Is it worth a visit to a Steiner School?

[milliec]

Message withdrawn

Tingaling, we sent our kids to steiner school for 2/3 years because we were fed up with the state system; the homework, photocopied junk for sats, no art, just coloured in papery scraps as an after thought.
We sent them to Steiner school for what it wasn't; they sold themselves in that way too. I still have the flyer from one of their -recruiting- open days, which says" less than five miles away is a school with no tests, lots of art, in beautiful surroundings..." etc etc. What it failed to put was that it is entirely based on Stein er's spiritual science, anthroposophy. They completely sold us a lie, totally and completely.
The schools probably do vary a bit, I wil say that. And not all the staff are full blown anthroposophists. But believe me it is based on anthroposophy, anbd the teachers will ahve been trained to use anthroposophy for all the chices and decisions abouit the kids.

Anthroposophy is essential and at the very core of all Steiner schools; they take it extremely seriously.

This is just a tiny bit from a BA course website in Steiner teacher training:

"These studies aim to provide a grounding in the general principles and capacities you will need in a career as a Steiner Waldorf Teacher. The background ideas of philosophy and anthroposophy are introduced which are fundamental to Waldorf Education
As a student, you would spend three years studying modules on:
Philosophy & Anthroposophy
The focus of the study in this respect will be the teacher's own self-knowledge and development. At significant points comparisons will be made across a spectrum of views about human nature and ideas about evolution. Ideas derived from anthroposophy will also be related to contemporary social issues,

The Image of the Human Being derived from Anthroposophy
These modules consider the Image of the Human Being derived from Anthroposophy and the way it informs the Steiner Waldorf curriculum and methodology. The module has as its focus sessions on Gymnastics and Games together with Eurythmy, a movement art embodying ?visible music and visible speech?."

As a parent obviously you don't have to take on board their whacky beliefs, but the teachers will be using them when dealing with your kids, so you have to decide if that's what you want for your kids really.

When you visited, I have no doubt that they were the most lovely people, welcoming and gorgeous; was it on a pre arranged visit? Was it an open day? Were you allowed to see a class in session? Are you able to pop back and see a normal school day? Hmm, I wonder...

Maria, I agree with much of what you've said; I differ in that you think having a barney about the outrageous stuff and then leaving it is ok, because the ouitrageous stuff is being used on the kids... temperaments for instance, and in outr case, a choice made about our daughter which singled her out in a very obvious way, and deeply upset her, which it slowly dawned on me was because she is dark.
Steiner's race beliefs are dodgy to put it mildly, and some teachers take ghis spiritual hierarchy and evolutionary ideas too far. As these ideas are all there in his writing, many in compulsory reading for teacher training, how on earth is anyone to intuit who might use them in the classroom?

The teachers always said to us, "Oh, we only take what we want from steiner2, and the old favoourite " Steiner is difficult"

Tingaling, it depends on whether you feel subtle indoctrination is harmful. I think the St Michael songs and "worship" are over the top. I find the advent spiral creepy, sinister and the most occult of the ceremonies. Eurythmy is fairly weird, and when done by real top class eurythmists, I really felt they were communicating with another world they were so strange. Creeped out.

Someone rang me last week in a real state. She'd found my email address on a website, and I gave her my number. Her 5 year old had been told his granny wasn't dead, but had reincarnated and come back as someone else.This family were dark, in a rural Steiner school, and were ostracised from the start. Her child came home bruised and scratched, but nothing was done. She's pulled her child out, but the community is shunning her. I havce heard this story so often.

Oh dearie me..Thanks Northern, guess i need to look into this all a bit more- we visited on an open day and then a guided tour and they told my friend that visits weren't possible at other times than these.. however we did see several classes in session all seemed well although I have to say we didn't actually observe the teachers teaching, they were more showing us the kids work.. and there was a distinct lack of laughter/joking.. I seemed to be the only one making light of things ( giggling when the kids kept dropping their sticks in the Eurythmy class!) I guess what I need to do is just ask someone directly about Anthroposophy if I go back with my 2 year old to the toddler groupor need to find some folk who know this actual school.. oh dear it all looked so promising!

They won't answer your questions about anthroposophy, you know that don't you grin]?
They are very very well practised liars.
But lying is ok , because they might save your child by guiding them towards their next reincarnation.....

Yeah, well, we were never allowed to see aclass in session, and we were there three years.

Maria's point about trying it out and moving if it isn't right, is not as simple as it seems; we had to do that, and so did alot of people i know; the kids are way behind their age group, often dissterously. They are leaving what they know, their friends etc. no, it's not easy plumping them back into mainstream.
Having said that, our three have done it, survived, and are thriving. They're so relieved to be out.

Smiling and laughter.... not much of that atall at Steiner; no jokes; it's not spiritual, emotions aren't spiritual either.

And did you notice the way they move and walk, a sort of contained gliding? Spiritual, getting ready for the next epoch, on their journey.
They felt sorry for us, stuck here in this world for ever, no gnomes, fairies, or angels.....

The kids probably looked ok at the open day because it was break from the relentless tedium and boredonm of their usual .... one teacher droning on about atlantis or norse myths with no books, pictures, or any other visual or aural aid or stimulation. All they use is the teacher telling the stories (as truth, they teach all these things as truth to the children, I forgot that. Our daughter's teacher said that everything she told them wa true, myth taught as reality....to ten eleven yr olds) That really bothers me, because that is indoctrination nas far as i'm concerned, and some of Steiner is truly truly mad, (and racist)