Steiner school / Scotland

[suzun]

I know there are lots of threads on this subject already but just wondered if anyone elses children have been ruined by the steiner education.

My dd has been bullied for the last 4yrs and have only just realised from threads on here about the Anthroposothy side. Yes i know after 4yrs.

DD was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome but now we have been told by the clinical psych that he believes she was wrongly diagnosed in the beginning and it was a result of constant bullying that was not dealt with.
She was bullied on a daily basis and there are also child protection issues which i wont go into.

She is now home educated and is almost a different child although will take some time to recover.

I really am furious and hoping to get a report from the psych to send to the school and also the HMIE are due to inspect soon and i want them to also have a copy.

There are so many thing that the school should be answerable to but you never get a straight answer.

My son is 8 and has had 5 teachers in the space of a year.I really want out of the school but my boys want to stay.
I'm sure it is because they know nothing else.

We are ostricised by my dds old teacher and really feel outside of the 'community'lol.

Both my boys will be so behind accademically that they will really struggle in a mainstream school and also they are not used to full days either.

A friend of mine was given 8,000 pounds by a uk steiner school to keep quiet about the bullying of his child by a steiner teacher.

There was a recent class trip and on the last night the boys and girls were allowed to stay in the same tent. These were 13/14 and 15yr olds :0

There are so many shocking things that i want to blurt out but have to be careful.

I find the teachers well most of them very odd and it seems to be the norm to swap partners there too.I'm not joking either .

We have just recieved a letter asking for a full years fees upfront by end of July. Has anyone had this type of thing happen.

Bws

s

[northernrefugee39]

Hi Suzan, I totally sympathise with this situaion, and have seen similar ones at Steiner schools before.
I'm so glad your daughter is recovering now she's left.
Our three children were at Steiner school for two/three years. There was horrendous bullying, some to our children and alot to others. It was physical and emotional. The teachers ignored it, as anthrposophically it's a past life situation which needs to be played out.
To deal with difficult behaviour in the classroom the children told us that two large male teachers were often brought in to physically drag the children out; one boy allegedly was dragged accross the room by his neck
Steiner schools seem to get away with things which in a normal situation would be called assault.
Health and safety was a big issue too; they don't worry too much, because guardian angels are watching the children; if an accident happens, it's karma.

The school asking you for money does not surprise me one bit- they are disorganised wit paperwork on almost every issue, swet, bumbling and spiritual; but when it comes to asking for money, they turn into aggressive machines! I'm not sure wher you stand legally, (you may have signed something which promised to pay at sme point) but i would certainly look into this; particularly since your daughter suffered at their hands.

I've just finished writing an article of sorts about our experience, which I'm sending to a couple of journalists who were interested, and some websites.
It's focus is on the secrecy and deception about recruiting parents to seiner schools and not being up front about anthroposohy,the racial beliefs it's hinged on, and the appalling teaching and bullying.
Sound familiar?

[northernrefugee39]

The swapping parteners, there was alot of that in the place where we were. What's that about I wonder? Steiner was quite quiet about sex.
I reckon it's boredom, and selfishness; these people are some o the most self interested, least interested in anyone, anything, but their own spiritual path.... and gratification too. ..... they're very unemotional peole too i found, no laughter, tears or joy....very contained and "held".. Eugh! Like having sex with a plank I should think....

[barking]

Hi Suzan and Northern

The hardest part is making the decision, they will lead you to believe the modern outside world is not to be trusted, only feared. I so wanted it to work at the time (before I had access to the internet).

Its all about control. I feel so angry on your behalf, I would ask for your £8000 silence money and run as far away from the buggers as possible.

The central theme of anthoposophy underpins everything, steiner's idea of karma and reincarnation is incredibly disempowering to both child and parent, I believe you can take responsibility and make your own fate. Nature is free, you don't have to subscribe to a cult community to be part of it.

We left, but we are still living in a steiner community, can you imagine the passive aggressive hell we're in, they can't even feel sorry for us for being ignorant, we are their worst nightmare as we know what lurks behind the smiles, silk scarves and rounded corners. We hope to leave soon, but until then I must be good and quiet and work out my karma on mumsnet

I have a couple of friends who work high up in mental health and these schools are famous, having a high concentration of fragile adults who weren't parented very well themselves and very angry and vunerable children.

Ah yes partner swapping,,,it must be that they are terrified of being intimate with anyone outside of the community. At least they don't have to go through all the agro of persuading the other half to adopt their new alternative lifestyle....all common in a cult environment.

[northernrefugee39]

Hi Barking..

suzun, this discussion was stopped and i was banned ooh wonder who threatened them with legal action?
but it might interest you- the things mamauk says, mirroring our experiences...
The Green Parent BANNED discussion

And it was such a good discussion, brought in more interest in those threads than they'd had ever virtually...

[suzun]

Thank you for you messages of support.
From what i have read and heard from lots of others about steiner education is horrendous to say the least.

I wish i had never stepped foot inside the school but truly believe Anthroposophy is hidden from the parents.

When people go to look at these schools all they see is sweet smiling teachers but there is a lot hidden behind those sweet smiles.

Northernrefugee i can relate to what you have been through with your children because i read your story on another thread.

I hope your childern are ok and recovering.

This person that STALKS you obviously dosen't like the truth but all what you have said i can totally understand.

You are telling the truth and these school can be very damaging to children.

It has taken us a lot of time to see behind those smiles but when we take my two boys out of the school we will tell our story.

My husband is a journalist and if we can help you in any way then we will.

People need to know what these schools are about and how the anthros are damaging our children.

I say spread the word and let people know.

Bws to you all on here

s xx

[northernrefugee39]

Hi again Suzun. This thread here confirms for me all I had suspected about hiding anthroposophy from parents read karatecat and Lyehemian's posts particularly they both trained as Steiner teachers.

There was thread herewhere a teacher came on , and it was all very civilised; she actually says something along the lines of that the "problem" of "educating" parents was a big one for Steiner teachers, which says alot for me too- parents aren't going to be kept in the picture about why they are teaching our kids in a particular way, they need to be "educated ". The poster just couldn't see what might rile about this statement. They are right, their way is right, and that's that. Completely brainwashed and complacent.

I'll send you our story; I have a friend ( sister of a good friend) at The Guardian too. And two other journalists who were interested in the story.
I agree with you about it being in the open, particularly since the steiner school, in hereford is to become state funded. The anthroposophy has to be open.

[suzun]

I went to a talk on parenting at the school recently and what a load of old tosh. I really couldn't believe i had sent my children to the school.

Our children were all fairies and gnomes in their previous life and that is why they can relate to fairytales told by teachers because they are remembering their past.

A child with SN hasn't been incarnated properly and her journey was never complete etc etc.

A people with Aspergers syndrome only understand 6% of whats said anyway.

Of course their way is right after all the teacher is more important than the parent.

The child actually chose his /her teacher long before it was born lol.

They are totally bonkers.

I'm just off to read the other links.

I did ask a parent about anthroposothy 2 weeks ago and she said with a smile 'are you happy about this for your child its good'

My reply was no i'm not happy because i never knew about it and i'm sure if a lot of parents knew it would put them off.

Her reply was
Well it would attract the right kind of people.About 85% of people shouldn't be at this school because they dont understand waldorf education.

Well this woman and her friends have since avoided me and don't want to ingage in conversation but i just don't care anymore.

Lets campaign and get the proper story out in the open

bws
s xx

[northernrefugee39]

Oh crikey, those parenting talks... everyone laps it up in reverence... the sn thing really gets me, steiner believed people with learning difficulties were demons in hman form.I remeber one camphill mother telling me "We don't believe these people are as they are for the same reasons as you"

I think addh is a condition brought on by forces of death or something, and dyslexia and lefthansedness are incarnation problems, weak karmic forces, and have to be corrected. ARRGH! It makes me {angry]

Well good, if that parent wants to attract anthro nuts, fine, but don't deceive others in the hope of catching their children and reincarnating them. IT IS DECEIPTFUL and amoral.

Yes, lets get the story out for sure.....
If there's legal action being threatened, that's almost a story in itself I would have thought.

[JULIEABBO]

Am really interested in knowing more about this - would love to read more of your story northern refugee

[northernrefugee39]

Hi JULIE.

I'm about to send the aritcle to some journalists and websites. Since Sune Nordwell has put some comments about mumsnet and myself -Northern - on his website,I feel I need to add something to the article.

I'll link to it on mumsnet at some point soon.

The gist of it is that we were deceived when we first showed an interest in Steiner education; the school's prospectus, none of the administrators or staff mentioned the occult science, spiritual reincarnation aspect of the education. (I had limited access to the internet at tht time,or it might have been easier; it was about 4 yrs ago.)
In actual fact they positively dismissed any concerns we had about this aspect as time went on; belittled it, and laughed it away, or ignored it.
Finally we twigged, that all the decisions about the kids were based on anthroposophy.

There was appalling bullying, ignored, teachers physically manhandling children. terrible teaching, etc etc.

The final incident was when one of our daughters was singled out in quite a pointed way. I since wondered if this had anything to do with the fact that my dh is Asian/Jewish, and our kids slightly darker appearance, which was commented on several times at the school , had anything to do with it. It might not have, but steiner's theory on race is the backdrop to anthroposophy upon which the schools are based, although they don't teach it, which is how they get out of any questions about it.

The links to the TES forum, where Steiner teachers actually say they're taught not to tell parents, really confirms much of what went on with us. They are very shifty, evasive,clever, weird.....

[northernrefugee39]

JULIE, do you have any connection with steiner schools camphill? [nosey emotive]

[JULIEABBO]

No I don't. I work in the media and that's where my interest lies (also I have a toddler) so have big interest in education on both personal and work level. Would be great to see the article.

[northernrefugee39]

JULIEABBO, when the article's up, I'll post a message on mumsnet about it...

[suzun]

Northern that happened to a child in our school he was left handed but encouraged to write with his right hand too.Dreadful.

Well i am about to post placing request forms for both my sons at a mainstream school.

I am not wasting anymore money on Steiner education. They break up next week and we will be free from the lot of them.

Yipeeeeeeee.

So glad of this message board thanks.

[northernrefugee39]

After the time you've had , you deserve a good summer suzun
Did they say why they were trying to make him use his right hand? my dd was 5, and really felt she had to try and do it to please the teacher, she felt she was doing something wrong. #
It was brought up at parents evening once... one mother was furious about it. The teacher got very flustered, and wouldn't say why they thought it was best. Of course now I realise, having read this
With left-handed children it is necessary that you attempt to do as much as possible to change them into right-handed children...
.. what we really want is that such
left-handed children become right-handed
ones" Rudolf Steiner
"The phenomenon of left-handedness is clearly
karmic, and, in connection with karma, it is
one of karmic weakness.....If you give in to that too much, then that weakness may perhaps remain for a later, a third earthly life. If you do not give in, then the weakness is brought into balance." Rudolf Steiner

[northernrefugee39]

"I too am concerned that it is all based on one blokes ideas a hundred years ago as some of them seem very wacky. I just wish this sort of schooling was available without the wackyness or religious side to it." From a thread on mumsnet in 2005

I've just been loking back at the old discussions on Steiner, and there were people then saying the anthroposohy was hidden, they were lied to, it's a cult....same old story.
Time to break it.

"the particular school I looked at was sticking too rigidly to Rudolph Steiner's original philosophy and hadn't adapted anything to modern life. For example, not only did the school not use computers, the children were not allowed to talk about anything computer-related in the playground which seemed a bit draconian to me."

I LOVE this LOVE IT!
"these other mothers I mentioned in my last post.... well, one picks upher children from school in a horse drawn cart and the other told me off for using a pushchair as "no other being in the animal kingdom carries it's offsping in an artifact"

[barking]

I remember those Northern, was the last from Chandra?
We should try and find her and ask for more stories

[northernrefugee39]

Hi barking...I bet she's got some good ones about gnomes and sprites.
Or who she was in her past life.
Some fab fashion ideas
Or some wholesome recipes

[northernrefugee39]

JULIEABBO, if you're still interested in our family's story, I've finished the article. Am about to send it to some contacts in the press.

Let me know here, I don't have cat yet actually, and I can give you my work email.

[suzun]

Hi Northern

I would love to read your story and hubby has said he will gladly help too if you are still interested.

Well our last day of the steiner school was on wednesday and wow what a relief already

Although another boy tried to strangle my 8yr old on the day and upset him so much that he dosen't ever want to go to another school.

He said the kids were so horrible to him there and the teachers didn't help (well thats no suprise really).

[northernrefugee39]

Hi Suzun, glad your kids are out of it all. I think you'll be surprised at how quickly they settle into the rythm and order of primary school.
Ours were so happy; the disarray and boredom at Steiner school is such a contrast to primary.
I'll pm you at netmums then ok?- look in your messages.
I thought I had your email, but can't find it.
I don't think I'm too happy about giving out even work one at the moment, because
I think the anthro stalker can still see this board.

[suzun]

Hi Northern
Sorry to sound thick lol but how do i get messages on here because i can't seem to find a way of recieving them

[barking]

Suzan, I think you can log in via my mumsnet then look at your email options to yay or nay cat (contact another talker)