June, '20
JUNE 27, 2020
SEEING IT FROM WITHIN
SHE OPTS FOR AN EXIT
In theory, Waldorf schools can evolve. They can change with the times and improve. In theory.
But in reality, Waldorf schools today remain much as Waldorf schools have ever been. At the core, Waldorf schools remain wedded to the belief system propounded by Waldorf founder Rudolf Steiner: the occult faith known as Anthroposophy [1]. The degree of commitment to Steiner's doctrines may vary to some degree from one Waldorf school to the next [2], but overall the Waldorf movement remains deeply tied — and devoted — to Anthroposophy.
One result is that Waldorf schools continue to disillusion and alienate. When outsiders or newcomers begin to comprehend what the Waldorf movement is really all about — when they realize what Anthroposophy teaches — they are often shocked, astounded, and repelled. And sometimes they write exposés, detailing their experiences within Waldorf walls [3].
Recently, another such exposé has appeared. It decries the troubling characteristics of Waldorf schooling that other reports have disclosed previously. The author of this latest report is Jennifer Sapio, who taught for three years at a Waldorf school in Texas before resigning this year.
Sapio's essay is long, and it deserves to be read in its entirety. You can find it at the website Age of Awareness. But for now, as an introduction, here are excerpts. I have appended some supplementary footnotes of my own.
Waldorf Schools Are Inherently Racist Cults
Or, why I wouldn’t drink the kool-aid.
[By] Jennifer Sapio, PhD
...After earning my PhD in 2017 and applying to 68 institutions of learning, I frantically accepted the one job I was offered, at a Waldorf school in Central Texas. However, I very soon observed a disconnect between what parents understand is being offered by the school and what teachers are discussing inside the faculty meetings...
Parents are told about a “holistic approach to child development,” in which students do handwork, play string instruments, and study cultures from around the world [4] ... The average family enrolled at a Waldorf school probably doesn’t know much about the founder of the movement, Rudolf Steiner [5], his...“spiritual science” [6], or his writings which range from...disputing contemporary psychology and physics [7], to travelogues detailing trips to other planets [8].
When I was hired, I knew nothing about Rudolf Steiner...
During a conversation at my final interview, one of the faculty members asked if at least I would be okay with saying a “verse” to commence and conclude faculty meetings [9] ... I thought that would be the extent of the compliance required of me...
However, I discovered that much more was required of me philosophically, morally, and spiritually [10] ... [A] “Master Waldorf Teacher” who [gave us a presentation] said, “if you are not on board with this kind of spiritual striving, then you should find somewhere else to work.”
What seemed to be valued was not years in the classroom, experience or expertise...but rather adherence to the philosophies of a White twentieth-century thinker’s [11] spiritual ideology. Being able to speak in Steiner’s vocabulary of “astral bodies” [12] and “Ahrimanic forces” [13] was essential to inclusion in the good graces of the faculty body ... When I suggested that we bring the latest research on a topic like classroom management or child development into the conversation, I was told, “Rudolf Steiner was clairvoyant, and when you find the truth, there’s no improving on it” [14]. There was no room for disagreement or alternate perspectives in a community founded on the value-judgment that Steiner’s ideas about education in 1919 were essentially infallible [15].
***
...[I]ncreasingly the requirements for my adoption of anthroposophical values became part of the “other duties as assigned” in my contract. Reading Rudolf Steiner’s philosophical texts...was a required part of my work as a teacher at the school.
In our required readings, I found hateful, illogical, and disgusting concepts about race [16], Euro-centrism [17], and vaccines [18], to name a few...
I read about Steiner’s “folk souls” [19] — his theories about the hierarchies of human evolution [20] — in order to see in Steiner’s own words what he thinks about the “black and yellow races,” and let me tell you, it’s revolting. He writes that humans are on an evolutionary journey through reincarnation [21] and that as souls are refined and purified, they move “up” from the African to the Asian and finally to the European races:
Diagram 3 from Rudolf Steiner’s “The Mission of Folk-Souls”
I read about Steiner’s rejection of Eastern philosophies [22] and his prioritizing of Western European knowledge, which explains why many students at Waldorf schools still read a high-German medieval romance [23] in eleventh grade rather than Toni Morrison. No amount of organizing diversity conferences for Waldorf teachers will ever fix this fundamental problem in the foundation of the schools’ pedagogy [24].
Finally, during the time that I was a part of a Waldorf school, they were repeatedly in the news. Unfortunately, it was because they have been identified as the “worst” school in Texas as far as vaccine compliance is concerned, a direct result of Steiner’s belief that childhood illness is part of each human’s “karma” [25]. Thus, Waldorf schools are a magnet for anti-vaxxers, a particularly troubling correlation in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
***
When the cognitive dissonance I was experiencing — between my work and my integrity — became increasingly difficult to tolerate, I reached out to my supervisors, one of whom is a Person of Color. We talked about how problematic I found what I was learning about the Waldorf school movement, about Rudolf Steiner, and about his spiritual program of anthroposophy. I was assured that there were a variety of interpretations, and that the good outweighed the bad [26].
But really we were all complicit in the white supremacist mission that is Waldorf education globally [27]...
The complicity was guaranteed by a few factors. The same kind of bullying and gaslighting and “us versus them” tactics as are used in other religious (ie. cultish) environments apply in this case, too [28].
As I had been warned, indeed there are verses chanted during faculty meetings. We all stood and listened as a passage was recited about heavenly archai [29] sharing a drop of wisdom with us. Okay, I kept saying to myself, it’s just a pretty piece of literature, right? But. I. Stood. Up. During. Those. Prayers. For. Almost. Three. Years...
The Waldorf movement in the United States is experiencing a transition, as [Waldorf] teaching centers [30] are not attracting the candidates that are needed to fill jobs in Waldorf schools. So, traditionally educated teachers have been filling these posts across the country [31], leading schools to greater and lesser degrees away from their anthroposophical roots ... But in some Waldorf schools, there is an effort underway to purify the “core values” of the community, to reassure the community that anthroposophy is at the center of the school, and to close ranks and go on the defensive about all things Steiner. I was told that there was a “sickness” in the school that could only be cured by my acquiescing to this indoctrination [32].
At the Waldorf school where I worked, it wasn’t enough to be a good teacher. You must become a “Waldorf teacher” [33]. Waldorf becomes not the name of a school, but a group that you join, an identity that you become...
...[T]here is something insidious about the bait and switch tactic of a school that attracts the world’s progressive secular humanists into its folds, and swears as it is inculcating spiritual ideology (at least in the faculty body, if not indirectly in the student and parent body as well) that it is not [34]. The legalese of offering a pedagogy based in Steiner’s spiritual anthroposophy (his racist, colonialist project) but technically not calling it a religious school is difficult for me to reconcile [35]...
[I submitted] my resignation.
[6/27/2020 https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/waldorf-schools-are-inherently-racist-cults-91193d1fbef6 Dr. Sapio's essay was originally posted on June 13.]
Waldorf Watch Footnotes
[1] See "Anthroposophy" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia (BWSE).
[2] See "Non-Waldorf Waldorfs".
[3] See "Former Waldorf Teachers, Et Al".
[4] See "crafts", "music", and "world cultures" in the BWSE. Concerning the "holistic" nature of Waldorf schooling, see "Holistic Education".
[5] See "What a Guy".
[6] See "spiritual science" in the BWSE.
[7] Despite sometimes claiming to affirm the findings of modern science, Rudolf Steiner in fact built an antiscientific bias into Anthroposophy. [See "Science".]
[8] See "planetary migrations" in the BWSE; also see "Planetary Humans".
[9] Such "verses" (which are also recited in Waldorf classrooms) are usually prayers written by Rudolf Steiner. [See "Prayers".]
[10] See, e.g., the sections "The Indoctrination of Teachers" and "Progressive Involvement Outside Teaching" on the page "Indoctrination".
[11] I.e., Rudolf Steiner's.
[12] Steiner taught that three invisible bodies incarnate during the first 21 years of life; the astral body is the second of these invisible bodies, incarnating around age 14. [See "Incarnation".]
[13] Ahriman, as described by Steiner, is an arch-demon. "Ahrimanic forces" are the powers and/or minions of Ahriman. [See "Ahriman".]
[14] I.e., Rudolf Steiner knew ultimate, timeless truths because of his marvelous clairvoyant powers. Another newcomer to Waldorf teaching was once told the same thing, in these words:
“Steiner had exceptional powers, he saw the future, he knew the truth. If you truly need to learn, you need to study and follow Steiner. Steiner is all anyone ever needs to know.” [See "Ex-Teacher 5".]
[15] To understand how Steiner is perceived by his followers, see "Guru".
The Waldorf movement is often described as a cult primarily because of its devotional focus on Steiner and his gnostic teachings. If this description is true, then the primary members of the cult are the true-believing members of the faculty. Waldorf students are rarely taught Steiner's doctrines in so many words, but Anthroposophical beliefs and inclinations are conveyed to the students in other, more subtle ways. [See, e.g., "Sneaking It In".]
[16] See "Steiner's Racism".
[17] See "Europe" and "Europeans" in the BWSE.
[18] See the discussion of vaccines and vaccination in "Steiner's Quackery".
[19] These are shared souls possessed, Steiner taught, by all members of a race, nation, family, etc. [See "folk soul, folk spirit" in the BWSE.]
[20] Steiner taught that humans evolve from low racial forms (black) to high racial forms (white). [See "Races".]
[21] See "Reincarnation".
[22] While Steiner generally affirmed the superiority of Europe and its races, he drew some of his concepts (such as karma and reincarnation) from Eastern belief systems.
[23] See "Parzival" in the BWSE.
[24] See, e.g., "Embedded Racism".
[25] See "Karma".
[26] Waldorf faculties, like Waldorf student bodies, often include members of multiple ethnic groups. How individuals respond to Steiner's racial teachings can be a deeply personal and difficult question, calling for contemplation, perhaps prayer, and — at least occasionally — rationalization or denial. [For an overview of Steiner's racial teachings, see "Races", "Differences", and "Forbidden".]
[27] Historically, there have been distressing links between Anthroposophy and extreme right-wing (fascist and/or white supremacist) movements. [See "Sympathizers?"]
[28] Several former Waldorf teachers have described such conditions. See, e.g., "Ex-Teacher 2" and "Distress".
[29] Anthroposophy is polytheistic. [See "Polytheism".] Steiner taught that there are nine ranks of gods. Archai are gods of the seventh rank — low enough to have an immediate interest in human affairs.
[30] See "Teacher Training".
[31] Almost from the day of the first Waldorf school opened in 1919, the Waldorf movement has faced a shortage of Anthroposophically trained teachers. But the ideal has always been to staff Waldorf schools exclusively with Anthroposophists. So, for instance, Steiner once said this:
"As Waldorf teachers, we must be true anthroposophists in the deepest sense of the word in our innermost feeling.” — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 118.
Steiner's followers have continued to take this position. Thus, we find statements such as the following:
"Waldorf teachers must be anthroposophists first and teachers second." — Waldorf teacher Gilbert Childs, STEINER EDUCATION IN THEORY AND PRACTICE (Floris Books, 1991), p. 166.
[32] The effort to keep the Waldorf movement tightly bound to Anthroposophy is evident in many segments of the movement. This helps account for the evident intention to indoctrinate non-Anthroposophical faculty members such as Dr. Sapio.
[33] I.e., an Anthroposophical Waldorf teacher. [See "The Waldorf Teacher's Consciousness".]
[34] See, e.g., the sections "Subtle Indoctrination of Students in All Subjects", "Disguised Anthroposophic Rituals", and "The Indoctrination of Parents" on the page "Indoctrination".
[35] The truth is that genuine Waldorf schools (those that adhere most closely to Steiner's vision) are religious institutions, the religion being Anthroposophy. [See "Schools as Churches".]
— R.R.
JUNE 23, 2020
NEW STEINER LEADER
WORKING ON REPAIRS
An article in the British newspaper The Guardian provides a brief profile of the new head of Steiner schooling in the UK, along with a summary of recent developments in the UK Steiner movement. Perhaps surprisingly, the new leader of UK Steiner schools is a former inspector of British prisons (Her Majesty's prisons).
Here are excerpts from The Guardian's article:
Steiner schools chief: what my time in prisons
taught me about the UK's education mistakes
[By] Jess Staufenberg
Fran Russell, former jails inspector, says the government
is wrong to dismiss the Steiner movement to run state schools
A former HM prisons inspector might seem an unusual choice to head up Steiner schools ... Fran Russell says in some ways she is surprised to find herself in the job...
Steiner schools have attracted controversy worldwide for many years, in particular around the “anthroposophy” of the movement’s founding father, Rudolf Steiner, the social reformer and clairvoyant, who died in 1925 [1]. Steiner himself had racist views — he espoused a hierarchy of races from “black to Aryan” [2] — and at some UK schools there have been complaints about racism. He also believed that naturally overcoming illness could improve one’s “karma” [3], a theory linked to anti-vaccination ideas among some followers [4].
Russell’s appointment seems to be part of a campaign by the [Steiner-Waldorf] movement to put all this behind it and re-enter UK mainstream education, following a run of public failures [5]...
The coronavirus lockdown has been a particular challenge for Steiner schools, forcing them to modernise because, traditionally [at Steiner schools], screen technology is not allowed until secondary school age [6]. Most of the schools are [currently] providing online and video learning...
Things have not been going smoothly for the [Steiner schools] fellowship [7]. After the government permitted three Steiner state schools [8] to open, in Bristol, Frome and Exeter, between 2012 and 2014, it handed them over to other sponsors in 2019, after the inspectorate, Ofsted, had placed them in special measures [9]. Inspectors rated the one remaining Steiner state school, in Hereford, which opened in 2008, as “good”.
Meanwhile, the movement’s flagship private school, the Rudolf Steiner King’s Langley school in Hertfordshire [RSSKL], closed in 2018 [10] ... The following year the head of Ofsted, Amanda Spielman, demanded a “thorough examination” into the principles of Steiner education, with her inspectorate carrying out targeted inspections of the schools and finding 77% of them to be less than good [11].
“There was no culture of leadership in the schools,” explains Russell. The Steiner “familial” culture is its biggest weak spot, she believes — traditionally the schools did not have a headteacher, preferring a committee-style ‘“college of teachers” [12].
“There is a failure to understand the risk of having such a strong community in our schools,” she says. “Teachers and parents are supposed to work together, which is positive, but there is a risk staff might not make referrals to children’s services because of friendships between the adults [13].”
By contrast, the private [Steiner] kindergarten in Greenwich, London, of which Russell was co-leader for eight years before working for three years for HM prisons, was praised by inspectors for a “strong culture of safeguarding” [14]...
The question now is whether Russell can persuade the Department for Education [15] to once again consider the Steiner network a worthy sponsor [16]. For her next move, she has asked for a meeting with the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, to put forward the Steiner case.
Currently, to her dismay, ministers still seem to be rejecting the model of delaying formal learning until the age of six [17]...
She is in talks with Sheffield Hallam and Plymouth universities to develop teacher training courses with Steiner modules, so all its teachers are qualified. The assessment framework Russell developed at Greenwich Steiner school has been rolled out across its schools since September, and has been praised by Ofsted [18].
But she is not going to change the creative and less pressurised Steiner ethos, she says. “Everything I know from working with children in prison is that for them to learn they have to be emotionally secure” [19]. The [Steiner school] movement has found a committed advocate for its case.
Waldorf Watch Footnotes
[1] Descriptions of Rudolf Steiner given in the press are often misleading. It is correct to say that Steiner claimed to be clairvoyant. Whether it is correct to call Steiner a "social reformer" is more questionable. Likewise, other tags often applied to Steiner — such as "philosopher" or "scientist" — generally miss the mark. Steiner was the creator of Anthroposophy, an occult religion. The label Steiner often applied to himself — quite accurately — was "occultist." [See "What a Guy", "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?", and "Occultism".]
[2] See "Steiner's Racism".
[3] Belief in karma is a basic to Anthroposophy. [See "Karma".]
[4] Steiner indicated that vaccines can interfere with karma, preventing us from undergoing diseases that our karma requires us to contract. [See "Steiner's Quackery".]
[5] Inspectors from the UK Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) have found numerous and serious problems at many UK Steiner schools. [See "The Steiner School Crisis".]
[6] Steiner taught his followers to fear modern technology, which he said is often demonic. [See "Spiders, Dragons and Foxes".]
[7] The Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship (SWSF) is the umbrella organization for Steiner schools in the UK and Ireland. [See https://www.steinerwaldorf.org.]
[8] These were Steiner "free" schools — similar to charter schools in the USA. Free schools and charter schools operate largely like private institutions, following their own curricula, but they receive funding from the state — and, usually, they are subject to increase scrutiny from state education officials. Four Steiner free schools opened; three ran into serious problems. [See "Inadequate — Bristol, Frome, and...".]
[9] I.e., the government instituted emergency processes ("special measures") at the three failing Steiner free schools. The government later revoked the authority of the Steiner movement to run these schools, handing control to other "sponsors." (UK free schools are run or sponsored by "multi-academy trusts" — educational organizations that run two or more schools in coordination with each other.)
[10] See "RSSKL".
[11] The highest rating given by Ofsted is "Outstanding" — this is equivalent to a grade of "A". The second rating is "Good" — equivalent to a "B" or "C+". Most inspected Steiner schools were rated "Requires Improvement" or "Inadequate" — ratings equivalent to "C/C-", "D", or "F".
[12] The "college of teachers" is the central committee at a typical Steiner school. At such schools, the faculty members attempt to make most decisions collegially. [See "college of teachers" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.] Ms. Russell evidently intends to institute a more conventional leadership model, under which headmasters or other administrators will wield power.
Will the problems at Steiner schools be resolved if Steiner-Waldorf leaders like Russell exert greater control? Some Steiner and Waldorf schools have long operated under the firm guidance of devoted Anthroposophical administrators. (From 1952 to 1964, I attended a Waldorf school that was led by a firmly committed Anthroposophical headmaster.) The problems will persist if their real cause lies — as seems certain — in the bizarre beliefs upon which Steiner-Waldorf schools are based. [See, e.g., "Weird Waldorf".]
[13] I.e., if a school is run through an informal network of friends and colleagues, there may be hesitancy to report misconduct to outside authorities.
[14] Ofsted inspectors faulted several Steiner schools for their failure to protect students adequately (they failed to "safeguard" the children).
[15] The Department for Education is the division of the UK government in charge of children's services and education. [See https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education.] Ofsted is part of the Department for Education.
[16] I.e., Russell hopes to persuade officials that the Waldorf movement is qualified to run its own schools (it is qualified to serve as the sponsor for these schools).
[17] Steiner education generally postpones basic academic instruction, such as reading and writing, until students are at least six or seven years old. The underlying reason — rarely professed openly — is that Anthroposophists believe the invisible "etheric body" incarnates at around this age. [See "Incarnation".] Despite Russell's efforts, UK education officials continue to stress the importance of early academic instruction in preschool.
[18] Defenders of Steiner education often claim that ordinary standards do not apply to Steiner schools — these schools cannot be adequately assessed using standard criteria. Russell has helped developed a set of standards that may be more appropriate for Steiner schools. Ofsted evidently has given these standards at least preliminary approval.
[19] Steiner schools generally deemphasize academics, placing emphasis on other considerations such as emotional security. [See "Academic Standards at Waldorf" and "Holistic Education".]
— R.R.
JUNE 20, 2020
THE SUN, JOHN,
& FIRE JUMPING
Today (June 20) marks the summer solstice, the day when — in the northern hemisphere — the sun reaches its highest point in the sky. This is the longest day of the year.
In Waldorf communities, the summer solstice is often celebrated in conjunction with an Anthroposophy-tinged commemoration of St. John's Day (June 24).
Jumping a fire at a Waldorf midsummer celebration.
The jumping may occur during the day or, more dramatically, after sunset.
[Detail, photo by Wade Howard, Ocean Driven Media and Photography.]
Here is how one Waldorf teacher describes Waldorf solstice/St. John's ceremonies:
"St. John's — the festival [1] on 24 June in honour of St John the Baptist (John 1: 29-34). In Waldorf schools, this festival is sometimes celebrated in the open air with a big bonfire, refreshments, music and dancing. At the end, pupils of the higher classes, often the ones about to leave school, are allowed to jump over the fire [2]. A St John's story is often told as well.
"Rudolf Steiner [3] outlines how, around midsummer, the earth has breathed out [4] all her elemental beings [5]. The earth at this time is in a state of sleep, and the whole of nature has grown out into the visible world in the shape of leaves and flowers [6]. Christian and pagan elements blend in this age-old festival [7]. In his saying, 'I must decrease, but he must increase' [8], the figure of John, who prepared the way for Christ's coming, simultaneously embodies the moment when the outer power of the sun and physical life start to wane [9], and heralds the change of consciousness and growth of inner spirit required in humanity's future evolution [10]." — Henk van Oort, ANTHROPOSOPHY A-Z (Sophia Books, Rudolf Steiner Press, 2011), p. 104.
Waldorf Watch Footnotes
[1] The Waldorf school year is punctuated by a large number of festivals. [See "festivals at Waldorf schools" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia (BWSE).]
[2] This practice, drawn from pagan fertility ceremonies, marks transition from one state of being to another. At Waldorf schools, jumping over fires is not always confined to students "about to leave school." Graduating Waldorf students may leap over a fire to mark the end of schooling, but younger students may leap to mark passage from one grade level to the next. The youngest students are often helped over the fire by their teachers. The practice is clearly dangerous, however. At some Waldorf schools, fires are kept small, or they are allowed to burn down to embers before the children jump. But the practice remains dangerous. [See "fire jumping" in the BWSE. Also see, e.g., "School Boy Encouraged to Jump Over Fire", November 25, 2011.]
[3] Steiner was the founder of Waldorf education. [See "What a Guy".]
[4] According to the Waldorf belief system, Anthroposophy, the Earth is a living being that slowly breathes in and out.
[5] Anthroposophists believe in the existence of "elemental beings" — invisible entities that exist within the "four elements" of nature. Gnomes, for instance, live in earth (soil), while sylphs live in air. [See "Neutered Nature".]
[6] According to Anthroposophy, nature is the outward expression or incarnation of spiritual beings (the "visible world" is the expression of the invisible spiritual world).
[7] Anthroposophy has clear connections to Christianity, but it also has many pagan elements — such as belief in elemental beings. Fire jumping itself is a reenactment of pagan rites.
[8] This is an example of the way Anthropsophists interpret biblical passages to conform to their own belief system. [See John 3:30.]
[9] In the yearly cycle of the seasons, days grow shorter and colder (the effects of the Sun's warmth are reduced) as the Sun moves lower in the sky, leading toward the apparent death of nature in deep winter.
[10] The central narrative of Anthroposophy is that humanity (or the good portion of it) is evolving toward ever higher spiritual consciousness. Steiner taught that good humans will evolve to become gods and, eventually, they will become God the Father. [See "evolution of consciousness" and "Father, God the" in the BWSE.] Despite its Christian elements, Anthroposophy is polytheistic. [See "Polytheism".]
— R.R.
JUNE 17, 2020
A SKEWED TAKE
ON THE ILLNESS
The coronavirus pandemic and the steps being used to combat it have inspired remarkable responses in some segments of society. Various protestors have argued that the pandemic is a fraud, a contrivance of authoritarian forces aiming to tighten their grip on power by limiting individual freedoms. Some have argued that the virus at the root of the pandemic does not actually exist — perhaps no viruses of any kind actually exist. Some protestors have said that the illness, if it is real, is nothing to worry about — right-thinking, healthy people will be spared. Some have accused Big Pharma of aiming to reap unconscionable wealth by selling unnecessary and dangerous medications, including vaccines. Some have doubled down on their longstanding opposition to vaccines of all kinds. Some have spun strange conspiracy theories, blaming shadowy figures — or sometimes famous big shots — for all manner of diabolical plotting.
At least a few Anthroposophists, including some leading figures at Waldorf schools, have evidently been engaged in these protests and rallies. This seems to be particularly the case in Germany, the epicenter of Anthroposophy. Here are excerpts from a message posted recently at the Waldorf Critics discussion site. The author is Oliver Rautenberg, who hosts the website anthroposophie.blog.
Covid protests in Germany
I have collected some press reports about the connections of anthroposophists to the COVID protests. At the "Querdenken" demonstration in Stuttgart...anthroposophist, Waldorf teacher and lecturer in Waldorf Education, Prof. Dr Christoph Hueck, spoke ... [H]e said: "...If we have a good immune system, then the virus can't bother us at all."
At Covid protests in Halle, Germany, the homeopath and anthroposophical physician Dr Andreas Grüner spoke. He said that this alleged "catastrophe" [the pandemic]...was "non-existent" for him. Worse than the coronavirus would be "the measures taken by the government," which are like a "life-threatening overreaction" against something "harmless"...
A Covid protest in Überlingen, Germany was organized by the former board of the Waldorf School (the Waldorf School itself was not involved) ... [T]here were demonstrations against "Corona panic-mongering" and "health fascism."
The Weimar Corona demonstration, entitled "Freedom, Equality, Fraternity..." is said to have been organised by the staff of the local Waldorf School in Weimar. As Fridays For Future Weimar has confirmed to me, Waldorf teachers acted as stewards.
A COVID demonstration in Görlitz is being organised by teachers and parents of the local Waldorf School...
There are countless anthroposophical conspiracy theories about the Corona pandemic, which is supposedly connected with the terror of 9/11 or Bill Gates or the birthday of Adolf Hitler....
[6/17/2020 https://groups.io/g/waldorf-critics/message/32049 This message was originally posted on June 15.]
Here is a previous message on the same topic, posted by historian Peter Staudenmaier:
There is an informative article in the Guardian on the recent wave of pandemic protests in Germany (as well as Austria and Switzerland), with substantial attention to the hybrid of anti-vaccination ideology and far right views. These protests have received extensive press coverage in Germany, but there hasn't been much detail so far in English language media, as far as I know. Here is the Guardian article:
It aptly captures the "alliance of anti-vaxxers, neo-Nazi rabble-rousers and esoteric hippies, which has in recent weeks been filling town squares in cities such as Berlin, Vienna and Zurich." There is no direct mention of anthroposophists specifically, but the overall themes will sound familiar; German news reports do refer to anthroposophist beliefs in the context of the protests, and much of the coverage there has been quite critical. All too often, periods of widespread social crisis seem to bring out the worst sides of Steiner's followers.
[6/17/2020 https://groups.io/g/waldorf-critics/message/32042 This message was originally posted on May 24.]
JUNE 14, 2020
USING FUNDS FOR
A HIGHER PURPOSE
A selfless act of generosity by a group of Waldorf students has received wide — and well-deserved — media attention. There have been stories in newspapers and on television.
Here is how the students' altruism was described at the website of the Association of Waldorf School of North America (AWSNA):
Waldorf 8th Graders Donate
Money from Cancelled Trip
[Photo credit: Santa Fe Waldorf School]
When the 8th grade students at Santa Fe Waldorf School [New Mexico, USA] had to cancel their end-of-year trip, they decided to use the $2,800 they had raised for good. They have donated that money along with goods and health supplies to the Navajo Nation, which is suffering from one of the highest per-capita COVID-19 infection and death rates in the US.
This news of the students generosity and compassion went viral after first being covered by the Good News Network and eventually being written about at CNN.com.
The students used the money to purchase essential items for babies and non-perishable food including diapers, formula, toilet paper, wipes, medicines, 50 cans of soup, 75 pounds of potatoes, boxes of pasta, dried beans, rice, pet food and a dozen reusable five gallon jugs filled with water. High school junior, Indie Russell, also crated hand sewn masks to deliver in the mix as well.
"I am very proud of my students, but I'm not surprised," said their teacher, Daisy Barnard. "This is a very generous and compassionate group of teens. They have been raised to think outside their own immediate lives and it shows in moments like this."
[6/14/2020 https://www.waldorfeducation.org/news-resources/newsarticles-of-interest/articles-detail/~board/member-news/post/waldorf-8th-graders-donate-money-from-cancelled-trip This item was originally posted on June 8.]
Waldorf Watch Response
The founder of Waldorf education, Rudolf Steiner, left a sad legacy of racism. [See "Steiner's Racism".] Today many of Steiner's followers, including leaders of Waldorf schools, make concerted efforts to affirm respect for people of all races. In some cases, this has led Waldorf/Steiner officials to distance their schools, at least formally, from Steiner. [See "Taking the Name Steiner Out of the Steiner Name", September 21, 2019.]
The kids in the Santa Fe Waldorf School may have known little or nothing about this history. Their motives should surely be accepted as innocent and meritorious. It is only as we consider the Waldorf movement as a whole, including its historical record, that such matters may seem relevant.
Coming to the aid of neighbors in need is, of course, a high virtue. And if those neighbors are members of a different race or ethnic group, the worthiness of the act is all the greater.
— R.R.
JUNE 12, 2020
◊ BACKGROUNDER ◊
SEEING THE NEWS
IN TRUE CONTEXT
To understand news events (current events, historic events) as Rudolf Steiner's followers do, we need to step back from the swirling clamor of day-to-day incidents and look at the larger picture. This requires us to contemplate a vision of history that is fundamentally different from anything taught in ordinary schools or colleges — we must review a chronicle of strange and miraculous events that virtually no mainstream historians recognize.
Steiner taught his followers that the world as we know it began with the destruction of Atlantis. The grand continent of Atlantis was demolished as a consequence of human wickedness, Steiner said. It sank in or about the year 7500 BC.
According to Steiner, we now live in the Post-Atlantean Epoch. Within this Epoch, we have been severed to an extreme degree from the spirit realm. Indeed, beginning about 3000 BC, we lived for centuries in "Kali Yuga" — the spiritual Dark Age. One of the major events of that period was the incarnation of Lucifer — in the East — in about the year 2500 BC.
Despite our estrangement from the spirit realm, we have been evolving. We have passed through a series of cultural ages marking our development: the ancient Indian age, the Persian age, and so on. During one glorious moment during the Greco-Roman age, the Sun God incarnated on Earth and redirected our evolution: He steered us toward a new, glorious, upward trajectory.
Numerous other gods have also assisted us. (The Steiner belief system is polytheistic.) Thus, the cultural ages — which last about 2200+ years each — are overseen by various gods. Moreover, cycles within these ages — lasting about 350 years each — also play out under the guidance of a rotating cast of divinities.
The modern period of human existence began around the year 1413 AD, Steiner indicated. That was the beginning of the fifth cultural age of the Post-Atlantean Epoch. Here is a summary of major events since then, extending for some distance into future — which Steiner claimed he could foresee thanks to his wondrous clairvoyance. [For help with Anthroposophical terminology and concepts, you might consult The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia: entries such as "Post-Atlantean Epoch", "Anglo-Germanic Age", "consciousness soul", and so on.]
◊ 1413 CE - The fifth post-Atlantean cultural epoch (sometimes called the Anglo-Germanic Age) begins, ushering in the modern world; mankind develops the consciousness soul
◊ ~ 1471 CE - The Archangel Gabriel becomes Time Archangel for the next ~ 350 years
◊ 1605 CE - Buddha incarnates on Mars; he is victoriously crucified there (spiritually if not physically)
◊ 1841 CE - The Archangel Michael becomes the Spirit of the Age (on Earth) for the next ~ 2,160-2,450 years
◊ 1861 CE - Rudolf Steiner is born
◊ 1879 CE - Michael defeats Ahrimanic demons in the spirit realm, and he ejects them; he becomes Time Archangel for the next ~ 350 years; Rudolf Steiner meets the man who will give him his first of two occult initiations; later he meets the mysterious individual "M" who gives him his second occult initiation
◊ 1899 CE - Kali Yuga, the "dark age," ends as Rudolf Steiner, a professed Theosophist, begins his occult teachings
◊ 1913 CE - Rudolf Steiner breaks with Theosophy and establishes Anthroposophy as a separate movement; Germany's Christ-like position balancing the Luciferic East and Ahrimanic West is brought to crisis as world war threatens
◊ 1914 CE - The Great War, or World War I, begins; it will end calamitously for Germany
◊ ~ 1919-1924 CE - Rudolf Steiner oversees Anthroposophical initiatives in education, medicine, agriculture, religion, etc.
◊ 1925 CE - Rudolf Steiner dies
◊ 1930 CE - Christ the Sun God begins manifesting in the etheric realm — this is the Second Coming
◊ ~ 1998 CE - Sorat, the Antichrist, becomes manifest (or, some say, he incarnates)
◊ ~ 2000 CE - Christ becomes Lord of Karma
◊ ~ 2250 CE (i.e., during the third millennium CE) - Ahriman incarnates in the West
◊ ~ 2300-2400 CE - Mechanization and materialism create demons that wage war against the human spirit
◊ ~ 2900 CE - Thinking with the materialistic brain becomes impossible; astrological forces become universally recognized
◊ 3573 CE - The sixth post-Atlantean cultural epoch — the Russian Age — begins; Aquarius is dominant; spiritual knowledge is affirmed
◊ ~ 4500 CE - The truths of Anthroposophy become instinctively obvious; yet Christ's true band remains small
◊ 5733 CE - The final cultural epoch, the American Age, begins; hideous monsters of automation spread across the Earth; all previous trends move toward a climax
◊ ~ 7000 CE - The Moon reunites with the planet Earth
◊ ~ 7900 CE - The War of All Against All brings the Post-Atantean Epoch to its end; survivors transition to the sixth great epoch of Present Earth, when the seals of the Apocalypse are opened
◊ ~~~ The seventh and final great epoch of Present Earth occurs; over a period of ~ 40,000 years, physical reality is abolished, absorbed into human substance; natural law becomes coterminous with moral law; the trumpets of doom sound
[For more, see "historical narrative of Anthroposophy" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.]
Today we live under the intensely focused leadership of Michael, who is both the Spirit of the Age and the current Time Archangel. From an Anthroposophical perspective, all current events must be weighed in this context. As we noted here recently, all Anthroposphical undertakings are focused now on assisting Michael in his spiritual labors [see "Michael and His School (And Waldorf Schools)", June 4, 2020]. All hope for the future hinges of the victory of Michael and his lord, the Sun God. [See "Michael" and "Sun God".]
— R.R.
JUNE 9, 2020
RACIAL JUSTICE AS SEEN
THROUGH A WALDORF LENS
A number of Waldorf schools have issued statements in response to the murder of George Floyd and similar racial atrocities. Here, for instance, is a statement issued by the Waldorf School of Lexington [Massachusetts, USA]:
A Message to Our Community: We wish to acknowledge societal injustice and the resulting pain that has recently escalated throughout the nation. We grieve for the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others. As we witness black, brown, multiracial, and non-white people suffering and dying disproportionately from structural inequities in our criminal justice system, as well as disparities in access to healthcare, which the pandemic has made more evident, we are called upon to face the pain of racism individually and in community.
Adhering to Rudolf Steiner’s mission, the Waldorf School of Lexington holds the dignity of the human being at our core. We recognize the responsibility we have to work even harder, to look within and dismantle systemic inequalities present in our community and wider society.
As our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion mission statement reflects, “WSL is committed to an ongoing process of learning, listening and deepening our understanding of equity and inclusion. With reverence, we strive to create, embrace and support a diverse, equitable and inclusive community where everyone feels respected, connected and valued.” We know that this work is vital, necessary and on-going.
[6/9/2020 https://www.facebook.com/waldorfschooloflexington/ The school posted this message on June 3.]
Waldorf Watch Response
Such statements should be applauded. We must hope that Rudolf Steiner's followers today sincerely deplore racism in all its forms.
Unfortunately, Steiner's legacy on questions of race is problematic. Steiner did indeed place great emphasis on "the dignity of the human being." He taught that all good, upwardly-evolving human beings are essentially equal.
On the other hand, however, Steiner also taught that the races of humanity stand at different developmental levels. Good humans evolve upward: They incarnate originally in low, dark racial forms, then in subsequent incarnations they return to Earth in progressively higher, lighter racial forms. One corollary of this belief is that, according to Steiner, a white person is more highly evolved than a black person — the white person has passed beyond the developmental level where the black person still stands.
Moreover, Steiner taught that upward evolution is not automatic or inevitable. People who make grievous errors may fall from relatively high racial forms to lower racial forms in subsequent incarnations.
All of this evolution, both upward and downward, occurs through the process of reincarnation, according to Steiner. If you live a good, virtuous life, you will reincarnate at a higher level. If you commit errors or sins during any of your lives, you will reincarnate at a lower level.
These teachings are woven into the fabric of the Steiner/Waldorf belief system, Anthroposophy. Clearly, such teachings represent a serious challenge for any of Steiner's followers today who wish to affirm racial equality.
Here are some of Steiner's statements that pose difficulties for his followers today:
◊ Some races are higher than others. “A race or nation stands so much the higher, the more perfectly its members express the pure, ideal human type.” — Rudolf Steiner, KNOWLEDGE OF THE HIGHER WORLDS AND ITS ATTAINMENT (Anthroposophic Press, 1944), p. 149.
◊ Some peoples are smarter than others. “If the blonds and blue-eyed people die out [people who approximate the ideal human type], the human race will become increasingly dense [i.e., unintelligent] ... Blond hair actually bestows intelligence. In the case of fair people, less nourishment is driven into the eyes and hair; it remains instead in the brain and endows it with intelligence. Brown- and dark-haired people drive the substances into their eyes and hair that the fair people retain in their brains.” — Rudolf Steiner, HEALTH AND ILLNESS, Vol. 1 (Anthroposophic Press, 1981), pp. 85-86.
◊ Skin color is extremely important. “One can only understand history...if one pays attention to people's racial characteristics. And one can only understand all that is spiritual...if one first examines how this spiritual element operates within people precisely through the color of their skin.” — Rudolf Steiner, VOM LEBEN DES MENSCHEN UND DER ERDE - ÜBER DAS WESEN DES CHRISTENTUMS (Verlag Der Rudolf Steiner-Nachlassverwaltung, 1961), GA 349, p. 52.
◊ Good people evolve upward; bad people evolve downward. Thus, evil human souls have incarnated in “the races that had become decadent and were falling into decline. The [good] souls left the bodies of [these] races and rose up to higher races.” — Rudolf Steiner, READING THE PICTURES OF THE APOCALYPSE (SteinerBooks, 1993), pp. 49-50.
◊ Whites have evolved higher than other races, which lag behind. “[O]ur white civilized humankind originated because certain elements segregated themselves from the Atlanteans [the people of Atlantis] and developed themselves higher here [in Europe], under different climatic conditions. Certain elements of the Atlantean population remained behind, at earlier [lower] levels; thus we can see that the peoples of Asia and America are remnants of the various Atlantean races.” — Rudolf Steiner, DIE WELTRÄTSEL UND DIE ANTHROPOSOPHIE (Rudolf Steiner Verlag, 1974), GA 54, p. 145.
◊ Blacks stand at a low, childlike level. “[A] centre of cosmic influence [is] situated in the interior of Africa. At this centre are active all those terrestrial forces emanating from the soil which can influence man especially during his early childhood ... The black or Negro race is substantially determined by these childhood characteristics.” — Rudolf Steiner, THE MISSION OF THE FOLK SOULS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2005), p. 17.
◊ Blacks are creatures of impulse, instinct, and the rear-brain. “These blacks in Africa have the peculiar characteristic that they absorb all light and all warmth from space [because of their dark skin] ... So a black in Africa is therefore a person who absorbs as much warmth and light as possible ... [W]hat helps him in this assimilation is his rear-brain. In the Negro the rear-brain...goes through his spinal cord. And this is able to assimilate all the light and warmth ... Therefore everything connected to the body and the metabolism is strongly developed in the Negro. He has, as they say, powerful physical drives, powerful instincts. The Negro has a powerful instinctual life. And because he actually has the sun, light, and warmth on his body surface, in his skin, his whole metabolism operates as if he were being cooked inside by the sun. That is where his instinctual life comes from. The Negro is constantly cooking inside, and what feeds this fire is his rear-brain.” — Rudolf Steiner, VOM LEBEN DES MENSCHEN UND DER ERDE - ÜBER DAS WESEN DES CHRISTENTUMS, p. 55.
Steiner's racial teachings are epitomized in a diagram accompanying one of his lectures. Here is a copy of the diagram, with the German inscriptions translated to English.
[Rudolf Steiner, VOM LEBEN DES MENSCHEN UND DER ERDE -
ÜBER DAS WESEN DES CHRISTENTUMS
(Verlag Der Rudolf Steiner-Nachlassverwaltung, 1961), p. 51.
Copy and translation by Roger Rawlings.]
According to Steiner, there are three major human races on the Earth today. The black race is the lowest, Steiner said; blacks live at a primitive level, being subject to their impulses, and they use the most backward part of the brain, the "hindbrain" (or rear-brain). According to Steiner, if blacks move from their proper place on Earth, they turn copper red and die out. The yellow race is higher, Steiner said. Orientals live largely through their emotions, he claimed, and they use the intermediate portion of the brain, the "middlebrain." If Orientals move from their proper place, Steiner added, they turn brown and die out. The white race is the highest, Steiner taught; whites have a higher capacity for thinking, he said, because they employ their well-developed "forebrain." As the most civilized humans, according to Steiner, whites are capable of living successfully in any part of the Earth.
Rudolf Steiner died in 1925. We might hope that his racist beliefs passed away with him, but in fact current events — such as the murder of George Floyd — show that racism remains a virulent and urgent problem today.
To delve further into Steiner's racial teachings, as well as indications of current Anthroposophical beliefs and practices, see "Steiner's Racism", "Embedded Racism", "Forbidden", "Races", and "Differences".
— R.R.
JUNE 4, 2020
MICHAEL AND HIS SCHOOL
(AND WALDORF SCHOOLS)
According to Anthroposophical teachings, we currently live under the mentorship of a mighty god: Michael, the Archangel of the Sun. [1] Rudolf Steiner taught that Michael is a warrior god who fights on behalf of a still greater god: the Sun God (commonly known as Christ). [2] Michael's main enemies — his opponents in the cosmic war — include the terrible demon Ahriman and his confederate Sorat, the Antichrist. [3]
Michael's task at present is to promote human evolution to a new, more elevated level of spiritual consciousness. He is working on this primarily by pouring his spiritual resources into Anthroposophy, the religion concocted by Steiner. [4] The ties between Michael and Anthroposophy (and, through Anthroposophy, Waldorf education) are a matter of central concern for Steiner's followers. Here is a summary offered by a Waldorf teacher:
"St Michael and anthroposophy are connected in a special way. As the custodian of cosmic intelligence [5], and as spirit of the age [6], Michael inspires all human beings who wish to connect the human spirit with the spirit of the cosmos. [7] Anthroposophy is also called the School of Michael." — Henk van Oort, ANTHROPOSOPHY A-Z (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2011), p. 78.
Steiner taught that the victory of Michael, while not assured, is crucial for our future. And Steiner said a vital stage of Michael's battle is occurring now, during the early years of the 21st century. In what is sometimes called the "Michael Prophecy", Steiner taught that great numbers of highly enlightened, Anthroposophically inclined human spirits would incarnate at the end of the 20th century in order to lend their aid to Michael in his struggle. All Anthroposophists and their institutions (the Anthroposophical Society, Anthroposophical medical clinics, Waldorf schools, and so on) are directed toward assisting Michael.
A newly released Anthroposophical book discusses many of these matters.
THE MICHAEL PROPHECY AND THE YEARS 2012-2033
Rudolf Steiner and the Culmination of Anthroposophy
[Temple Lodge Publishing, 2020.]
Here is how the book is described on the SteinerBooks website:
In a series of vibrant and lively essays, Steffen Hartmann focuses on a little-known but critically important theme relating to the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, who described the collaboration between human souls connected to the Platonic and Aristotelian “schools,” or groupings [8], both on Earth and in the spiritual world [9]. These groups of souls work in a wider metaphysical collective known as the “Michael School,” led by the Archangel Michael, the ruling Spirit of our age. Prior to birth, millions of human souls were prepared in this school to face the challenges of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
We might have forgotten these preexistence experiences [10], but they can be awakened within us, says Hartmann. Indeed, it’s possible to reconnect consciously with earlier incarnations and to perceive our karma. [11]
The book begins with this theme and leads to Rudolf Steiner’s “Michael Prophecy” of 1924 [12], his vision of the millennium and the era in which we live, especially the crucial period between 2012 and 2033.
Dealing with the “anthroposophic block” in the emerging holistic building of humanity, the author contextualizes the topic in connection with direct personal experiences [13]. Sharing such experiences can stimulate self-reflection in the anthroposophic movement and contribute real spiritual substance to contemporary culture.
This book provides stimulation to spiritual seekers who carry profound questions about life in the modern world.
[http://shop.steinerbooks.org/Title/9781912230419]
The author, Steffen Hartmann, is a widely published Anthroposophist. He is the leader of the Rudolf Steiner Haus Hamburg branch of the Anthroposophical Society.
According to the publisher, THE MICHAEL PROPHECY AND THE YEARS 2012-2033 was released in May, 2020. The book may not be commercially available until July, however.
Waldorf Watch Footnotes
[1] See "Michael".
[2] See "Sun God".
[3] See "Bad, Badder, Baddest".
[4] See "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?"
[5] I.e., the wisdom on the gods.
[6] See the entry "Spirits of an Age" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.
[7] I.e., the gods collectively or the Godhead. [See "God" and "Polytheism".]
[8] I.e., followers of the philosophers Plato and Aristotle. Steiner taught that both Plato and Aristotle were spiritual initiates — in effect, they were his predecessors.
"Plato...was certainly an initiate, and from past lives had reached a high degree of spiritual development ... But Plato's teachings, deeply spiritual as they were, were not perfectly suited for the [new age of intellectual thinking, ushered in by the Greeks] ... What was needed was indeed for spiritual truths to be brought down to the earthly level so that they could be understood by men who were not initiated. The newly achieved power of creating abstract ideas and thinking abstractly (which had not been possible [previously]) had to be understood and made intelligible. Platonism would always be a philosophy for the mystic and would-be mystic ... [T]he developing intellectual soul was deeply interested in metaphysics. It was Artistotle who provided this soul with its new material for study ... [He] brought so many of Plato's teachings down to an earthly level.
"Nevertheless, Steiner tells us that Aristotle was himself a great initiate and a highly developed individuality [possessing a highly developed spiritual ego or 'I'] who had already passed through important previous earth lives. It was precisely because of this spiritual background that he was able to perform his difficult task of transmuting the living ideas and thoughts of his predecessors into material satisfying to the analytical mind that was coming into existence...." — Stewart C. Easton, MAN AND WORLD IN THE LIGHT OF ANTHROPOSOPHY (Anthroposophic Press, 1989), pp. 68-69.
Steiner said members of the Platonic and Aristotelean schools have become key members of the Michael School — Anthroposophy.
[9] According to Steiner, we reincarnate: We alternate between lives on Earth and lives in the spirit realm. [See "Reincarnation".]
[10] I.e., our experiences in past lives — experiences prior to our current life on Earth.
[11] See "Karma".
[12] See lecture 7, "The New Age of Michael", in KARMIC RELATIONSHIPS, Vol. 3 (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1977):
"Those who are able to receive Anthroposophy today with true and deep devotion in their hearts — those who are able to unite themselves with Anthroposophy — have within them the impulse, as a result of all they experienced in the super-sensible [i.e., the spirit realm] at the beginning of the 15th century and at the beginning of the 19th century, to appear again on earth at the end of the 20th century together with the others [i.e., spiritual allies] who have not yet returned ... My dear friends, the anthroposophist should receive these things into his consciousness. He should...look with active participation and to co-operate in the battle between Ahriman and Michael. Only when a spirituality, such as is seeking to flow through the Anthroposophical Movement on earth, unites with other spiritual streams, will Michael find the [strength he needs for his battle] ... It will yet be my task to show you by what refined and clever means Ahriman is seeking to hinder this, so that you will see how sharp is the conflict that rages in our 20th century. Through all these things we can become aware of the earnestness of the time and of the courage that is needed if we are to take our right place in these spiritual streams ... To know oneself in the very midst of this battle, this decisive conflict between Michael and Ahriman, is one thing, my dear friends, that lies inherent in true anthroposophical enthusiasm and inspiration." — Rudolf Steiner, July 28, 1924.
[13] I.e., direct spiritual experiences, especially those attained through the practice of Anthroposophy.
[14] See https://templelodge.com/viewbook.php?isbn_in=9781912230419.
— R.R.
JUNE 2, 2020
◊ NEWS BRIEFS ◊
1.
Here's a follow-up to yesterday's report of a fire at an Anthroposophical residential center in New York State, USA. The possibility of arson is evidently being investigated. The center shares its campus with a Waldorf school.
From Patch [USA]:
Fire Devastates
Fellowship Community Building
Many of Rockland's volunteer fire departments were on the scene Sunday.
By Lanning Taliaferro
A fire severely damaged a main building at the Rudolf Steiner Fellowship Community in Rockland County on Sunday afternoon. Ramapo police said detectives and members of the county's arson unit are investigating...
Among the fire departments assisting were Monsey, Nanuet, New City [etc.: fire departments from 10 towns]...
The Fellowship Community, founded in 1966, is an inter-generational community that supports its elderly members from independent living to direct care. The community has a 80-acre campus and includes a nursing home and community kitchen, doctors' offices, a community garden, shop, and the Green Meadow Waldorf School.
[6/2/2020 https://patch.com/new-york/nanuet/fire-devastates-fellowship-community-building This article originally appeared on June 1.]
2.
ALLEGED ABUSER
TO FACE LAWSUIT
Waldorf schools enjoy a reputation as safe refuges — they are seen as sanctuaries where children are protected from the frenetic, violence-tinged currents of modern life. The schools may often deserve this characterization; but in at least a few instances, they may not. [See, e.g., "Charges of Abuse in Waldorf Schools", parts 1 and 2, September, 2019.] Indeed, allegations that Waldorf schools often fail to safeguard their students have emerged from harsh reports filed by school inspectors in the United Kingdom. [See, e.g., the entries for "child safety" in the Waldorf Watch Annex Index.]
Now a Waldorf teacher in France evidently faces charges of abusing a handicapped student. The following is from the blog La Vérité sur les écoles Steiner-Waldorf [The Truth About Steiner-Waldorf Schools], by former Waldorf teacher Grégoire Perra:
I am informed that the trial of Mr. Landron, indicted for violence against a disabled child while he was teaching at the 4 Seasons School (a Steiner-Waldorf school) in Challes-les-Eaux, will take place this Thursday, June 4, 2020 at 10 a.m., at the Correctional Court of Chambéry.
This kind of trial is rare enough to deserve wide attention...
The many victims who contact me rarely have the courage or the opportunity to file lawsuits. Whatever the verdict to come, which may result in the release of Mr. Landron as well as his conviction (respect for the presumption of innocence is essential!), I would like to salute the persistence of the family who filed the complaint. It is indeed only through this kind of judicatory process that light may eventually be directed onto the true nature of Steiner-Waldorf schools.
[6/2/2020 https://veritesteiner.wordpress.com/2020/06/01/annonce-du-proces-dun-ancien-professeur-steiner-waldorf-au-tribunal-correctionnel-de-chambery-le-jeudi-4-mai-a-10h00/ This item originally appeared on June 1. Translation by Roger Rawlings, relying heavily on Google Translate.]
To consider the overall question of child safety in Waldorf schools, you might consult "Slaps", "Extremity", "Who Gets Hurt", and "Waldorf Violence — Widespread? Endemic?" (November 9, 2019).
JUNE 1, 2020
◊ NEWS BRIEFS ◊
1.
Waldorf schools generally exist within a wide network of allied Anthroposophical institutions, including residential communities. Today there's news of a fire at one such community in the suburbs of New York City.
From lohud.com [USA Today Network]:
Chestnut Ridge: Flames burst through roof
of Fellowship Community building
[By] Isabel Keane, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
[Photo: Ramapo Police Department.]
An 84-year-old woman was injured in a fire that broke through the roof of a building at the Rudolf Steiner Fellowship Community on Sunday, Ramapo police said.
The Fellowship Community in Chestnut Ridge is a nonprofit where "approximately 140 elder members, co-workers, and their children live," and is a place for people interested in "self-development," according to the group's website.
It is unclear how many people were inside the building at the time of the fire. Police said the Fellowship Community is working on arranging housing for those who were displaced.
The fire, which happened around 2:30 p.m. on the group's property at 241 Hungry Hollow Road, left an 84-year-old woman with a minor injury. She was treated for smoke inhalation....
2.
Private Waldorf schools are often expensive to attend. The Waldorf movement has been making efforts to lower tuition charges. Here is one instance of an approach that is being implemented at a number of Waldorf schools.
From The Saratogan [Saratoga Springs, New York]:
Waldorf School tuition model 'Within Reach'
By Lauren Halligan
The Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs is introducing a new sliding scale tuition model called Within Reach.
This model is meant to offer an affordable Waldorf education to more youth in the community...
“We are interested in reaching more students,” said administrator Abigail Reid, “and would like people to feel that Waldorf education is available to them if they’re really interested in being here”...
Currently, the school has about 160 students ... Looking ahead to the 2020-2021 school year, Reid said the school would be thrilled to add about 15 to 20 more students, of all ages...
Starting in 2020, Waldorf Schools have done away with budget caps and eliminated the old tuition assistance process.
A major part of the Within Reach program at the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs is sliding scale tuition model, which combines an unbiased algorithm with each family’s financial situation to determine an equitable and realistic cost of education...
The Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs...is a private, pre-K through 12 school...originally founded in 1981....
[6/1/2020 https://www.saratogian.com/news/local-news/waldorf-school-tuition-model-within-reach/article_14c4df72-62f9-11ea-9692-af03dabbd25e.html This article originally appeared on May 31.]
3.
Waldorf schools are generally staffed and run by Anthroposophists. Positions can often be filled by sending out feelers through Anthroposophical/Waldorf networks. However, Waldorf "help wanted" announcements are sometimes posted in the wider world, and non-Anthroposophists are sometimes hired (there are often insufficient numbers of Anthroposophists to fill all the open slots at these schools). Here is an announcement of an opening at a Waldorf or Steiner school in Northern Ireland.
From The Belfast Telegraph:
Holywood Steiner School
Holywood Steiner School is inviting applications from an outstanding, innovative and creative Headteacher to lead the school through a period of development and change. The Headteacher will be required to start in August/September 2020. This is a full time, temporary (three years) position with the possibility of a permanent contract at the end of this period.
The preference for Anthroposophists to teach at Waldorf schools has been made plain over the years. Thus, statements such as the following have been made:
◊ "As Waldorf teachers, we must be true anthroposophists in the deepest sense of the word.” — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 118.
◊ "Waldorf teachers must be anthroposophists first and teachers second." — Waldorf teacher Gilbert Childs, STEINER EDUCATION IN THEORY AND PRACTICE (Floris Books, 1991), p. 166.