Pops
Part 2
The following is another message from the same pop, "Walden"
[https://groups.io/g/waldorf-critics/message/32227]
Here’s a brief recap of my own experience if it helps. Way back when . . . I was a Waldorf dad with a growing interest in Anthroposophy. During those years old friends had concerns about me (and my kids!) falling into a “strange, esoteric community.” I became defensive and occasionally angry at their apparent lack of insight. My disdain for mainstream education, ”allopathic” medicine, etc. increased with each [Waldorf] community meeting. We were repeatedly told how lucky we were to have discovered (not by accident of course), Steiner’s indications. After a year or two of being there, at certain meetings, those of us who neared the inner circle were told that our children were drawn to the school from a pre-earthly existence. Lucky us.
Sure, there were many reasons to feel lucky — healthy vegetarian food, no Ahrimanic gadgets in the school, a “sense” of community, etc. but there were still lingering questions. The words “cult” or “cult-like feel” were used by old friends. Why did I feel angry when hearing honest appraisals from old friends? Why did I feel (drum roll . . . ) personally attacked? And why were so many Waldorf families leaving the “community” with unresolved problems?
I eventually discovered [the Waldorf Critics] forum and watched scornfully from a distance the “unenlightened materialists.” Culprit #1: [historian Peter] Staudenmaier! With time, however, my thoughts shifted and questions arose — taboo questions at first because the answers might feel painful. Oddly, my questions were deflected by my anthro-inspired peers. More time passed, more reading — and not only Peter’s work. I read Steiner, Blavatsky, and a host of more recent works. And the critics ... Frankly, I [now] share Peter’s frustration in attempting meaningful dialogue with Steiner supporters. Been there/done that too many times myself. I digress. So with time my views changed and I came to appreciate [participants at the Waldorf Critics list] Peter, Dan, Debra, et al. Then I started meeting many other ex-Waldorf families. Many stories of sadness and betrayal. Locally and around the planet. Gobsmacked doesn’t come close to describing the Awakening of Walden.
— Walden
Here are excerpts from letters written
by Karl Haas and Maura Swanson
to the governing body — the "college of teachers" —
at a Waldorf school:
We waited a few weeks after we received your letter, to try and compose a reasonable response. Your recent letter indicates that our son is not allowed to re-enroll and our daughter's enrollment is probational because there are unnamed people who have blamed us for doing something unspecific that somehow upset various individuals whose identities we are not allowed to know. Your letter came as a shock because up until Christine Leonard was put on a paid leave of absence, various committees consistently told us that they recognized how diligently we were following the correct communications protocol.
... Because you have given us only vague generalizations, we are unclear as to what exactly we have done wrong and can only speculate that your letter may be related to the many times Maura was wrongly accused of gossiping over the last few months.
... In late April, a Highland Hall teacher angrily asked Maura why she had spoken very negatively about the High School to a prospective parent. Karl, not Maura, actually spoke to the parent and told her the faculty is wonderful but Olivia left for social reasons.
... At the May 26th meeting, Fifth grade parents were asked what would they hope to see to prevent the current communication crisis from reoccurring. The main message Maura tried to convey, (which should be in the notes) was that there is an inordinate fear of parents talking to each other. Anyone who says even the slightest criticism, publicly or privately, no matter how constructive it may be, gets accused of being a disgruntled hysteric who lacks tact and discretion and only wants to destroy everything that is good about the school. After eleven years at Highland Hall, we continue to be grateful for those faculty and parents who embrace each problem not as if it is a judgement or a threat, but as a valuable opportunity for learning about ourselves and discovering our true purpose as a community.
... Your letter says that our communication has had "negative effects on other adults, including the former teacher..." We realize that the questions we asked were intense. When parents hear about a teacher handing out pills to control disruptive boys, difficult questions absolutely must be asked. If Christine's feelings got hurt in the process, unfortunately, it could not be avoided. In our March 25 letter, we thanked Christine for the apology she offered to the parents and we wrote, "In our struggle to protect Wesley, if we have harmed you, we also wish to sincerely apologize." The day after the April 22 meeting in which parents who were loyal to Christine shouted at the committee representatives, Maura privately apologized to a College member who had attended. He assured her the intensely volatile meeting was not a result of anything we had done.
... Your letter implies that the College is holding us to a standard that is not being applied to the parents who tried to start a boycott against attending school after Christine was removed. Have you sent any kind of warning to the parents who, at the April 22 meeting, screamed at Evaluation Committee members to stop lying? Parents hollered at us that if we didn't like the battered wife song Mrs. Leonard sang, we should leave the school. None of these parents are told that their children's enrollment will be revoked since many of them spent their Spring break organizing ways to interfere with the school's emergency plan for the class. A few of these same parents viciously gossiped about Jazmin Ferreccio's motives for teaching the class and thereby "back-stabbing Christine Leonard". Rather than jeopardizing their child's enrollment, it is astonishing that some of these same outspoken parents have been selected to help create guidelines for improving other parents' conduct.
As soon as Christine was abruptly removed from the class a climate of mistrust erupted. As much as we were relieved that you asked Christine to take a break, it was obvious to us that the request profoundly impacted everyone. There are no winners and there are no victims, including Christine Leonard. And yet, rather than the College realizing how we each played a part in this complicated decision, you are exclusively targeting us by putting our daughter's education at the mercy of how you (possibly inaccurately) may perceive our actions.
When Cathy Devries was our son's teacher, we used the exact same communications protocol that we followed this year. In Second grade, our concerns fortunately matched those of the majority of the Second grade parents. This year, we have been in the minority of many of those same parents. We are incredibly frustrated that despite our best efforts to be conscientious and fair during a brutally exhausting and confusing process, you see us as wanting to harm this community.
... We know many of you are deeply upset about the administration's sudden decision to remove our daughter from class, five days before school is over. We have heard that there will be a meeting of all concerned parents on Monday. Because we believe there are always at least two sides to every story, and we have no other way to publicly speak on our behalf, we would like to offer our take on what's happened. We absolutely have no expectation that this will change the decision. If, at the Monday meeting, you are told "It's very complicated — there are a lot of details about these parents that you don't know, but are too difficult to explain", please believe those are the same key details we don't know about either.
... From June 2003 to January 2004, we repeatedly asked for the school's help in addressing our mounting concerns with our Fifth grade son's teacher, Mrs. Leonard. After a long brutal process, we agreed with the school that our son should not stay in Mrs. Leonard's class, because there was only one other parent besides us that was willing to come forward and say that they felt she was doing inappropriate things to the children. Two days after we came to the conclusion that by Sixth grade we would find another school for our son, Mrs. Leonard decided to teach the children a song involving very graphic violence against women imagery. The College immediately put her on a paid leave of absence. The rest of the semester was filled with a lot of anguishing meetings with many of the parents crying and yelling at various members of the College, insisting Mrs. Leonard didn't deserve the way she was being treated. Ultimately, Mrs. Leonard could not resolve her issues with the College, and chose not to return. Less than a week after school ended, we got a letter from the College telling us that our son could not attend Highland Hall as punishment for our having violated their communications protocol. We were warned that if they perceived we were communicating inappropriately, our daughter would not be allowed to attend Highland Hall.
... Our family has invested in this school since 1994 — longer than many people on the board, the faculty and the administration. About three weeks ago, our daughter made a book that was all about Ms. Taylor, complete with illustrations. Ms. Taylor seemed so delighted that she showed it to many colleagues and asked to borrow it for the weekend. A month ago, we were profusely thanking Ms. Taylor for an outstanding evening presentation she gave to the parents. We felt genuinely connected to her and inspired and grateful for her many efforts, and she seemed sincerely touched by our enthusiastic response.
We simply do not know what has happened to change this relationship. We have called Ms. Taylor to ask for clarification, but have yet to have our phone call returned.
If an anonymous person can secretly accuse our family of doing something so terrible that it results in our innocent child being expelled, but we don't even know what specifically is being said, or who said it — then there is no way we can clear up any miscommunication.
... We came to this school because we believed that a Waldorf education was the best way to nurture our children. We are leaving shocked, and somewhat shattered, but still very grateful for all the wonderful friends we have met. It is profoundly sad to know our child is not entitled to properly say good-bye. She is worried that her friends will think she has done something really bad. It is hard to believe that we are not allowed to attend next week's graduation of so many children we've known since Kindergarten, nor may we participate in any future functions at a place where we spent so much energy building and contributing to the welfare of the school. What we couldn't always give in cash, we always gave in sweat equity and we got to know many wonderful people in the process. Our oldest daughter, Olivia, went from Kindergarten through Eighth grade here. Just last week, Mrs. Edwards was trying to help her find summer employment. Olivia loved attending the plays, concerts, fairs and assemblies and helped decorate for the Father-Daughter dance, even though she is not enrolled here. She has been looking forward to being in the audience when her friends and former classmates will graduate next year. Now she can't step foot on campus ever again and cannot understand how this could happen. We have never heard of a community, other than perhaps extreme fundamentalists, who would abruptly excommunicate an entire family based on unsubstantiated hearsay.
[To see these letters in their entirety, go to http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/2010_10_01_archive.html To consider whether the situation discussed in these letters is part of a larger pattern, see, e.g., "Extremity", "Waldorf Scandal", "Slaps", "Ex-Teacher 2", "Ex-Teacher 5", "Ex-Teacher 6", "Ex-Teacher 7", "Report Card", and the pages listed below.]
The following is from the website
The Unorthodox Dad:
On a beautiful sunny Saturday, Tara and I took [our daughter] Theory to go see the Marin Waldorf School. We are interested in having Theory spend a few hours, maybe 2 days a week, in a classroom setting. We’d like her to have more opportunity to socialize with children her age and grow comfortable being separated from us.
We heard that Waldorf was a warm and comforting environment, nurturing children in a developmentally appropriate way that celebrates play, imagination, and the natural world. Before going, we visited the website. Awaken the Joy of Learning it states.
“We nurture students’ blossoming intellectual abilities while continuing to foster their imaginations. All subjects — mathematics, science and social studies, second languages (both Spanish and German), woodwork, and sports are taught imaginatively and artistically, so that what is learned becomes a living part of each child and builds in him or her an inspired approach to life-long learning.” What more could we want for Theory.
The school tour was pleasant. Simple natural toys in the classroom that encourage creativity and which avoid the phalates that everyone worries about.
One of the key reasons why Tara and I moved to Marin was because of the incredible public schools. Several are Blue Ribbon schools. In my mind, there is a combination of elements that makes the idea of sending my children to these schools infinitely better than sending them to a private school.
I have this fantasy of them being in a truly nurturing and invigorating scholastic environment as well as receiving a degree of socialization that would prepare them to excel in the real world.
I figured that Marin, filled with affluent and progressive folks, would have a student body that challenged our children. I also figured that the IT orientation of the Bay would also mean that there would be a certain appreciation of the geek factor.
Plus we were escaping from the competitive insanity and money-based culture in NYC portrayed in Nursery University. So we were excited to see that there were a number of alternative types of preschools. Folks raved about Waldorf schools in the area such as Marin Waldorf, the Mountain School, and the Greenwood School.
So after our tour, Tara and Theory enrolled in a transitional class together. All good, right.
The other day, Tara mentioned to me that they did a blessing each day. Thanking the Sun, etc. Here are the exact words:
Blessings on the blossoms
Blessings on the fruit
Blessings on the leaves and stems and blessings on the root
And may peace be on the earth.
I found this to be mildly disturbing. I don’t like blessings, which are in my mind parallels to prayers. They connote that you should be thankful in a morally bound way. They are not recognition that that the sun plays a role in our lives, it is “thanking the sun” for feeding us in effect — assign agency to the sun. Still, I could get past that with the argument that this is metaphorical. But then I started to poke around, and did not like what I found.
In my opinion, the single best article on Waldorf was written by Todd Oppenheimer for the Atlantic Monthly. I was particularly interested on the section Covert Spiritually, where Dan Dugan sued a public school district for incorporating Waldorf philosophies into the school. Dugan created an organization, People for Legal and Non-Sectarian Schools, to create a secular curriculum.
Waldorf’s roots are steeped in the teaching of Rudolph Steiner, a Christian-based mystic who believed in reincarnation, clairvoyance, Atlantis, and forest gnomes. And I am not being metaphorical here. His belief system, known as Anthroposophy, is not some vestige of the path. It is not part of the curriculum yet it is the heart of the Steiner pedagogy and epistemology. The ideas leech to the students because it is the world view of the teachers.
This all came to a surprise to me because nothing of this philosophy was mentioned at the parent tour. Indeed, the school was distinctly positioned as secular.
I called one of the schools and asked to what degree does the Anthroposophy infiltrate the curriculum? Honestly, I feel like I cannot get a straight answer other then vague reassurances that the school is not religious. I asked about the nature of the training that Waldorf teachers receive and the extent to which the mystical ideas of Steiner. Evasive answers.
Now I am getting really angry. The LAST thing I want is my child to start having magical thoughts. Even more infuriating than this was the idea that a group of people with a hidden agenda would make it their life mission to inculcate young minds with their world view, knowingly against the wishes of the parent, by keeping it under the table.
The next day, I was speaking casually about the issue to a co-worker who, as it turns out, attended a Waldorf school from K to 12. Now my coworker is a strong strategic and critical thinker and does not have any confusion about the objective material world and the existence of gnomes. But she did confirm my worst fears. The teachings of Anthroposophy are core to the curriculum in any Waldorf school. The teachers do believe, literally. Even worse, she described how the schools discourage any kind of dissent and promote conformist thinking in line with Anthroposophy. A quite comfortable straight jacket for the mind. I am not interested in thrusting academics on my child at early age but the Steiner beliefs about the correct age for reading are not grounded in child developmental psychology – they are based on some personal intuition, as the refusal to allow anything but crayons for drawing before the first grade or the refusal to allow the use of black-colored crayons.
The more I looked around the more I found. Articles by former Waldorf students warning parents. Articles by secular parents. Strings on the Berkeley Parents Network
I checked out the curriculum that Waldorf Teachers learn at the Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training .
I went back and looked at the school websites. Suddenly I realize that what I took for innocuous dolls I now see forest gnomes i was warned about.
On one discussion board, an anxious parent asks, what role do gnomes play and do Waldorf teachers really believe in their existence. Here was an adherent’s response:
“I don’t devote any energy to defining myself by what I do or don’t 'believe' in. It’s just not in my nature, a kind of 'I don’t get it' thing. What’s the big deal? Do I believe in gnomes? Ghosts? Visitors from other planets? WHY should I believe in them or not do so? What difference does it make? So I don’t either way.”
These are the kinds of double-talk that makes me so suspicious.
Re-reading the website, I now understand the quotes below with new eyes:
“The kindergarten is based on three fundamentals; goodness, truth and beauty. My job is to recognize and honor these qualities in each child so that they can come into the world and express themselves in a healthy way. Johanna Rader, Kindergarten”
and
“A human being is so much more than the knowledge contained within. A human being is composed of thoughts, feelings, deeds, spirit and soul, and what we do at Marin Waldorf speaks to all of those things. Adam Bashears, 4th grade teacher”
What really kills me is the effort that these schools go to at downplaying their true beliefs and intentions to incoming parents. It is so deceitful and undermining of a parents authority. How dare they decide what is best for my child.
So Waldorf is ultimately out. The question is, can Theory benefit with the immediate experience? I am more comfortable where Tara is supervising but I don’t think I could allow Theory to be there alone.
Is it so much to ask for a school that is totally secular? That nurtures children? Stresses use of creative thinking and the imagination? Builds confidence and basic social skills? That fosters an appreciation for the natural world. That encouraged individuality and critical thinking?
What would the closest thing be to a truly secular version of Waldorf? I would guess that Emmilio Reggio would be the pedagogical orientation that is most in line with our belief that developmentally, kids should be building confidence and exercising their imaginations and reasoning skills, not “learning” anything in particular.
Unfortunately, there are few Reggio schools in the area. One is a true Italian immersion school. I have nothing against Italian but it is certainly not most important to me. The second, Stretch the Imagination, we also like. Theory has taken classes there which I have attended. But it is lacking in that nature surrounding the property is limited. I love how there is a garden at the Waldorf schools and how kids are out in nature everyday.
Another alternative seems to be the Fire Engine School, which we will be checking out soon.
What’s clear is this – parents are hungry for the same thing, a nurturing low-pressure space for their children to grow intellectually, creatively, socially, and physically. Not sure why that is so hard to find.
The following note from someone
describing himself (herself?)
as a former Waldorf student appears
after the report you just read:
Not only did I attend Waldorf for the entirety of my pre-university years, but I am also the offspring of two individuals who both hold advanced degrees in education, and who in many ways built and subsequently shattered their own relationship based the teachings of R. Steiner. While I am far from an authority on the matter (and who I am today is more defined by the imprints of an unforgivably tumultuous upbringing) Waldorf is inextricably intertwined with my life. My years of exposure have afforded me an insiders glimpse into their eccentric universe and an opportunity to examine it from multiple angles.
At it’s best Waldorf provides a nurturing, warm, and imaginatively rich environment that cultivates lifelong curiosity. It pushes boundaries and establishes a world view that is both open and experimental. It teaches to the whole individual – balancing the development of left and right-brain capabilities. It encourages students to explore. To collaborate. To create. To be limitless in their pursuits. Pay a visit to any Waldorf website and you will quickly see the rather impressive litany of subjects a child will study. During my years at Waldorf, the required curriculum wove seamlessly between dance and bio-chemistry, from Latin to metal-smithing. It truly can be a veritable feast for anyone who enjoys intellectual stimulation.
Waldorf does in-fact claim to be non–secretrian, but it undoubtedly has an almost paganistic tie to nature and an unabashed belief in existence of spiritual creatures and forest dwellers. The links to Christine doctrine (from the Advent Circle, to the celebration of Michaelmas) are iron clad. In the grand-scheme of things, this is the most innocuous part of Waldorf. Even as a staunch atheist I can appreciate the role of ritual and the occasional flight of fancy.
When you dig deeper is where things starts to get ugly: The waldorfian desire to support each child and help them “fulfill their own destiny” is how they justify their refusal to break from established guidelines for academic, emotional, and physical growth. The pedagogy puts blinders on. It does not teach to a child’s individual aptitude and development, but instead follows a rigid system of pre-defined points. Moments when a child’s “sprit” is ready to be grounded by certain knowledge-types. From the second a child enters the system, until the moment they leave, everything within the curriculum is bounded by these rules. This is less of an issue once an individual has reached a stage when they are capable of making their own choices, but it can put hurdles in place that make it unnecessarily challenging for a product of waldorf to assimilate. It also flies in the face of allowing a child to progress at a pace that is innate to them as an individual. Yes, block crayons eventually evolve to stick crayons…to colored pencil… to quill… to fountain pen. But so to are there restrictions on when and how a child learns everything from the alphabet, to reading, writing, and math.
What I find truly unforgivable is the indisputable fact that those who sink into the depths of waldorfianism and the teachings of anthroposophy are utterly incapable of engaging in the “real” world. A few schools even embrace this: claiming that it is a misnomer to assume making a child fit into society is a worthy pursuit. I have witnessed these people become so sucked-in that they cannot distinguish the world as Steiner proposes it from the world as it actually exists. They choose to dwell in the land of the ethereal – to navigate life purely trough the theoretical. They entirely lack the ability to act. To actually do anything to proactively alter their trajectory in this world is practically unfathomable. Perhaps the greatest sin of Waldorf is that many of these deep-rooted individuals end up as teachers – people for whom Waldorf is not just an educational system, but a way of life. Some of them are brilliant thinkers, but they can’t help but impart their world view onto the children they teach. A serious hindrance to any child (or parent) who has a desire to excel.
At the end of the day I believe it is up to the individual and the parent to make use of the tools provided to them by any pedagogical system. But, if you choose Waldorf, go in with your eyes wide open: be cognizant of what it offers and guard yourself against its shortfalls.
The following is from the Waldorf Watch News.
"The Waldorf school in Sarasota [Florida, USA] was quick to take my money but left my kid unprepared academically and unable to fit in to any other school in the area.
"My kid's self esteem was damaged at the next school because he was so far behind academically. The Sarasota Waldorf school was no help at all.
"My only option was to hire a tutor which was very expensive because the new school was so concerned at how far behind he was.
"After making some calls, I found that there are other families who have had the same experience with this school and are very unhappy too. It is important to know what you are getting into when you enroll with this crowd." [10-15-2011 http://www.ripoffreport.com/private-schools/sarasota-waldorf-sch/sarasota-waldorf-school-took-ed381.htm]
Some people sing Waldorf's praises. You may want to listen to them. You may also want to consider reports from parents who have a different perspective. [See, e.g., "Moms", "Pops", and "Our Experience".]
For reports from other former Waldorf parents, see, e.g.,
and
To look at discussions held by parents — especially mothers —
who sent their children to Waldorf schools, or who chose not to,
or who are considering doing so now, see
"Moms"
For other cautionary tales and words of advice,
see, e.g.,
"Clues"
"Secrets"
"Slaps"
"Nuts"
