ADDENDUM:

SAMPLES

Here is a typical prayer used by Anthroposophists:

O, Powers in the spiritual world,

Let me be outside my body,

Let me be knowing in the world of light,

So that I may observe my own light body.*

And let the power of Ahrimanic forces**

Be not too strong over me.

Let them not make it impossible for me

To behold what passes in my light body.

— Rudolf Steiner, START NOW! 

(SteinerBooks, 2004), p. 179.

While some Anthroposophical prayers address God, many — like this one — are openly polytheistic and contain clear references to Anthroposophical tenets.

* The light body is our true form, revealed after death. [Rudolf Steiner, AT HOME IN THE UNIVERSE (Anthroposophic Press, 2000), p. 116.]

** Ahriman is a devil, the supreme intellectual power. (Intellect: bad.)  [Rudolf Steiner, NATURE SPIRITS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1995), p. 167.]

Here is a typical contemplative exercise used by Anthroposophists:

Contemplate: How the point becomes a sphere, yet remains itself.

Once you have grasped how the infinite sphere is still a point, return, 

for then you will see how the infinite can appear in the finite. 

— START NOW!, p. 167.

Steiner credited geometry with making the invisible, ideal universe recognizable to the human mind. Note, however, how this exercise violates geometry. A geometric point has no dimension. It is not a sphere, nor is a sphere (which has dimensions) a point. Perhaps the infinite can appear in the finite (this is often expressed as finding the universe in a grain of sand), but this exercise does not lead the mind to a sensible apprehension of this possibility. Rather, it is an affirmation of contradiction.

Here is a typical meditation used by Anthroposophists:

Light from the depths of spirit,

Like the sun, streams outward,

Becoming force of will for living,

Illuminating senses' dimness

To set free energies,

Which ripen, out of inner drives,

Creative powers in human deeds.

— Rudolf Steiner, 

THE ILLUSTRATED CALENDAR OF THE SOUL 

(Temple House Publishing, 2004), 

meditation 31.

Many Anthroposophical meditations emphasize the inner realm — subjectivity, inner light (clairvoyance), inner energies, inner drives. Despite Anthroposophical denials, this is the rejection of true light — reason, science, objectivity. Our senses are not so very dim; and our minds (intellects: bad) are not so very bad. But full-bore, wishful subjectivity produces darkness, not light.

Here is a "mantram" used by Anthroposophists:

Spirits of your souls, guardian guides,

On your wings let there be borne

The prayer of love from our souls

To those whom you guard here on earth.

Thus, united with your might,

A ray of help our prayer shall be

For the souls it seeks out there in love.

— Rudolf Steiner, 

THE DESTINIES OF INDIVIDUALS AND OF NATIONS,

(Rudolf Steiner Press, 1987), p. 66.

Steiner professed a peaceful and loving universal vision, yet he was an ardent German nationalist. This and other "mantrams" were recited at the beginning and end of lectures Steiner delivered during World War I. They seek protection for the Kaiser's troops: 

"Once again, let us first of all direct our thoughts to those who are out there at the front, in the arena of present-day events, where they have to stand for what the times demand of them." — Ibid., p. 66. 

Well, plenty of people are patriotic. Steiner was. He was a man of his time and place, that's all. In any event, it is interesting to see him incorporating prayers (sorry, "mantrams") in his public events.

For more on Anthroposophical

spiritual exercises, see 

"Knowing the Worlds".

For an inquiry into the sort of thinking

needed to "do" Anthroposophy,

see "Fooling".

For background on clairvoyance 

and other "psychic phenomena"

see "Clairvoyance".

For more on the spiritual hierarchies,

see "Polytheism".

For a look at a controversy that has arisen

because of unconventional 

"doing" of Anthroposophy,

see "JvH".

For more on Waldorf messianism,

see "Can't We All Just Get Along?"

For more about mantras, 

prayers, and meditations,

see "Power Words".

Here is an item from the Waldorf Watch News:

This is one of the mystical triptychs in the Anthroposophical headquarters building,

the Goetheanum — which is, in effect, a cathedral. [See "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?"]

True-blue Waldorf schools, which base their work on the doctrines of Anthroposophy, 

are effectively churches largely staffed by teachers who think of themselves as priests. 

[See "Schools as Churches".]

[R. R. copy.]

◊

"What Is Waldorf Education?

“When I started looking into definitions and descriptions of Waldorf education, more than fifteen years ago, I believed it would be easy to find, say, a pithy paragraph in Rudolf Steiner’s work that would begin, 'Waldorf education is…' But such a paragraph doesn’t exist. So I looked at the work of Henry Barnes, Jeffrey Kane, Eugene Schwartz, Steve Talbott, Douglas Sloan, and other very smart writers and thinkers about Waldorf education. All of them had lots of good things to say, but none had a synopsis that could fuel the elevator speech or the dinner table introduction.” 

[10-25-2011 http://ssagarin.blogspot.com/2011/10/elevator-speech-what-is-waldorf.html] [1] 

◊

Response:

Finding such a definition can indeed be difficult. The main reason is that Waldorf education is based on Anthroposophy, which is a system of occult spiritual "knowledge." The key Anthroposophical text is Rudolf Steiner’s AN OUTLINE OF OCCULT SCIENCE. By “occult,” Steiner meant hidden or secret. So, Waldorf education is based on secret knowledge that the uninitiated are not supposed to have. This makes things difficult. 

But here are a few pointers, provided by Waldorf teachers and by Steiner himself. You might note that, according to these sources (who presumably are privy to secret, inside knowledge), Waldorf education does not primarily concern itself with conveying real-world information to students. Instead, the purpose is to assist the gods in helping children to incarnate, fulfill their karmas, and blossom as spiritual beings. Waldorf class sessions are, in effect, forms of divine service. 

◊ “According to Steiner, the human being is composed of various 'members' or 'bodies' ... The first member of the human being is the physical body ... Steiner called the second member of the human being the etheric body. He also named this [invisible] body the life body or body of formative forces ... [T]he third member of the human being is the 'astral' body. This [invisible] body is also called the 'sentient body,' for it allows us to perceive sensations ... [W]e also have [a highest, invisible] body — the I — which...allows us to be conscious of ourselves ... Waldorf education is based upon the recognition that the four bodies of the human being develop and mature at different times.” — Waldorf teacher Roberto Trostli, RHYTHMS OF LEARNING: What Waldorf Education Offers Children, Parents, and Teachers (SteinerBooks, 2017), pp. 2-5. [2] 

◊ "From the spiritual world the human being comes into earthly incarnation with certain tendencies, potentialities and ambitions, acquired as a result of experiences in previous existences [3] ... [T]he purpose of [Waldorf] education is to help the individual fulfill his karma. The teacher is an intermediary and his task is to guide the incarnating individualities [i.e., children] into the physical world and equip them for earthly existence, bearing in mind what they bring with them from the past and what they are likely to take with them into the future.” — Waldorf teacher Roy Wilkinson, THE SPIRITUAL BASIS OF STEINER EDUCATION (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1996), p. 52. [4] 

◊ "We [Waldorf teachers] want to be aware that physical existence is a continuation of the spiritual, and that what we have to do in education is a continuation of what higher beings [the gods] have done without our assistance. Our form of educating can have the correct attitude only when we are aware that our work with young people is a continuation of what higher beings have done before birth." — Rudolf Steiner, THE FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 37. [5] 

◊ "[W]e feel direct contact with the spiritual world, which is incarnating and unfolding before our very eyes, right here in the sensory world. Such an experience provides a sense of responsibility toward one’s tasks as a teacher, and with the necessary care, the art of education attains the quality of a religious service. Then, amid all our practical tasks, we feel that the gods themselves have sent the human being into this earthly existence, and they have entrusted the child to us for education. With the incarnating child, the gods have given us enigmas that inspire the most beautiful divine service." — Rudolf Steiner, WALDORF EDUCATION AND ANTHROPOSOPHY, Vol. 2 (Anthroposophic Press, 1997), p. 161. [6]

◊

Footnotes for this Item:

[1] Here's one pithy answer: "It's anthroposophical education. Anthroposophy is Rudolf Steiner's esoteric religion."  [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/21851]

[2] See “Incarnation”. The Waldorf curriculum is geared to the arrival of these bodies. [See "Most Significant".]

[3] See “Karma”. The doctrine of karma is tied to belief in reincarnation. Waldorf teachers believe that children had many lives before their current incarnations on Earth, and they will have many more lives to come.

[4] How can Waldorf teachers know what children had in their past lives and what they will carry into their future lives? By using “occult science” or “spiritual science” — i.e., “exact” clairvoyance. [See “Exactly” and “The Waldorf Teacher’s Consciousness”.]

[5] The Waldorf belief system is polytheistic. [See “Polytheism”.] Waldorf teachers seek to serve the gods. 

“Among the faculty, we must certainly carry within us the knowledge that...we are actually carrying out the intentions of the gods....”  — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 55.

[6] Waldorf schools are, in effect, Anthroposophic churches, and the faculty are the priests. 

"The position of teacher becomes a kind of priestly office....” — Rudolf Steiner, THE ESSENTIALS OF EDUCATION (Anthroposophic Press, 1997), p. 23. 

This is why, for instance, each day at a Waldorf school typically begins with prayers recited in unison by teachers and students. [See “Prayers”.]

Much artwork done by Waldorf students is talismanic,

reflecting natural forms into which Anthroposophy

reads occult significance.

(The students are usually not told any of this explicitly,

but they are led silently toward the occult.)

[Courtesy of  People for Legal and Nonsectarian Schools.]

Here is a contribution I made to an online discussion in October, 2011.

(I have renumbered the endnotes for use here.)

[http://zooey.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/kingdom-of-childhood-novel/#comment-12418]

Hi, all. 

At a surface level, the chief problem with Waldorf schools (IMO) is that they so often lie about their intentions, which boil down to promoting Anthroposophy (the occult religion cobbled together by Rudolf Steiner).  

At a deeper level, the chief problem with Waldorf schools (IMO) consists of those very intentions. People who like Waldorf schools often argue that when things go wrong in these schools, it is because Steiner's intentions have been violated. Actually, things most often go wrong in Waldorf schools when Steiner's intentions are honored. 

Here is Steiner explaining to Waldorf teachers what their mission is:  

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

Since Anthroposophists believe that their doctrines are the Truth underlying all other knowledge, they think that the presence of Anthroposophy will be “justified” at virtually every point in every subject studied. They may be circumspect about it, bringing their beliefs into the classroom subtly, covertly, but they bring them. 

Not all Waldorf teachers are deeply committed, uncompromising Anthroposophists, but Steiner said they should  be: 

“As teachers in the Waldorf School, you will need to find your way more deeply into the insight of the spirit and to find a way of putting all compromises aside ... As Waldorf teachers, we must be true anthroposophists in the deepest sense of the word in our innermost feeling.” [2] 

Indeed, one of the most important facts about Waldorf schools is that they are meant to spread Anthroposophy: 

“One of the most important facts about the background of the Waldorf School is that we were in a position to make the anthroposophical movement a relatively large one. The anthroposophical movement has become a large one.” [3] 

Waldorf education is meant to usher students toward true spiritual life, which is inherently Anthroposophical: 

“As far as our school is concerned, the actual spiritual life can be present only because its staff consists of anthroposophists.” [4] 

Waldorf teachers serve as priests in a religion that recognizes many spiritual powers or gods (plural: Anthroposophy is polytheistic). The goal of Waldorf schooling is not so much to educate children as to save humanity by leading it to Anthroposophy. Waldorf teachers consider themselves to be on a holy mission: 

◊ "The position of teacher becomes a kind of priestly office, a ritual performed at the altar of universal human life." [5] 

◊ “We can accomplish our work only if we do not see it as simply a matter of intellect or feeling, but, in the highest sense, as a moral spiritual task. Therefore, you will understand why, as we begin this work today, we first reflect on the connection we wish to create from the very beginning between our activity and the spiritual worlds ... Thus, we wish to begin our preparation by first reflecting upon how we connect with the spiritual powers in whose service and in whose name each one of us must work.” [6] 

◊ “Among the faculty, we must certainly carry within us the knowledge that we are not here for our own sakes, but to carry out the divine cosmic plan. We should always remember that when we do something, we are actually carrying out the intentions of the gods, that we are, in a certain sense, the means by which that streaming down from above will go out into the world.” [7] 

In sum, the goals of Waldorf schooling are inseparable from the goals of Anthroposophy, although Waldorf teachers generally deny this, for fear of a public backlash: 

“[W]e have to remember that an institution like the Independent Waldorf School with its anthroposophical character, has goals that, of course, coincide with anthroposophical desires. At the moment, though, if that connection were made official, people would break the Waldorf School’s neck." [8] 

What is Anthroposophy? It is a religion: 

"[T]he Anthroposophical Society...provides religious instruction just as other religious groups do." [9] 

And so: 

"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." [10] 

Hence Steiner was able to say the following to Waldorf students: 

“[D]o you know where your teachers get all the strength and ability they need so that they can teach you to grow up to be good and capable people? They get it from the Christ.” [11] 

Take care when Steiner and his followers refer to "Christ." They do not mean the Son of God worshipped in regular Christian churches; they mean the Sun God. [See "Sun God".]

The key point here (IMO) is to recognize Steiner's admission that true-blue Waldorf teachers are true believers; they believe they receive their authority from a god. Their work as Waldorf teachers is religious. Even when encouraging their students to love beauty, their purpose is fundamentally religious. 

“We must, in our lessons, see to it that the children experience the beautiful, artistic, and aesthetic conception of the world; and their ideas and mental pictures should be permeated by a religious/moral feeling." [12] 

You may like the idea that Waldorf schools are devoted to “a religious/moral feeling,” but you need to recognize what religion Steiner was talking about. Waldorf schools exist to promote a specific, cultish, occult religion: Anthroposophy. [See "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?"] Unless you are comfortable with the theology of Anthroposophy, you cannot ultimately be comfortable with Waldorf schooling.  

One final point: Anthroposophy and, by extension, Waldorf education hinge on clairvoyance. Virtually all of Steiner's' teachings come out of his claimed clairvoyance, and Waldorf teachers endeavor to develop and use clairvoyance in their own work. The problem in this is that clairvoyance is a delusion — it does not exist. [See "Clairvoyance".] Thus, many of the people who run Waldorf schools are working out of a worrisome delusion, which like all delusions is potentially very damaging. Waldorf students spend their days under the threat of an enormous delusion practiced by well-meaning but misguided teachers. (Not all Waldorf teachers fit this bill. I will reiterate that not all Waldorf teachers are devout Anthroposophists. But many are, and Steiner said they all should be.) 

“[W]e must work to develop this consciousness, the Waldorf teacher’s consciousness, if I may so express it. This is only possible, however, when in the field of education we come to an actual experience of the spiritual. Such an experience of the spiritual is difficult to attain for modern humanity. We must realize that we really need something quite specific, something that is hardly present anywhere else in the world, if we are to be capable of mastering the task of the Waldorf school ... [We need] what humanity has lost in this respect, has lost just in the last three or four centuries. It is this that we must find again.” [13] 

According to Steiner, modern, materialistic humanity, sunk deep in physical existence, has lost the innate awareness of spiritual reality that ancient peoples possessed. In part, this loss can be understood as the loss of natural clairvoyance. When we incarnate in the modern world, we are diminished and spiritually blinded. Steiner taught that if we are to realize our full human potential, we need to be healed of these afflictions. To a large degree, Steiner said, such healing is the true but forgotten objective of education: to heal humanity so that it again recognizes spiritual truths. This requires the fostering of a heartfelt, imaginative consciousness that leads back to clairvoyant awareness. Specifically, Steiner said, Waldorf teachers should aim to develop “exact” clairvoyance: 

“[E]xact clairvoyance unites what otherwise is taken purely intellectually with a view of what is spiritual or supersensible in human beings ... Now, if we are working as teachers — as artists in education — on human beings, we must enter into relation with their supersensible [i.e., supernatural], creative principle. For it is upon this principle that the teacher and educator works. External works of art can be created by fantasy and imagination. But, as an educator, one can be an artist only if one is able to enter into connection with the supersensible creative element, the supersensible that lives in the human being’s self. The anthroposophical method of research [clairvoyance] makes this possible and so provides the basis for an art of teaching and education.” [14] 

Steiner said that if a Waldorf teacher does not develop clairvoyance, s/he should at least follow the guidance of colleagues who are (or who claim to be) clairvoyant. Think of the intellectual and even spiritual blindness that can result. If Steiner’s intentions are honored, a Waldorf faculty will consist of deluded individuals leading others who choose to believe these deluded individuals. 

"Not every Waldorf teacher has the gift of clairvoyance, but every one of them has accepted wholeheartedly and with full understanding the results of spiritual-scientific investigation [i.e., clairvoyant Anthroposophical teachings] concerning the human being. And each Waldorf teacher applies this knowledge with heart and soul ... In educating the child, in the daily lessons, and in the daily social life at school, the teachers find the confirmation for what spiritual science can tell them about practical teaching. Every day they grow into their tasks with increasing inner clarity.” [15] 

So the commitment to Waldorf’s underlying delusion should grow daily. 

Clairvoyance is the linchpin of Waldorf education, which means (since clairvoyance is a delusion) that Waldorf education has no linchpin. Kids educated in a delusional system are clearly at great risk.

— Roger Rawlings 

◊

Footnotes for this Item:

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

[2] Ibid., p. 118. 

[3] Rudolf Steiner, RUDOLF STEINER IN THE WALDORF SCHOOL (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 156. 

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

[5] Rudolf Steiner, THE ESSENTIALS OF EDUCATION (Anthroposophic Press, 1997), p. 23. 

[6] Rudolf Steiner, THE FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 33. 

[7] FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, p. 55. 

[8] Ibid., p. 705. 

[9] Ibid., p. 706.

Elaborating on this point, Steiner said the following:  

“[T]his is how our free, nondenominational, religion lessons came about. These were given by our own teachers, just as the other religious lessons were given by ministers. The teachers were recognized by us as religious teachers in the Waldorf curriculum. Thus, anthroposophic religious lessons were introduced in our school. “ — Rudolf Steiner, SOUL ECONOMY AND WALDORF EDUCATION (SteinerBooks, 2003), p. 125. 

[10] Rudolf Steiner, THE CHILD's CHANGING CONSCIOUSNESS AS THE BASIS OF PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICE (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 94. 

[11] Rudolf Steiner, RUDOLF STEINER IN THE WALDORF SCHOOL (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 29.

[12] Rudolf Steiner, EDUCATION FOR ADOLESCENTS (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), pp. 77.

[13] Rudolf Steiner, DEEPER INSIGHTS INTO EDUCATION (Anthroposophical Press, 1983), p. 21.

[14] Rudolf Steiner, WALDORF EDUCATION AND ANTHROPOSOPHY, Vol. 1 (Anthroposophic Press, 1995), pp. 207.

[15] Rudolf Steiner, WALDORF EDUCATION AND ANTHROPOSOPHY, Vol. 2 (Anthroposophic Press, 1995), pp. 224-225.

AFTERWORD 2

DOING WALDORF RIGHT

The following is an item from 

the Waldorf Watch News.

It begins with a pro-Waldorf statement 

posted in an online discussion.

The statement is followed 

by commentary by yours truly:

“My husband is Swiss, and in Switzerland the gov. subsidizes Waldorf, there's one in every town,* it very prevalent, just one notch below mainstream. (As an aside, this is a country where religion is laughed at and almost extinct, and people don't think of Steiner as religious.) So, my knowledge about Waldorf en masse comes from there. But here in the U.S., even our good, relatively small public school system was a social and emotional disaster for my kids. My son's self-esteem, happiness, empathy, confidence, consideration for others, sense of responsibility, open mindedness has dramatically improved since we moved him. And that's what we hear from other parents at this school, and from our friends in Switzerland. I can't know what you or others have experienced. If it's way different than that, it sounds like the schools or teachers you've had experience with are not really ‘doing Waldorf right’ imo. I'd hate to see our Waldorf take the rap for that.”  

[5-16-2011  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/19051] 

◊

Response:

Is it possible to “do Waldorf right”? This is an intriguing question. To “do Waldorf right” as its founder, Rudolf Steiner, prescribed, all Waldorf teachers would be Anthroposophists, and they would aim to use Waldorf schools as vehicles for spreading Anthroposophy. They would work in the service of the “gods” — they would serve the religion created by Rudolf Steiner: Anthroposophy.

Here are a few indications, from Steiner, on doing Waldorf right: 

◊ “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.

◊ “Among the faculty, we must certainly carry within us the knowledge that we are not here for our own sakes, but to carry out the divine cosmic plan. We should always remember that when we do something, we are actually carrying out the intentions of the gods.” — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 55.

◊ "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.

◊ “One of the most important facts about the background of the Waldorf School is that we were in a position to make the anthroposophical movement a relatively large one. The anthroposophical movement has become a large one.” — Rudolf Steiner, RUDOLF STEINER IN THE WALDORF SCHOOL (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p.156.

◊ "[T]he Anthroposophical Society...provides religious instruction [for Waldorf students] just as other religious groups do." — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 706.

The “right way” to “do Waldorf," according to the founder of Waldorf schooling, is to faithfully adhere to Anthroposophy. But do you want your child to be educated by teachers who believe the bizarre doctrines of Anthroposophy? One quick example: Do you want your child to be educated by people who believe the following? 

"Whereas in the ancient Atlantean times [i.e., while we lived on Atlantis] these human beings descended to earth from Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, and the other planets...now a time is beginning when beings who are not human are coming down to earth from cosmic regions beyond ... Just as the Vulcan men were the last to come down to earth [during Atlantean times], so Vulcan beings are now actually entering this earth existence ... And it is thanks to the fact that these beings from beyond the earth are bringing messages down into this earthly existence that it is possible at all to have a comprehensive spiritual science [i.e., Anthroposophy] today.” — Rudolf Steiner, MATERIALISM AND THE TASK OF ANTHROPOSOPHY (SteinerBooks, 1987), p. 261. [For more, see "Steiner's Blunders", "Say What?", "Wise Words", and "Steiner Static". As you read, keep reminding yourself: Anthroposophists — including Waldorf faculty members — believe this wacko nonsense.]

OK. So the primary way to "do Waldorf right" is to faithfully adhere to, and diligently promote, Anthroposophical doctrines. There is, however, a secondary possibility. What if a Waldorf school were run by people who love many of the Waldorf methods (emphasis on arts and crafts, plenty of free time for play, the staging of colorful festivals, and so on) but who do not know much if anything about Anthroposophy? Wouldn’t such a school be fine and dandy? Wouldn't this be a way to "do Waldorf right"?

Possibly. Such a school would not be a real Waldorf school, as defined by Steiner himself, but if it were operated by loving, well-meaning individuals, a certain amount of good might be done there. But. (You knew another “but” was coming, didn’t you?) But pause a moment. Notice that the quotation with which we started (“My husband is Swiss...”) comes from a discussion about the classical “temperaments” ("How important are the Temperaments in Waldorf education?"). Alarm bells should start ringing. Loving, well-meaning teachers who know nothing about Rudolf Steiner but who believe that children can be separated into the four classical “temperaments” (phlegmatic, melancholic, sanguine, and choleric) are out of touch with reality. The four classical temperaments are an ancient concept discarded by science long ago. The concept lives on in very few places, primarily in Waldorf schools. [See "Humouresque" and "Temperaments".]

Waldorf schools, you see, are backward-looking. All their stress on art, crafts, and play is tied to a fundamental, anti-intellectual attitude. Waldorf schools oppose modern technology, modern science, modern knowledge. Good, loving, well-meaning non-Anthroposophists who use a backward-looking system that rejects reality cannot, in the end, truly help children. Whether Waldorf teachers are committed Anthroposophists or wholly innocent non-Anthroposophists, they cannot “do Waldorf right.” There is no way to "do Waldorf right." Why? Because Waldorf is wrong.

Some kids love Waldorf schools. (What’s not to like? Art, crafts, play, well-meaning teachers, minimal academic pressure...) Some families love Waldorf schools. But this is not the same as saying that Waldorf schools provide a good education or that they prepare children for fulfilling lives in the real world. In fact, Waldorf schools turn their backs on the real world. This retreat from reality can be pleasant and comforting, but it is not compatible with real education. [See, e.g., "Academic Standards at Waldorf", "Reality and Fantasy", "Spiritual Agenda", "Methods", "Steiner's Specific", "Serving the Gods", "Here's the Answer", and "Our Experience".]

If a "Waldorf school" were not really a Waldorf school — that is, if all of the backwardness were stripped out — then it might be a pretty good school. [See "Non-Waldorf Waldorfs".] But, to reiterate, such a school would not be a real Waldorf school. It would be a place where, by Waldorf standards, the teachers "do Waldorf wrong." And bear in mind, vigorous efforts are made in Waldorf teacher-training programs to make sure that all so-called "Waldorf schools" are real  Waldorf schools — that is, schools that honor Rudolf Steiner's intentions, schools that "do Waldorf" as he wanted Waldorf to be done. [See "Teacher Training".]

◊

* Actually, a recent tabulation shows that there are 35 Waldorf or Steiner schools in Switzerland. [See, e.g., "August, 2011".] The total number of Swiss towns is considerably larger than 35. Standard reference works indicate that, in April, 2011, there were well over 200 towns and cities in Switzerland, 119 of which had populations of 10,000 or more. Clearly, then, the great majority of Swiss towns do not have Waldorf schools.

Another item from the News:

Studying to become a Waldorf teacher is, in many ways, indistinguishable from studying to become an Anthroposophist. Waldorf teacher-training programs usually include extensive exposure to Rudolf Steiner's books and lectures. [See "Teacher Training".] Moreover, after a teacher joins a Waldorf faculty, s/he is usually encouraged or even required to undertake further spiritual/Anthroposophical studies. Essentially, these are religious studies, and the religion is Anthroposophy. True Waldorf schools — that is, schools where Rudolf Steiner's stated intentions are honored — are places of Anthroposophical worship. [See "Schools as Churches".]

Here are a few books that are currently available through such sources as Waldorf Books and the Rudolf Steiner College bookstore. They are intended for Waldorf teachers to use in their efforts at "inner" or spiritual self-development. All these books were published by the Waldorf Early Child Association of North America, as part of "The Little Series".

SPIRITUAL INSIGHTS.

[Waldorf Early Child Association of North America, 2004.]

"Helmut von Kugelgen has gathered together meditations, exercises, thoughts by Rudolf Steiner that are so powerfully alive that the book itself practically vibrates with the excitement of imminent discovery. It would be possible to work with this book for years without exhausting your interest or plumbing its full depths." — Bookstore at Rudolf Steiner College.

SEEKING THE SPIRIT.

[Waldorf Early Child Association of North America, 2010.]

"The Little Series is filled with potent 'seed-books,' books whose contents are such that the reading of them places drops of wisdom and love into the human heart. These drops are then shared through our lives with others who may know nothing of them, yet be fed by them nonetheless.

"Such a book is Seeking the Spirit, a compilation of meditations and exercises from Rudolf Steiner that is accompanied by readings and thoughts from the great spiritual works of the world. It is beautiful and glowing with love, a source of strength between two covers." — Waldorf Books.

WORKING WITH THE DEAD.

[Waldorf Early Child Association of North America, 2003.]

"Helmut von Kugelgen gathered these excerpts specifically with the work of the Waldorf teacher in mind. He included a personal letter to teachers, mothers, fathers and colleagues in the kindergarten by way of introducing the pedagogical intent of Working with the Dead." — Bookstore at Rudolf Steiner College.

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Waldorf student paintings.

[Courtesy of People for Legal and Nonsectarian Schools.]