Preface: This document by former Waldorf student and Waldorf teacher, now whistle-blower Gregoire Perra is probably the most controversial document on the internet regarding Waldorf education. Mr. Perra is being sued by Waldorf institutions in France because he published this document. Originally in French, this has recently been translated into English (Special thanks to Roger Rawlings at Waldorf Watch). Enjoy! PK
THE ANTHROPOSOPHICAL INDOCTRINATION
OF STUDENTS IN STEINER-WALDORF SCHOOLS
By Grégoire Perra
June, 2011
Anthroposophy
is the doctrine of Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), philosopher,
Theosophist, mystic, and teacher of the early twentieth century, from
Austria-Hungary. The Anthroposophical Society, an association which has
the mission spreading Steiner’s esoteric doctrine, is the result of a
split that occurred in 1913 in the Theosophical Society. Rudolf
Steiner's doctrine has a large component of Gnostic teachings, with
elements as diverse as reincarnation and karma, the solar nature of
Christ, the various nonphysical bodies of man, etc. But Steiner’s
teachings are not merely theoretical. Rudolf Steiner proposed them as
the foundation for new activities, some of which have attained global
success: among them are the cosmetics firm Weleda, biodynamic
agriculture, and Waldorf education.
On
the website of the Federation of Waldorf Schools, or on visitors days
at these schools, no one will speak openly about the links between
Waldorf education and Anthroposophical beliefs. You will hear about a
form of schooling that places the development of the individual at the
center of its concerns, taking into account the uniqueness of each human
being. Rudolf Steiner is presented as a teacher and philosopher of the
last century, while the Steiner-Waldorf schools are described as
innovative institutions, comparable to Montessorri schools. You will not
hear about Anthroposophy as an esoteric doctrine constituting the
theoretical foundation of Waldorf teaching, and certainly you will not
hear about the ties or institutions [1] that directly connect Waldorf
schools and the Anthroposophical Society. [2]
And
yet, these links between Steiner-Waldorf schools and the work of Rudolf
Steiner, and the ties to the institutions that promote Steiner's work,
are real. I can testify to this in several ways: as a former student who
made the most of his Waldorf schooling; as a former teacher at that
school who received "teacher training" at the Rudolf Steiner Institute
of Chatou (as it were, the IUFM Steiner-Waldorf schools in France); and
as a former member of the Anthroposophical Society who, for years,
worked closely with the Steering Committee. From 1979 to 1989, I was a
student of Steiner-school Waldorf Verrières-le-Buisson and Chatou, near
Paris. I was nine years old when my parents, disappointed by the schools
run by the Ministry of Education, put me in this school. At the end of
that period, during my years of high school, I attended some lectures on
anthroposophical topics. [3] This is why, 1990 to 1995, as a young
student, I wanted to regularly attend conferences at the Public
Anthroposophical Society in Paris, where I became a member from 1995 to
2009. From 1992 to 2004, I was also, with some interruptions, a
professor in both Steiner-Waldorf schools in the Paris region. During
that same period, and until my resignation in 2009, I worked closely
with the President of the Anthroposophical Society in France, especially
on the issue of young people, for whom I had been asked to design
"anthroposophic training." An important part of this work was to contact
Waldorf alumni whose "karma is join Anthroposophy," in the words of
Bodo von Plato, a member of Committee Director General Anthroposophical
Society, with whom I collaborated to this project. So I was an important
member of the Anthroposophical Society, giving lectures, leading
working groups, illustrating and writing articles in various journals,
and co-authoring a book published by one of their in-house presses. [4] I
occasionally had the "privilege" to meet with a member of the Steering
Committee of the central Anthroposophical Society, which is
headquartered near Basel, in Switzerland. Within the Anthroposophical
Society, I was a member of the School of Spiritual Science — that is to
say, I was included in the special category of Anthropsophists having
access to higher occult truths that are withheld from regular members of
the Anthroposophical Society. I participated in esoteric lessons, which
is to say I participated in the secret cult of the School of Spiritual
Science. [5] This cult was also held meetings on the school premises of
Steiner Verrières-le-Buisson.
Today,
with hindsight, it is clear to me that what led me to become an active
and prominent member of this sectarian organization began with my
enrollment in a Waldorf school at the age of 9 years. The rest of my
course in life was only the logical result of the indoctrination I had
suffered.
I.
An Insidious Indoctrination
1. Hiding Anthroposophy in the Subjects Taught
Based
on my experience as a former student, a teacher at my old school, and
an Anthroposophist, I would like to describe the subtle indoctrination
that is experienced by students in Waldorf schools. In fact, the
uniqueness of this phenomenon lies in its unidentifiable form. I want to
say that the various ideas of Rudolf Steiner are taught to Waldorf
students, but this is done without reference to their origin or their
special nature. The teachers associate these ideas with their subjects
as if they were objective facts and not part of a prescribed vision of
reality. This is why Waldorf students can have the feeling that they are
left completely free to form their own ideas. At the most, they may
notice specific practices (that may seem very odd to some of them),
which they may choose to ignore. Nevertheless, Anthroposophical ideas
and practices form their psychic, cultural, and intellectual universe
for many years, immersing them unconsciously in a worldview that will
accompany them throughout life and that they are likely to return to on
many occasions.
The
invisibility of the indoctrination process depends primarily on the
public's ignorance about Anthroposophy. Anthroposophy is indeed very
complex. Contrary to what one might expect, only a relatively small part
of it is what might be called its esoteric doctrines (teachings about
the nature of the cosmic Christ, reincarnation, the cosmic evolution of
the Earth in several incarnations, the spiritual hierarchies, etc.).
This esotericism is cultivated by Anthroposophists, often members of the
Anthroposophical Society (but not always). However, the largest part of
the Anthroposophical worldview does not consist of such ideas; instead,
it consists of tenets about ordinary fields of knowledge and the arts.
Thus, there are multiple Anthroposophic precepts about zoology, botany, pedagogy, physics, history, geography, literature, philosophy, diet, mathematics, etc. In art, there are special Anthroposophical approaches in painting, architecture, music, dance, theater, etc. Rudolf Steiner indeed expressed his views in all of these areas. When a teacher works in a Waldorf school, s/he has no need to make allusions to the "esoteric teachings" of Rudolf Steiner ... and often s/he does not. S/he just teaches traditional subjects, coloring them subtly as interpreted by Rudolf Steiner and his followers. Because inspectors from the ministry of education do not know these interpretations — they are not the specialists in Anthroposophy — they have difficulty identifying them. To make my point clearer, I will give some examples:
In the fourth grade (CM1), Waldorf students study zoology and physiology. They deal with different animals, like the lion, the cow, and the eagle. At first glance, their classwork appears to be an objective study of the behavior of these animals. At least that's what an inspector will see in the students' notebooks. But the teacher will also orally tell the students that the eagle must be understood in relation to the human head, the cow in relation to the human metabolic system and limbs, and the lion in relation to the human rhythmic system (the heart and lungs). Thus, the teacher conveys the basic elements of one of Rudolf Steiner's doctrines, namely that man is a tripartite being having within himself, in a latent state, the different animal kingdoms. [6]
Another example: In the early grades, Waldorf teachers tell their children a great number of legends and myths. At first glance, this is part of a traditional study of literature and mythology. But the teachers slip in Anthroposophical interpretations... They make subtle allusions to the contents of Anthroposophical books such as OCCULT MYTHS AND LEGENDS AND THEIR TRUTHS [7] or OCCULT WISDOM IN GRIMM FAIRY TALES [8]. Most of these works were only recently translated into French (Waldorf teachers having access to them through their knowledge of German culture). National education inspectors usually cannot detect the Anthroposophical doctrines slipped in by Waldorf teachers when they tell these legends and myths to the children.
One last example. In the 11th and 12th grades (high school), Waldorf School students study two works of world literature: the romance of PARZIVAL and Goethe's FAUST. An inspector opening the students' notebooks would find at first glance a study, scene by scene or chapter by chapter, of the two works in question, with various interpretations being considered. But if, knowing Anthroposophy, you look carefully at these interpretations, you will find that they encompass many elements of Rudolf Steiner's doctrines. For example, the study of the character of Mephistopheles in FAUST always leads to the conclusion that he is bipolar. He thus becomes the representative of the "Forces of Evil" which, according to Steiner, are divided into the forces of Lucifer and the forces Ahriman. [9] The study of a seemingly innocent work thus becomes an opportunity for indoctrination that is difficult [for outsiders] to detect. Indeed, no mention of Rudolf Steiner will usually be made by the teacher. It suffices for the teacher to take (artificially) these interpretations of the work being studied, and then present them as universal and timeless truths (since they are found in other works at other times, as the teacher will then show). The same thing happens with the interpretation of the chapters of the romance PARZIVAL. Each time, the ideas of Rudolf Steiner are presented without mentioning their origin. [10] But this subtle process is at work in all subjects from Kindergarten on! To realize this, it suffices to read Steiner's TEACHING PLAN [11] or COUNCILS [12], and then connect what is said by Waldorf teachers with the esoteric teachings of Rudolf Steiner.
The
hidden nature of these Anthroposophic ideas — in the form of
interpretations presented in all subjects — makes it particularly
difficult for students to become aware of what is happening. How indeed
can they be aware of ideas that, in their original form, are mixed with
traditional teaching, like spice added in a dish, and do not at first
sight contradict but extend traditional teaching? I believe that those
who undergo indoctrination in creationism are somewhat more fortunate.
Probably, at one time or another, the ideas they are taught will clearly
clash with the objective data of current science. This is rarely
possible with Anthroposophic tenets when they are more or less blended
with modern scientific data. Indeed, precepts about science are
constantly updated by the Anthroposophical authorities, which then
communicate them to teachers in Waldorf schools. [13]
One can imagine the impact of the Waldorf method when it is routinely used on the intellectual formation of children.
Students
thus live with Anthroposophic ideas mixed with objective data in the
subjects they are studying. And since the Anthroposophic ideas keep
coming back in different forms, they eventually are regarded as
objective truths, without their source ever being revealed. Only if you
decide to become an Anthroposophist do you encounter these ideas openly
expressed, with their origin made clear. But by then, this will not be
an issue for you, it will be something you have joined and wish to
propagate, because you will have become a disciple of the Master.
2. Subtle Indoctrination of Students in All Subjects
Anthroposophical
teachers in these schools thus always transmit their ideas to students
in ways that are not easily identifiable. The ideas are almost never
presented as those of Rudolf Steiner, but as interpretations of works
belonging to the cultural heritage. So there is at first no study of
botany that is specific to Steiner-Waldorf schools, but [underneath are]
Steiner's writings about Goethe's botanical theories, which can be
injected into a traditional teaching SVT. [16] There is not, at first
sight, a view of world history specific to Steiner-Waldorf schools, but
[subtle references are made to] Rudolf Steiner's comments on various
civilizations. [17] It is the same for all subjects and disciplines,
including art education. But only a person who has the vast literature
of Anthroposophy at his fingertips will be able to detect this practice.
Making this even more difficult is the fact that most works of Steiner
were not fully translated into French until recently; previously, they
were passed by word of mouth from Germany. This is why the doctrinaire
character of Waldorf schooling was largely able to escape notice, thus
far, by inspectors of National Education. In some ways, you could say
Waldorf schooling has a subliminal character.
When
I received Waldorf teacher training, especially that given at the
Institute of Chatou, I could see that this practice is highly organized.
Indeed, already at that time, I was struck by the gap between the
rhetoric of our trainers — constantly stating that the teacher should be
creative and never apply prescribed formulas — and the training that
taught us decades-old methods that had not changed since the founding of
the first Waldorf school in 1919. In fact, having taken this training
for two years, I can testify that it is essentially doctrinal training,
it is not aimed at developing teaching skills. We were taught how to
instill, at each stage of child development, certain ideas and concepts
by surreptitiously combining Anthroposophy with traditional teaching (of
course it was not described this way), and to see how in each of the
disciplines taught, the ideas of Rudolf Steiner can be applied. [18]
For
example, the trainer specializing in the teaching of history taught us
to identify, in the course of historical events, the polarity between
Ahrimanic and Luciferic forces, and to teach history to students from
this angle. Thus, the French Revolution was to be taught in terms of the
polarity between Danton and Robespierre, one being the representative
of Luciferic forces (Danton), the other representing Ahrimanic forces
(Robespierre). Or the trainer specializing in chemistry taught us how to
describe each of the elements of Mendeleyev's periodic table as
singular expressions of cosmic principles. Nitrogen and oxygen became,
in our eyes, cosmological entities endowed with a kind of "temperament."
We were taught what chemistry experiments could be arranged in the
laboratory to demonstrate to students the existence of such temperaments
as recurring realities. I could give many more examples of how we were
taught to teach students specific elements of Rudolf Steiner's belief
system — or rather to present reality in the light of this belief system
— without telling the students that we were presenting a biased view.
In fact, the training of Waldorf teachers consists of learning how to
lead the students, without their knowledge, to see the world through the
eyes of Rudolf Steiner!
At
the time I was very surprised that nobody had written textbooks for
Waldorf trainees, since Waldorf methods looked so old and firmly
established. On reflection, I now understand that it is not possible for
Waldorf practices to be written down, because this would run the risk
of exposing the systematic nature of such indoctrination. The claim that
Waldorf methods should be kept alive, not freezing them in writing, is
actually an alibi used to assist concealment. However, in reality there
are many Waldorf texts that are neither published nor distributed
publicly. I remember that sometimes the trainers made mention of one
or another of these works to the most reliable trainees, making copies
for their personal use. But the key information was given orally. One of
these secret books was given to me when I was a teacher. On the first
few pages one finds: "This document is the property of the Educational
Section of the Free University of Science of the Spirit, entrusted to
this college ... [and] given until the end of teaching activity..." [19]
The secret nature of the transmission of such material makes clear the
link between the hidden esotericism of Rudolf Steiner and the education
provided in Steiner-Waldorf schools. Such documents should obviously
never be made public and should be returned to the Goetheanum [20] by
their owners if they stop teaching.
The methods of instilling Anthroposophic references in the traditional teaching of students were introduced by Rudolf Steiner himself at the founding of the first Waldorf school in Stuttgart, in the 1920s, and have recently been published. Little known to many Waldorf teachers, this large volume — dense, difficult to read — is a kind of dogmatic set of references touching on almost all areas of practical life in a Steiner school: repetition, rules, decisions to be made concerning left- and right-handedness, methods of teaching geography at different grade levels, ties between Anthroposophy and Steiner pedagogy, etc. [In English, such books as FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, PRACTICAL ADVICE TO TEACHERS, and DISCUSSIONS WITH TEACHERS present such material. They were published by the Anthroposophic Press. — RR]
There are significant questions and answers, for example:
- A teacher asks, "How can we, in the teaching of geology, link geology and the Akasha Chronicle?" [This is a celestial storehouse of wisdom accessible through clairvoyance. — RR] Concerning what Anthroposophy says about glacial periods, Rudolf Steiner answered: "...We must not be afraid to talk to the children about Atlantis. We should not forget that. We can even present it in a historical context. But then you have to disavow standard geology ... The ice age is the Atlantean catastrophe. The ancient glacial period, and recent average conditions in Europe, are nothing other than what has happened since Atlantis sank. " (p. 99-100)
- A teacher asks the question, "How can we draw parallels between what science says and the point of view of Anthroposophy concerning the glacial period?" Rudolf Steiner replied: "You may well draw a parallel. You can of course identify the Quaternary period in with Atlantis and the Tertiary with what I describe as Lemuria [a lost continent that preceded Atlantis - RR], if you do not fix things too precisely." (p. 101)
- A teacher asks, "How should we treat the natural history of man? How should I begin this study in fourth grade?" Rudolf Steiner replied: "For man, you will find almost everything scattered throughout my lecture cycles in one way or another ... Just fit the school [to my teachings] ... So rely on what you know through Anthroposophy." (p. 125)
— ADVICE; MEETINGS WITH TEACHERS AT THE WALDORF SCHOOL IN STUTTGART (The Federation of Steiner Schools-Walfdorf, October 2005).
3. Making Cultural Works Sacred
I
would now like to describe another aspect of the insidious
indoctrination of students. It is to produce in the mind a sacralization
of certain cultural works, as if they were printed in vibrant red. It
is always the same, regardless of the ages of these works or the
countries where they originated: FAUST, the TREATMENT OF COLORS, and the
METAMORPHOSIS OF PLANTS, by Goethe [21], PARZIVAL, by Wolfram von
Eschenbach [22], the enigma of Kaspar Hauser [23], LETTERS FOR THE
ESTHETIC EDUCATION OF HUMANITY, by Schiller, and the Atlarpiece, by
Isenheim. Also included are a few minor markers such as the story of
Gilgamesh, Manichaeism (the doctrine of Manes), the myth of Atlantis,
etc. During their university years, so many Waldorf graduates choose to
address one or the other of these works as subjects for study. Such
works represent for them a kind of cultural horizon of unsurpassable
leitmotifs to which they keep coming back.
4. Disguised Anthroposophic Rituals
For
example, students celebrate — every year, in late September — the
victory of Michael over the Dragon. They enact the legend of St. George
rescuing a princess. Little by little, through connections only students
immersed in Waldorf education are likely to make, they come to
understand that the Dragon is an allegory of the materialism of the
modern era, and Michael is the spiritual force that can confront it,
delivering the human soul (the princess) who was about to be devoured by
the monster. This is in fact an implicit reference to a key element of
the doctrine of Rudolf Steiner, which is that a spiritual battle took
place in 1879 between the forces of darkness and the forces of light
embodied by the Archangel Michael. Thus, this small pageant condenses
doctrinal elements that Steiner describes at length in his books. [25]
It is the same for all festivals celebrated in these so-called Christian
schools: in fact, esoteric anthroposophic teachings are presented as
allegorical and symbolic rituals integrated into school life.
In
these schools, the number of rituals corresponds to the many Christian
festivals and the observance of the seasons of the year. But we must
also count prayers and meditations used in Waldorf schools, as well as
"rites of passage." In form and in content, these are even more
specifically related to Anthroposophy. Indeed, at different times of the
day, students recite words (according to their different ages) that are
actually meditation texts written by Rudolf Steiner himself or by his
disciples. [26] There are prayers for morning classes, for the afternoon
before meals (a kind of grace), for the beginning of the week, for the
beginning of the year, for the first grade upon entering the school, for
leaving school upon graduation, etc. On each of these occasions, these
readings or recitations give rise to small ceremonies that are an
integral part of Waldorf education. It even happens that teachers often
advise parents of the words they should read to their children at
different times of the day. Again, the teachers never say explicitly
that these words are from Rudolf Steiner — these just words to be
recited because of tradition. We should note in passing how cunningly
teachers avoid using the words "prayers" or "mantras" with students.
Indeed, by disguising these activities as merely cultural practices,
awareness of their real nature is avoided. This trick comes from Rudolf
Steiner himself, who in an interview with the first teachers of the
school in Stuttgart said:
"In choosing your words, never say 'prayers,' say 'words for opening the school day.' We should not hear the word 'prayer' in the mouth of a teacher. Thus you will neutralize to a large extent the prejudice against Anthroposophic matters." [27]
Students
are thus led repeatedly to texts containing Anthroposophic ideas in
simplified form, but without being able to identify their origin and
without open acknowledgment of the Master who wrote them. These texts
soak deeply into the mind by force of being recited continuously. Take
for example the morning verse that students from all Steiner schools
recite in unison with their teacher from the 9th to the 12th grade (high
school years):
I look into the world
In which the Sun shines,
In which the stars sparkle,
In which the stones lie,
Where living plants are growing,
Where animals are feeling,
And where the soul of man
Gives dwelling for the spirit.
I look into the soul
Which lives within myself.
God’s spirit weaves in light
Of Sun and human soul,
In world of space, without,
In depths of soul, within.
God’s spirit, ‘tis to Thee
I turn myself in prayer,
That strength and blessing may grow
In me, to learn and to work.
I
recited these words almost every morning for four years. It is only by
reading the work of Rudolf Steiner called THEOSOPHY [28] that I came to
understand this is a digest of Anthroposophical precepts about the human
and the universe. Indeed, the first stanza shows the relationship
between the four kingdoms of nature (mineral, vegetable, animal, and
human) that Steiner connects with the four cosmic substances (the
physical, the etheric, astral, and spiritual). The second stanza
establishes an implicit parallel between God and the Sun, which Rudolf
Steiner describes in OCCULT SCIENCE [29] by saying that Christ is the
Sun God who descended to the earth at the baptism of Jesus in the
Jordan. The last stanza is an allusion to the strength of the Holy
Spirit, the immeasurable cosmic entity that Steiner evokes, for example
in THE MEANING OF LIFE [30] and other books. I could also give the
example of words meant to be recited at the beginning of meals:
On the night of the earth,
Plants germinate;
By the power of the air,
Their leaves unfold;
And the strength of the Sun
Ripens their fruit.
So the the soul quickens
In the shrine of the heart,
And the power of the spirit
Unfolds in the light of the world;
Thus ripens the strength of man,
In the glory of God.
Again,
far from being a simple poetic text on nature, this prayer condenses
key elements of Anthroposophical doctrine concerning the relationship of
the human soul with the different elements. For example, there is the
belief about human temperaments [phlegmatic, sanguine, choleric,
melancholic], each associated with an element [earth, air, fire, water].
[31] Or, likewise, the relationship between the components of the human
soul and the elements. [32]
A final example: At the beginning of each afternoon, our class teacher made us recite the following words:
Pure source from which everything flows,
Pure source, where everything returns,
Pure source, who lives in me,
To you I will advance.
Years
later, I discovered that this poem was actually an adaptation of a
mantra that Rudolf Steiner gave to his disciples in one of his esoteric
lessons:
Original self, from which we come,
The origin that lives in all things,
To thee, thou Higher Self, we return. [33]
5. Some Effects Caused by the Artistic-Mythical-Religious
Atmosphere in Waldorf Schools
The pervasive ritual practices in Waldorf schools are meant, I believe, to immerse students in a kind of permanent religious atmosphere that will fit in their psyches as an addiction. I remember having felt, as a teenager, that I was living in a kind of monastery, punctuated by daily rituals and recitations. But this religious atmosphere was consistently associated with pervasive artistic practices as well as the frequent recounting of legends, folk tales, and myths — it was an artistic environment generating a mythical-religious feeling, which in my opinion is not without consequences and perverse effects:
• At an age when they should be awakening, learning to reason and think critically, the children are mothballed instead — they develop a pronounced tendency to rely on emotion and imagination, which later may encourage credulity and impulsive behavior;
• Some alumni develop blockages against facing psychological reality. I have often observed among them a propensity to hide and forget what could be disturbing, as if it had never existed. In particular, when they realized certain realities about bigotry existing near the center of Anthroposophy, suddenly their brains seemed to refuse to integrate such disturbing information. I found this ability to play "ostrich" to be even greater among Anthroposophists and Waldorf teachers. I remember well the dysfunctional administrative operation of these schools, which were run collectively [34]: Often essential information did not circulate, urgent decisions did not get made, and essential tasks simply passed into oblivion — for example, steps that needed to be taken to assist students to enroll for baccalaureate programs! But teachers and leaders simply let things slip as the drama had yet ended;
Kept in a thorough artistic-mythical-religious atmosphere and valuing their egos, these students are accustomed to a state of laziness that will make them social misfits, unable to get by through any skills they may possess for bluster and seduction. Because don't people often replicate what they themselves have experienced? Having been seduced by their teachers, these students may try to proceed through seduction. That is why their results for the baccalaureate exams in writing are so pathetic, although the same students can be tremendously good at oral presentations. Thus, in the school where I worked and tried to prepare students for the baccalaureate, only 40% of students were successful, and even they succeeded mostly due to the oral portion of the process. Of course, extension of the dream state greatly facilitates the ability to later become a Anthroposophist, as this mystical doctrine overwhelms those who plunge, as I did, into abstruse metaphysical speculations. Anthroposophical mysticism is a kind of natural extension of the dream state that is overvalued in Steiner-Waldorf institutions. Overvaluation of the ego aids individuals who tend to arise in life lecturing or even becoming gurus. Later they may find, in the context of the Anthroposophical Society, the roles of spiritual guides, the roles they are in fact familiar with from their childhood. It is therefore common to find students in Steiner-Waldorf schools who systematically and blindly trust their own feelings, or hunches, sometimes up to the level of considering themselves apprentice mediums.• Waldorf graduates feel a need to reproduce the ceremonies in which they were immersed throughout their schooling. They want to celebrate holidays as Rudolf Steiner led Anthroposophists to do, and to practice many Anthroposophical spiritual exercises, including meditations [35] and numerous mantras [36]. Upon becoming a parent, one of my former classmates said about ten prayers over his children every night, one after the other;• There is a kind of inhibition and misuse of sexuality in adolescents. As a teacher of these schools, I often heard my colleagues say it was important to provide adolescents with a "strong spiritual content" and make them work hard to divert the powerful forces of sexuality into which they might "fall." I believe this inhibition and this diversion promote adhesion to the religiosity of the school, and later to the religious commitment of Anthroposophists;• An overemphasis on the ego and exaggerated exaltation of the mystic realm. Indeed, Steiner-Waldorf teachers value dreamy and mystical attitudes. As a student, I could see how our teachers showed the highest esteem for those who retained longest their childish credulity concerning imaginative stories. The student who seemed to be in a dreaming state was placed on a pedestal over his peers. Later, as a teacher, I often heard teachers in faculty meetings praising the receptivity of students who were dreamy, naive, and enthusiastic. It was said of such students that they kept the soul intact and pure. We often even said that in principle a good Waldorf education slows the maturation of students' intellectual faculties as far as possible. In addition, teachers flattered and lavished praise on students for abilities they didn't really possess, trying to keep them as long as possible in a sort of "hovering" disconnection from reality. This is why the egos of students leaving Waldorf schools are so developed. At first sight, these students seem to have a self-confidence that could be considered a good quality. But looking more closely, we very often see that this colossal self-insurance is based on nothing but empty air. Often these students have done virtually no academic work for years: Rituals, chants, and preparing for holidays takes up so much time in Waldorf schooling that the time devoted to actual school work is literally reduced to a trickle.
II.
A System Closed on Itself
1. Forcing Students to Adhere to Different Benchmarks,
Practices, and Terminology
Students
at Waldorf schools are also led to adhere to a unique way of thinking
because the schools embody many special characteristics, deliberately
different from those found elsewhere in the society at large.
For example:
• The grades in Waldorf schools are not identified by the traditional nomenclature in France, from the CP Terminal, but are labeled 1 to 12. Even today, I am find comparing the two systems of classification difficult,
• It is customary in Waldorf schools to have a one-year gap — that is to say, students of Steiner-Waldorf schools are enrolled in classes one year later than students in other schools, because Waldorf teachers believe that students will benefit if their intellectual development is postponed,
• Waldorf students draw in a different style, using special crayons ("pencils of wax"),
• Waldorf students practice an art that exists nowhere else (eurythmy, a kind of yoga dance invented by Rudolf Steiner),
• Waldorf schools observe special rituals,
• The same group of students remain together throughout their school years,
• The central teacher for any group of students is called the "class teacher" and will be responsible for that group from first to sixth grade, sometimes from first to eighth grade,• At the end of their schooling, students create what they call a "masterpiece," that is to say a personal work they will carry out autonomously, etc.
Despite
these facts, I do not advocate uniform education for everyone. But I
find it profoundly abnormal that Waldorf students are presented with
unusual practices as if these were the only legitimate approach, to the
extent that mentioning other practices or benchmarks immediately arouses
the disapproval of teachers and even some students. For example, I
always remember the teasing from other classmates when, coming from a
public school, I dared to speak of "crepe paper" when the approved
Waldorf term is "papier maché." Or the dry disapproval of my handicrafts
teacher when, urged by my mates, I offered to tell a story that was not
a "true story," since it was derived from standard youth literature and
not from the Brothers Grimm, the source approved by Anthroposophists.
When we add up all these small, specific examples of special Waldorf
terms and approaches — which in themselves may seem insignificant, or
even pleasing — we see that they constitute a reference system that is
closed on itself, to the extent that ultimately communication becomes
difficult between students from a Waldorf school and those from
traditional institutions. A former student recently told me how hard it
was for him to make himself understood by others who have not had the
same educational experience. Obviously, this prepares Waldorf alumni to
send their own children to these schools, or it makes them more willing
than others to embrace the sectarian logic of Anthroposophy. Having been
trained in the peculiarities of Waldorf education, they find contending
with different standards in the outer world a source of frustration.
2. Concealment Vis-à-Vis Institutions
I
turn now to a subject other than the indoctrination of students. It is
the recruitment of students into deceptive practices and concealment
from authorities. Indeed, in these schools, misleading state officials
is commonplace. For example, I witnessed that, when a teacher is
scheduled to be inspected in class, s/he will commonly be replaced by
another teacher who has better skills or qualifications. [37] Then the
students are asked to "play the game" in the presence of the inspector,
as if the teaching they receive this morning is what they usually
receive. [38] Similarly, it may happen that there are health and hygiene
inspections. I remember one time when the inspectors had to check how
the children ate in the canteen. However, in this school, the children
did not eat in a canteen, but in classrooms with teachers who watched
and made them recite their prayers before meals. For this inspection,
the teachers were notified 24 hours in advance, so we organized three
successive meal services in a canteen for the students, and everything
appeared normal. In the evening, during a faculty meeting, teachers
congratulated themselves that their students had "played the game."
These
various circumventions of the law involve students in activities that
lead them to distrust institutions perceived as hostile. They subtly
teach the students that the rules and laws of the society at large are
not good ... This is likely to strengthen their students' feeling of
living in a world apart. Anthroposophists view anything that does not
belong in the "core of Anthroposophy" as part of "the outside world,"
so to the students the society in which they live becomes, for them,
the "outside world"!
3. Questionable Closeness Between Students and Teachers
One
aspect of the insidious indoctrination in Waldorf schools is based on
the establishment of a very close relationship between the teacher and
his or her students. Firstly, this proximity is enhanced by the fact
that the same class teacher can follow the same group of students for
six to eight years. This contributes to the creation of relationships
that are more familial than professional. In addition, measures are
deliberately taken to create the conditions for increased closeness. For
example, it is common that some students become babysitters or
housekeepers for their teachers to make some pocket money. And I worked
in a school where the students had no conception of respecting the
privacy of their teachers. Teachers' private lives had become a common
topic of discussion in the playground, due to the feeling of living in a
kind of extended family. This is reinforced by the fact that in these
schools, many teachers are also parents of their students. In addition,
the teachers in these schools are encouraged to tell students about
their lives in order to "create more human contact," as I was prompted
to do as soon as I started to teach. This practice encourages
communication that can be very intimate — the teacher is no longer
simply a provider of education, but a sort of guide for the souls of his
students. He is not only an educator, but also a psychologist, family
counsellor, or a guru in many cases. I remember my class teacher
recommending to my parents that I no longer watch TV, stop playing with
Lego, switch to wooden toys, etc. Other students could tell how their
class teachers had long telephone conversations with their parents until
late at night, giving advice on the psychic and spiritual development
of their offspring. I remember well my history teacher talking to me at
the age of 15, when he thought that I had "atheist" ideas, explaining
that I should not entertain such ideas too long. Familiar relationships,
even of an emotional nature, are established quickly between Waldorf
teachers and students. This enforced closeness causes the subjugation of
the student to the teacher. It is also common to find a teacher
gathering around his "personality" small, private groups of his former
students, introducing them to the Anthroposophic doctrine.
Here I must be very clear and also mention legally reprehensible behavior. Indeed, some ethical rules seem not to apply in the Steiner-Waldorf schools, and there are reports of sexual and romantic relationships sometimes occurring between students and teachers. For example, when I was teaching, I witnessed in one of these schools an illicit relationship that had developed between a teacher and a student of the upper classes. They started dating when the student was in 10th grade (Third) and the situation continued until the 12th grade (First or Terminal). All class teachers of the school knew about it, including some who were members of the board of the school. How could they ignore it, since this teacher and this student had come to live together in the same apartment? When this teacher left school after completing certification to teach further, all teachers of the upper classes — except one who probably wanted to be cautious, but who like the others who knew what had happened — came to a party in the apartment. Among themselves, teachers and students pretended to ignore or hide what was an open secret.
I
in no way seek to draw attention to the misconduct of a colleague or to
throw stones at him; if I mention this story, it is because it is
indicative of the common pitfalls that occur in Waldorf educational
institutions. I could also provide other examples. Basically, they are
an integral part of the system of indoctrination. Because it is at the
cost of psychological closeness — with significant risk of misbehavior —
that students can be fascinated and subjugated to their teachers,
encouraging their indoctrination. To my mind, this colleague should be
considered a victim who, like any young beginning teacher, merely
applied the standards prevailing in the school where he had been hired,
and he did not receive the benefit of the normal guard rails that would
have enabled him to resist temptation. I also remember that when I went
to this school and I discussed this story with a colleague, he replied:
"Here, it was never considered a problem!" Myself, coming from such a
Waldorf school where the rule of law was not really respected — as I
explained above — I admit to not having seen a problem, either. The
Federation of Waldorf Schools — to whom I mentioned this in a open
letter that I sent them when I left this school — does not seem to have
found any reason to act.
4. A Confusion of Roles
When
I worked in one of these schools, I myself was quickly caught up in the
whirlwind in which all lines of separation are erased. Very soon, our
colleagues become a kind of family, brothers and sisters, fathers and
mothers. Students become for us both our children and our friends and
associates. There reigns a sort of permanent "incestuous" atmosphere
that can go haywire very quickly for everyone. A mantra recited by the
teaching community at some faculty meetings reflects this total
confusion of identities:
Me in the community,
And the community me.
Far
from being a saying designed to encourage healthy collegial solidarity,
these words reflect the total confusion of identities prevailing in the
Waldorf school system. Nobody there knows who he is or what exactly his
role is. This confusion between an educational institution and a family
structure is reflected in the language used in schools, where students
call the teachers who follow their individual work at end of schooling
(the masterpiece) their "godfathers" and "godmothers." Hierarchy
officially is absent from the schools (since the teaching community is
supposed to be self-organizing), but this produces power games and other
profoundly unhealthy effects. Also, it is not surprising that this
nebulous dissolution of personalities and responsibilities gives rise to
illicit situations between teachers and students. This is what often
happens. When the leaders of a Waldorf school gain knowledge of
misconduct, they often respond by using it as leverage to control
colleagues. I twice heard the stories of colleagues who were directed to
one of the members of the Internal College (steering committee) of the
school, to whom they confessed grave professional misconduct in their
dealings with students (the teacher dating a student since she was in
third). No reprimand resulted, but they knew that the leaders of the
school now possessed their secret and could use it against them if
necessary. Criminal behavior by teachers was accepted within the
pupil-teacher organization of the school, and it became leverage for the
leaders. For what could be more intimidating than a fault that the
leaders know about but choose to "hold out of view"?
III.
The "Anthroposophical Movement" and Its Institutions
1. Anthroposophic institutions
The
indoctrination of students Waldorf prepares them to move naturally
toward the "Anthroposophical movement," that is to say, all
institutions, companies, and associations rooted in Anthroposophy. Like
Steiner-Waldorf schools, these institutions are only partially
independent of the Anthroposophical Society as their members are often
leading Anthroposophists. As a member of the Anthroposophical Society in
France (SAF), I often saw in the newsletter that meetings were held
between these institutions at the request of officers of the SAF.
Moreover, these organizations can support each other financially. Weleda
products, for example, are regularly advertised in Anthroposophic
magazines. These institutions from Anthroposophy are numerous and cover
all areas of everyday life. There is thus:
• A specific kind of cosmetics (Wala and Weleda products)• A form of agriculture (Biodynamics, Demeter products)• Some preparatory nurseries and kindergartens related to Waldorf education,• Vocational training centers,• Financial services (NEF bank in France)• Anthroposophical pharmacology and medicine, with clinics and hospitals,• A special medical association (APMA, Anthrosana),• The Institutes of Curative Pedagogy (Camphills and other institutions for the disabled and caregivers using the methods of Rudolf Steiner, The Allagoutes),• Special arts (eurythmy, Werbeck singing, Haushka painting, the art of the word, dramatic expression, architecture, etc.),• Special welfare methods,• A specific form of gymnastics (the Gymnatique Bothmer),• A specific form of Christian worship (the Christian Community),• A special children's literature (Iona Editions),• Camps (Colonies Iona),• Special retirement homes (especially in Ribeauvillé),• Centers of specific vocational guidance (Michael Foyer, located at St. Menoux in Allier, etc.),• Some libraries (Solear-Triads, Pentagramm'),
• Some publishers (Triads, EAR, Pico della Mirandola, Iona)
It should also be mentioned, in addition to these institutions, there are specific auxiliary activities:
• A specific astrology,• Specific tours (organization Idriart),• Specific methods of meditation,• A specific dietary regime [39],• Special psychological therapies (many Anthroposophists tend to become psychotherapists),• A youth movement (NEOLOGOS site).
2. The School of Spiritual Science
and Its Sprawling Network of Professional Sections
Questioning
the current operations of Waldorf schools and exposing the insidious
indoctrination process that is practiced in them is sure to provoke the
wrath of the Pedagogical Section [of the General Anthroposophical
Society] and, through it, all the Anthroposophical movement. Because it
is a network with significant lobbying power.
To understand this phenomenon, it is necessary to detail the structure of the center of Anthroposophy:
• Firstly, there is the Anthroposophical movement, which I detailed above.• Then there is the Anthroposophical Society, consisting of branches (Anthroposophical groups ordinarily meeting once or twice a month to study the works of Steiner).• Above, there is the School of Spiritual Science, confined to those Anthroposophists are allowed to listen to the lessons of the First Class (the secret cult in which some lectures of Steiner are read, accompanied by mantras that are considered especially sacred — members have the duty to meditate regularly and preserve the group's secrets).• Finally, in the School of Spiritual Science, there are different Professional Sections (devoted to education, agriculture, arts, literature, eurythmy, social sciences, medicine, drama, etc.) ... the members meet according to their professional activities.
We
can say that the Anthroposophical movement is controlled by these
Sections. Waldorf schools are related to the Pedagogical Section, just
as social and banking institutions in the Anthroposophical movement are
related to the Section of Social Sciences, and biodynamic agriculture
agencies are with the Agriculture Section, etc. Behind a facade of
independence, the various institutions of the Anthroposophical movement
are actually woven in a kind of secret network centered on the
Anthroposophical Society, which coordinates all the disguised
Anthroposophic institutions and associations around the world. By
"coordinate," I intend to convey the secret solidarity of these groups.
Because the cohesion produced by being joined ins a secretive practice
of worship (the lessons of the First Class) allows us to speak, in my
view, of the "occult fraternity of International Anthroposophy." Through
the School of Spiritual Science, the Anthroposophical Society controls a
network that is directly connected to the sprawling Goetheanum in
Dornach — it becomes a sort of secret government of the Anthroposophical
movement. I remember one day, I heard Antoine Dodrimont [41]say as an
aside that the power of the Medical Section was like that of a doctor
who is the head of a ministry ... So we can say that the independence
of Steiner-Waldorf schools with respect to the Anthroposophical Society
is an illusion: Most of its key members actually belong to the
Pedagogical Section. [42]
A
concrete example will show how such a network functions. In a private
conversation, I happened one day to discuss the situation of the school
École Saint Michel de Strasbourg, about which I had received negative
feedback. During a visit to the school, the mother to whom I entrusted
these imprudent remarks mentioned what I had shared. Heavy mechanicisms
immediately went into action: School officials at Saint Michel de
Strasbourg immediately contacted the Federation of Waldorf Schools,
which in turn contacted the President of the Anthroposophical Society in
France. He made contact with me during a conference which I attended
and instructed me not to repeat such statements. This shows how a
private action can immediately be reprimanded in high places. I could
mention other similar cases. This network is so focused that in the
center of Anthroposophic everyone knows all of the private information
about individuals in the movement. This allows it to react swiftly at
any point, to prohibit the dissemination of information of numerous
scandals shaking Anthroposophical movement internally (particularly the
Steiner-Waldorf schools) so that this knowledge never reaches the ears
of civil society.
It
is wrong to describe the Anthroposophical Society as seeking to win the
greatest possible membership for itself. Instead, restricting the
organization to a small staff does not at all upset its projects. This
enables it to remain discreet and not draw too much attention to itself.
For what it really aspires to is not its own growth, but the growth of
the general Anthroposophical movement, for which it is the central
nervous system operating through the Professional Sections of the School
of Spiritual Science. The growth of the Anthroposophical movement
depends on how the network connects seemingly unrelated entities that
promote each other. Thus, parents of Waldorf schools are regularly
encouraged, on the occasion of various school festivals, to buy Weleda
products. Weleda products in turn place advertisements in Anthroposophic
magazines. These journals in turn develop ideas that will be used by
teachers of the schools: they seek to update the way we can extract
Steiner's old ideas from new scientific data. The NEF bank provides
financially advantageous rates to the various institutions related to
the Anthroposophical movement: nurseries, clinics, biodynamic farms,
etc.. The biodynamic farms provide products to the canteens at
Steiner-Waldorf schools. Waldorf schools send their students to do
internships at the various associations and institutions funded by the
NEF. And thus through the entire network, Anthroposophy will spread like
a common doctrine that will awaken the curiosity of people who may be
drawn into Anthroposophy. Among the Anthroposophists, some become
members of the School of Spiritual Science and eventually enter one or
another of the Professional Sections. The Professional Sections then
serve as links between the various disguised institutions of the
Anthroposophical movement and the Goetheanum in Dornach. To repeat the
concept of Gilles Deleuze in the THOUSAND PLATEAUS, one could say that
this is not a branching tree (a development from a central trunk), but a
spreading rootstock.
IV.
Schools Waldorf and Anthroposophy: a System that Perpetuates
1. Paradox of a Pedagogy of
Enlightenment and Indoctrination
These
schools are frequently inspected by the Ministry of Education, so how
would it be possible for indoctrination in the theories of Rudolf
Steiner to occur there? It would be so conspicuous that long ago that
the schools would have been revealed as sectarian institutions and the
French state would have stopped subsidizing them.
I
believe there are several reasons for this. Firstly, you should know
that a large proportion of the complaints do not rise higher than the
Federation of Waldorf Schools. I knew a student at Verrières-le-Buisson
who complained officially to the Federation that in the 11th grade
(Second), a teacher led a "period" (one month of continuous education)
concerning the people of Atlantis. He had taught the content of a book
by Rudolf Steiner [43] about the history of the different races that
would develop from the Atlantean continent before it was submerged by
the flood. Of course, the leaders of the Federation immediately made
sure to cover it up. This incident is far from being an isolated case:
it is common that, abandoning all caution, a teacher starts to teach
more openly than he should these concepts he believes in, coming from
his unique cultural universe. Many teachers do not realize that they
thus indoctrinate. I remember one of my teachers telling me how sorry he
was that one member of my class was not receptive to "progressive
ideas" (so he called them) that he had wanted to assign him to work on,
when the 12th grade (First or Terminal) was studying Goethe's FAUST.
Acting in good faith, this teacher wanted to indoctrinate the students
in ideas he sincerely believed would promote their spiritual best
interest. Only high-ranking leaders of these schools, the Federation of
Waldorf Schools, and the Anthroposophical Society have a sufficient
overview to realize the systematization of these practices and the
recurring problems they cause. But their reaction is to obscure the
possible impact on the public and not to treat the problem at its root,
as yet should be dictated by a healthy moral sense.
Another
reason for the paucity of complaints from alumni of Steiner-Waldorf
schools: This pedagogy could not function without attracting many
genuinely innovative ideas and practices. The method of teaching writing
thus stresses artistic or independent initiative by the student, etc.
Such elements lead many students to enjoy being enrolled in these
schools. And many teachers flourish there — still — in their teaching
practices. I would be lying if we did not recognize this, but still we
have to wonder about some very problematic aspects of this approach. In
addition, denying it would reinforce among parents the sense of being
victimized if they cannot freely choose Waldorf schooling. They often
opted for this pedagogy is because they perceived its positive aspects
and the "benefits" for their children.
Some
pedagogical innovations effectively promote the free thinking of
students. I think this is partly due to the methods of learning to read
and calculate, how to approach science through experiments and not pure
theory, etc. In his early philosophical works, Rudolf Steiner was able
to intuit practices that promote the development of free thought — he
sought to describe precisely the essence of the thinking activity. As a
professor of philosophy who taught for several years in one of these
schools, I must admit that I've met students with whom his effects were
positive, because they had a real taste for reflection, and they dared
express their ideas and opinions. They could often show original and
profound thinking in their remarks.
But
those factors that promote the students' thinking combine, in this
pedagogy, with the insidious indoctrination described above. This puts
students in a frighteningly paradoxical situation: They credit the
development of their judgment and their mental awakening to a
pedagogical method and a teaching team that also indoctrinate them. For
many students, this contradiction will be a source of suffering
throughout their lives, if they are able to become aware of it at all.
Think of the logical alienation and psychological damage, for the mind
to owe part of its blooming to a sectarian context! How can one later
challenge the very thing that seemingly gave us our well-being? For my
part, I know that much of my ability for analysis comes from educational
elements which I enjoyed in the Waldorf school where I received my
education. But I also know that I had to pay for my inner freedom by the
attack of this hidden indoctrination that I suffered since the age of
nine. And I also know that it led me slowly but surely into a deep and
deadly enclosing (Anthroposophic) mentality.
2. Anthroposophy, a System Protected by
Respect for Tradition, Isolation, and Intellectual Jargon
But
how is it that many of the teachers themselves do not seem to be aware
of their practices of indoctrination? In fact, I think in their minds,
there is no deliberate indoctrination. By injecting elements of
Anthroposophical doctrine into their normal teaching, making the
students recite prayers and mantras of Rudolf Steiner for all occasions,
celebrating ritual Christian-Anthroposophic rituals, establishing an
early distrust authorities — in doing these things, teachers at these
schools do not necessarily realize that they contribute to a sectarian
system. Personally, it took me a lot of thought and many adventures
before realizing what it was. This is explained by the existence of a
kind of cordon drawn around these schools to conceal the true nature
from their own members. This is based on several factors:
• Intellectual saturation in Anthroposophy
• Respect for tradition
Respect
for tradition is a constant in these primary schools: Rudolf Steiner is
indeed regarded as a kind of prophet who gave a number of truths and
methods. Waldorf teachers are perpetuating the system that was developed
by Steiner himself in 1919, at the first school in Stuttgart. They
often operate by simple fidelity to a tradition they sanctify, without
asking any questions about the inner freedom of their students. [45] How
many times have I heard phrases such as, "Rudolf Steiner gave
particular indication" instead of "Steiner said this or that." The
founder is not considered an ordinary human being, or merely a thinker,
but he is seen as a giver of eternal truths, an intermediary between the
world of gods and mortals. He gave the world Anthroposophical Waldorf
education in 1919 as a gift from Heaven! This has even been propounded
by Serge Prokofiev, current leader of the Anthroposophical Society, who
has said that the founder of Anthroposophy is — when seen in the
universal cosmic scale — a being belonging to the ranks of Bodhisattvas;
that is, unlike ordinary mortals, Steiner is holds such a high rank
that he will soon no longer need to reincarnate on Earth. As to
Anthroposophy itself, it is not considered a mere worldview, but the
emanation of the Supreme Deity: Anthroposophia is an emanation of the
Divine Sophia. [47]
• A Pedgagogy Intermingled with Cosmic Beliefs
When
teachers Steiner-Waldorf schools state that their teaching is based on
"a comprehensive conception of the human being," you would think they
work from a philosophical and anthropological understanding independent
of any link to Anthroposophy as esoteric doctrine and religious
practice. But there is absolutely nothing of the kind! Reading the
reference books used by Waldorf teachers leads [48] you to realize that
the concepts of reincarnation, karma, and even Anthropological
Christology are inextricably linked to Rudolf Steiner's directives about
the education of children. The educational precepts of Rudolf Steiner's
are inseparable from his Anthroposophical teachings about human beings
and the cosmos. This problem is well known to the Federation of Steiner
schools in France, who tried a few years ago to provide academic
legitimacy by forming a study group in collaboration with René Barbier,
researcher in the sciences of education, the University of Paris VIII.
In June 2007, an update on the value of the "action research" conducted
with academics, anthroposophic who participated concluded:
"We are led as a provisional conclusion to reopen the question — which arose in the context of action research, but also elsewhere — of a possible transposition in Waldorf pedagogy.
"We believe we can encourage the dissemination of the spirit of our school in society and the culture of our time, through a process of 'benevolent transfer.' Drawing from heterogeneous learning environments and transforming them expansively, we doubt strict teaching methods that disregard the spiritual foundation, that is to say the value of the spirit." [49]
To
understand how Waldorf teachers often claim that they do not practice
indoctrination practice, you must take into account the phenomenon of
widespread "waffling" in the Waldorf movement. Indeed, Anthroposophic
and Waldorf educators have long said that Anthroposophy is not taught to
students in their schools. An example is this statement Antoine
Dodrimont, saying in a recent article on the blog Growing Differently:
"We must insist on the fact that Anthroposophy is not a worldview to be
taught to children. If this were the case, we do not respect their
freedom and that of their parents. Pedagogy is open to all children of
the earth in accordance with the choice of philosophical and religious
families. Freedom is a sacred value recognized by Anthroposophy and the
pedagogy based on it." Contrary to the claims of Mr. Dodrimont,
Anthroposophy is actually taught to students of Steiner-Waldorf schools,
but in a form which can not be easily identified. I heard such denials
again and again from the mouths of my teachers when I was a student, and
after I became Waldorf teacher, I in turn repeated such denials
countless times — a skilful process of auto-suggestion preventing one
from seeing reality. It would be absolutely impossible for a teacher in a
Waldorf school to denounce internally the things I have mentioned,
because it would stir up hostility from a vast network reaching far
beyond his school. Indeed, various Anthroposophical agencies are
independent of the Anthroposophical Society in appearance only. Prior to
retirement, most active members of the Anthroposophical Society work as
Waldorf school teachers. Knowledge of the internal functioning of these
schools disproves the words of Antoine Dodrimont, who declared: "With
regard to the Anthroposophical Society, it is not involved in the
operation of schools that are independent entities based on their own
strengths." In fact, the Steiner-Waldorf schools are run by a close
network and are quietly woven into the Anthroposophical Society.
To
complete the overview of indoctrination around which Steiner-Waldorf
schools pivot, it is now necessary to say a word about the parents.
The
indoctrination of parents is so ingenious. Many parents who send their
children to these schools do so without knowing about Anthroposophy and
without themselves being Anthroposophists. This was the case with my own
parents. Firstly, the schools do not openly reveal the different
elements of their underlying Anthroposophical doctrine. On rare
occasions only will the teachers speak a little, cautiously, of such
matters as the "reappearance of Christ in the etheric world" or
reincarnation. But initially, we talked to parents only about our
teaching methods. Later the parents are invited to attend, at least once
per quarter, educational meetings. At these, while speaking to them of
different materials and activities performed by their children to
school, the teachers may gradually refer more and more openly to the
"foundations" of this pedagogy. Still later, parents will be offered
conferences where the themes are less about the pedagogy and more about
the esoteric teachings of Rudolf Steiner.
The indoctrination of parents also goes to those who willingly accept it, by entering more and more deeply in the life of the school. We start by asking them to participate in the annual fair, just taking a stand or making cakes, then do the same with other parties, then the parties collaborate by assisting the teacher. Then they are invited to become members of various school committees and to take roles in pageants such as the "Play of the Shepherds", the "Play of the Three Kings", and "The Paradise Play", which are staged around Christmas, etc.. They are also asked to participate in the school gardens, and serve as guides during various trips their children's classes take, and then classes in which they do not have children, etc.. Some parents end up spending their lives at school!
"We are led as a provisional conclusion to reopen the question — which arose in the context of action research, but also elsewhere — of a possible transposition in Waldorf pedagogy.
"We believe we can encourage the dissemination of the spirit of our school in society and the culture of our time, through a process of 'benevolent transfer.' Drawing from heterogeneous learning environments and transforming them expansively, we doubt strict teaching methods that disregard the spiritual foundation, that is to say the value of the spirit." [49]
• Using a Wooden Language
3. The Indoctrination of Parents
The indoctrination of parents also goes to those who willingly accept it, by entering more and more deeply in the life of the school. We start by asking them to participate in the annual fair, just taking a stand or making cakes, then do the same with other parties, then the parties collaborate by assisting the teacher. Then they are invited to become members of various school committees and to take roles in pageants such as the "Play of the Shepherds", the "Play of the Three Kings", and "The Paradise Play", which are staged around Christmas, etc.. They are also asked to participate in the school gardens, and serve as guides during various trips their children's classes take, and then classes in which they do not have children, etc.. Some parents end up spending their lives at school!
4. The Indoctrination of Teachers
The
indoctrination of teachers is itself even more perverse. Contrary to
what one might think, the teachers in these schools do not all start as
Anthroposophists, but many are just teachers seeking an alternative
structure, or student-teachers looking for a job. Currently, these
schools are indeed unable to recruit enough Anthroposophists to meet
their staffing requirements, as the Anthroposophical Society is reduced
to a
small group of the retired or the
perfectly enlightened who are unqualified to teach. Therefore the
schools must recruit applicants from outside. Most of the time this is
done the same way students or parents are recruited, that is to say,
without revealing the school's true coloration. I was able to see how we
recruited people who were only told only, to begin with, that they will
become part of a "an innovative, alternative pedagogy." Only gradually
are the recruits eventually invited to accept Anthroposophical ideas.
They must also attend conferences that open educational meetings, where esoteric themes are discussed in. At first, the uninitiated do not understand much of what is happening nor the esoteric verbiage. I remember
a disorienting first meeting during which a colleague of the Executive
Committee of the school gave a speech, three quarters of an hour long,
about iron "meteorites" (from meteors crashing into the Earth) which he
said bring the forces of the archangel Michael down to humanity — this
was meant to give courage to the teachers. In Anthroposophy, discussions
are commonly meant to provide what they call "spiritual communion".
[51] A conference is not just a means for to communicate ideas — it is
an act of sacramental communion.
Each
teacher is also encouraged to take an interest in some aspect of the
doctrine of Rudolf Steiner: The Botany teacher will be invited to read
the writings of Steiner or THE METAMORPHOSIS OF PLANTS by Goethe, the
SVT teacher will be prompted to read Steiner's zoological works, or
Goethe, etc. The teacher of economics and sociology will be directed to
examine Rudolf Steiner's teaching concerning the threefold division of
society [52], the teacher of mathematics is invited to read THE FOURTH
DIMENSION, MATHEMATICS AND REALITY [53]. The teacher of physics and
chemistry is directed to read LIGHT AND MATTER [54], etc. A class
teacher will, in turn, be urged to attend the Teacher Training
Institute [55](often at his own expense). However, during this
"training", the talk gradually shifts to the esoteric ideas of Rudolf
Steiner; the group begins to practice mediation or prayer; they read
books such as THEOSOPHY, which contains the Master's teaching on
reincarnation and karma, etc.
Teachers
are also encouraged to participate in study groups from the
Anthroposophical Society supposedly to cultivate the foundations of
their discipline or their teaching skills.
5. Progressive Involvement Outside Teaching
Meanwhile,
teachers are asked to participate in various tasks of school life:
monitoring the canteen, preparing various gatherings, helping with
educational exhibitions, open houses, gardening, green spaces of the
school, cleaning classrooms, small maintenance, administrative tasks,
etc.
Steiner
indeed specified that Waldorf schools should always be run collegially,
that is to say all decisions should be taken jointly by the inner
faculty and the management should come through the teachers. He
specified that even individuals who no longer teach (former teachers)
should not take care of the administrative affairs of a school. A
Steiner school should have neither a secretary nor an accountant but a
teacher who takes a little time from his educational work to manage the
accounting and administrative activities of the institution.
"The management of teaching and education, which truly bear all spiritual life, must be entrusted only to those who educate and teach. No agency of the State or in the economy should interfere in the management or direction of education. Each teacher should devote sufficient teaching time to be to become a director in his field. He will take care of the administrative side, as he takes care of education and teaching themselves. (...) No parliament, no personality — those who can be taught but who cannot teach — can be recognized. ". — Rudolf Steiner, THE SOCIAL PROBLEM (Ed., E.A.R.), p. 12.
Household
and kitchen work are no exception. At the beginning of the twentieth
century, the first Steiner school functioned in this way, but most of
these schools have subsequently agreed to develop a few posts for
secretaries, accountants, or housekeepers, whose numbers are however
still held to a minimum, leaving a substantial load of work in the arms
of the teaching community. An important point is that most of these
schools do not recognize the principle of leadership: they have no
principal or director of studies. At most, they have sometimes conceded
authority to a management board ("Internal College") consisting of a
limited number of members. But the management of the school is therefore
undertaken by unqualified personnel who are not paid for this work,
which comes in addition to their teaching. This creates a slow, awkward
decision-making process. We can describe this as a sort of autistic
approach: Rather than deal with a problem, the steering committee of the
school rather pretends it does not exist, hoping it resolves itself. In
some schools, the entire teaching community debates for months to
determine the color that a classroom will be painted! Steiner imposed
the rule of unanimity rather than majority rule, saying the operation of
a school should be republican and not democratic [i.e., not based on
majority voting], so discussions are sometimes endless. This dogmatic
precept wreaks havoc in the small world of a Waldorf faculty where
belonging to the Internal College inflates the ego. On decisions as
simple as a change in schedule or relocation of a workshop, I sometimes
witnessed endless turf wars and trench warfare. I saw a physical
education teacher burst into tears at the absurdity of a decision: After
battling for weeks to obtain slots in a municipal gym, he was denied by
the teaching community the necessary change of schedule, arguing that
Steiner had written somewhere that in no case may a gym class take
precedence over an academic course.
This
could lead to inefficiency despite constant smiles, for there was
continuous over-investment by teachers in the management of their
schools. After some particularly busy weeks, I ended up not just going
home, but sleeping for several days in an infirmary. But
the moral and physical exhaustion is part of the logic of imprisonment I
alluded to previously: resigned, discouraged, washed-out, Waldorf
teachers only become more submissive to an institution to which they
eventually sacrifice their lives and energy. [57]
Ultimately,
the teacher is so much involved in the famous "school life" that he
soon surrenders his personal life. [58] If the spouse does not adhere to
the concepts and practices of the school, colleagues make the teacher
understand that s/he needs a different partner. [59] The teacher finds
compensation, a new kind of family, in the school itself.
Of
course, this life of isolation within the school is not without major
problems developing in social behavior. In these schools, I have
observed collective harassment of teachers by one or another of their
colleagues. During my four years of teaching, no less than seven
teachers were victims of severe depression following the Waldorf
practice of persecution. Designating scapegoats is, in my opinion, part
of the sectarian logic at Waldorf — the purpose is to break the
individuals, who do not understand what is happening, to transform them
gradually into docile creatures. In all these schools, there are sordid
stories of teachers who have suddenly been harassed for longer or
shorter periods, for very different reasons, and often with no good
effect. These deplorable practices are made possible by the fact that
there is no trade union structure in Steiner-Waldorf schools, Rudolf
Steiner being opposed to unions on the ideological level. Also
contributing is the distrust of the laws of the "outside world" — an
attitude that, quite often, the victims themselves do not think to
challenge. Teachers of Steiner-Waldorf schools — the persecutors and the
persecuted — are "endoctrinants" or indoctrinated, so that do not find
fault in the system to which they are committed. They only follow a
transcendent logic by which the same one person can be, in turn, a
victim and then a perpetrator of the destruction of individuals. [60]
It
is to such teachers — who have no personal or social life, and no
interest in anything other than the Steiner-Waldorf pedagogy and its
foundations — to whom the education of students is entrusted. How then
pretend to be surprised by the frequent, improper romances that develop
between teachers and students, in a context where additional heat is
built into all emotional relationships? Only hypocrisy and a strategy of
concealment explain the official blindness on this issue.
In Conclusion
It
is essential to note that the practices I have described do not always
lead to the complete indoctrination of all students immersed in this
teaching. Few of the students will become, as was my case, members of
the Anthroposophical Society. Most will only be impregnated with ideas
that they will adhere to more or less consciously. For some, this will
result in unconditional sympathy for Waldorf Schools. Others will work
in the "Anthroposophical movement." Only a few become members of the
Anthroposophical Society.
But
teachers can use a Waldorf school to identify those students who are
most receptive to the ideas of Anthroposophy. Those students are
approached at the time of adolescence, often through a teacher with whom
the contact is already quite close. For me, this was my history and
geography teacher who took me aside after class to pursue certain
elements that could not be developed for the whole class. I remember
that we talked directly about issues such as reincarnation, the
incarnation of Christ, the Ahrimanic principle, etc. Students who do not
have this potential affinity with Anthroposophy are not solicited.
There is not, in fact, a recruitment effort so extensive as to be highly
dangerous. Teachers unhesitatingly show less interest — even a certain
contempt — towards those young people who "lack of openness" to their
message. My professor of history and geography and told me one day that a
classmate, who was serious and brilliant, received no more than an
average grade of 12 in the study of FAUST because of his stubborn
resistance to certain "progressive ideas" (as the teacher put it). Even
if it is not said openly nor always consciously, students are sometimes
rated more according to their degree of adherence to Anthroposophy than
according to their school work, and they may feel this pressure
accordingly. Those who rebel will be branded as bad students. Often,
they will voluntarily leave Waldorf before the end of their schooling.
They will flee because of the silent pressure from teachers, but also
sometimes they want to escape the hostility of classmates who, feeling
the attitude of their masters, become relays of their disapproval. Thus,
at the school Verrières-le-Buisson, humiliations such as teasing, for
example, were directed at those students who dared to use a different
vocabulary than the school approved — they were quarantined, truly
harassed. It was not uncommon for playgrounds to become theaters for
systematic "manhunts" and "beatings" of students who did not fit the
Waldorf mold. My sister, who attended Waldorf up to the time of college
entrance, remembers well the nightmare that recess became, where the
entire class ganging up to chase and hit. How could teachers ignore the
beatings that occurred, if they had bothered to monitor recess? Was it
basically it suited their purposes? Verbal harassment of students could
even take place in class, in the presence of a teacher who would not
intervene. Once, when this became excessive, my sister stood up to say
she would not longer accept such abuse. That's when the teacher, feeling
that perhaps this time things had gone a little too far and might lead
to problems, was inspired to tell her to return to her seat, saying she
must undergo this test stoically! For my part, I am now convinced that
the teaching staff of these schools knowingly tolerate the harassment of
those who resist the community, its lifestyle and its ideology — this
is part of the logic of exerting power over the consciences of children.
I
especially want to address how in these schools there is a gap between
the appearance of a modern pedagogy that initially seems innovative —
respectful of the freedom and development of students — and the hidden
reality of the schools' medieval character. One could compare these
schools, when you know them, from inside, to genuine "teaching
monasteries," where submission to an esoteric doctrine and enslavement
of body and soul in service to the community is the implicit rule
followed by the teachers.
I
hope my testimony will allow all those who so eagerly promote these
schools — journalists and public figures — to be more cautious in their
assessment.
Although
progressive elements do exist in these schools, this doesn't change the
fact that these schools are at the same time the pool where
Anthroposophists select, from childhood, those who are most receptive to
their worldview and their modes of operation. They then introduce those
individuals into their various circles, which are closed otherwise: the
Anthroposophical Society and its School of Spiritual Science. This
selection usually follows from the emotional bonds that are formed,
which may seem natural but which are often part of a recruitment policy.
For my part, I took some time to realize this about my personal
relationship with my former teachers.
I
would like to speak to the idea that Anthroposophy is a "soft sect"
because its indoctrination is subtle and may even be experienced as
progressive.
But
what happens in these schools is a serious violation of freedom of
conscience in children. This is not considered a significant phenomenon
internally, for the Anthroposophical Society is so dogmatic and closed
upon itself that the only method is has for renewing its work force is
to gather individuals who have been pre-formatted for it. Without
students from Waldorf schools, the Society would probably be reduced to a
handful of individuals.
I
think that without the support of National Education, it is unlikely
that the Steiner-Waldorf schools could survive, financially or socially.
The widening gap between the schools' practices and ideas, on the one
hand, and the reality of today's world, on the other hand, should
naturally lead to their extinction. [61]
Grégoire Perra as a young Waldorf student,
at about age 12
Grégoire Perra at about age 17,
in a Waldorf art class
Waldorf teacher Grégoire Perra at about age 32,
working in the school staff room
Grégoire Perra today
[photograph by Myrtille Dupont
www.myrtille-photographe.fr]
[Photos supplied by Grégoire Perra]
ENDNOTES
[1] See Part III of this report.
[2] If these links were revealed, would the French government subsidize these schools?
[3] In
second grade, pour teachers attended — during school — a conference led
by Gerard Klockenbring, an Anthroposophist and Christian Community
Pastor. The theme was "the supersensible nature of the human being."
During my year at school Terminal Steiner- Waldorf Chatou, we were
informed that Gerard Klockenbring would give a lecture to near the
school. I went there and thus seduced by his teaching. I later followed
this speaker when he gave lectures at the Anthroposophical Society.
[4] Christophe and Gregory Dekindt Perra, THE SPIRITUAL CINEMA, Backgrounds Occult American Action Film (Ed., Mirandola).
[6] See Rudolf Steiner, MAN IN RELATIONSHIP TO ANIMALS AND THE ELEMENTARY SPIRITS (Ed., Triades).
[7] Rudolf Steiner, MYTHES ET LÉGENDES ET LEURS VÉRITÉS OCCULTES (Ed., E.A.R.).
[8] Rudolf Steiner, MYTHES ET LÉGENDES ET LEURS VÉRITÉS OCCULTES (Ed., E.A.R.) [sic; LA SAGESSE CACHÉE DE CONTES DE GRIMM is probably intended here].
[10] A
reference book for the teachers in these schools is by Werner Greub,
THE SEARCH OF GRAAL, Wolfram von Eschenbach and historical reality (Ed.,
E.A.R.)
[11] Rudolf Steiner, PLAN PÉDAGOGIQUE, Éditions Anthroposophiques Romandes.
[12] Rudolf Steiner, CONSEILS, réunions avec les professeurs de l'école Steiner de Stuttgart, édité par la Fédération des Écoles Steiner-Waldorf, octobre 2005.
[12] Rudolf Steiner, CONSEILS, réunions avec les professeurs de l'école Steiner de Stuttgart, édité par la Fédération des Écoles Steiner-Waldorf, octobre 2005.
[13] In
France, the magazine SPIRIT OF TIME — for which I was a writer over a
period of two years — is the publication that primarily updates
scientific and literary concepts for Steiner-Waldorf teachers.
[14] Jean-Marie Pelt, PLANTS, PLANT LOVERS AND CIVILIZATIONS (Editions Fayard).
[15]
That is to say, he refers to an earlier incarnation of the Earth (the
Old Moon), when everything was liquid; solid substances did not exist
yet.
[16] See Ernst-Michael Kranich, VEGETABLE AND PLANT ESSENTIALS OF GOETHE (Ed., Triads).
[17]
See various chapters of Steiner’s OCCULT SCIENCE, (Ed., E.A.R.) and
Steiner’s SYMPTOMS IN HISTORY (Rudolf Steiner, Ed., Triads).
[18] I can provide all of the notes I took during this training.
[19] TO
DEEPEN THE TEACHING OF RUDOLF STEINER. Document published by the
Educational Section of the Free University of Science of the Spirit.
[The
Free University of Spiritual Science is an Anthroposophical institution
centered at the worldwide Anthroposophical headquarters, which is
called the Goetheanum. — RR.]
[20] The
headquarters of the Anthroposophical Society, located in Dornach,
Switzerland. It is the nerve center of international Anthoposophy.
[21] Goethe, the TREATMENT OF COLORS and THE METAMORPHOSIS OF PLANTS (Ed., Triads. prefaces by Rudolf Steiner).
[22] Wolfram von Eschenbach, PARZIVAL (Ed., E.A.R).
[23] Peter Tradowsky (Anthroposophy), KASPAR HAUSER AND THE BATTLE FOR THE MIND (Ed., Triads).
[24]
See Rudolf Steiner, THE FEASTS OF THE YEAR AND THEIR INTERNALIZATION
(Ed., E.A.R.), as well as Stephen Blanchon, THE FEASTS OF THE YEAR (Ed.,
E.A.R.).
[25]
See Rudolf Steiner, THE FALL OF THE SPIRITS OF DARKNESS, or THE MISSION
OF MICHAEL (Ed., Triads), or LETTERS TO MEMBERS (Ed., E.A.R.).
[26]
See THE RELIGIOUS LIFE OF THE CHILD, Ed. Iona. This collection contains
many words written by Rudolf Steiner for children. It may also refer to
the book CONCERNING RELIGIOUS EDUCATION, RUDOLF STEINER'S WORDS, WORK
MATERIAL FOR WALDORF TEACHERS, published for internal use only, courtesy
of Pädagogische Forschungsstelle beim Bund der Freien Waldorfschulen
Stuttgart, 1991.
[27]
CONCERNING RELIGIOUS EDUCATION, RUDOLF STEINER'S WORDS, WORK MATERIAL
FOR WALDORF TEACHERS, published for internal use only, courtesy of
Pädagogische Forschungsstelle beim Bund der Freien Waldorfschulen
stuttgart, 1991, page 67.
[28] Rudolf Steiner, THÉOSOPHIE (Ed., Novalis).
[29] Rudolf Steiner, LA SCIENCE DE L'OCCULTE (Ed., E.A.R.).
[30] Rudolf Steiner, LE SENS DE LA VIE (Ed., Triades).
[31] Steiner, Laloux, Berthold, ENIGMA OF THE TEMPERAMENTS (Ed., Triads).
[32] Rudolf Steiner, ESOTERIC LESSONS OF THE FIRST CLASS (Ed., E.A.R.). See the ninth lesson, p.190ff.
[33] Rudolf Steiner, ESOTERIC LESSONS, Volume 1 (Ed., E.A.R.). See the ninth lesson, p.116ff.
[34] See Part IV / 4 for this testimony.
[35] Notably those of his book INITIATION (Ed., Triads).
[36] Rudolf Steiner, MEDITATIONS FOR EVERYDAY LIFE (Ed., Triads).
[37] When
I worked at the Waldorf School of Chatou, a teacher told me that she
was often asked by the Internal College Internal (steering committee) to
serve as a stand-in for colleagues who did not have the required
qualifications. At the time, she said she was increasingly difficult
resisting these pressures.
[38] A
few years ago, in a Steiner school in the Paris region, a teacher had
to replace one of his colleagues for an inspection on short notice, so
he did not know the class. This caused such havoc among the students
that the inspector — not knowing of the trickery — concluded that the
teacher was so incompetent that he endangered his students. Loyal to the
school, the substitute teacher accepted the blame for which he was not
responsible, even though that year ended his teaching career.
[39]
See Steiner, FOOD AND HEALTH, also Food and Spiritual Development (Ed.,
E.A.R.), as well as the book by Joel Acremant EATING TODAY (Ed.,
Novalis).
[40] This term islet culture is deliberately used, for example, in the editorial FAS News March / April 2009.
[41] President of the Anthroposophical Society in France and a former teacher in the Waldorf School of Colmar.
[42]
A few years ago, the president of the Federation of Waldorf Schools was
simultaneously Director of the Pedagogical Section in France.
[43] Rudolf Steiner, THE AKASHIC CHRONICLES (Ed., E.A.R.).
[44] TOUMANT, L'ESRIT DU TEMPS, and LES NOUVELLES DE LA S.A.F.
[45] Even though they embrace to a book by Steiner titled THE PHILOSOPHY OF FREEDOM (Ed., E.A.R.).
[46] Serge Prokofiev, RUDOLF STEINER AND THE MYSTERIES OF OUR TIME (Ed., Branch Paul of Tarsus).
[47]
Serge Prokofiev, THE HEAVENLY SOPHIA AND ANTHROPOSOPHY (Ed., Branch
Paul of Tarsus). [Sophia is divine wisdom. Anthropo-Sophia,
Anthroposophy, is divine human wisdom. — RR]
[48] Rudolf Steiner, HUMAN NATURE (Ed., Triads).
[49] La Lettre de la Fédération, No. 19, June 2007.
[50]
There are evening art courses related to Anthroposophy, public lectures
on Anthroposophy, etc. Participants meet "branches" of the
Anthroposophical Society, including those that have held secret rituals
of the School of Spiritual Science. I know, having participated for
years.
[51]
In a series of lectures, Steiner describes how the sacramental
communion of the future will no longer involve substances such as bread
and wine, but spiritual representations instead.
[52] This provides the ideological foundations for the NEF Bank, a subsidiary of the Credit Cooperative.
[53] Rudolf Steiner, THE FOURTH DIMENSION, MATHEMATICS AND REALITY (Ed., Triads).
[54] Rudolf Steiner, LIGHT AND MATTER (Ed., E.A.R.)
[55] Chatou, Yvelines, or Didascalia in the South of France.
[56]
There is even a secret esoteric meditation book for teachers, which is
not meant for the public, but only is only passed hand to hand: In
religious education, it consists of Rudolf Steiner's words, material
published for internal Waldorf use, courtesy of Pädagogische
Forschungsstelle beim Bund der Freien Waldorfschulen stuttgart, 1991.
[57]
Illness sometimes opens brief windows of awareness. For me, important
health problems forced me to take a step back, helping me to move away
from the Anthroposophic path that had defined my life.
[58]
This phenomenon is well known in Steiner schools in Germany, where
women teachers are called "widows" because they never see their
husbands.
[59]
One teacher was constantly told that her husband— who openly described
the school as a sect — did not really understand and it would be better
if he went away.
[60]
This does not, however, remove the individual moral responsibility of
those who have participated in such actions, as I know from personal
experience.
[61] For
example, the Waldorf School of Colmar, which does not offer teacher
contracts, provides such a pittance to it teachers that the only ones
who stay are the most fanatical or those who have no other option.
