Miss Sawfoot, saying she had been bullied – and now her complaint of constructive dismissal has been upheld.”  

[7-21-2001 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2016998/Assault-pupil-6-cost-Steiner-school-100-000.html]

"[T]hey [racist Anthroposophists] are destroying the missionary arm of Anthroposophy — Waldorf education. As concerns about racism in Waldorf curriculum become more and more mainstream, Waldorf schools are losing favor with parents and more importantly, politicians. There will be a great disassociation from anything Waldorf very soon (my prediction)."  

[7-25-2011  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/20174]

[Concerning Waldorf racism, see "Steiner's Racism", "Races", and "Forbidden", for starters.]

"Sune tweeted this yesterday ['The little founded basis of ThetisM's obsessive and anti-Steiner Waldorf school hate crusade']. It leaves a bad taste. I’ve said it like a thousand times (e.g., yesterday): criticism is not hate. Disagreeing with you, Sune, or with anthroposophy or with what anthroposophists do, it is not hate. I firmly believe that anthroposophists, and in particular you, Sune, must cease expressing themselves like this about dissenters or people who you perceive as opponents of your cause. Arguing against state funding of Steiner schools — or arguing against anything else you happen to be a proponent of — does not equal a ‘hate crusade’." 

[7-24-2011 http://zooey.wordpress.com/2011/07/24/hate-sunes-shenanigans-revisited/]

Sune Nordwall is a paid defender of all things Anthroposophical. Here he is answered by a former Waldorf student. It is common for Anthroposophists — who think they are on the side of the gods — to assume that anyone challenging them is on the side of the devils. Instead of making rational arguments to counter the arguments of their critics, they tend to make ad hominem attacks (which are, by definition, invalid as rational propositions). [See, e.g., "Enemies" and "Criticism".]

“Q. So, at the ripe old age of 22 I sometimes contemplate what kind of schooling I would want for my hypothetical children. The method that has appealed to me the most intellectually would have to be Waldorf, but I'll be honest, in some ways it seems kind of woo woo (the whole anthroposophy thing for one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthroposophy). Another thing that scares a lot of parents is the fact that they don't really start pushing reading until seven, sometimes eight or nine even. The idea is to foster oral and listening skills first, which are the precursors to literacy. 

“So! How do you all feel about Waldorf in general?

“A1. I checked out the local Waldorf school, but the people there were so pretentious and annoying that I couldn't pay attention to anything they were saying about the school.”

“A2. Yeah, that's the thing I'd be scared of sending my (hypothetical) children to one of these schools. I'm terrified that the price of what might be an excellent education would be having to deal with holier than thou kids/parents. 

“A3. I think the reading thing is the least scary part of Waldorf ... The rest of waldorf is weird and some of it is creepy.

“A4. The singing alone is creepy. It has to be in a high pitch and is just gross. They don't let kids have paper with corners and restrict the colors they are allowed to draw with. They make kids paint on wet paper with the express purpose of making it harder for them to make realistic art. They teach kids that gnomes and fairies are real. They make kids eat specific grains by the days of the week, and wear specific colors. There is some racism combined with a belief that kids who are bullied deserve it because they were bad in a past life. The worst part to me is that they infantilize children and prioritize keeping them that way. Creeeepy.

“A5. I think Waldorf schools in the US try to give the impression that they are less woo woo, but scratch the surface and you'll find an anthroposophy book club/discussion group among the parents at all or nearly all of them. The preschools aren't so terrible but the people who stay past kindergarten are, for the most part, true believers.

“A6. I love Waldorf. It would have been perfect for my daughter in so many ways.”  

[7-22-2011  http://booju-newju.livejournal.com/2420066.html]

[Elmfield Rudolf Steiner School, 2011.]

"Class 3 pupils [at the Elmfield Steiner School, Stourbridge, UK] have presented this stunning Viking longship to the school playground, to enhance adventures for their fellow pupils.

"The class designed, constructed and decorated the ship as part of their main lesson building project.

"Thank you Class 3. Have a wonderful summer!" 

[7-19-2011 http://elmfield.com/2011/07/the-vikings-have-arrived/]

Class time in Waldorf schools is often given over to non-academic projects such as knitting, carpentry, and drawing/painting. This is fun, and it has some real benefits. But what is often overlooked is that these activities often substitute for actual instruction and learning. Waldorf schools are deeply anti-intellectual and strongly suspicious of modern knowledge.

(By the way, third graders are about 8 or 9 years old. How much of the work on the ship do you think was theirs? It is not uncommon for Waldorf students to simply follow orders or copy the work done by their teachers; and sometimes the teachers do the work that they credit to their students. The educational value of this arrangement is minimal.)

"Steiner school faces £100,000 payout to whistle-blowing teacher

"A Steiner school is facing a compensation payout of up to £100,000 to a whistle-blowing teacher after ignoring her complaint about an alleged assault on her daughter.

"Jo Sawfoot, 42, was designated child protection officer at Norfolk Initiative Steiner Schools kindergarten in Norwich [UK].

"Ms Sawfoot, a Cambridge University graduate, complained that her six-year-old daughter - a pupil at the private school - had been hurt by colleague Anna Letts.

"Ms Letts had seized Ms Sawfoot's daughter by the arm as she sat on the floor refusing to move, a tribunal heard. The school's policy was that physical restraint should only be used as a last resort.

"But school managers - who rely on a laissez-faire teaching philosophy unique to Steiner schools - failed to investigate the incident.

"They instead gave a misleading report to social services about the girl biting Ms Letts.

"They decided that Ms Sawfoot was an 'irritant' and made damaging allegations about her teaching skills to social services, the tribunal found.

"Ms Sawfoot felt she had no choice but to resign and remove her daughter from the school. Her departure triggered protests outside the school by parents who felt she had been bullied.

"Norwich Employment Tribunal ruled that the girl was inappropriately restrained by Ms Letts.

"It upheld Ms Sawfoot's claims that she was constructively dismissed and mistreated by the school after making public interest disclosures as a whistleblower.

"Ms Sawfoot, of Norwich, is now set to receive substantial damages for loss of earnings and injury to feelings." 

[7-22-2011  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/8649751/Steiner-school-faces-100000-payout-to-whistle-blowing-teacher.html]

This is a single, isolated incident, but it reflects endemic problems in the Steiner-Waldorf system. Believing that they possess superior spiritual knowledge, Steiner's followers are usually unwilling to admit that anyone in their ranks can be wrong or may have behaved badly. Moreover, they generally believe that whatever they do, and whatever happens to Steiner/Waldorf students, has been ordained by karma and thus should be accepted. One result is that Steiner or Waldorf schools are often not the safe refuges that families seek. [See, e.g., "Slaps".]

(Re. the "laissez-faire teaching philosophy" of Steiner education: In general, Waldorf schools allow each teacher great latitude in the classroom. This is considered a matter of spiritual freedom: The individual teacher followers his/her own spiritual insight concerning the needs of the students and the proper way to present class material. On the other hand, each teacher's freedom is constricted by the overall design and impetus of the Waldorf curriculum, which derive from Rudolf Steiner's guidance implemented at the first Waldorf school.)

"Swiss anthroposophical pension fund leads on investment returns

"ITTIGEN (NNA) – A Swiss anthroposophical pension fund has once again out-performed the competition to achieve the highest returns on its investments over an extended period."  

[7-20-2011  http://www.nna-news.org/news/en/index.cgi/2011/07/20]

Thus is virtue rewarded. (Should financial regulators look into this? Is the use of clairvoyance to pick financial investments a form of insider trading?)

"There are two fantastic schools on the doorstep of Nash Mills Wharf [UK]; the Nash Mills School and Abbot’s Hill Girls School, which has an excellent record of achievement and extensive sporting facilities. Other high achieving schools nearby are the well regarded Hemel Hempstead School and the artistic Rudolf Steiner School, offering residents a choice to cater to all educational needs."  

[7-19-2011  http://www.easier.com/92542-back-school-new-home-hemel-hempstead.html]

When reading statements that either praise or criticize Steiner schools, it is usually a good idea to dig deeply enough to determine whether the writer actually knows anything about the schools. Sometimes it is also wise to consider the source. In this case, the reference to a "high achieving" Steiner school comes from what is, in essence, a real estate advertisement.

"The managing director of the Egyptian Sekem Group [an Anthroposophical enterprise], Helmy Abouleish, has been sentenced to a suspended prison sentence of one year and a fine in connection with charges of illegal funding from the Egyptian Industrial Modernization Center (IMC) for Sekem companies while he was serving on the IMC. Abouleish intends to lodge an appeal against his conviction."  

[7-20-2011  http://www.nna-news.org/news/en/]

"Green Meadow Waldorf School in Chestnut Ridge [New York, USA] will open a satellite Early Childhood Center in Tarrytown in September, bringing its unique curriculum to Westchester County.

"Nursery and Kindergarten classes, for children ages 3 to 6, will be offered during the 2011-12 school year, along with Parent & Child classes (for babies and toddlers ages birth to 3, along with their caregivers) and workshops for parents. "  

[7-17-2011  http://www.nymetroparents.com/article/Green-Meadow-Waldorf-School-Opens-Early-Childhood-Center-in-Tarrytown-NY]

For the Waldorf system to work as intended, children need to enter the system as young as possible and stay all the way through high school. Fortunately, this rarely happens. Families enroll their kids, then some change their minds, or move away, or come to their senses. Thus, the damage Waldorf can inflict if often minimized. [See, e.g., "Who Gets Hurt".]

This generic image accompanies the description of 

THE STORY OF WALDORF EDUCATION IN AMERICA 

at the SteinerBooks 

(Lindisfarne, Anthroposophic Press) website. 

The book is scheduled for publication in September, 2011.

Concerning their forthcoming book, THE STORY OF WALDORF EDUCATION IN AMERICA, Lindisfarne Press says: 

"Representing more than a decade of research, this book is the first account of the history and development of Waldorf education in America ... Part one shows how the number of Waldorf schools grew slowly and steadily and how they have evolved through four generations, changing gradually from 'experiments' to 'alternative' 'and, in the process, forging and re-forging Waldorf education itself. Part two examines the methods and myths of Waldorf education, showing what is essential and what is extraneous. Peeling away layers of convention and even misunderstanding, the author reveals Waldorf education as what many believe Rudolf Steiner, its founder, intended it to be...."  

[7-6-2011  http://lindisfarne.org/detail.html?session=55a19a7a99bb3e2f20ea02c2ef6152cd&id=9780880106566]

Response:

Don't believe everything you read. The history of Waldorf education in America has been described in book form previously, as in the SteinerBooks offering, INTO THE HEART'S LAND: A Century of Rudolf Steiner's Work in North America (SteinerBooks, 2005), by Henry Barnes. The editors at Lindisfarne Books should know this, since Lindisfarne is a SteinerBooks imprint. [http://www.steinerbooks.org/p.php?id=12]

The effort to bring Waldorf education back to its roots, in order to correctly fulfill Rudolf Steiner's intentions, is a constant preoccupation in the Waldorf movement. Steiner spoke and wrote confusingly, so his followers often have differing ideas about what he meant. This produces heated debates within the Waldorf community, and different Waldorf schools have different views (albeit these views all center on Steiner’s occultism, and the schools usually follow the standard Waldorf curriculum). Each school tends to believe that its own interpretation is the one and only true interpretation. As Waldorf teacher Keith Francis has written: 

“Before I left England I had realized that there was something close to consensus among the teachers at Wynstones [a British Waldorf school] that their school was the one place in the world where things were being done correctly according to Rudolf Steiner’s wishes ... I also learnt that the staff at Michael Hall [another British Waldorf school] in Sussex thought the same thing about their school, although the exactly correct things being done there were often in contradiction to the exactly correct things being done at Wynstones. It did not occur to me that the same kind of scholastic chauvinism might operate in [Waldorf schools in] the USA until I had my nose practically rubbed in it ... The teachers at Wynstones and Michael Hall knew that they carried the sacred flame of Waldorf education. Some people at Garden City [a Waldorf school in suburban New York] had the same idea about themselves.” [See "Ex-Teacher 9”.]

Full disclosure: I attended the Garden City Waldorf school [see "I Went to Waldorf"]. When I enrolled, the school was named The Waldorf School of Adelphi College, because institutional ties had been established with Adelphi. (The prominent Anthroposophist Hermann von Baravalle taught at the college — see, e.g., "Nutshell". Also, a Waldorf teacher-education program would be established at Adelphi, under the guidance of the Waldorf headmaster, John Fentress Gardner.) When Adelphi became a university, our Waldorf school rechristened itself The Waldorf School of Adelphi University. (This impressive name was a great boon to Waldorf seniors applying for admission to colleges and universities. In reality, however, we Waldorf students had virtually no contact with the university, except that some Waldorf gym classes were held there.) Later yet, when a mighty brouhaha nearly wrecked the school [see "The Waldorf Scandal"], Adelphi cut its connections to the school, which soon renamed itself The Waldorf School of Garden City. The school still goes by that name today [http://www.waldorfgarden.org/index.aspx]. - RR

“What grade would Harry Potter have been more likely to receive if he’d attended American public schools, an ‘A’ or an ‘F’? What if he’d attended a Steiner school or even been homeschooled? We’re pretty confident that he has no reason to be insecure – after all, he’s only quasi-local, so he’d probably just call our bluff.”  

[7-16-2011 http://www.educationgadfly.net/flypaper/2011/07/education-news-nuggets-319/] 

The writer links to an item reported here previously: 

“Steiner schools say the national standards in reading, writing and maths are at odds with their educational philosophy. They say the Government is forcing them to use the standards anyway and that is creating a crisis for them.” [http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/80073/national-standards-pose-problem-for-steiner-schools]

Q. "Choosing Waldorf Steiner Education - I need the truth!!"

A1. “My son is in a Waldorf school and my understanding is that Anthroposophy is never taught in the classes.  The teachers have an understanding of it, study it, and like zoebird said, they have different levels of commitment to it, but it is not *taught* to the children.  Stories from different religions are brought to the class via the curriculum, but nothing is taught dogmatically.” [1]

A2. “Anthro itself may not be taught, but I think it usually influences what is taught, when it is taught and how it is taught.”

A3. “In a way, you can say that both forms of education (christian, waldorf) are the 'philosophy in practice' rather than the study of the philosophy itself.”

A4. “Do a little searching around the keywords anthroposophy and bullying.   The stuff I heard coming out of programs that friends were originally enthusiastic about was enough to deter me.”

A5. “Kim John Payne is the author/speaker who commonly addresses bullying and social inclusion in waldorf schools.  You can Google for info.  Bullying is a known topic in waldorf schools, and addressing it is very different than in a regular school setting because of the view of karma, as well as supervision issues.”

A6. “I am a certified Waldorf teacher, and not (gasp - sacrilege!) an anthroposophist.  I am well aware of many of the issues with Waldorf schools, and just as aware of many of the issues with public schools.  For what it's worth, I got into Waldorf teaching because I am a scientist who studies brain development in children, and when I left Waldorf teaching I completed further studies in education and brain development at Harvard.  My research showed that the Waldorf educational system is so far (and I hope this changes) the best system for fostering healthy brain development in children.” [2]

A7. “To imply that those of us who had bad experiences in Waldorf were somehow wanting to find them is deeply insulting.   Most of us were initially attracted to Waldorf for the same reasons you were. We saw the beauty and believed we were doing the best possible thing for our children. To say we somehow attracted what happened to us there is just plain offensive.”

[7-16-2011  http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/1320337/choosing-waldorf-steiner-education-i-need-the-truth/20]

Q. “What do you know about Steiner schools?  ... My son has low confidence and concentration and I feel this school would build his confidence to allow him to learn more ... All info on this or any steiner school positive and negative are most welcome. What should I be looking for in the school. “  

A1. “[S]ome claim its a cult. Don't jump into it, there is loads of info on the net on Steiner schools from those who support it and those who had bad experiences. I have a son in Montessori School and sort of looked at Steiner thinking there were similar but they are miles different.”

A2. “My misgivings are that the Steiner Movement is not primarily about education but based on one man's homespun life philosophy with all the whacko flourishes that such organisations indulge in. (E.g. racial hierarchies, communion with angels.) ... A friend of mine spent far too much time in his 20s at their place in Switzerland and has hilarious stories about the mad rules they had ... I've heard anecdotal stories about children leaving Steiner schools unable to read or write in their early teens, but to be fair to the system, those children quickly learned and caught up with, if not overtook their peers. Still, why put a child through that?”

A3. “I understand there are rules that you as a parent are expected to abide by but I'm no expert. If I were you I would get hold of a book on Rudolf Steiners philosophy and make sure you agree with his principles.

“My biggest concern would be that a child educated in this environment may have trouble adjusting to the real world.”

A4. “It is quite difficult to have an objective discussion re this topic on an open forum. Many threads on other forums are generally removed quite quickly, as there are many staunch advocates of these schools who track such threads down and threaten litigation if any one posts things that they perceive as negative or damaging about the philosophy of the schools.

“Just google and you will find loads of info to digest about the concept as a whole,as well as experiences of children and their parents. The 'child as a whole' thing sounds lovely in theory, but I believe there is more to it than meets the eye.”

A5. “Steiner movement certainly has a core of staunch supporters so you never know, the anthroposophic machine may descent on this thread soon and offer their views.”

A6. “I think that people's experiences of an education like this can be very wildly differing. My experience is that a society like this is often dominated by strong individuals with a very pronounced philosophy who demand very strict adherence - even on issues down to what colours you are allowed to use in your finger paintings. That might be ok - until you disagree over candy pink. But I have a friend who loved her Steiner education, and fits into society just fine, albeit in a slightly dreamy but delightful sort of way. So I think it's a bit of a punt and you may not be able to predict whether it will work for you in advance. It depends rather on the luck of the draw of the teachers and particularly the head - can they be trusted to allow the level of 'personal expression' the philosophy purportedly advocates? Grill them!”

[7-13-2011  http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/11plus/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=21216]

From the Charlotte Observer:

"One morning near the end of my trip to Beijing last month, I picked up a copy of the China Daily to find this headline, 'Schools that educate the whole child.' It was the story of a new style of schooling that's becoming popular in China — schools that, according to the article, 'emphasize interdisciplinary learning, creative thinking, and aims to develop a child into a free-spirited, morally responsible and integrated individual.'

"The schools, called Waldorf Schools, were based on principles developed by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner. But to most Americans, they would look a lot like many U.S. public schools."

[7-15-2011 http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/07/15/2454983/from-asia-to-america-on-education.html]

Response:

Don't believe everything you read. Some reporters and columnists write about Waldorf schools without possessing any real knowledge of them. And others write with the intention of misleading readers about the occult basis of Waldorf schooling. [See "Secrets" and "Occultism".]

A Waldorf school would resemble a typical American public school only if 

     • public schools began each day by having students recite, in unison, prayers written by Rudolf Steiner [see "Prayers"]

     • the purpose of the lower grades was to slow down the development of young children [see "Thinking Cap"]

     • the purpose in most grades was to help students incarnate their invisible bodies [see "Incarnation"]

     • the "whole child" was considered to have invisible bodies, twelve senses, both a spirit and a soul, a karma, an astrological identity, etc. [see "Holistic Education"]

     • logical thought was downplayed in favor of preliminary forms of clairvoyance [see "Steiner's 'Science'" and "Steiner's Specific"]

     • the teachers sometimes used clairvoyance, astrology, and dreams to guide their work [see "The Waldorf Teacher' Consciousness", "Horoscopes", and "Dreams"]

     • computers were considered conveyances of the demon Ahriman [see "Spiders, Dragons and Foxes"]

     • festivals having esoteric meaning were periodically staged [see "Magical Arts"]

     • the schools' conception of freedom was distinctly Germanic and restrictive [see "Freedom"]

     • the teachers tried to help the kids fulfill their karmas [see "Slaps"]

     • the students were divided according to the four classical temperaments [see "Temperaments"]

     • the kids were taught knitting in order to improve their teeth [see "Quotes of the Day, 2011 (b)"]

If, if, if... 

Actually, any resemblance between Waldorf schools and public schools tends to be considerably less than skin-deep.

As for the "popularity" of Waldorf schools in China: Anthroposophists seek to open Waldorf schools in all countries, in order to spread Anthroposophy. But so far there are very few Waldorf schools in China, and the number of students in them is miniscule compared to other forms of education. (And it will be interesting to see what the Chinese authorities do when the religious nature of Waldorf education becomes clear to them. [See "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?"])

A new edition of RoSE (Research on Steiner Education) has been released: Vol. 2, No. 1 [http://www.rosejourn.com/index.php/rose/article/viewFile/69/97]. With some articles in English and others in German, the publication attempts to substantiate the value of Waldorf teaching methods. To date, at least, very little of this research has swayed educational scholars and authorities outside the Anthroposophical community. This should come as little surprise, since the Waldorf approach is based on occult doctrines having no reference to reality. [See, e.g., "Methods", "Spiritual Agenda", "Curriculum", "Foundations", and "Underpinnings".]

“Steiner schools say the national standards in reading, writing and maths are at odds with their educational philosophy.

“They say the [New Zealand] Government is forcing them to use the standards anyway and that is creating a crisis for them.

“There are eight Steiner schools in the state system, which generally teach reading, writing and maths later than in regular schools.”  

[7-15-2011 http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/80073/national-standards-pose-problem-for-steiner-schools]

As reported here previously, Steiner schools in New Zealand — like those elsewhere — want to be exempt from ordinary scholastic requirements. The chief reason is that Steiner or Waldorf schools put low emphasis on conveying knowledge to their students and/or helping the students to develop academic skills (reading, writing, adding, subtracting...). The schools try to retard the process of maturation, keeping young children young for as long as possible so that they retain their supposed innate connection to the spirit worlds. [See “Thinking Cap”.] Moreover, the schools focus on helping children work out their karmas and helping them to incarnate their invisible bodies: the “etheric body” at age 7, the “astral body” at age 14, and — at the end of childhood — the “I” at age 21. At Steiner schools, occult beliefs trump academics. [See “Karma”, “Incarnation”, and “Academic Standards at Waldorf”.]

“Your grandchild has just enrolled in a Waldorf school! Why would they do that? It seems contrary to what they are teaching children these days? What is a play based kindergarten? Why do they not have computers in the classrooms? Why do they not let them play with plastic toys? It is so different from your education… or is it?

“There are some key facts you should know about Waldorf education:

“• It has been around for almost 100 years

“• Waldorf Schools are members of a North American regulatory association (AWSNA) to ensure quality and ongoing research

“• It sprang from a time in Europe of upheaval and war. This was a conscious decision to create an education to serve humanity so we may never see the atrocities of WW1 again. The goal was to ensure that a child would grow into a human being with a strong sense of purpose, ethics and freedom so that they may never fall under the spell of a dictator or government or leader that demanded unconditional obedience etc. This is why Hitler shut the Waldorf schools down in the 30’s.”  

[7-14-2011  http://waldorfacademy.org/voice/2011/07/grandparent-wisdom-how-to-support-your-grandchilds-waldorf-education/]

Response:

When considering Waldorf schools, you should by all means consider the statements and claims made by Waldorf supporters. But put on your thinking cap. Thus, for instance, what do we learn from the fact that Waldorf schools have been around for a long time? Very little. Many things — some good, some very bad — have been around for a long, long time.

As for membership in AWSNA or similar organizations, does this in fact “ensure quality and ongoing research”? The primary criterion used by such Waldorf organizations is fidelity to Rudolf Steiner’s directives. Waldorf schools are supposed to faithfully adhere to the underlying Waldorf agenda. This may, in fact, militate against ensuring educational quality or conducting objective research. [You can get a sense of this agenda by considering “Spiritual Agenda”, “Waldorf Curriculum”, “Teacher Training”, and “Here’s the Answer”.]

The context for the creation of the first Waldorf schools, and the relationship between those schools and the German government, was far more complex than Waldorf supporters usually acknowledge. [See, e.g., “Steiner and the Warlord”, “Sympathizers?”, and “The Good Wars”.] Moreover, the Waldorf attitude toward freedom is not what you might expect. [See "Freedom" and "Democracy".] Anthroposophists actually come close to following a "leader that demanded unconditional obedience." His name is Rudolf Steiner. [See "What a Guy" and "Guru".]

[Hawthorne Press, 1999.]

"This important book shows how learning mathematics can be enjoyable, stimulating and lead to the development of both logical and creative thinking. This integrated mathematics curriculum has been in continual development for over 75 years in Rudolf Steiner schools. 

“[Author] Ron Jarman is a former Michael House teacher, an international lecturer, and an internationally recognized adviser on Steiner Education."  

[7-13-2011  http://www.anthroposophicpress.org/detail.html?session=456eca0973fef426b2c369b537f0735d&id=1869890922]

Rudolf Steiner said that all courses at Waldorf schools — including math — can be religious. 

"It is possible to introduce a religious element into every subject, even into math lessons. Anyone who has some knowledge of Waldorf teaching will know that this statement is true." — Rudolf Steiner, THE CHILD's CHANGING CONSCIOUSNESS AS THE BASIS OF PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICE (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 94.

[To explore ways in which Waldorf math classes can be made religious, see "Mystic Math". The religion behind Waldorf schools, sometimes mistaken for Christianity, is Anthroposophy. See "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?" and "Was He Christian?".]

"The Sacramento Waldorf School will host the AWSNA [Association of Waldorf Schools of North America] Summer Conference next year. Liz Beaven, school administrator, says the school is looking forward to hosting colleagues from all over North America. 'It's been about ten years since we hosted the Kolisko conference and the Northern California regional group is eager to help us out and make this a great conference.' Look out for details later this year."  

[7-12-2011  Waldorf Today]

"Some schools have a zero tolerance policy for electronics of any kind on campus, in backpacks, and in lockers

"I was visiting a Waldorf school last fall and as I was walking down the hall, I saw a student from the eighth grade come out of her classroom and reach into her backpack in the hallway. It was during main lesson and I thought she might be getting something she needed for the lesson. She reached into her bag, pulled out her phone and checked her messages. Quickly texting something back, she slipped the phone into her pack and went back into the classroom. It didn't take more than fifteen seconds, but made an impression as I wondered what an appropriate and healthy approach to cell phones and technology in Waldorf schools might look like."  

[7-12-2011  Waldorf Today]

Response:

Waldorf and Steiner schools have difficulty deciding what to do about modern technological products and services. According to Anthroposophical belief, such things are under the dominion of the terrible demon Ahriman.  On the other hand, such products and services are ubiquitous. Most kids will want iPhones no matter what. And for Anthroposophical PR efforts, forgoing electronic media would be self-defeating. So Waldorf schools have struggled to find the right approach.

As on all subjects, Anthroposophical discourse concerning electronic gizmos is likely to strike outsiders as either impenetrable or absurd. Nonetheless, you should realize that such discourse reflects how Waldorf teachers tend to think and talk. The following is by leading Anthroposophist Sergei Prokofieff:

“The Being of the Internet is esoterically best understood on the basis of Rudolf Steiner’s Dornach lecture of 13th May 1921.1 In this lecture Rudolf Steiner describes how the further development of today’s abstract intellect will slowly produce a kind of new nature kingdom. This intellect which is merely of a ‘shadowlike character’ can only function ‘automatically’ and can only comprehend the material [world — i.e., physical reality] as such and never the etheric [world] and to an even lesser degree the soul world or spirit world. This ghostly nature kingdom will be formed between the mineral and the plant kingdom and come alive following the reunion of the moon with the earth in the 7th to 8th Millennium.

“...The net of ahrimanic spider beings developing out of the internet around the earth stands right from the beginning in a direct relationship to Ahriman appearing in a physical body and will serve him particularly effectively and offer him extremely favourable potential to work. 

“...What has been said does not mean, however, that one should therefore refrain from using a computer or the Internet. They belong to our civilisation and at the same time to the greatest ahrimanic provocations which mankind faces and will have to face increasingly in the future.

“...Rudolf Steiner pointed to the most important ahrimanic impulses of the present: everything connected to heredity, all forms of nationalism, mechanical thinking in words and finally our train of writing. The latter in particular can effectively apprehend man’s ascension to reading in the astral light and through this come close to [the archangel] Michael. Therefore Rudolf Steiner mentions here that in certain Rosicrucian schools learning-to-write [sic] was prohibited until the fourteenth or fifteenth year of age so that the form, the mechanism that comes to expression in writing, did not enter the human organism. For the same reason letters are taught in Waldorf Schools first through drawing and then writing.

“...As purely intellectual ‘information’ within the World Wide Web the living imaginations of Anthroposophy are being put into an occult prison."   — Sergei Prokofieff, “The Being of the Internet” [http://www.waldorflibrary.org/Journal_Articles/PacificJ29.pdf]  Also see “Spiders, Dragons and Foxes [http://zooey.wordpress.com/2010/01/03/spiders/]

“CURRENT EXHIBITION [Philadelphia, USA] - Doug Tausik: Bodies Under Pressure

“Event Type: Opening, Gallery Talks ... Opening Title: Meet the Artist Reception 

“Tausik’s sculptures are organic in form or, as the artist asserts, matter-of-fact representations of the invisible forces that affect a body as it undergoes transition. Doug Tausik was born in New York City in 1954 to artist parents. His education started at the Rudolf Steiner School — an institution that believes in educating invisible forces of the mystical kind — the so-called astral plane. He went on to study at the Art Student's League in New York, where he received a more traditional training, grounded in the study of the human figure. Tausik effortlessly combines both of these influences in his current work.”  

[7-12-2011  http://www.artinfo.com/galleryguide/20980/7499/128579/the-gallery-at-penn-college-williamsport/exhibition/doug-tausik-bodies-under-pressure/]

“Finding Alternatives - Something interesting happened to Ann Bartlett the first time she got a massage for a back injury: her blood-sugar levels lowered.

“A Type 1 diabetic since age five, Bartlett was puzzled. ‘I found that when I would have a massage or meditate, my insulation dosage would be decreased, sometimes significantly.’

“...At the Kimberton Waldorf School [Pennsylvania, USA], Bartlett had 437 acres of farmland, streams, and woods to explore. The school’s doctor and nurse practiced homeopathic medicine, and dispensed arnica instead of aspirin. ‘It had this very earthy, crunchy side to it,’ Bartlett recalls. ‘The school had this well-rounded approach that encompassed the mind, body, and soul.’”  

[7-12-2011  http://www.washingtonian.com/blogarticles/health/wellbeing/20072.html]

Response:

Waldorf schools certainly offer an alternative to mainstream schools, just as Anthroposophical medicine (the kind of medicine usually dispensed in and around Waldorf schools) offers an alternative to mainstream medicine. The question, however, is whether these alternatives are better. Consider Anthroposophical medicine. It can work, sometimes (just as faith healing and placebos can work). But in general, it is a dangerous form of quackery. [See “Growing Up Being Made Sick by Anthroposophy”, “Spotlight on Anthroposophy”, and “Steiner’s Quackery”.]

Waldorf schools say that they educate the whole child, which certainly sounds good. But you should understand what a “whole child” is, in Waldorf belief: The child is a reincarnating spirit who arrives on Earth with memories of the spirit worlds; s/he has a karma; s/he has an astrological identity and a spiritually significant racial identity; s/he has twelve senses; she has both a spirit and a soul; s/he has a hidden, often malign inner “double”; she is in the process of incarnating an etheric body followed by an astral body followed by an “I”; and so forth. The “whole child,” as conceived in Waldorf belief, is a figment of the imagination — s/he does not exist, and thus the education geared to this child’s occult parts is severely detached from reality. [See “Holistic Education”, “What We’re Made Of”, and “Spiritual Agenda”.]

A nature table at a Waldorf school.

[Courtesy of PLANS.]

“Nature Tables Bring the Outside In - Setting up a nature, or seasonal table in your home is a fun way to engage kids in the outside world and its rhythms ... We’ve seen seasonal tables at my daughter’s Waldorf school for years, but have never actually tried it at home until this year, beginning with winter.”  

[7-12-2011  http://encinitas.patch.com/articles/nature-tables-bring-the-outside-in]

Response:

Waldorf classrooms — especially in the very lowest grades — often contain nature tables. Some people find these to be unobjectionably attractive displays that nurture a respect for the natural world. Others see in them indications of the pagan religion underlying Waldorf schooling. Some, indeed, consider the tables to be altars. Here is a statement by a Waldorf critic: 

"Every lower-grade Waldorf classroom that I've visited has had a nature table. It's an important part of the Waldorf way. The teachers create the tables with seasonal themes, making artistic arrangements of natural objects such as plants, wood, and rocks, and symbolic objects such as candles, Menorahs, figurines, and polished crystals ... The religious nature of this activity [reciting verses or prayers at the tables] is clear when one understands that Anthroposophy is a religion that endows all of nature with spiritual meaning ... The nature table relates to two complementary aspects of the Waldorf way. The first is the role that the teacher plays for the students. In the first three grades, the teacher is supposed to take the role of priest. Having an altar that the priest-figure uses to center attention supports that role. The students 'mood' of reverence is complementary to the teacher's role as priest." — Dan Dugan, "Nature Table or Altar?" [http://waldorfcritics.org/active/articles/nature_table/nature_table.html]

The following is from a former Waldorf teacher: 

"After singing roll, I choose a child, perhaps this would be the child of the day (or my little helper) to come up and light the candle on the nature table. The candle is lit out of reverence, to set a mood, much like you would at church or at the dinner table. Then the child returns to his place and we say our morning verse which was written by Rudolf Steiner: '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 do revere O God,/ the strength of humankind,/ which thou so graciously/ has 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.' ...[T]he candle is blown out and the class sits down." — Lani Cox ["Ex-Teacher 2"] Note that the "verse" addresses and thanks God. It is a prayer.

“When the traffic light changes and shoppers stream across Naito Parkway at the Portland Saturday Market, 14-year-old Byron Fulop Laing clamps his violin under his chin and begins playing a classical tune. Crowds gather, and his glass jar quickly fills with dollar bills and coins. 

“...Byron didn't begin playing violin by choice — it was a requirement in his third-grade class at the Portland Waldorf School, a private school in Milwaukie [Oregon, USA]. However, he soon developed a passion for the instrument and continued playing it instead of switching to viola or cello as some of his classmates did.”  

[7-10-2011 http://www.oregonlive.com/performance/index.ssf/2011/07/14-year-old_byron_fulop_laing.html]

Response:

Waldorf schools typically require all students to participate in various artistic activities. This can make the schools attractive. Certainly exposure to the arts is beneficial. You should understand, however, that the purpose of the arts in Waldorf schools is esoteric: The purpose is to create direct connections between the students and the spirit worlds. Rudolf Steiner taught that spiritual beings come to Earth through colors and musical tones, and he said that we can rise into the spirit realm using the same avenues. [See “Magical Arts”.] 

Typically, Waldorf students are required to draw and paint, to play a musical instrument, to sing, and to do eurythmy (a form of dance that supposedly has special spiritual powers. [See “Eurythmy”.]) When entire classes are required to play the same musical instrument, it is usually the recorder, a simple woodwind instrument.

Few Waldorf schools, presumably, intend for their students to play for money in the streets.

As reported here previously, The Waldorf School of Orange County (California, USA), will be using converted shipping containers to create new classrooms in the school. 

"Our innovative, eco-conscious Waldorf education, deserves architecture that mirrors those principles. Utilizing an innovative building method that we have named, 'Eco-classroom architecture,' recycled shipping containers are being converted into our future classrooms. WSOC [Waldorf School of Orange County] is proud to be the first school in the country to use these types of buildings."  

[http://www.waldorfschool.com/]

A new video on YouTube shows the beginning of the conversion process. [http://www.job-search-and-careers.com/architecture-schools-2/bill-hinchliff-waldorf-school-expansion-project-phase-1/]

[Rudolf Steiner Press, 2009.]

"During 1924, the last full year of Rudolf Steiner’s life, he gave a series of urgent, sometimes impassioned, talks to members of the Anthroposophical Society about their karma and its relationship to contemporary culture, referring in particular to the vital task of renewing civilization and preserving it from the threat of decline. Steiner’s words reveal a great gathering of forces to do spiritual battle for the soul of humanity ... In the lectures and excerpts in The Karma of Anthroposophy, Steiner speaks of an unprecedented convergence of two specific groups of souls ... [Steiner urged the members] to work with the Archangel Michael and Christ in the face of Ahriman, materialism, and the possibility of social collapse and decadence."  

[7-9-2011  http://www.anthropress.org/detail.html?session=%5C&id=9781855842199]

Response:

Notices of Anthroposophical books sometimes appear on the Web long after initial publication, but we should be happy to receive them at any time.

Anthroposophists sometimes say that Rudolf Steiner's teachings are wholly uplifting, gentle, and pacific. But in fact Steiner described a universe in which titanic forces of good and evil clash, and he urged his followers to become active in world-shaking struggles. Steiner taught that the Archangel Michael is a warrior, the champion of the Christ forces. Ahriman is a terrible demon, one of the chief enemies of mankind and the good gods. (Steiner taught that there are both good and evil gods.) Demons and evil gods sometimes offer mankind gifts, but their nature remains evil. Anthroposophy — including its offspring such as Waldorf schools — is a revolutionary movement intended to replace existing human institutions with new structures based on Steiner's occult doctrines. [For more on all this, see, e.g., "Michael", "Ahriman", "War", "All Against All", "Evil Ones", "Threefolding", and "Enemies".]

When you decide to send a child to a Waldorf school, you may inadvertently be doing much more than simply selecting a school. You will be entering at least the outer circle of a revolutionary, occult movement. Waldorf schools typically are centers of opposition to vaccination. As a result, children at these schools are more likely than children elsewhere to contract infectious diseases, and sometimes this causes the diseases to spread from the Waldorf schools into the surrounding communities.

From Mr. Pickwick:

“Waldorf/Steiner Schools and Low Vaccine Uptake Rates - I Speak of Dreams

“I wonder if Waldorf schools should issue warnings to residents in their neighborhoods, something like this:

“'Public Health Warning This facility may be a point source for vaccine-preventable infectious disease.'"  

[7-9-2011  http://mrpickwick.tumblr.com/post/7434299463/waldorf-steiner-schools-and-low-vaccine-uptake-rates]

Mr. Pickwick links to the following:

“In California at least, the schools that have the lowest vaccine uptake rates — as low as 25% — are likely to be Waldorf schools, or "Waldorf-influenced schools".  [Download California 2010 ImmunizationRateTable (PDF)] Why is that?

“For answers, I turned to Alicia H., an English-speaking Swede who was educated in Steiner schools and has since made on-going critical studies of anthroposophy published at her blog, Zooey. She wrote: ‘Waldorf schools are infamous for low rates of vaccinated* students and for occasional outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases. To some extent, Waldorf parents’ reluctance to vaccinate their children have certain characteristics in common with other groups of parents who refuse vaccination (supposed risks, wanting to lead a ‘natural’ life, and so forth). However, there’s also an other element guiding the decisions of some Waldorf parents, namely anthroposophy ... In anthroposophy, disease is seen as a natural and often necessary event in a person’s life and as an opportunity for development and maturation ... Childhood diseases and their symptoms, such as fever, are considered as positive events in a child’s life, enabling the child to incarnate in his or her inherited physical body ... Another anthroposophical aspect worth noting in this context is the belief in karma ... Anthroposophy holds that the spiritual core of the human being is immortal and goes through repeated lives on earth. Before we’re born, we choose which circumstances to incarnate into — with the aim of furthering our spiritual progression. This means, we also choose our diseases because we ‘need’ them....'" 

[7-8-2011 http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2011/07/waldorfsteiner-schools-and-low-vaccine-uptake-rates.html]

* I fixed a typo here. — RR

From RationalWiki:

“Waldorf education is an alternative educational philosophy largely devised by the noted rogue Theosophist and all-around crank, Rudolf Steiner.

“Waldorf education is based on Steiner's world-view of anthroposophy, and as such utilizes a lot of extremely weird ideas about child development, such as that children can be classified according to the classical theory of the 'four humors,' sanguine, melancholic, choleric, and phlegmatic.

“With all this craziness, there is only one reason why Waldorf education has remained viable in the century or so of its existence: one of the tenets of Steiner's pedagogical philosophy is that children should be taught to think independently and use their imaginations. This has the dual effect of preventing any outright indoctrination and ensuring Waldorf schools' popularity among hippies and such types.”  

[7-9-2011 http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Waldorf_education]

Response:

Not all criticism of Waldorf schooling hits the mark; nor does all praise of Waldorf schooling, no matter how muted. The Rational Wiki entry, quoted here, gets some things right and some things wrong. 

• Waldorf schools generally want their students to think for themselves only to the extent that they want the children to learn to reject conventional, verifiable, real-world knowledge. They want the kids to move instead toward the mystical Steiner/Waldorf worldview. 

• The schools promote the use of imagination because Rudolf Steiner taught that imagination is — or can become — a reliable faculty, an early stage of clairvoyance. 

• As to whether Waldorf schools indoctrinate their students, this varies from school to school. In general, the schools are wary about revealing their occult (i.e., secret, hidden) beliefs, even to their students. But at the same time, the schools try to maneuver kids toward eventual acceptance of those beliefs. [See, e.g., the section “We Don’t Teach It” in the essay “Spiritual Agenda”.] 

• By the bye, Rudolf Steiner was a Theosophist for a while, but he broke away to set up his own movement, correctly identified as Anthroposophy.

“The Hekima Waldorf School is a private English speaking primary school, based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. At the school and the Kindergarten are 172 pupils....

“In 2005 a teacher of the Hekima school came up with the idea of establishing an orphan-project at the school. The school didn’t want to be only a school for the rich tanzanian people but also a school for poor people without a big future ... In 2005 and 2006 the school managed to find sponsors from Europe who were willing to donate some money for this orphan project ... [N]ow in 2011 we do have 49 orphans at our school....

“In our project we want to take care of the 70% of our orphans who are living in bad conditions at the home of relatives. Orphans who are raised by a young sister, an old half-blinded grandfather, etc. are often a burden to its relatives. There is a shortage of food anyway and the conditions of the homes of such families are very, very bad....

“Needs of 2011/2012: 200 Euro for health and food; 100 Euro for clothes and shoes; 300 Euro [sic]

“We would be delighted if somebody will be interested and support our project! Thank you for taking responsibility, for giving a future!”  

[http://www.betterplace.org/de/projects/6843/blogs/37409]

Fund-raising is often important for Waldorf schools, This is all the more true when the schools are situated in poor countries and/or when they undertake charitable projects. Donating funds and supplies for such projects may be meritorious, but as with all charitable giving, it is wise to do sufficient research to make sure the projects are legitimate charities that truly devote their efforts to helping the needy. The orphan project at the Hekima Waldorf School is not listed at The Africa Guide [http://www.africaguide.com/charity.htm] or Help an African Schoolchild [http://www.hast.org.uk/], so evaluating the project is problematic.

Toward the end of his life, Rudolf Steiner delivered a shockingly racist lecture, "Color and the Human Races." The lecture has generally been suppressed in the English-speaking world. Anthroposophic publishers have omitted it from English translations of Steiner's works.

A tentative and imperfect translation has now appeared on the Web: https://sites.google.com/site/waldorfwatch/forbidden. Perhaps this will inspire other translators to produce better translations.

Wet-on-wet painting by a Waldorf student

[courtesy of PLANS].

Q. “I am planning on homeschooling, but recently heard about waldorf schooling and am very interested in it. Can someone tell me WHAT waldorf schooling is....?”

A. “I've had many different experiences with Waldorf education. I student taught, taught, and lived with a Waldorf teacher and her daughter in a house that was often used as a training center. (Three different schools)....

“Waldorf education is based on the ‘clairvoyant seeings’ of a man named Rudolf Steiner. Steiner believed that the purpose of education was to help the soul fully incarnate into the human body....

“When you go to a Waldorf school, you will be given a lot of information on art, movement and music being integrated into the core curriculum. It will sound wonderful. Here is how and why they do such things:

“Color- Only certain colors are allowed to be used at certain grade levels ... [Steiner] believed that the colors possess powers that will help the child's developing soul in its journey into the new body.

“Music- like with color, there are Steiner deemed songs and notes that are to be used at certain ages to help the child's soul in its reincarnation journey.

“Dance- A certain kind of dance called Eurythmy is taught to children. The movements are believed to be a sign language to communicate with the spirit world.

“Art - wet on wet paintings and block crayon drawings are taught to young children because the work they produce is very much like the spirit world that Steiner believed the children just came from....

“Additionally, here are some other important beliefs of Waldorf education that they don't tell you about:

“Bullying- Waldorf educators believe that when children are bullied, or are bullying someone, it is because they are working through issues from previous lives [i.e., karma]....

“Four Temperaments- Children are broken into 4 temperaments choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic and sanguine. The temperament a child is decided when they first enter the school and dictates how the teacher interacts with them...

“Technology and academics- Waldorf educators believe that a materialistic spirit named Ahriman, who alienates the human being from his spiritual roots, inhabits technological things like TVs, and computers.”  

[7-8-2011  http://malaysia.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110706235905AAJcthq]

“Amendments to the Education Bill proposed by the House of Lords [UK] are seeking to preserve the accreditation of Montessori and Steiner qualifications and to stipulate minimum requirements for nursery staff responsible for the care of children aged two and above.

“...At a grand committee meeting in the House of Lords (28 June), Conservative peer Lord True said,  ‘If Montessori qualifications are not included on a recognised list, Montessori  schools will not be able to fulfil their quota needed for Montessori-qualified teachers. The same goes for Steiner schools. I submit that this would be absurd.'

“...A bone of contention among the Montessori and Steiner camps – and indeed among major nursery groups – is that they were not consulted as part of the process of developing the Level 3 Diploma.”  

[7-7-2011  http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/1079011/Lords-bid-save-Montessori-Steiner-qualifications-Education-Bill/]

Montessori and Steiner schools are two alternative forms of education available in many countries. Governments have difficulty deciding how to deal with them, for instance in deciding whether to accredit their teacher training programs, which vary markedly from mainstream programs. [See “Teacher Training”.] The issues are actually quite different for Montessori and Steiner schools. The two systems are often considered to be similar, but this is a mistake. Steiner schools are rooted in occultism while Montessori schools are not. [See, e.g., “Ex-Teacher 4” and "Ex-Teacher 5”.] Accrediting Montessori programs may make sense. Accrediting Steiner programs surely does not make sense unless a government is prepared to endorse (or at least wink at) Steiner occultism. [See “Occultism”, “Soul School”, and “Spiritual Agenda”.]

Q. “My son currently attends a home based Waldorf inspired kindergarten program and we are really happy. We are beginning to investigate schools and have been considering a Waldorf school. Have recently been reading literature on www.waldorfcritics.org  and feel uncertain now as it talks about anthroposophy as a cult, beliefs in the occult and reincarnation etc. It mentions how none of this is expressed in school information packs but that this is what is underlying the teaching methodology ... We are so attracted to the community, gardening and arts focused learning but really need the TRUTH !!”

A1.* “Really, you'll only know ‘the truth’ by getting involved in the community and seeing what is. Each community is different, based on it's members. There's no express standard, beyond the general relationship to steiner's philosophy of education.  

"...The underlying [Waldorf] philosophy of anthroposophy is that it wants to use the spiritual practices and spiritual observational tools of intuition, inspiration, and perceptive imagination as sensory tools — like our physical senses — to explore the divine reality....”

A2.* "When you join a waldorf school, it becomes a way of life — much like, in many ways, Mothering does. I mean, you might be very normal, mainstream, and only start here for the breastfeeding info, and many people discover that while they might not go in for the No Vax or Unschooling, they are more open to a midwife or cosleeping or whatever. What I mean is, that your community starts to influence and impact you in positive ways, and, perhaps, in negative ways too.

"With a waldorf school, there is a  lot of involvement. Most people find this to be 'cult like.' parents are called on to participate a lot — just as they would be in any school, particularly private, but in a waldorf school, it's different. If your child is going to the catholic school, you might be asked to make something for the pot luck, or if they go to a private school, something for the athletic team's booster club. But, at a waldorf school, you might be called on to craft until your fingers bleed for the annual festival, or cook 90,000 biodynamic rutabegas until your kitchen is on fire...." 

 A3. “One of the things, though, about Waldorf, is that such is teaching so out of step with every other style of education in America, is that if school isn't a good fit for your child,  they end up very behind when you leave the school.”

A4. “I would encourage you to listen to some of Eugene Schwartz's material,** if it's available. He was a waldorf teacher, and I believe he ran into trouble because of his candid discussions. You most likely won't find a waldorf school or teacher to really explain the role of anthroposophy in the school, and with regard to the teaching of the children because it's generally not advertised or explained to novice parents.” 

[7-6-2011  http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/1320337/choosing-waldorf-steiner-education-i-need-the-truth]

* These answers are by the same individual. (Her complete answers are very long.)

** See, e.g., “Waldorf Education--For Our Times Or Against Them?”  [http://waldorfcritics.org/active/articles/schwartz.html]

Robin Power of the Sophia Mundi Steiner School 

poses at the swimming pool

where his school wants to create a playground.

“REVISED plans to build classrooms at the Abbotsford Convent have drawn a mixed response from the community.

“The Sophia Mundi Steiner School has revealed that it wants to build a single-storey, four-classroom building on its existing playground and create a new playground space on the disused swimming pool to the south of the school.

“...The school’s original plans to build classrooms on the nearby ‘goat paddock’ were recently rejected by Heritage Victoria [Australia], after 2400 objections were received.

“The new proposal has won backing from the Abbotsford Convent Foundation and the Collingwood Children’s Farm, but has been slammed by the Collingwood and Abbotsford Residents Association.

"Association convenor Fred Allen said handing the pool to the school was privatising more convent land."  

[7-6-2011  http://melbourne-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/new-plan-to-expand-abbotsford-steiner-school/]

This ongoing story keeps going on. [See previous reports here at the News Archive.] In a nutshell, the Sophia Mundi Steiner School wants to expand onto public land. The public objects. Hear, hear.

"[Q] What first attracted you to the [Waldorf] school? 

"[A] The innovative educational philosophy was probably one of the biggest factors. The pedagogy integrates the intellectual as well as the artistic to create a well rounded independent thinker. Two intense hours of 'main lesson' in the morning are followed by complimentary fine and applied arts classes that are designed to interweave and overlap the 'main lesson' block. The net result is the children are immersed physically as well as mentally in the topic at hand.

"My daughter has blossomed in every possible way through this approach, even to the point of getting 99 out 100 on her recent Iowa Test."  

[7-5-2011  http://phillyschoolsearch.com/2011/07/05/why-i-chose-waldorf-school-of-philadelphia-2011-06-14-school-selection-report/]

Response:

Families are often enthusiastic about Waldorf schools, at least at the beginning of their involvement with the schools. Some remain enthusiastic; others become deeply disillusioned. 

Waldorf education is not innovative — it is a regimented system based on occult doctrines. [See "Here's the Answer" and "Spiritual Agenda".] Art is emphasized, and this often results in an attractive school environment. The purpose of the art is, however, esoteric — it is meant to create access to spirit worlds. [See "Magical Arts".] Intellect is scarcely nurtured — it is largely opposed. In Waldorf doctrine, intellect has some utility in the Ahrimanic world we find around us, but it by no means is the correct form of cognition. The correct form is clairvoyance. [See "Ahriman", "Steiner's Specific - Thinking Without Our Brains", "Thinking Cap", and "Clairvoyance".] The Waldorf curriculum makes some nods toward cultivating intellect in the high school years, but the underlying anti-intellectualism of the Waldorf worldview persists. [See, e.g., "Waldorf Curriculum".]

Be enthusiastic about Waldorf education if you truly understand what it is and if it really works well for your child. In some cases, it may. (Or at least some children, perhaps having excellent resources outside the school, may do quite well.) But recognize that many parents and students end up hurt, angry, and damaged. [See, e.g., "Our Experience", "I Went to Waldorf", and "Coming Undone".]

If you are unsure what to make of Waldorf, you might benefit from "Advice for Parents" and "Clues". 

“World renowned guru in Calgary to teach Kriyayoga — There is an air of peace and tranquillity surrounding Guruji Swami Shree Yogi Satyam.

"And the world-renowned Kriyayoga master has come to Calgary to share his insights on this specific type of meditation.

"... [F]rom Friday through to July 8, Guruji is holding the Calgary Healing Program at the Calgary Waldorf School [Canada], with a number of sessions held each day for both beginners and long-term practitioners of Kriyayoga meditation.” 

[http://www.calgaryherald.com/World+renowned+guru+Calgary+teach+Kriyayoga/5039704/story.html]

Genuine Waldorf schools are fundamentally devoted to Anthroposophy, the “spiritual science” (i.e., religion) developed by Rudolf Steiner. However, Waldorf faculties also take an interest in other forms of mysticism and spirituality. Steiner himself identified yoga as one of the true spiritual paths, although he said that it is no longer suited to highly evolved, modern humans. The correct path for modern humans, he said, is Rosicrucianism — by which he meant the esoteric form of Christianity reworked by himself. It is “Rosicrucian” in name only; in reality, it is Anthroposophy. [See “Rosy Cross” and “Yoga”.]

“Schools breaking law over charters - At least 140 primary schools [in New Zealand] have broken the law by not including national standards targets in their charters — but several others have buckled after being threatened with losing their funding.

“Yesterday was the last day for schools to hand in their school charters, which outline achievement targets for the year. Including national standards targets is a legal requirement.

“At the 11th hour, Taikura Rudolf Steiner School sent in its charter with 'minimal compliance' after being threatened with losing its status as an integrated school. The Government funds the operational cost of integrated schools.

“The New Zealand Federation of Rudolf Steiner Waldorf Schools was sent a letter by Education Minister Anne Tolley last month stating: 'If the proprietors wish the Steiner schools to remain integrated, I expect the boards to submit their charters...[with] targets in relation to national standards.'

“...Taikura School assistant principal Anne Evans said the school handed in its charter under ‘great duress’ and sent an accompanying letter expressing distress.

"...The philosophy of Steiner schools is for pupils to learn at their own pace and Taikura School does not start until year 2, which means younger children tend not to fare well under national standards.”  

[7-2-2011  http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/politics/5222288/Schools-breaking-law-over-charters]

Response:

Steiner schools (also called Waldorf schools) are often happy to accept government funding, but they generally want to be exempted from ordinary educational oversight because their goals are so fundamentally different from the goals of ordinary schools. As a former Waldorf board member has written, 

"I was stunned to arrive at the conclusion that the education of children — at least as I use the term 'education' — did not seem to be the school's most important focus and objective." [http://waldorfcritics.org/] 

A former Waldorf teacher has explained, 

"The reason many Anthroposophical schools [i.e., Steiner schools] exist is because of the Anthroposophy, period.* It's not because of the children. It's because a group of Anthroposophists have it in their minds to promote Anthroposophy in the world." [See "Ex-Teacher 7".] 

Steiner schools exist not to educate children but to spread Anthroposophy.

We should also note that Steiner schools do not really let children “learn at their own pace.” They require children to study subjects in a tightly regimented order, based on Rudolf Steiner’s occult doctrines about childhood. Children are not supposed to read or write until their “etheric bodies” incarnate at age 7, and they are not considered able to think intellectually until their “astral bodies” incarnate at age 14. This is so bizarre, most outsiders cannot believe that Steiner schools operate in accordance with such doctrines. But they do. [See, e.g., “Waldorf Curriculum”, “Incarnation”, and “Here’s the Answer”.] 

Steiner schools should never receive government support, unless the government in question is prepared to underwrite occult beliefs. [See, e.g., “Why Waldorf Programs are Unsuitable for Public Funding”, http://waldorfcritics.org/active/articles/dugan_dan_csr0202j.htm]

* Anthroposophy is Rudolf Steiner's occult belief system.