STEINER WALDORF SCHOOLS AND INSTITUTIONS

[theantignome]

hi everyone, i wanted to start a new thread with a NEW topic heading here, as the active one at the moment with over 700 posts looks like it is all about the Cambridge school. This may confuse newcomers.

Let's continue the debate here !
All newcomers welcome !

I will shortly link our two previous threads on MN for any one new to have a look at.

Davy, could you also give a link to your new yahoo list here please ? Thanks.

cod must be one of steiners moon animalpeople, when the surface of the moon was like boiled lettuce.
Is she a jelly too?

Mary- she's got into same school as no 1. We haven't heard from the other she applied for, but it's different uphere, there's not a battle, one school head told us she had a place last term.
how about you? have you heard? good news?

Yes, that's it. she is. Can you quote me please? I desperately need the cache. I don't mind what bit you chose, but the accessorizing part might work? Do you think?

[starts to pack knapsack]

Northern - that's good and no we haven't heard yet, so fingers crossed ! btw, have heard that J of J and Ted has breast cancer - is being operated on tomorrow...

Don't mind cross.

Awe god - that's so awful. Oh no. How much are you in touch with her?
God, she really has had a hard time.

ahundred, you need gnomes, lots of them in a little troupe, and tofu, knitted into kaftans

in touch through email from time to time, but she rang me last week to say as well as to try to get me to write something for her website about illustration..operation is on her birthday too

I've got all that. Honest, I have. They are lined up outside, waiting for the Long Trek. But we can't leave to find and protect the Grail, until you quote me.

Don't do it!

Don't quote her!

If you do and the army of gnomes set off, then the legend will not have been fulfilled and the orks will turn and the moon will flip and it will be dark for 44 years.

Don't
Quote
100x

Sorry ahundred, can't talk sad and joke at same time... old friend has cancer
Mary, do you know prognosis? Does she have a new partner?

no partner as far as I know and they caught it really,really early,through a mammogram..so that is probably a good thing..she sounded upbeat...have told our mutual friend F when I saw her last week (we were in the Cancer Research shop - I was psyching myself up to tell her and it seemed appropriate)

Oh that sounds quiite optomistic

Another friend had this last year and it all went well.
She was younger too.
Just the worry.

How is F? Doesn't she keep in contact with J? I'm surprised...
I had a dream about her last week, must be guilt.....

Message deleted

F seemed very well and yes, is in contact with J and has seen her fairly recently...

Mary- have to feed guineapigs..... have just fed kids..... maybe mail later?
How's the new agent?

email me ! feel a bit bad about hijacking your thread !

Amuminscotland wrote:

"Although your stated aim further up the thread is to warn other parents about the reality and dangers of Steiner Waldorf education, this thread actually gives the impression of being an ongoing private argument between two group of people, which is currently being carried out on Mumsnet but has no real interest in communicating with the parents here."

Yes, actually, you are not entirely wrong, I'd have to admit. I agree it might look very silly and unnecessary.

I think I wrote in some old thread (back when I thought I was just going to post one message and then leave ) that I'm not a parent and I have no real interest in mumsnet in general. I was a waldorf student, though.

The reason I first came here was that my blog was mentioned.

Then I noticed that Sune/Eva kept posting his anthro propaganda from his own web sites, all while trying on a new alias that would fit nicely on a forum for mums. He has no 'legitimate' reasons to be here either, and I don't think his view is the only one that should be represented here - although northern, who I guess is a regular here, did a great job countering him.

But in general, I agree, it's often a nuisance when people who have no connection to a discussion board join simply to argue with each other, and to some extent I think that's what has happened to these threads. There's not that much reason for childless people like Sune - who didn't even go to waldorf himself - and me - who did go to waldorf - to visit a mumsnet (the rest of the folks here seem to be parents at least ).

Sune/Eva wrote:
"For some comments on the article by a "Peter Staudenmaier", that theantignome recommends reading as an introduction to waldorf education, see On the stories by Staudenmaier.

He plays a similar role in relation to anti-Waldorf education critics as David Irving plays in relation to anti-Semites and neonazis."

This just shows you've got no sense of decency what so ever.

You know very well know Peter Staudenmaier is a historian writing his dissertation at Cornell university. Your comparison of him with David Irving is simply ridiculous.

I suppose your message is clear though - no one should dare take an academic interest in the religious cult you belong to.

"Yes, that's it. she is. Can you quote me please? I desperately need the cache. I don't mind what bit you chose, but the accessorizing part might work? Do you think?

[starts to pack knapsack] "

This lady is funny. (There, she wanted to be quoted.)

This is such a funny place I forget what I'm all worked up about.
On American message boards, if you said someone was typing drunk, you'd be kicked off for insulting them. You guys are a lot more fun. (Just watch out for "Eva," who will tell you you're a barbarian if you use American slang.) We've got barbarians, trolls, Moonpeople, evil spirits, and anthroposophists.

Zooey's right and I also don't mean to outstay my welcome and will pipe down (unless Sune Nordwall posts further lies, but even then, really he's already posted it all several times over anyway). I know it is annoying when threads are "hijacked" by people having private arguments. The intent was to provide some information that might be of some use to a few people, and I hope it's served that purpose despite the debate descending to absurdity (and frankly, it's been more fun here than it usually is, arguing about anthroposophy . . .)

A great summary Margaret.

I'd just add that although the Steiner/Waldorf schools appeal to parents who are sort of hippy or alternative or looking for a "gentler" alternative for your child, please look very closely, because in fact, some of the schools can be authoritarian and rigid. Steiner schools have a sort of undeserved reputation as "Let your child express himself and be free" and that's not what's going on AT ALL.

The best advice is always to insist on being allowed to observe at length in the classroom, preferably on more than one occasion, on an ordinary school day. (Don't settle for public events, faires, puppet plays, festivals etc. - insist on seeing an ordinary classroom for a couple of hours on an ordinary school morning.) Insist on being allowed to speak to a few of the children, take note, ask questions. Say that you would like some detailed information about anthroposophy and see what kind of reaction you get from that. If they seem open about this, this is different than if you don't get clear, detailed answers, or if you get evasiveness or defensiveness. Some of the schools are better run than others, and you may be very happy with what you see. Or not.

I'm going to bow out now, ladies of Mumsnet and Grail Seekers, thanks very much for having me!

Thank you very much for the summary Margaret, it is very helpful to those of us with no real experience of Steiner Waldorf to have the issues summarised clearly.

I hope none of you feel unwelcome here, I was only trying to point out that the details of your arguments were a little too esoteric for newcomers, and that if you hope to educate a wider public to the problems you've encountered then you may have to go over the basics quite often. It probably feels quite repetitive to you, as you've gone over it so many times, but most of us have only a vague idea that they are "alternative" which groups them with a lot of other very different things!