Steiner/Waldorf Schools - requesting info from those in the know...

[Rantmum]

...anyone know anything about the Steiner/Waldorf school system, pros and cons (particularly with reference to early years/primary education, but any info is good!. Had not really given them too much consideration but have recently moved and met several mothers who speak highly of the their approach.

Sorry, I haven't been following all that closely today-other things (still) to do.
Is that now three people 'identified' as trolls? Northern, Cote and me?
I'm content to let folk draw their own conclusions from that.
Davy

Good heavens- I've just come back from a very nice lunch.

I feel quite mellow thankyou Lush - and you're telling me to calm down.

I didn't slyly ignore your bit about photo copies and streamed tables at primary school-I didn't think it was that relevent.

We sent our kids to Steiner school to avoid all that- remember? I don't think it's by any means perfect- but , in my eyes, it's preferable to covert occult spiritual science ( and that's what I call sly , by the way).

I really hope I haven't insulted anyone on this thread- except perhaps Rudi.
But I must say- I've been accused of a lot by the Steiner camp.

Thanks to dittany, justa and lovea for popping in.

Lush- I'm not a troll.

I have no "campaign" as such- I'm an angry mum who thinks Steiner Waldorf schools should be open about their occult, spiritual science core of anthroposophy.

We aren't the only ones who have had a hard time- at our school there were plenty of children suffering from stuff like severe bullying, rigid teaching, archaic punishments, labelling, anthroposophic medical treatments- advised by the school anthroposophical doctor (an oxmoron imo) and more. These things were all delt with using anthroposphic methods- karma, reincarnation, temperaments, and Steiner's reasons for teaching certain things in the curriculum at certain times.

It didn't work for us.

We should have been told, up front, that this is how the school operates.
And we weren't- even after interviews, meetings, reading websites and prospectus', reading recommende books.

I really dont think I could make it more clear for you.

If this is a campaign- fine- call it what you want.

Every time there's an answer that doesn't fit the Steineriffic view- you say I'm twisting it.

As far as it is possible with Steiner- and he does get himself in a twist much of the time- I've tried to be as clear, and unwishy-washy as possible.
It's the wishy- washy I abhorr.

Heeerrre's Ruudi-

"[W]hen man first began to inhabit the earth as man (that is to say, in the
ancientLemurian epoch), he was already then destined by high-spiritual beings to
acquire occultknowledge...[But} through the encroachment of Luciferic beings, man diverted his power of thought and other soul-powers...to those things that belong to the physical
world."
[Rudolf Steiner, OCCULT SCIENCE AND OCCULT DEVELOPMENT (Kessinger Publishing,
2003), p. 8.]

God- I could read this stuff for hours!

Gnomes anyone?

[Clairvoyance: Goblins] "There are beings that can be seen with clairvoyant vision at
many spots in the depths of the earth...Many names have been given to them, such as
goblins, gnomes and so forth...Their nature prompts them to play all sorts of
tricks on man...." [Rudolf Steiner, NATURE SPIRITS]

Aryan racism anyone?This has to be one of the all time faves....

[In Praise of Fair Whites] "If the blonds and blue-eyed people die out, the
human race will become increasingly dense.... 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.

"It would be a mistake to view the lung as less spiritual than the nose."

"[Science] sees the heart as a pump that pumps blood through the body. Now there is
nothing more absurd than believing this, for the heart has nothing to do with pumping the
blood."

"Gnomes are...unable to grasp how there can be anything but an ineffectual
relationship with [our] world."

Those stupid ignorant old gnomes- always had an inkling they couldn't grasp much...

I am an angry mum lush- but I've had a rollicking good laugh as well...

"A major portion of the animals, particularly the higher animals, rose within
earthly evolution only because human beings needed to use their elbows..."

" In the head or in the brain, the human body is constantly falling apart."

Know the feeling do you?

lush - re my alleged 'nastiness'

Your pal Aussie called me ignorant and suggested that I haven't had any education.

That is a blatant personal attack and gives me the right to respond, although I have not and will not descend to her level of petty name calling and profanity.

If your feelings were so hurt by my last post to Aussie, you too should perhaps fly away to your rainbow colored spirit world and leave adult conversation to those of us who can articulate their thoughts without resorting to ad hominem.

Just noticed this:

By AussieSim on Sat 19-Jan-08 12:35:17
"I've checked out all the links and given it some serious consideration and reviewed with my DH. He was also unsurprised to hear that the French were particularly critical - after all Germany and France are not exactly each others biggest fans."

So.... You and your DH, both Steiner graduates, sat down and 'reviewed' this matter 'serious consideration', and decided that French government put Steiner schools in its list of cults next to Scientology and Raelian cult because..... Germany and France don't like one another!

Priceless! Nothing I or anyone else could say would have illustrated the problem with Steiner education so well. Thank you.

No offense, but I think I prefer a more rational, logic and science based education for my children.

Cote-- I have French roots- I had a similar reaction to that statement by Aussie. Subtle.

Lush- could you point me to my rude rounding please? And what you think is twisting words?
You said-

"at the pure nastiness that you and Cote showed to Aussie & thenew when you rounded on them and twisted their words to make them feel like they were the ignorant ones and you were the holy molys on a crusade. (bad trolling by both of you tut tut!)"

Steiner himself had dark hair

Cote- remember this?

?The use of the French language quite certainly corrupts the soul. The soul acquires nothing more than the possibility of clichés. Those who enthusiastically speak French transfer that to other languages. The French are also ruining what maintains their dead language, namely, their blood. The French are committing the terrible brutality of moving black people to Europe, but it works, in an even worse way, back on France. It has an enormous effect on the blood and the race and contributes considerably toward French decadence. The French as a race are reverting.? [Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, pp. 558-559.

Stripey- yes- he certainly gets his knickers in a twist when he gets going doesn't he!
What colour were his eyes?

I don't understand this vitriol. 'French' is not a race, it's a nation. Vast majority of French are of Celtic and Latin ethnicity.

And FWIW, I don't think anyone is trolling, and I have found it interesting seeing other people's experiences of Steiner schools.

I do think that many of the problems relating to individual schools are due to mismanagement rather than any great conspiracy, and in my personal experience the Anthro side to things is not kept secret - quite the opposite!

But everyone has their own story to tell, and the OP did ask if '...anyone know[s] anything about the Steiner/Waldorf school system, pros and cons (particularly with reference to early years/primary education, but any info is good!' - well, thats what has been given. I just don't think that the bad experiences are particularly representative of the experience that most people have, but thats not to say they don't happen.

Feelings obviously run far, far higher on the matter than I ever realised, which I find interesting.

This wasn't very nice - was it lush?

You should all try it...( with speakers on of course

www.AksJeeves.org

(don't shoot the messenger)

At your service
By lush007 on Fri 18-Jan-08 18:34:28
www.AksJeeves.org.

Stripey- that's well put- but as far as I'm concerned- the "bad experiences" aren't really my issue atall.
It's the duplicity and cover up about how they DEAL with those experiences.

Thing with Steiner is that, as FJ/CALM said, he contradicts himself. French is taught in all Steiner schools - so it can't be that corrupting.

I just feel that the education on offer is right for us - thats not to say its right for everyone, or that its not based on some very odd ideas.

Eye colour I can't tell you - the photo of him in the school reception is black-and-white.

Again, IME, thats often (not always though) down to bad management, to people who don't actually know a better way to deal with things being in charge, and also to the way the schools are run. The 'College of Teachers' rather than a Headteacher does not always work for the best. Too many cooks and all that...

Does anyone think- with all this Steiner stuff still very much in print- (you can buy it on Amazon - not just obscure Steiner presses)- that the Steiner camp should get their act together?
They have Steiner schools, fellowships, etc- the anthroposophical umbrella covers Weleda cosmetics, Dr. Hauschka, bio-dynamic farming etc.I think they all use his name- the associations are strong.
And all this spiritual occult science and racist stuff is published, printed ,promoted under the same Steiner umbrella.
They should totally disassociate themselves from it. and i wonder why they don't? Still believe it maybe?

Stripey- I don't mean the bad management side- I mean the anthroposophical -intervening in bullying interrupts the karmic path- left handenes is an incarnation problem.

I keep getting deja vu- I keep saying these things and the Steiner people don't hear them.
Sorry.
Impasse.