tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42685497178151465742024-03-17T19:58:56.017-07:00The Waldorf Review'rude to parents' 'do not trust them' 'shame and humiliation to "discipline" students' 'cultish' 'they began to threaten us with expulsion when we asked too many questions' 'communication problems' 'she felt like she wasn't learning anything' 'Do not... waste your children’s precious formative years' 'many families leave after years' 'lacking in accountability' 'what I've experienced was pure absurdity.' 'My advice would be to look elsewhere'PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.comBlogger182125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268549717815146574.post-23272814758206126112016-04-17T11:17:00.000-07:002016-04-17T11:25:21.058-07:00Waldorf Academy Intimidates Parents into Silence about Sexual Predator-Teacher<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/waldorf-academy-teacher-charged-1.3534563">http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/waldorf-academy-teacher-charged-1.3534563</a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.9001px;"><i>"The teacher, 41-year-old Ryan McCombe, was charged by Toronto police in January and February for alleged assaults in 2008 and 2012 that occurred outside of the school and involved a 13-year-old girl and then a 16-year-old girl."</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.9001px;"><i>A Toronto private school that was warned about the alleged "inappropriate behaviour" of a teacher more than a year before he was charged with sex assaults has asked parents to sign a code of conduct that some say is silencing them, CBC News has learned.</i></span></blockquote>
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<i>The Waldorf Academy's "Parent/Guardian Code of Conduct," obtained by CBC News, asks signees to "disengage from communication with fellow parents that place blame" and "refrain from 'third party talk', i.e., the passing of information, hearsay and speculation."</i></blockquote>
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<i>"We feel scared to speak," said one parent who asked not to be named. "It's like [the school] is saying, 'be silent and accept whatever we say.'"</i></blockquote>
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<i>Several Waldorf parents expressed concern about the code of conduct but did not want to speak about it on the record.</i></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.9001px;"><i>"Conduct deemed inappropriate," the letter reads, "will be dealt with immediately to resolve and repair the situation. If there is no willingness or effort by the parent to work constructively toward a resolution, the School reserves the right to terminate or decline re-enrollment."</i></span> </blockquote>
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<i>The code of conduct was issued in a March 16 letter to parents obtained by CBC News that came after the teacher was charged earlier this year with sexual assault, sexual interference, sexual exploitation and possessing, making and accessing child pornography.</i></blockquote>
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<i>None of the allegations has been proven in court.</i></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Well this sure sounds familiar. I think Highland Hall Waldorf School in California has a similar document that was issued when they had <a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2012/06/highland-hall-waldorf-school-letters-of.html" target="_blank">similar problems</a>.</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Back to our story...</b></span><br />
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<i style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.9001px;">The teacher, 41-year-old Ryan McCombe, was charged by Toronto police in January and February for a</i><i style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.9001px;">lleged assaults in 2008 and 2012 that occurred outside of the school and involved a 13-year-old girl and then a 16-year-old girl.</i></blockquote>
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<i>But it wasn't the first school administrators had heard of alleged inappropriate behavior involving McCombe.</i></blockquote>
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<i>The school received a letter in September 2014 from an "unregulated psychotherapist" that described an alleged relationship between McCombe and one of the therapist's clients, CBC News has learned.</i></blockquote>
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<i>In a letter to parents, obtained by CBC News, the school says the "anonymous, historical, unsubstantiated claim" gave it "no legal grounds to terminate Mr. McCombe's employment."</i></div>
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<i>The school did not notify police and the teacher continued working at the school up until his arrest in January.</i></div>
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.9001px;"><i><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> <span style="line-height: 18.9001px;">"We were shocked. It's like they were hiding it," </span></span></i></b></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.9001px;"><i><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">a parent, who requested anonymity, told CBC News.</span></i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.9001px;"><i>When asked by CBC News why the police were not notified about the letter in 2014, the school said it was advised by legal counsel at the time that the police would not be able to address the matter.</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Related Stories:</b></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2016/01/08/toronto-tutor-charged-with-sexually-assaulting-teen.html"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2016/01/08/toronto-tutor-charged-with-sexually-assaulting-teen.html</span></a><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">On Friday, the Waldorf Academy, near Bathurst St. and Davenport Rd., <b>removed a staff biography for a man named Ryan McCombe from their website</b>. The private school also removed a video of man of that name at a 2014 school barbecue from their Facebook page.</span></i></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A Waldorf Academy staff member declined to comment when the Star contacted the school about the removed pages.</span></i></blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2016/02/03/more-sex-assault-charges-against-toronto-tutor.html"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2016/02/03/more-sex-assault-charges-against-toronto-tutor.html</span></a><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A Toronto private school teacher who was charged last month with sex offences is now facing more charges.</span></i></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ryan McCombe, 41, was arrested on Feb. 1 and charged with six offences, including two counts of sexual assault, one count of sexual exploitation and one count of making child pornography.</span></i></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The charges relate to incidents involving a then-16-year-old girl that allegedly took place between September 2012 and October 2014 at a private residence near Yonge St. and Lawrence Ave.</span></i></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">On Jan. 7, McCombe was charged with one count of sexual assault and one count of sexual interference in connection with the alleged 2008 sexual assault of a then-13-year-old girl.</span></i></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Police say McCombe, who worked at the Waldorf Academy near Bathurst St. and Davenport Rd., was tutoring the 13-year-old complainant when the incident allegedly occurred.</span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.9001px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/waldorf-academy-warned-about-teacher-prior-to-sexual-assault-charges/article29614015/">http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/waldorf-academy-warned-about-teacher-prior-to-sexual-assault-charges/article29614015/</a></span></span></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A Toronto private school was warned by a therapist about alleged inappropriate behaviour by one of its teachers nearly two years before he was charged with multiple counts of sexual assault.</span></span></i></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Waldorf Academy felt it could not legally suspend or dismiss the teacher after he denied the allegations and the Children’s Aid Society declined to investigate because the complainant was more than 16 years old. Instead, according to a confidential review obtained by The Globe and Mail, administrators decided to let the teacher continue to teach elementary-school children and to monitor his behaviour informally.</span></span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Mr. McCombe, 41, has been suspended indefinitely without pay, the school said. The incident, however, raises questions about whether the school should have allowed him to work closely with children, and <b>even accompany them on an overnight camping trip, after receiving the warning.</b></span><b> </b></i></span></blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Might have something to do with hiding problems and silencing dissent.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Ryan-McCombe/1613857108">http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Ryan-McCombe/1613857108</a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.9001px;"><br /></span>PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268549717815146574.post-3610647706682463592015-09-23T20:40:00.000-07:002015-09-23T20:44:20.362-07:00Erase your Life!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.theprovince.com/health/principal+suspended+showing+autistic+student+knife+telling+erase+your+life/11384701/story.html" target="_blank">Providence story:</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gerard MacIntosh admitted to several bizarre incidents of professional misconduct while teaching Grade 8 students at Vancouver Waldorf School in North Van during the 2013-14 year, according to a Teacher Regulation Branch discipline agreement. The branch’s disclosure of the deal didn’t identify the school, however, The Province confirmed the incidents with school administrators took place there.<br />In one incident, according to the agreement, <b>MacIntosh admitted he badly upset a girl who had been diagnosed with autism</b> when she asked him for an eraser in class.<br />He held out a pocket knife in front of a group of students and told the girl, <b>“Here, use this to erase your life.”</b></span></blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Teacher+suspended+after+telling+student+erase+your+life/11382917/story.html" target="_blank">Vancouver Sun Story</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A former North Vancouver elementary school teacher and principal was suspended this week after he told one student to erase her life with a pocket knife and told others he had dressed for Halloween as a pedophile. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gerard MacIntosh taught at an independent school where he made the comments during the 2013-14 year, according to a discipline agreement released this week by the province's Teacher Regulation Branch.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">MacIntosh had been teaching grade eight students in early 2014, when a student asked him for an eraser, according to the agreement. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>In front of other students, MacIntosh held out a pocket knife and told the student – who had been diagnosed with autism - “here, use this to erase your life,”</b> according to the agreement. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In a separate incident, a student asked the teacher if he was going to wear a costume at a Halloween party for grade seven and eight pupils. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>“MacIntosh replied that he was already in costume, as he was dressed up as a pedophile,”</b> read the agreement. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">MacIntosh was also reprimanded for a third incident that happened when his grade eight students were to visit a grade 11 class. According to the agreement,<b> he told the elder pupils he would bet money that a particular grade eight student would "say something stupid like ‘how do you get laid in Grade 9’?” - or words to that effect. </b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The school placed MacIntosh on paid leave in May. He told some parents he was on leave because of some of his students. And he told some of his students that he was on leave because of the pupil to whom he had held out the pocket knife, according to the agreement.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>MacIntosh was teaching at the Vancouver Waldorf School at the time the incidents happened, confirmed Victoria Restrepo, a business manager for the Vancouver Waldorf School. </b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"We immediately began an internal investigation and reported it to the BC Teacher Regulation Branch Review Board,” said Restrepo in a written statement. <b>"Our first priority is, and always will be, the health and safety of the children at our school."</b></span></blockquote>
<b style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apparently the health and safety of the children wasn't the school's priority as there were three separate incidents with this person.</b><br />
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<a href="http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/teacher-suspended-after-telling-autistic-student-to-erase-your-life-with-a-pocket-knife" target="_blank">Another paper covers the story here:</a><br />
<a href="http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/bc-teacher-suspended-for-showing-autistic-student-a-knife-and-telling-her-to-erase-her-life-with-it/ar-AAeGx13?li=AAacUQk" target="_blank">And here:</a><br />
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Here's Zoom Info placing him at <a href="http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Gerard-MacIntosh/1454516805" target="_blank">Vancouver Waldorf School.</a><br />
And <a href="http://www.whywaldorfworks.org/11_EffPractices/documents/2012-13AnnualReportUPDATEMay2013.pdf" target="_blank">AWSNA's financial report</a> lists him in several places.<br />
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<br />PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268549717815146574.post-62931651028066612832015-08-13T07:49:00.001-07:002015-08-13T07:49:05.798-07:00Pasadena Waldorf School... having a melt-down?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhI9dWYtvRcBDFtCs3fPl6s4ZPxSE4G6NKIbOTrdiOF-zVPI3e1KYKytcoMVCy5WaD0f2aFQrwmjlMYLxEIXveR7gUoFL_xsIcUD6BdhCezId1vAOXjpYnZcZBVEm2COgjYIKRPTCgcDT/s1600/Pasadena-Waldorf-Admin-and-4th-grade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhI9dWYtvRcBDFtCs3fPl6s4ZPxSE4G6NKIbOTrdiOF-zVPI3e1KYKytcoMVCy5WaD0f2aFQrwmjlMYLxEIXveR7gUoFL_xsIcUD6BdhCezId1vAOXjpYnZcZBVEm2COgjYIKRPTCgcDT/s320/Pasadena-Waldorf-Admin-and-4th-grade.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Is Pasadena Waldorf School... having a melt-down? Chasing families off their campus... lying to newspapers? Attached are the most recent reviews from parents about Pasadena Waldorf school. I've seen Waldorf administrators stuffing the ballot box but I've never seen so many parent reviews all on the same day. This must have been right after another school crisis.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.greatschools.org/california/altadena/9839-Pasadena-Waldorf-School/reviews/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.greatschools.org/…/9839-Pasadena-Waldor…/reviews/</a></div>
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Posted July 15, 2015 - a parent<br />Most teachers are great and do care about the children. There have been a few instances, a recent one included, where the teacher was horrible and families were leaving because of this and it took a long time to let that teacher go.</div>
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Posted July 15, 2015 - a parent<br />Many of the children are very well-behaved. Spoiled but generally pretty good. There have been issues where some kids were bullies and they weren't dealt with because their parents contribute too much money. Some kids have left the school because of being bullied.</div>
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Posted July 15, 2015 - a parent<br />I feel that many of the students are from very wealthy families and are very spoiled. They go on all kinds of trips and have lots of stuff. Giving back is not as emphasized as I feel from such a batch of privileged students and families.</div>
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Posted July 15, 2015 - a parent (4 stars)<br />We are leaving this school after 5 years because it has become financially prohibitive. The tuition is $19,000/year with a 5% increase each year in part to fund a high school that has maybe 15 kids in each grade. Leaving with a sad heart because I love the arts incorporated into the schooling BUT there is not much science and there are definitely hardly any boys at the school. The vibe feels very old school where the traditional family is the norm. Dad works, mom is stay at home. There is also a rich hippie/trust fund vibe because at this point, only the wealthy can afford to go here. Seriously, as I'm rushing off to work so I can pay the tuition, adults are hanging around, drinking coffee, knitting, not working. Sadly, that wasn't Steiner's idea. His school was first created for factory workers' children. So if you're very wealthy and money isn't an issue, this is a very pleasant school for your children.</div>
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Posted June 13, 2015 - a community member<br />An orthodox Waldorf school that is rigid and dogmatic in its adherence to anthroposophy. They hold children very tightly with a "spare the rod spoil the child" mentality towards discipline. There's only one acceptable way to learn and if that's not a fit for your child watch out. Even if it is a fit with your child, he/she will suffer through witnessing other children getting shamed and humiliated by teachers. An especially bad place for boys. Many of the older grades have 3:1 or greater ratios of girls to boys. The recently graduated eighth grade had only 4 boys out of 17 students in the class.</div>
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Posted May 22, 2015 - a community member<br />This is a safe place to share your honest opinions of a school, whether good or bad they yell at the kids</div>
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Posted May 07, 2015 - a parent<br />We feel robbed of time and money by Pasadena Waldorf School. The volunteer demands are punishing and they seem like a distraction. The request for money is constant yet their financial transparency is non-existent. The parents are treated with no respect. There is so much mind control, time control and manipulation used at that school. The most frightening thing of all is that PWS has NO WRITTEN POLICY ON BULLYING. Beware!</div>
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Posted April 23, 2015 - a parent<br />Here's what I wish I had known before I enrolled my children at PWS: as soon as you start feeling nervous or scared to speak out about a concern, as soon as a teacher starts to "wonder" about your child, as soon as you begin to feel slightly uncomfortable -- it's time to get out. It's hard to believe this is an actual school that purports to take care of children. It is an ideology taking care of itself. Be careful.</div>
PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268549717815146574.post-37177162534467741372015-06-02T10:51:00.000-07:002015-06-03T08:28:19.301-07:00Pasadena Waldorf School Bullies Yuge Family<div class="separator tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7MSLCEBvTW6C56dIJPIaaNkHb-7Y6MFQsuMS1DW9GwkjJMgmm_aCJhmVmYNECS8nEWLqLYyMHa6gc3ODjAIpA0t7PK9LaHbk40Yshs5tEMfTWfba1ueJBGogsly2eWEmge5oKHEr3cLr/s1600/PWSlogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="59" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7MSLCEBvTW6C56dIJPIaaNkHb-7Y6MFQsuMS1DW9GwkjJMgmm_aCJhmVmYNECS8nEWLqLYyMHa6gc3ODjAIpA0t7PK9LaHbk40Yshs5tEMfTWfba1ueJBGogsly2eWEmge5oKHEr3cLr/s320/PWSlogo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/lifestyle/20150601/yuge-family-still-packing-as-deadline-hits-to-move-from-historic-altadena-property">http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/lifestyle/20150601/yuge-family-still-packing-as-deadline-hits-to-move-from-historic-altadena-property</a><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">First some background from the article:</span><br />
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<blockquote style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.6520004272461px; margin-bottom: 11.326px;">
ALTADENA >> The June 1 deadline came and went Monday for the Yuge sisters, who are still working to pack up nearly <a href="http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/social-affairs/20150510/family-struggles-to-save-piece-of-japanese-american-history" style="-webkit-transition: 0.1s ease-out; color: #5278ae; text-decoration: none; transition: 0.1s ease-out;" target="_blank">a century’s worth of family history</a> from a historic area home.<br />
That home is the gardener’s cottage where the Yuge family has lived on the former Scripps estate in Altadena since the 1920s, when the late patriarch Takeo Yuge became a caretaker for the property.<br />
The cottage, built by Takeo’s uncle Hanjiro, was intended for the family to stay in as long as they liked, but when the Pasadena Waldorf School purchased the Scripps estate in 1986, a new agreement was drafted: Approximately six months after the last parent dies, the property must be returned to the school.</blockquote>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">So, in essence, Pasadena Waldorf School is choosing to foreclose on a family that has lived on the property all their lives... You might ask why?</span></span><br />
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Although an attorney sent a letter on behalf of Pasadena Waldorf stating that on June 1, officials could have all their belongings removed and placed in storage at the family’s expense, trustee William Birney said it was unlikely the school would take any “dramatic” action just yet.<br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.6520004272461px;">“The fact that they haven’t moved by the time they said they were going to is potentially harming the school and its construction attempts,” said Birney, who is also chair of the PWS Board of Directors. “But, no trucks are going to be pulled up by Pasadena Waldorf forcing the clearing out of the property. Not at this point.”</span> </blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6aN3rrcaEISZG-r_6m6RiiOmq5v-ZLVSLOzSEcWsVPZKCMM5s7HPyxjGmq7vKVNGYjpJAwSy0JKhT3Ca7pZFz-JNHWl6uf-PZ7hIcW7axIZ6jtS0XAhA0cMaR2RQTs29fW4P3K8aAntp9/s1600/Yuge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6aN3rrcaEISZG-r_6m6RiiOmq5v-ZLVSLOzSEcWsVPZKCMM5s7HPyxjGmq7vKVNGYjpJAwSy0JKhT3Ca7pZFz-JNHWl6uf-PZ7hIcW7axIZ6jtS0XAhA0cMaR2RQTs29fW4P3K8aAntp9/s320/Yuge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Ah... so there is a construction project that needs to get started right away. Let's find out more, shall we?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.6520004272461px;">Administrators said they needed access to the property beginning June 1 to start staging construction to rebuild two classrooms that burned down in an electrical fire in 2014. In an interview last week, Puls said the school had not yet finalized design plans or applied for a building permit from the county.</span> </blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">OK... they need the property to rebuild two buildings that were burned down in an electrical fire... and apparently the two buildings cannot be rebuilt on that site. No explanation as to why. No permit has been applied for... that will take weeks... and the new buildings are still in the design stages. So... what's the rush one might reasonably ask?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.6520004272461px;">Although school officials are not sure what will be done with the 1-acre parcel containing the home and remnants of the nursery and gardens Takeo tended, a conceptual master site plan was presented to the Yuge sisters earlier this year, which included a parking lot and a long driveway. Officials have since </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.6520004272461px;">said it was merely “conceptual” and was created without assessing the property.</span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So wait... do they need to kick these people out to replace classrooms or for a driveway? Somebody is not being honest here...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.6520004272461px;">The sisters had doubts when the school initially </span><a href="http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/social-affairs/20150526/pasadena-waldorf-officials-decline-to-nominate-historic-torrey-pine-for-tree-of-the-year-contest" style="-webkit-transition: 0.1s ease-out; color: #5278ae; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.6520004272461px; text-decoration: none; transition: 0.1s ease-out;" target="_blank">refused a request to nominate the 86-year-old Torrey pine</a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.6520004272461px;"> for Altadena’s inaugural tree of the year contest but Waldorf administrator Douglas Garrett said they </span><a href="http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/social-affairs/20150528/pasadena-waldorf-agrees-to-nominate-historic-torrey-pine-commits-to-preserving-it" style="-webkit-transition: 0.1s ease-out; color: #5278ae; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.6520004272461px; text-decoration: none; transition: 0.1s ease-out;" target="_blank">later agreed to nominate the tree,</a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.6520004272461px;"> therefore making a public commitment to preserve it. Altadena Heritage presented the award to Waldorf officials Sunday at its annual Golden Poppy Awards.</span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So, after being criticized for not saving a historical tree (imagine how other Waldorf Schools would feel about getting <b>that</b> kind of reputation), they receive an award for being shamed into doing the right thing.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.6520004272461px;">In a letter sent to the PWS community, Garret said “Our hope is that this award will help build a bridge with the Yuges that can calm the waters and allow for a smooth transition <b>as they leave our campus.</b>”</span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What a guy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
</span><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">But let's get back to whether the property is necessary for new classrooms - or are they planning a driveway that needs to run through this property immediately. This is what the Yuge sisters saw at the master plan meeting. This is a 30 YEAR MASTER PLAN by the way.</span> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ekwTsmHVIxDbiDhuSc_U3XdHv2lKplNm4bobr4kLvbrXYMAPzk5Un-kcJDk2wyaDrVbrtK4Ojuo2q9CHQeftEXccHqTdlu7hNzLaqcuuL_XJFDGghRP5PXZTt7G35Isu_2e8vy5ylRoT/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-06-02+at+9.21.02+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ekwTsmHVIxDbiDhuSc_U3XdHv2lKplNm4bobr4kLvbrXYMAPzk5Un-kcJDk2wyaDrVbrtK4Ojuo2q9CHQeftEXccHqTdlu7hNzLaqcuuL_XJFDGghRP5PXZTt7G35Isu_2e8vy5ylRoT/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-06-02+at+9.21.02+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4QrLt1rgkvQ234lUB2DRYXdg2nK1WuEr2q-8cwdCvpyFxIvURvi5_SQNUvxomiXftHr65Cqj7acGPsj_UwtWJpK8uMVnGHXynlAnP45dx3PvuefaiAfDLzYM5bx55OcgWy7DZp9C2iPb/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-06-02+at+8.00.00+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4QrLt1rgkvQ234lUB2DRYXdg2nK1WuEr2q-8cwdCvpyFxIvURvi5_SQNUvxomiXftHr65Cqj7acGPsj_UwtWJpK8uMVnGHXynlAnP45dx3PvuefaiAfDLzYM5bx55OcgWy7DZp9C2iPb/s640/Screen+Shot+2015-06-02+at+8.00.00+AM.png" width="521" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It appears the 30 year master plan has a driveway running alongside the Yugo property. I am told the classrooms that burned down are shown in their original locations on the master plan. Did Pasadena Waldorf School representatives suddenly decide to move those two classrooms to the Yuge property and throw out the 30 year master plan? Or did they misrepresent their intentions to the newspaper covering this story? I see models in the picture above. One doesn't spend that kind of money on a master plan and suddenly change it to relocate two classrooms. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">Let's have a look at the current school map from the parent handbook:</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The Yuge home is at the bottom left of this map</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The classrooms we are talking about are shown in black opposite the parking area - just as in the master plan. It appears the school isn't being honest when it says it needs to relocate them to the Yuge property. I invite comments from the school.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268549717815146574.post-82399173071555046102015-05-21T07:52:00.000-07:002015-06-01T17:15:02.557-07:00Pasadena Waldorf School Recovery Group<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztBf1_Q11Q3aip-5TGloMd460YDSZdWtWkzyUcWRDWPFzqVcKtgBDaIIwSzqsrmu-bx1hw320mWTl6NHLhC2H4eOdOwKRC1zXjC8MpWsLR43ON-A-pu2_zAGSO177xIVifiiMrLJmlEud/s1600/awsna2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztBf1_Q11Q3aip-5TGloMd460YDSZdWtWkzyUcWRDWPFzqVcKtgBDaIIwSzqsrmu-bx1hw320mWTl6NHLhC2H4eOdOwKRC1zXjC8MpWsLR43ON-A-pu2_zAGSO177xIVifiiMrLJmlEud/s320/awsna2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">I have removed the previous content of this page. I'm not afraid of Pasadena Waldorf School and they can expect to get a LOT more scrutiny from me from now on. I've got a few stories of my own to tell about that school and some of the people there. Let those miscreants try to bully me... if they dare to. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">Meanwhile, as long as we have a spot here... let's see some recent reviews of Pasadena Waldorf School:</span></div>
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<span class="rs-review-posted" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Posted May 07, 2015</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #3d3d3d; font-family: opensans-regular; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">- a</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d3d3d; font-family: opensans-regular; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> </span><span class="cuc_posted-by" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; font-family: opensans-regular; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">parent</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #3d3d3d; font-family: opensans-regular; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">We feel robbed of time and money by Pasadena Waldorf School. The volunteer demands are punishing and they seem like a distraction. The request for money is constant yet their financial transparency is non-existent. The parents are treated with no respect. There is so much mind control, time control and manipulation used at that school. The most frightening thing of all is that PWS has NO WRITTEN POLICY ON BULLYING. Beware!</span></div>
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<span class="rs-review-posted" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Posted April 23, 2015</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #3d3d3d; font-family: opensans-regular; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Here's what I wish I had known before I enrolled my children at PWS: as soon as you start feeling nervous or scared to speak out about a concern, as soon as a teacher starts to "wonder" about your child, as soon as you begin to feel slightly uncomfortable -- it's time to get out. It's hard to believe this is an actual school that purports to take care of children. It is an ideology taking care of itself. Be careful.</span></div>
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<span class="rs-review-posted" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Posted April 02, 2014</span><br />
- a <span class="cuc_posted-by" style="box-sizing: border-box;">parent</span></div>
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<span itemprop="description" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; font-family: opensans-regular; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">I was highly disappointed with this school. I was seduced by the beautiful grounds healthy vegan </span><br />
<span itemprop="description" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; font-family: opensans-regular; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">snacks and gorgeous gift shop. But beyond the exterior I experienced an extraordinary rigidity. My </span><br />
<span itemprop="description" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; font-family: opensans-regular; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">daughter was told not to do yoga (unhealthy - do Steiner exercises instead) not to do family bed </span><br />
<span itemprop="description" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; font-family: opensans-regular; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">(encourages too much dependence - she was a toddler ) and to play with silk scarves instead of </span><br />
<span itemprop="description" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; font-family: opensans-regular; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">write letters or read (frowned upon before the age of 7). I also felt the practice of having only one </span><br />
<span itemprop="description" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; font-family: opensans-regular; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">class teacher for all the grades was fundamentally limiting. Most importantly I felt our teacher didn't </span><br />
<span itemprop="description" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; font-family: opensans-regular; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">have the skills to cope with either conflict resolution or bullying (which happened). I ended up taking </span><br />
<span itemprop="description" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; font-family: opensans-regular; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">my daughter out of the school.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d3d3d; font-family: opensans-regular; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"></span><br />
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Great morals you are showing your Altadena neighbors. Breaking promises made by a founder of Altadena that allowed a Japanese family who we're put in camps to live there and now having them removed.<br />
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THAT'S JUST WHAT I WANT MY KIDS TO LEARN,BREAK PROMISES AND SCREW OVER PEOPLE FOR MONEY,not.<br />
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Way to go once respected neighborhood school.<br />
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<a href="http://www.yelp.com/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fabc7.com%2F736571%2F&s=95b37e43b070c94f77e962af4880657ce5e719ef4ff43e00831a2d362067665f" rel="nofollow" style="border: 0px; color: #3b65a7; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">abc7.com/736571</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9H3VaGL77OVRqqDeMJmGJSlurBV2cJ-ARDr13QLKms3GClavGFJk1VlqKM-j6fzKT1JvXO2wynFEAL7XWSgpc84L6j0H_-pMhMBKSEnBkJAUXUiXZuTwrMwSMdkZPT8lhJZeFZ3BZoen/s1600/krampus-plushie-santaandwaldo-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9H3VaGL77OVRqqDeMJmGJSlurBV2cJ-ARDr13QLKms3GClavGFJk1VlqKM-j6fzKT1JvXO2wynFEAL7XWSgpc84L6j0H_-pMhMBKSEnBkJAUXUiXZuTwrMwSMdkZPT8lhJZeFZ3BZoen/s1600/krampus-plushie-santaandwaldo-1.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Waldorf classrooms have two very special visitors in December. Bishop Nicholas and his old pal, "Rupert" arrive to give out gifts and more. Make no mistake, one is here to praise the "good" children while the other is here to embarrass the "bad" children. First let's see who we are talking about when we say Bishop Nicholas and "Rupert". Our good friends at Wikipedia have provided us with a list of many "companions" for Bishop/Saint Nicholas.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companions_of_Saint_Nicholas">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companions_of_Saint_Nicholas</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In Waldorf schools we have "Rupert" who, from my experience is a combination of elements from all of these.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHLTz-z9rJ0WcQrcL50lagq8phxORDZsMRlv0Up2cobQJq57CyVmG7sPiNJiKK4SOPTAcBmE1RbIw3zcDtfoK9DYEpUk2R669gLW6I6ZD1XXvO6rP98soQTx2BkEnInHW0fujx845Hd7b/s1600/A28-1752-krampus-nikolaus-st-nicholas-1752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: transparent; clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHLTz-z9rJ0WcQrcL50lagq8phxORDZsMRlv0Up2cobQJq57CyVmG7sPiNJiKK4SOPTAcBmE1RbIw3zcDtfoK9DYEpUk2R669gLW6I6ZD1XXvO6rP98soQTx2BkEnInHW0fujx845Hd7b/s1600/A28-1752-krampus-nikolaus-st-nicholas-1752.jpg" height="200" width="125" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Krampus</b></span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;">Krampus</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;"> is a terrifying figure found in parts of Austria, Slovenia, and Croatia," "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;">As a part </span><span style="line-height: 24.8888893127441px;">of a tradition, when a child receives a gift from St. Nicolas he is given a golden branch to represent his good deeds throughout the year; however, if the child has misbehaved, Krampus will take the gifts for himself and leave only a silver branch to represent the child's bad acts."</span></span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGD0fkpUZxpwKrJGFvGs-R4rFylFdyt55MHI92HaqM0_nijsA6IDkmA5mCnT_8IvPgwkQABwU7vEQ1SfEEsxWY6MbSn9A316GresbYvifyd7CUq7LbjuwZIoVTM58457BAztDe3O8Tuz5/s1600/BlackPeterFriend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirc7O-nnCsfsBaPTSh8-Eq7C4o5rHwwhAmSSFRDHDySxSdecCVLy_G5SUwZPZgJzrX6gN1jyw0J289pQxEXg5PSbqtGlguiQIWl6DmTsFQ2mqLTN8rMPGMYNihya7fdo6pzIWrHE65r7VR/s1600/belsnickel-pa-dutch-christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: transparent; clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirc7O-nnCsfsBaPTSh8-Eq7C4o5rHwwhAmSSFRDHDySxSdecCVLy_G5SUwZPZgJzrX6gN1jyw0J289pQxEXg5PSbqtGlguiQIWl6DmTsFQ2mqLTN8rMPGMYNihya7fdo6pzIWrHE65r7VR/s1600/belsnickel-pa-dutch-christmas.jpg" height="200" width="145" /></span></a></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Belsnickel</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;">"</span>Belsnickel<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;"> is a companion of Saint Nicholas in the Palatinate (Pfalz), Germany." "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;">He is a rather scary creature who visits children at Christmas</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;"> time and delivers socks or shoes full of candy, but if the children were not good, they will find coal and/or switches in their stockings instead."</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b></b></span></span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGD0fkpUZxpwKrJGFvGs-R4rFylFdyt55MHI92HaqM0_nijsA6IDkmA5mCnT_8IvPgwkQABwU7vEQ1SfEEsxWY6MbSn9A316GresbYvifyd7CUq7LbjuwZIoVTM58457BAztDe3O8Tuz5/s1600/BlackPeterFriend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGD0fkpUZxpwKrJGFvGs-R4rFylFdyt55MHI92HaqM0_nijsA6IDkmA5mCnT_8IvPgwkQABwU7vEQ1SfEEsxWY6MbSn9A316GresbYvifyd7CUq7LbjuwZIoVTM58457BAztDe3O8Tuz5/s1600/BlackPeterFriend.jpg" height="200" width="149" /></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Black Pete (Zwarte Piet)</b></span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;">"In Belgium and the Netherlands, children are told that </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;">Zwarte Piet </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;">leaves gifts in the children's shoes. Presents are said to be distributed by Saint Nicholas' aide Zwarte Piet; who enters the house through the chimney, which also explains his black face and hands, but not his colorful attire."</span></span></blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7QMODwhn2dgTeWlcZCUCtt5CmzhwRaSGrZe46SRjKgyG-cuUQHhOVl17mjVJV26OYH3_XJaXk8YSnPXWJdOXLoy68GODHJkCHRIdERQPK_zag1bFcWkkFM-1hTMKWLoTQJ7gFOxKkjjt/s1600/220px-Samichlaus_un_Ruprecht.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7QMODwhn2dgTeWlcZCUCtt5CmzhwRaSGrZe46SRjKgyG-cuUQHhOVl17mjVJV26OYH3_XJaXk8YSnPXWJdOXLoy68GODHJkCHRIdERQPK_zag1bFcWkkFM-1hTMKWLoTQJ7gFOxKkjjt/s1600/220px-Samichlaus_un_Ruprecht.jpg" height="200" width="126" /></span></a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b style="background-color: white; color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Knecht Ruprect</span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;">"</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #252525; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;">Knecht Ruprecht sometimes carrying a long staff and a bag of ashes, and wore little bells on his clothes." "</span><i style="color: #252525; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;">Ruprecht</i><span style="color: #252525; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;"> </span><span style="color: #252525; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;">was a common name for the devil in Germany, </span><span style="color: #252525; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;">and</span><span style="color: #252525; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;"> </span>Grimm<span style="color: #252525; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;"> </span><span style="color: #252525; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;">states that '</span>Robin fellow<span style="color: #252525; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;"> </span><span style="color: #252525; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;">is the same home-</span>sprite<span style="color: #252525; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;"> </span><span style="color: #252525; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;">whom we in Germany call Knecht Ruprecht and exhibit to children at Christmas...'" </span><span style="color: #252525; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;"> "</span><span style="color: #252525; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;">Knecht Ruprecht first appears in written sources in the 17th century, as a figure in </span><span style="color: #252525; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;">a</span><span style="color: #252525; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;"> </span>Nuremberg<span style="color: #252525; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;"> </span><span style="color: #252525; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;">Christmas </span><span style="color: #252525; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;">procession.</span><span style="color: #252525; line-height: 11.1111116409302px;">" "</span><span style="color: #252525; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;">According to some stories, Ruprecht began as a farmhand; in others, he is a wild foundling whom St. Nicholas raises from childhood.</span><span style="color: #252525; line-height: 11.1111116409302px; white-space: nowrap;"> </span><span style="color: #252525; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;">Ruprecht sometimes walks with a limp, because of a childhood injury. Often, his black clothes and dirty face are attributed to the soot he collects as he goes down chimneys."</span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;">As it turns out, I have intimate experience with Bishop Nicholas and this Rupert character. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24.8888893127441px;">Back in my Waldorf years, I was the Bishop Nicholas character for a neighboring Waldorf school (The City School in Los Angeles). I saw first-hand how this tradition was carried out in a modern Waldorf school. </span></span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rupert, or Black Peter is portrayed as a sub-human,
black, devilish, wild, savage, unwashed and intended to frighten the children. It
has nothing to do with chimneys and neither does Bishop Nicholas in this
tradition. He is typically dressed as a bishop, robes, religious garb, carrying
a book with the children's names in it. If they have been good, they get a gold
piece (foil wrapped candy or treat). If they have been bad, they may get a piece of
coal. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bishop Nicholas is the all-knowing (knows when you've been bad or good) type of Saint Nick who carries a large book - a balance sheet of sorts - to express to each child that he is aware of their behavior throughout the year and that they need to continue being good or improve.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Rupert"
is intended to represent a sub-human and always
depicted as dark skinned, disruptive and frightening. His role is to annoy and
frighten the children who Waldorf teachers have singled out for punishment. He is always subservient to and held in control by Bishop Nicholas. As Bishop Nicholas reads out each child's name, Rupert recommends a lump of coal for the child. Bishop Nicholas wisely points out the good aspects of the child's character and rewards the child.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When I was Bishop Nicholas, I often provided my own gifts for each and every one of the children. The Waldorf teachers at that school regularly singled out children who they expected me to embarrass by giving them a lump of coal instead of a golden walnut. I regularly ignored their wishes. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At the City School, one year, my regular Rupert couldn't make it so they enlisted the help of a parent. The parent was dark skinned and the teachers there had no reservations about explaining that this was one reason why she was chosen. That punctuated the inherent racism in what seemed like a slightly cruel but relatively harmless, albeit outdated Waldorf tradition. Obviously, that was the last year I did this.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The juxtaposition of the pure Bishop Nicholas with the dirty Rupert is what Waldorf is trying to achieve here. The Bishop is supposed to be gentle and quiet (like "good" students) - while Rupert is wild and rambunctious (like "bad" students). It isn't Rupert's fault - he was raised in a barn after all... by the good Bishop who, with patience and gentle care, is guiding Rupert toward a better life... Not too much unlike how Waldorf teachers take in children who have been "raised in a barn" so to speak before their parents found Waldorf.</span></span><br />
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<!--[endif]--></span>PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268549717815146574.post-70057443711692402642014-09-25T06:43:00.003-07:002014-09-25T06:46:32.210-07:00Karma and the Steiner Waldorf Teacher - Responses<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, san-serif, Roboto; line-height: 18.0555553436279px;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Mark Hayes asked Jeremy Smith about the role of Karma in Waldorf. </span></span><br />
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<a data-rapid_p="3" href="http://anthropopper.wordpress.com/2014/09/16/karma-and-the-steiner-waldorf-teacher/" id="yui_3_15_0_1_1411651938477_905" rel="nofollow" style="color: #324fe1; line-height: 18.0555553436279px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Karma and the Steiner Waldorf teacher</a></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, san-serif, Roboto; line-height: 18.0555553436279px;">Mark responded to Jeremy here: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 18.0555553436279px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, san-serif, Roboto;"><a href="http://steinersmirror.wordpress.com/2014/09/23/the-role-of-karma-in-steiner-education/" target="_blank">Steiner's Mirror</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.0555553436279px;"><span style="color: #38761d;">To me, Jeremy's answer couldn't have been more clear if he spelled it out in Eurythmy movements.</span></span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, san-serif, Roboto; font-size: 13.3333339691162px; line-height: 18.0555553436279px; padding: 0px;">
"<span id="yui_3_15_0_1_1411651938477_824" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;">In all the teacher meetings I have attended over the years, I have never heard a teacher say anything that would seem to indicate that they know what a child’s past life had been or how its karma would unfold in the future. "</span></blockquote>
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<span style="line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d;">I guess he never read - "Faculty Meetings" - but wait... I think he realized what a goofy statement he made above. He corrects himself by saying it was OK for Steiner to do this.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;">"Indeed, unless you are a great initiate or at least a clairvoyant of prodigious insight, how could anyone make such a statement without inviting derision? "</span></blockquote>
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<span style="line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d;">OK, so clairvoyants can do this without "inviting derision".</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;">"If ever anything like this has happened in a Steiner school, then I condemn it as utterly inappropriate and wrong."</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Funny - that completely agrees with the critics - except for the denial that it happens.</span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_15_0_1_1411651938477_898" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;">"What I have heard, on the other hand, is some really insightful discussion in child study sessions, in which teachers will focus on a particular child and share their particular experiences and observations made during lessons."</span></blockquote>
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<span style="line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Of course. I'll bet nobody lit a candle in the meeting you were in.</span></span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, san-serif, Roboto; font-size: 13.3333339691162px; line-height: 18.0555553436279px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;">"</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;">Nor do I recognise the allegation that Steiner teachers ignore incidents of bullying because of some misplaced sense that, if a child is being bullied, it must be something to do with its karma."</span></blockquote>
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<div id="yui_3_15_0_1_1411651938477_894" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, san-serif, Roboto; line-height: 18.0555553436279px; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_15_0_1_1411651938477_896" style="line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Well, it only sounds "misplaced" when it isn't Steiner HIMSELF saying it. Again, Faculty Meetings would be a good place to start learning about this.</span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_15_0_1_1411651938477_841" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px;">"In the schools I know about, bullying is dealt with quickly and effectively and any incidents of bullying are notified to all the teachers so that they can keep an eye open in case of any further outbreaks."</span></blockquote>
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<span style="line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Sigh. I thought you said you read my blog Jeremy. When I search "Bullying" I get 8 pages of parent complaints expressing exactly the opposite. Who is going to put an end to this? Certainly NOT the people who are in denial about its existence. That would be YOU apparently.</span></span></div>
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"<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;">If there is a Steiner teacher anywhere in the world who believes that they should not intervene in cases of bullying, they are not only very wrong but also completely misunderstand the concept of karma. In my old school any such idiocy would have led straight to a disciplinary hearing for that teacher."</span></blockquote>
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<span id="yui_3_15_0_1_1411651938477_890" style="line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d;">This sound, to critics, like a lot of lip-service. Bullying is far too prevalent in Waldorf schools - and if it isn't teachers letting students "work it out" ("it" being their karma) then WHY is it prevalent in Waldorf? The idea of a "disciplinary hearing" for a teacher who follows Steiner's instructions is comical. I'll try to work that into my parody website.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;">"</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;">All of the above will seem like nonsense and delusion to some,"</span></blockquote>
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<span id="yui_3_15_0_1_1411651938477_849" style="line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Not just to critics, but to the parents of children (and the children themselves) who have been bullied for decades at the hands of Waldorf teachers. As long as nobody is taking the complaints seriously, nobody is going to get an image of "warmth" when they hear the words "Waldorf classroom".</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;">"</span><span id="yui_3_15_0_1_1411651938477_968" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;">In the UK at least, you have plenty of choice of schools and if the ideas outlined here don’t appeal to you, then please put your child in a different system."</span></blockquote>
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<span id="yui_3_15_0_1_1411651938477_852"><span style="color: #38761d;">Of course the ideas appeal to parents. Whey you MAKE SHIT UP, it's easy to make it sound appealing. If you were truthful about what Waldorf schools really do, parents would be climbing over themselves to put their child in a different system. Why is "Waldorf" synonymous with "dishonesty"? It isn't MY fault, Jeremy.</span></span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, san-serif, Roboto; font-size: 13.3333339691162px; line-height: 18.0555553436279px; padding: 0px;">
"<span id="yui_3_15_0_1_1411651938477_879" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;">Therefore, although I’m not clairvoyant, I can predict with complete confidence that Richard Dawkins’ next life will be as an Islamic fundamentalist; that Dan Dugan will be general secretary of the Anthroposophical Society in America; and that Pete Karaiskos will come back as a kindly little old lady whose characteristic phrases will be: “If you can’t say something nice, then it’s better to say nothing at all” and “Oh well, mustn’t grumble.”</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;"> "</span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_15_0_1_1411651938477_855" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, san-serif, Roboto; line-height: 18.0555553436279px; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_15_0_1_1411651938477_873" style="line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d;">It isn't that far from my current characteristic phrase, which is "If you can't say something TRUTHFUL, then it's better to say nothing at all".</span></span><br />
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<div id="yui_3_15_0_1_1411651938477_870" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, san-serif, Roboto; line-height: 18.0555553436279px; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_15_0_1_1411651938477_869" style="line-height: 23.7999992370605px; word-spacing: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d;">It's kinda like "Better to remain silent and thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt".</span></span></div>
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PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268549717815146574.post-29290012602191922014-09-17T16:44:00.000-07:002014-09-20T08:39:19.119-07:00Open Letter to Waldorf Educators<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwHqNTUuBnYkazF75O6jIWsEV7yd_8ACSxd7yi3R31vZBp9YdkO62-oxFutm2RFfYqzaQT6na9Au_7b7ejmkJqBOd22-Od_27r60U3nVgBRNqybw6-aVij5SKGWFQrcYI51gsQi-PILI8b/s1600/SevenBuildingBlocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwHqNTUuBnYkazF75O6jIWsEV7yd_8ACSxd7yi3R31vZBp9YdkO62-oxFutm2RFfYqzaQT6na9Au_7b7ejmkJqBOd22-Od_27r60U3nVgBRNqybw6-aVij5SKGWFQrcYI51gsQi-PILI8b/s1600/SevenBuildingBlocks.jpg" height="200" width="153" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">W</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">e are Waldorf critics. Wait, don't turn away. Don't act like you don't know us. We were YOU. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">We were parents, or students, or teachers in YOUR system. Some of us have been all three. Some of us are new at this, and some of us have been Waldorf critics for decades. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">We are each very different but we all have one thing in common - we or someone we love TRUSTED YOU once. So, don't pretend you don't know us - you know us and you FAILED US! Maybe you don't realize the damage you do lasts a LIFETIME. This is something you should hear - so you don't get to turn a deaf ear now. We are holding you accountable - Not just now - for a LIFETIME. So you may as well stop pretending we don't exist - stop pretending criticism against you is unjust - and just listen up...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">We are Waldorf critics. Before we became Waldorf critics we stood for Waldorf with you - year after year. We gave you all our free time - our money - we TRUSTED you with our children. We changed our lifestyle to fit yours. Sometimes it meant distancing ourselves from our friends, our own families - sure some of our kids didn't get to know their grandparents - but you convinced us they were a bad influence didn't you? Sometimes, it wasn't as easy as cutting out a set of grandparents - sometimes one of the parents had to be taken out of the picture too. Many of our spouses went along with this crazy idea. The thought that we had entered into a cult started creeping into our heads.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d;">When our children complained, you convinced us it was our children who were the problem. You demanded that we trust YOU more than what our own children were telling us. And you did this while you were LYING to us.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">The more we noticed problems - the more we realized that if we spoke up, you would punish us - or worse yet - take it out on OUR CHILDREN! Many of us felt trapped, helpless and smothered under your system. Superficially, it seemed everyone around us was doing fine - but then we started asking questions. That was the beginning of the end. You weren't about to answer our questions honestly - in fact, you seemed insulted that we would even question what you were doing with OUR children. When we eventually discovered what you were doing, and why - we begged you to stop. YOU would have nothing of it. Each of us and our children became your VICTIMS. So now... </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">We are Waldorf critics. And WE are in the age of the internet. Your first mistake was to try to use the internet to defame us. Instead you ended up demonstrating to the world that even your highest-ranking members are LIARS and in fact can't be trusted around children. Your representatives are already requesting the "right to be forgotten" from Google in Europe. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d;">When one of your schools was recently forced to conduct an internal investigation, pedophiles and rapists and their accomplices came scampering out everywhere. MORE WALDORF VICTIMS turned up... even famous ones. Abuses and cover-ups went back decades. Imagine what would happen if the other 1000 schools were investigated... Many parents already do.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">Now, your plan is that if you can ignore critics long enough, they might get tired of complaining and go away. Here's the problem with that strategy. The more you ignore the complaints, the MORE CRITICS you create. There's no end to the stream of Waldorf critics now. New critics are starting blogs every day. And with the system you have in place - you can be sure EVERY DAY, parents right in YOUR SCHOOLS are ticking time-bombs waiting to become the next wave of Waldorf critics? Why? Because YOU don't listen to the Waldorf critics OR the complaints of parents in your schools. When children are harmed YOU don't hold yourselves accountable! You leave it up to the Waldorf critics to do that for you. </span></span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The way Anthroposophists blatantly lie about Anthroposophy and racism in Waldorf, not to mention the nonsense you claim is good for children, is so absurd people are literally laughing at you - not over your beliefs as much as your ridiculous attempts to keep them secret from the public. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">We are Waldorf critics. We thought we were like you - but we realize now - you have been LYING to us all along - YOU are NOTHING like us!</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">We are Waldorf critics. We won't sit by and listen while you lie to fresh parents every day. Every day, we make the time and find the strength and courage and resilience to speak our outrage at YOU. Where do you think that determination comes from? We still feel the damage YOU did to us... and we are determined you won't do that to others. Since you won't change - you have to be EXPOSED!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d;">We know that what distinguishes us from you is that when WE see teachers doing something wrong WE SPEAK UP. When WE see a child being harmed, we don't make excuses, WE STEP IN. When WE see Waldorf representatives lying on blogs and in articles, WE SHOW THEY ARE LYING and why. When we see Waldorf school after Waldorf school ignoring science to the point where they put not just their own children, but the public at risk, WE MAKE THEM FAMOUS for the harm they do. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>WE are Waldorf critics - WE help hundreds of parents avoid Waldorf every day - and WE know that's something WE can be proud of.</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">See also:<a href="http://zooey.wordpress.com/2012/12/22/waldorf-critics-and-waldorf-proponents-on-daisys-dissertation/" target="_blank"> http://zooey.wordpress.com/2012/12/22/waldorf-critics-and-waldorf-proponents-on-daisys-dissertation/</a></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268549717815146574.post-58536321837366251132014-09-12T08:39:00.001-07:002014-09-12T08:42:36.665-07:00Anthropoppers, Critics and Waldorf Schools, Oh my!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinoQp6jrXC4b5Sgc76w9xuJg5nyWK29yYcHi8_saQWUoRO6wgLeFxNrCHH-5enKpDMNx5C9LRDjhCPAU_OW503RXeVuOKvo4Jxart-ADRwuH2_1UYWM6pP3dBXNZRF1HCs1xD4WoSqASoo/s1600/Artichoke+Blossom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinoQp6jrXC4b5Sgc76w9xuJg5nyWK29yYcHi8_saQWUoRO6wgLeFxNrCHH-5enKpDMNx5C9LRDjhCPAU_OW503RXeVuOKvo4Jxart-ADRwuH2_1UYWM6pP3dBXNZRF1HCs1xD4WoSqASoo/s1600/Artichoke+Blossom.jpg" height="200" width="160" /></span></a></div>
<a href="http://anthropopper.wordpress.com/2014/09/11/the-internet-the-critics-and-steiner-waldorf-schools/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">http://anthropopper.wordpress.com/2014/09/11/the-internet-the-critics-and-steiner-waldorf-schools/</span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jeremy Smith writes: </span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I used to work for a Steiner school and my younger self tended to get quite upset by the sheer malice and ill will that the online critics manifested towards the education. I would dearly love to offer these critics and their readers a more balanced view, one which is based on my own, mainly positive, experience of Steiner schools. However, despite my wish for interaction and dialogue, I’ve reluctantly concluded that there is little to be gained by joining discussion with the critics. After several bruising online encounters, it became clear that many of them are really not interested in reasoned discussion. No, what they want is to destroy Steiner Waldorf education. I wish I had read the following advice from Steiner before getting involved:</span></i></blockquote>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Observe the opponents, indeed in our anthroposophical circles it would be most advisable to study our opponents carefully. They renounce attacking the truths, and lay chief stress on personal attacks, personal insinuations, personal insults, personal calumnies. They think that truth cannot be touched, yet it is to be driven out of the world, and they believe that this can be done by personal defamation. The nature of such an opposition shows how well the leading opponents know how to proceed in order to gain the victory, at least for the time being.</span></b></blockquote>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But this is something which anthroposophists above all should know; for there are still many anthroposophists who think that something may be reached by direct discussion with the opponent…people do not hate us because we say something that is not true, but because we say the truth. And the more we succeed in proving that we say the truth, the more they will hate us.</span></b></blockquote>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Of course this cannot prevent us from stating the truth. But it can prevent us from being so naïve as to think that it is possible to progress by discussion.” </span></b></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Smith continues:</span><br />
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 23.7999992370605px;">Steiner here was clearly referring to opponents who went about their business by way of ad hominem attacks, distortions and lies – the kind of behaviour, in fact, which the internet with its anonymity and distancing effect seems to encourage. Taking his advice, I won’t be getting into any more online exchanges with critics who behave in the ways he described. I might, however, respond to what seem to be genuine questions or genuine concerns, because I am interested in real discussion and dialogue – and also because I think that in the long run the critics are doing Steiner schools a favour by shining their critical spotlight on the education.</span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The problem that I see with all this is that Mr. Smith has it exactly backwards. It is Anthroposophists who have sought to personalize critical discussions about Waldorf - not the other way around. Critics don't want to make it about individuals - they have no incentive to suggest an individual is responsible for the failures of Waldorf. Critics have gone out of their way to insist this ISN'T about individuals, but rather a systemic problem. Occasionally, individuals are identified, of course, when they are pedophiles or otherwise harmful to children. But even when critics identify an individual pedophile, or racist, they are far more concerned about the Waldorf system that permits these individuals to roam and lecture freely.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">Indeed, it has been the Anthroposophists who "</span><span style="color: #38761d;">lay chief stress on personal attacks, personal insinuations, personal insults, personal calumnies" upon critics. I've been called a "psychopath" among other things. Other critics have been compared to Nazis, called mentally unstable, accused of forgery and on and on. NONE of the criticisms of Steiner are ever addressed adequately for the public, let alone the critics.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">Smith claims Waldorf should embrace the critical spotlight. If so, Waldorf critics could easily embrace Steiner's words for themselves.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Observe the opponents, indeed in our <i>critical</i> circles it would be most advisable to study our opponents carefully. They renounce attacking the truths, and lay chief stress on personal attacks, personal insinuations, personal insults, personal calumnies. They think that truth cannot be touched, yet it is to be driven out of the world, and they believe that this can be done by personal defamation. The nature of such an opposition shows how well the leading opponents know how to proceed in order to gain the victory, at least for the time being.</span></b></blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Anthroposophists do not hate us because we say something that is not true, but because we say the truth. And the more we succeed in proving that we say the truth, the more they will hate us.</span></b></blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Of course this cannot prevent us from stating the truth. But it can prevent us from being so naïve as to think that it is possible to progress by discussion.” </span></b></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What could be more true for critics? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">Smith concludes: </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 23.7999992370605px;"><i>I will simply observe that, to the extent we are able to rise successfully to this challenge, the critics will have helped Steiner schools into becoming an accepted and valued part of the educational culture of this country – and this might even come to be reflected in what is said about us on the internet.</i></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yeah, how's that working out for you so far?</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268549717815146574.post-83185645162578561802014-09-07T09:09:00.000-07:002014-09-08T09:22:40.222-07:00Control-Halt-Delete Comments - full text<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVK1PociU0WPqHZtZZCvFfry6n7cXSipi63kaWwir-FFeN318B-N7gWIdyOdlzkfjz0Oee3ECXRx0jmBi8eyhW-xFj9QZZcGJrDO094p9FTLWlAwjVTS-z-BXxOiwc7GYp5yHV597BWFbU/s1600/knitting_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVK1PociU0WPqHZtZZCvFfry6n7cXSipi63kaWwir-FFeN318B-N7gWIdyOdlzkfjz0Oee3ECXRx0jmBi8eyhW-xFj9QZZcGJrDO094p9FTLWlAwjVTS-z-BXxOiwc7GYp5yHV597BWFbU/s1600/knitting_2.jpg" height="200" width="142" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #38761d;">Here is the full text of the comments on the Control-Halt-Delete article "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;"><b>Why some educators and scientists believe technology is bad for brains — especially young ones</b>"</span><span style="color: #38761d;">. I got into an extensive discussion with Steve Hale (Rafael) regarding Waldorf Education. It covers a lot of topics. Almost immediately, Harlan Gilbert jumped in to pretend he's a satisfied parent without acknowledging he's a Waldorf teacher. He's also the main author of the Wikipedia articles on Waldorf education, Steiner and Anthroposophy (et al). This article sourced Wikipedia for a lot of its information. I pointed that out to the author. Enjoy!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/the-device-is-not-ready/Content?oid=2398491">http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/the-device-is-not-ready/Content?oid=2398491</a></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">"But the end results are striking. According to its site, 94 percent of Waldorf graduates attend colleges or universities."<br /><br />Why is it OK to misrepresent this sort of thing in a "news" article. Getting statistics off their website? Did the reporter look at how many kids actually attend college after Waldorf? Most Waldorf schools stop at the 8th grade. Are they taking credit for their grads going to college? <br /><br />At Highland Hall Waldorf school, it was reported that 25% of students are withdrawn from the school EACH YEAR. 25% of the parents are dissatisfied enough - EVERY YEAR to abandon their child's education, not to mentions thousands of dollars invested, and simply walk away. Last year they lost closer to 50%. Somebody isn't telling parents everything before they enroll their kids in these schools.<br /><br />It has been my experience with Waldorf that they are dishonest in representing their schools, their movement and what they actually teach children. There is a reason for this... Waldorf is the missionary arm of Anthroposophy - Rudolf Steiner's quasi-religious philosophy that teaches, among other things, that "the white race is the race of the future". They teach this sort of nonsense in Waldorf as science. People signing up for Waldorf may be getting a whole lot more than they bargained for. Many, many parents find out too late that Waldorf is NOT for them. <br /><br />Parents, PLEASE research Waldorf more thoroughly than the author of this article before considering this nightmare for your children. Waldorf is not what it appears to be. <br /><br />Submitted by Pete Karaiskos / former Waldorf parent, Waldorf critic and parent advocate.<br /><a href="http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/">http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399265">Pete K</a> on 11/23/2011 at 7:05 AM</span><br />
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We've been very, very happy with the education our children (now 6th and 8th grades) are receiving at the Waldorf school near us. We did get much, much more than we bargained for -- in the best sense possible! This is, at least, the school of the future.<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399285">Harlan Gilbert</a> on 11/23/2011 at 10:28 AM<br />
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Pete K,<br />
I am aware, of course, of the backlash against Waldorf from yourself and others.<br />
In fact, I was careful to note some of the criticisms against Waldorf in my story, despite the fact that it had little to do with my central theme on technology.<br />
It's true that Waldorf has few high schools, and that I relied on their study to determine how many of their graduates go to college. Since these are private schools, there is no other source for this information. The 94 percent figure has also been used in national publications. <br />
You may have noticed a high attrition rate at a high school near you — I assume you do not live in Colorado, since there are no Colorado Waldorf High Schools — however, we are not basing our information on a single school. Also, no other school that I've heard of, whether public or private, would include attrition in its graduation rate, or college acceptance rate. I see no reason to hold Waldorf to a higher standard.<br />
What's more, while a high attrition rate may look bad, it's not necessarily that telling. We have schools here that serve children of soldiers. The attrition rates are high, but I wouldn't say that's a judgement on their performance. Similarly, I'd note that Waldorf schools are private, and generally quite expensive, so it would seem that there would be many reasons other than the ones you provided for a school to have a high attrition rate. <br />
Your other complaints are more of what I saw on the Web.<br />
It's true that Waldorf uses some of Steiner's philosophy and his focus on a child's spirit in the classroom. To some, who may be rooted in a different religion, or strictly atheist, that could be viewed as offensive.<br />
You also note the race issue, which seems to crop up a lot. Best I could tell, Steiner was a product of his time, and he did hold beliefs that favored whites. However, he was also noted for loudly opposing racism and anti-Semitism, which was rather progressive for the late 1800s and early 1900s. In fact, Waldorf Schools across Europe were shut down by the Germans during World War II.<br />
In short, I found no evidence that the schools taught any racism in the classroom, and it actually appeared that the schools strove to be open to all colors and religions, both in staff and students. It seemed as though the arguments that the school system is racist were based on some of the antiquated beliefs personally held by Steiner a century ago. <br />
By that logic, our Founding Fathers' beliefs shouldn't be shared with school kids, because many of them were slave holders. I think we assume that teachers can show the wisdom of the Constitution while still condemning slavery. Similarly, it would seem that Waldorf teachers can apply Steiner's educational principles without showing any favoritism for whites.<br />
I certainly would not have written anything vaguely positive about a school system that was considered racist. However, I recognize that individual experiences vary. Teaching involves a human element, and teachers and principals can be bad eggs just like anyone else. If you had a bad experience, that's upsetting and I hope you took whatever actions were appropriate.<br />
For our readers, here's what Wikipedia says about Steiner and race (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Steiner):">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Steine…</a><br />
"Race and ethnicity<br />
Steiner's work includes both universalist, humanist elements and historically influenced racial assumptions.[80] Due to the contrast and even contradictions between these elements, "whether a given reader interprets Anthroposophy as racist or not depends upon that reader's concerns."[81] Steiner considered that every people, by dint of a shared language and culture, has a unique essence, which he called its soul or spirit,[76] saw race as a physical manifestation of humanity's spiritual evolution and at times seemed to place races into a complex hierarchy largely derived from contemporary theosophical views, yet he consistently and explicitly subordinated the role of hereditary factors, including race and ethnicity, to individual factors in development.[81] The human individuality, for Steiner, is centered in a person's unique spiritual biography (i.e., the vast sum of an individuality's experiences and development not bound by waking hours or a single lifetime), not the body's accidental qualities.[22] More specifically:<br />
Steiner characterized specific races, nations, and ethnicities in ways that have been termed racist by critics[82] including characterizations of various races and ethnic groups as flowering, others as backward or destined to disappear;[81] and hierarchical views of the spiritual evolution of different races,[83] including—at times, and inconsistently—portraying the white race, European culture, or the Germanic culture as representing the high point of human evolution as of the early 20th century, though describing these as destined to be superseded by future cultures.[81] Nevertheless, his views about German culture were not ethnically based; he saw this culture, in particular Goethe and the German transcendentalists, as the source of spiritual ideals that were of central importance both for the immediate region and for the world.[84]<br />
Throughout his life, Steiner consistently emphasized the core spiritual unity of all the world's peoples and sharply criticized racial prejudice. He articulated beliefs that the individual nature of any person stands higher than any racial, ethnic, national or religious affiliation;[7][47] that race and ethnicity are transient and superficial, not essential aspects of the individual;[81] that each individual incarnates among / as part of many different peoples and races over successive lives, thus bearing within him- or herself a range of races and peoples;[81][85] and that race is rapidly losing any remaining significance for humanity.[81]<br />
Above all, Steiner considered "race, folk, ethnicity and gender" to be general, describable categories into which individuals may choose to fit, but from which free human beings can and will liberate themselves.[22]"<br />
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J. Adrian Stanley<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=1451550">J. Adrian Stanley</a> on 11/23/2011 at 12:01 PM<br />
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Great article. Child driven play, interacting with friends, family and others is key to the EQ development of a child, particularly before age 5. Since the beginning of time we have learned from observation, interaction and participation. The human brain and body is geared for "observe" what is happening in your environment; interact with others to see what works and what doesn't work; repeat behavior until you "get it"; learn to participate, particularly to understand that you're thoughts, words and actions taken will create a result.<br />
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Having said all that, along with I myself don't even watch TV... I am a Life Managment Skills Educator and the creator of "I Believe in Me!" a two time national award winning DVD program for preschoolers ages 2-5!! How did that ever happen?!!<br />
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I know parents and some preschools are going to put kids in front of a computer and TVs... I wanted to create the best DVD program I could to teach preschoolers the high EQ skills of how to be a friend, how to be determined, how to be kind, how to join in with others. I wanted it to represent exactly what they should be doing - child driven play, interacting with family, friends and others, learning the self confidence skills many adutls wished they had. We filmed real kids, for kids watching are real... doing what kdis do best...play, play and be a kid...they're riding bikes, icing cupcakes, building a fot in a bedroom, making snow angels... pretending to be animals... all those things we want kids to be doing. The children in the DVD ask the viewing children to say and do things. Segments are five minutes long...allowing for activities and play to follow and interacting with those adults who are watching it with them.<br />
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Some children do not and will not have the wonderful experience and programming from parents and caregivers who know these self-esteem skills and/or can teach them. So, I set out to help adults teach these things, yes in that new technology format. <br />
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So, hooray for those who realize that playing, pretending and imagination are critical to a child's development. We have yet to raise a generation of chldren who believe in themselves, to this end we wish to make a contribution...technology in moderation and when you do use it...view the ones that have your child's best interst in mind.<br />
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Respectfully,<br />
Sue Lee<br />
Creator of "I Believe in Me!"<br />
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<a href="http://www.ibelieveinme.tv/">www.ibelieveinme.tv</a><br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399439">Sue Lee</a> on 11/23/2011 at 2:12 PM<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Pete K</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">Hi J. Adrian Stanley, <br /><br />Thanks for your comments. Yes, Waldorf teacher Harlan Gilbert (who posted above my previous post pretending to be a parent - any wonder his kids are doing great?) wrote a wonderful piece in Wikipedia about Steiner (check the edit pages to find him controlling the article). If you like that one, read his article about Waldorf Education. Unfortunately, all the articles Mr. Gilbert has participated in on Wikipedia are, as one would expect, very biased... and that bias rubs off, again as one would expect, on readers. You say, for example, Waldorf schools were shut down by the Nazis. Do you know they were favored schools by many Nazis and were the very last non-state schools to be shut down? In fact, many Waldorf parents petitioned the Nazis claiming their ideas were in alignment. Peter Staudenmaier PhD is an historian who specializes in this particular area. Here's a link to what *really* happened with regard to the closing of Waldorf schools during the Nazi era... in case you're interested. <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/17856">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-crit…</a><br /><br />Now, getting back to Harlan Gilbert's Wikipedia piece on Steiner, here's what it boils down to... Steiner believed the "individual" was represented in spiritual form, and that each individual incarnates in multiple lifetimes ever-progressing from the lower races upward until achieving the perfect (for now) form of the white race (although some people or peoples could regress). So, the "individual" is only visiting this incarnation... for karmic reasons. This is what Waldorf teachers are taught - whether they are Anthroposophists or not. Waldorf teacher training reading lists reveal what's on the menu for new Waldorf teachers. <br /><br />Now, how does this affect what Waldorf teachers do in the classroom? Well, for one thing, they are guidelines set forth by Steiner about what to expect from children of the various races, how to deal with children with disabilities and why those disabilities are basically karma from a previous lifetime, how to deal with demonic (non-human) children, how to deal with large-headed children differently than small-headed children, when children should be broken of lefthandedness, and so forth. This ridiculous stuff is REQUIRED reading for all Waldorf teacher trainees (it's contained in every published Waldorf teacher training reading list I've seen at least and I've seen many). That, to me, means somebody thinks this stuff is still important - even if you don't. <br /><br />Steiner advised Waldorf teachers that they have a deeper karmic connection with the children than their own parents. Waldorf teachers I've experienced have tended to take liberties with other people's children. Their karma with the child is stronger after all. And, the child may have SOME karma to experience in this lifetime. No matter what harm comes to the child... it's their karma... This plays well with Waldorf teachers who can shake off the harm they've done to children. One who did immeasurable harm to my daughter went into Waldorf teacher TRAINING. There is something seriously wrong with a system that doesn't admonish but rather promotes the worst teachers. <br /><br />Attrition is something Waldorf doesn't like to talk about. And I'm sorry, I don't agree their attrition rates are normal. There are many good reasons parents leave any school... but Waldorf has the particular distinction of hiding the underlying philosophy behind it. When parents find out what's really driving Waldorf education (Steiner's Anthroposophy), many pull their kids. Others have kids who don't fit. They may spend a couple years (or many more) bored out of their minds. Parents believe they're doing the best for their kids... and believe me... You won't find many Waldorf schools willing to give up tuition by admitting a child doesn't fit... especially if there are siblings that fit better. Then, it's the child's "karma". Kids that don't fit? Smart kids! Steiner had no use for anything "intellectual". If you have a smart kid, it's Waldorf's job to dumb them down. It really isn't about education, it's about indoctrination. Oh, and they don't care if they get kids or their parents... the more people they can draw in, the better.<br /><br />Speaking of attrition... lest anyone believes all this problematic stuff is isolated to my local Waldorf school... there is lots of attrition of teachers too! Problematic teachers are passed around from one school to the next. Highland Hall recently lost 22% of teachers and staff to attrition. I won't name the names of the schools Highland Hall's teachers migrated to, but they are all across the country. Were these the good teachers who left a problematic school, or the bad teachers who were forced out? Let's face it... they're the NEW teachers at some other Waldorf schools... maybe in Colorado? <br /><br />Pete Karaiskos - Former Waldorf parent / Waldorf critic / Activist<br /><a href="http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/">http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399265">Pete K</a> on 11/23/2011 at 6:22 PM</span><br />
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I am back from China, where the Waldorf movement is growing rapidly, there are Waldorf schools in Afrika, in a number of cities. There are Waldorf schools in India, Nepal, Japan, there are Waldorf schools run by Native Indians and so forth. I believe, no, I know, that the picture Mr Karaiskos draws is malinformed. So, parents, I am of his opinion, to please research Waldorf more thoroughly, and be convinced that everyone is trying their best to deliver a great time of transforming childhood into self relying independent adults, following their vocation to the benefit of the entire humankind, not only the white race!<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399738">Gotthard Killian</a> on 11/25/2011 at 4:32 PM<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Pete K</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">Please don't misunderstand what is being said here. Nobody said Waldorf doesn't want to include all races in their schools. Waldorf is part of a missionary movement - so of course they want to include children of all races. They just feel they need to treat children of different races differently - and are instructed to do so in Waldorf teacher training in accordance with Steiner's teaching methods. Do Waldorf teachers believe children of all colors benefit from a Waldorf education? ABSOLUTELY! Why else would Steiner have taught them all about how children of color differ from white children? The intention has always been to include children of all colors. So WHAT?<br /><br />Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399265">Pete K</a> on 11/25/2011 at 5:16 PM</span><br />
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Waldorf is not part of a missionary movement, but an educational system which was very well defined in efforts conducted by Rudolf Steiner in August-September of 1919. In fact, ten years before, in 1909, he predicted in the essay, "The Education of the Child in the Light of Anthroposophy", that one day he would elaborate this education system for the betterment of all that pertained to the threefolding of the social organism.<br />
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And he did. Now, that doesn't mean that in the aftermath of his life, wherein he was able to give further clarifications and practical instruction to these first fledgling teachers of this new education system, that problems of interpretation, style-of teaching, and other matters that could undermine his originally well-thought intentions might intervene.<br />
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In fact, in the course of history it has been shown that all successorships have either failed or fallen far short of the original intent of the leader. In terms of Waldorf education, the expectations have retained the standards of the leader to an extraordinary degree, which is a good sign that the principles of spiritual science hold fast to the goals of the Logos.<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399752">Rafael</a> on 11/25/2011 at 8:33 PM<br />
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I meant to add this url to the discussion. It indicates the precision that RS had with regard to the education of the child in the light of the science of the spirit. <br />
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<a href="http://wn.rsarchive.org/Articles/EduChild/EduChi_essay.html">http://wn.rsarchive.org/Articles/EduChild/…</a><br />
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Coming ten years before his official effort, in the waning days after WWI, when he was waxing quite blue for the Versailles treaty that literally placed his country under penalty conditions, it shows how much his first thoughts on Waldorf education would meet the present conditions in the summer of 1919. <br />
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Some might remember Adelheid Petersen's memoir of her account of looking to find Rudolf Steiner in the autumn of 1919, seeking to resurrect the lecture-work in Munich after the war. She found a very serious and pensive man in Stuttgart, who first wondered what she was after in coming to him. Then, she showed the interest that he was looking for.<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399752">Rafael</a> on 11/25/2011 at 9:35 PM<br />
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There is no such thing as a "science" of the spirit and I would carefully avoid any school that offers to teach it or claims to be guided by its "principles."<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2359577">Mr. K--</a> on 11/26/2011 at 5:09 AM<br />
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Waldorf Schools, or better, Rudolf Steiner schools have been in existence since 1919, and we have at least 160 schools here in the U.S., as well as a large number of ECE schools based on the Science of the Spirit, which is more commonly known as Anthroposophy. They represent one of the best alternatives to public schools, which strive to kill the nature-wisdom of the child from day one, in favor of mechanism, materialism, and abstraction.<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399752">Rafael</a> on 11/26/2011 at 7:47 PM<br />
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There is no such thing as a science of the spirit. There is no scientific experiment that can even prove there is such a thing as a "spirit." Anyone who believes otherwise is deluded.<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2359577">Mr. K--</a> on 11/26/2011 at 9:19 PM<br />
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I thought I would do a simple investigation into the recent assertion by Pete K. that Harlan Gilbert had no children in Waldorf school. Here is what I came up with. It does appear he has two children in the program at Green Meadow, which has been in existence since 1950, and is just about as "Anthro-heartland in America" as you can get.<br />
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Harlan Gilbert - Math<br />
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Undergraduate education in mathematics and natural science at Yale University and Reed College, and in architecture at the Boston Architecture Center. Waldorf teaching certificate, Emerson College, England; Eurythmy training, Eurythmeum Zuccoli, Dornach, Switzerland; MS. Ed, Sunbridge College. <br />
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Harlan serves on the school-wide Math Curriculum Committee. Several of his articles, including "Rhythm in Nature," have been published in Lilipoh, in the Waldorf Education Research Institute Bulletin, and in Golden Blade yearbooks. Harlan's book, At the Source: the Incarnation of the Child and the Development of a Modern Pedagogy, was published by AWSNA Press in 2005.<br />
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Harlan has been teaching at Green Meadow since 2002 and has two children in the school.<br />
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<a href="http://www.gmws.org/about_us/index.aspx">http://www.gmws.org/about_us/index.aspx</a><br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399752">Rafael</a> on 11/29/2011 at 8:33 PM<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Pete K</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">"I thought I would do a simple investigation into the recent assertion by Pete K. that Harlan Gilbert had no children in Waldorf school. " <br /><br />Hold on... I made no such assertion. Harlan Gilbert does indeed have kids in Waldorf school. My point was that he shows up here on this list posing as a happy parent... and doesn't bother mention that HE'S A WALDORF TEACHER. It's EXACTLY the type of dishonesty I've discovered everywhere in Waldorf. Why not be honest and say, I'm a Waldorf teacher and my kids enjoy Waldorf? Why hide the fact that he's a teacher... (not to mention author of the Wikipedia articles on Waldorf, Steiner and Anthroposophy). Why join a discussion pretending to JUST be a satisfied parent without mentioning the obvious conflict-of-interest in producing such a statement as JUST a parent? <br /><br />Harlan Gilbert provided a perfect example of the archetypal dishonest Waldorf teacher. Readers should be aware of this tactic. He posted here for the sole purpose of deceiving people in order to promote Waldorf education. Promoting Steiner's ideas about social change is Waldorf's missionary work. IT'S WHAT THEY DO! Honesty and integrity never enter the picture.<br /><br />Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399265">Pete K</a> on 11/30/2011 at 7:22 AM</span><br />
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I fail to see the dishonesty when someone says quite succinctly:<br />
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"We've been very, very happy with the education our children (now 6th and 8th grades) are receiving at the Waldorf school near us. We did get much, much more than we bargained for -- in the best sense possible! This is, at least, the school of the future."<br />
Ref. comment dated 11/23/11 - Harlan Gilbert<br />
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Was he supposed to get on a soapbox about it, like well, well......? Maybe he is secure in his convictions about both being a parent and a teacher without even a hint of an 'agenda' one way or the other. As well, maybe that is why he's leaving it at this short comment.<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399752">Rafael</a> on 11/30/2011 at 7:58 PM<br />
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Your inability to see the dishonesty in someone telling part of the truth, but not the whole truth, speaks more eloquently to the total bankruptcy of so-called "Anthroposophy" as an ethical and moral "science of the spirit," than anything anyone else could say against it.<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2359577">Mr. K--</a> on 11/30/2011 at 11:35 PM<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Pete K</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">I don't know who Mr. K is (it isn't me) - but I agree with what he said. Leaving out the fact that Mr. Gilbert has a conflict of interest (he may be out of a job if his Waldorf school doesn't do well) is dishonest. He's a Waldorf teacher but leaves out that fact in his comment. Omission is dishonest. Not telling the whole story is the problem Waldorf faces. That Mr. Gilbert is so quick to omit the facts AND that he's the caretaker of Waldorf on Wikipedia speaks volumes... especially since Wikipedia was sited by the author of this article as a source of information (even high school teachers don't allow students to use Wikipedia as a source). <br /><br />Rafael, "The Education of the Child" is a wonderful book - the Waldorf school I helped found was based on it... BUT, the problem was - trained Waldorf teachers are taught something different. If you want to know what Steiner's specific instructions to Waldorf teachers were, then you must read Faculty Meetings with Rudolf Steiner:<a href="http://digitalseance.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/faculty_meetings_1_2.pdf">http://digitalseance.files.wordpress.com/2…</a> Steiner's ideals if 1909 ran into problems when the reality of actually running a school came to focus in 1919. How Steiner dealt with these problems is required reading for Waldorf teacher trainees. And the main problem, according to Steiner, is with thinking materialistic thoughts. <br /><br />"The brain "thinks" only in a very inferior manner. When people are as blinded<br />by materialistic thoughts as they became during the nineteenth century and right<br />into the present ... it is not incorrect to say that the brain thinks. It is<br />then, in fact, correct. By being firmly enmeshed in materialism, we have people<br />who not only think poorly about the body, soul, and spirit, but people who think<br />materially and feel materially. What that means is that materialism causes the<br />human being to become a thinking automaton, that the human being then becomes<br />something that thinks, feels, and wills physically." [FACULTY MEETINGS WITH<br />RUDOLF STEINER, p. 115.]<br /><br />They also read about Anthroposophy's task:<br />From the same page:<br /><br />"The task of Anthroposophy is not simply to replace a false view of the world with a correct one...The task is to raise the spirit-soul into the realm of the spiritual, so that the human being is no longer a thinking and feeling automaton...The human being is...in danger of drifting into the Ahrimanic world, in which case the spirit-soul will evaporate into the cosmos.” (FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, p. 115.) <br /><br />Why teach this stuff to Waldorf teachers if their work isn't "missionary"? It's REQUIRED reading for Waldorf teachers. Waldorf schools are Anthroposophical spiritual centers that have a mission to raise the spirit-soul of the human being. Why not admit this at least?<br /><br />Pete Karaiskos / Waldorf whistleblower<br /><br />Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399265">Pete K</a> on 12/01/2011 at 9:28 AM</span><br />
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So, you're not Mr. K, yet agree with what he says when he says:<br />
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"Your inability to see the dishonesty in someone telling part of the truth, but not the whole truth, speaks more eloquently to the total bankruptcy of so-called "Anthroposophy" as an ethical and moral "science of the spirit," than anything anyone else could say against it."<br />
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Well, Mr. K, who is apparently not you, has feelings that seem to be in great accord with your own, although he appears to have no affiliation with Waldorf, no kids in it, and simply sees it as nonsense designed to inflict unfavorably upon a materialistic world with a limited existence for mankind. Does that sound about right?<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399752">Rafael</a> on 12/01/2011 at 9:52 PM<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Pete K</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">"So, you're not Mr. K, yet agree with what he says when he says:<br /><br />Your inability to see the dishonesty in someone telling part of the truth, but not the whole truth, speaks more eloquently to the total bankruptcy of so-called "Anthroposophy" as an ethical and moral "science of the spirit," than anything anyone else could say against it."<br /><br />Yes, that's what I said. I agree with that statement. I think it's obvious dishonesty and you don't. I think it says a lot about the claims of dishonesty in the Waldorf movement. If Anthroposophists don't believe it's dishonest to omit very important facts when discussing Waldorf education (like for example, that it's Anthroposophy), then it's likely they will continue to attract people who don't want the kind of education they're really offering. And disguising what Waldorf education is - is what Waldorf teachers were instructed to do - by Steiner himself. Here's a guy who tried to put Waldorf in a nutshell... with no mention of Anthroposophy or Steiner. <a href="http://ssagarin.blogspot.com/2011/10/elevator-speech-what-is-waldorf.html">http://ssagarin.blogspot.com/2011/10/eleva…</a><br /><br />"Well, Mr. K, who is apparently not you, has feelings that seem to be in great accord with your own, although he appears to have no affiliation with Waldorf, no kids in it, and simply sees it as nonsense designed to inflict unfavorably upon a materialistic world with a limited existence for mankind. Does that sound about right?"<br /><br />Yes, that sounds about right I guess. I'm not sure why we require a synopsis... anyone can read the comments? I just felt after Mr. K began participating, and I've sometimes posted as Pete K, as well as Pete Karaiskos, that I had better clarify that we are not the same person as Mr. K. Hope that clears up any confusion.<br /><br />Pete Karaiskos<br /><br />Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399265">Pete K</a> on 12/02/2011 at 12:30 AM</span><br />
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I have no affiliation with Waldorf, and based on what I have read here, I would not place my children there even with a full scholarship.<br />
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You write that I see Waldorf "as nonsense designed to inflict unfavorably upon a materialistic world with a limited existence for mankind." This is not a complete or coherent English sentence. Yet, you have the gall to presume that you can teach children to read and write!<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2359577">Mr. K--</a> on 12/02/2011 at 12:50 AM<br />
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What gall? I am neither Harlan Gilbert or a Waldorf teacher, so what are you referring to?<br />
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Here is what I am referring to:<br />
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"There is no such thing as a science of the spirit. There is no scientific experiment that can even prove there is such a thing as a "spirit." Anyone who believes otherwise is deluded."<br />
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Your words, Mr. K. No more and no less.<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399752">Rafael</a> on 12/02/2011 at 8:05 PM<br />
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I apologize for mistaking you for a teacher. I stand by my statement about scientific experimentation.<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2359577">Mr. K--</a> on 12/02/2011 at 8:42 PM<br />
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You can stand by whatever statement about science you like, but why did you mistake me for a teacher? Are you closer to Waldorf than you're saying? Sounds like it.<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399752">Rafael</a> on 12/02/2011 at 9:41 PM<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Pete K</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">Rafael, what difference does it make? Why did you mistake me for Mr. K? People sometimes make mistakes. Who cares. How about some substance?<br /><br />On my blog here: <a href="http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/2011_07_01_archive.html">http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/2011_07_…</a><br />I point out instances where Waldorf teachers from Highland Hall are doing exactly what Harlan Gilbert did... post reviews of their school pretending to be just parents. This omission, again, is tantamount to fraud! Just as with Harlan Gilbert, when they do this, I'm there to point it out. Fraudulent practices will be Waldorf's undoing. People who are dishonest by nature are definitely not people parents should trust their kids to. I learned the hard way. I hope, no I KNOW I've helped many parents avoid Highland Hall specifically and Waldorf education in general. But when I see misguided articles like the story that prompted these comments, I know there's much more work to be done.<br /><br />Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399265">Pete K</a> on 12/02/2011 at 10:42 PM</span><br />
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I thought Stanley's article was excellent, factual and truthful, and that is why I felt obliged to contribute to this discussion. The comments extend only because of unfortunate poor feelings about Waldorf education, and the science of the spirit itself. <br />
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Thus, in a world where nothing is perfect, it can be expected that nothing is perfect. But, when something has been made perfect in theory and ideology, as clearly demonstrated by Rudolf Steiner's Anthroposophy, and its application to the education of the child, it can only be adduced that the human factor could intervene in order to create errors of judgment and application in these fields. Assuredly, that has taken place, but just as assuredly, these fields have achieved success far surpassing those unfortunate errors of human nature and its consequences.<br />
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Wouldn't you agree?<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399752">Rafael</a> on 12/03/2011 at 9:41 PM<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Pete K</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">"I thought Stanley's article was excellent, factual and truthful, and that is why I felt obliged to contribute to this discussion." <br /><br />Again, should we consider obvious omissions of the facts "truthful"? Your idea of "truthful" and mine are quite different. Omitting the truth isn't truthful in my view.<br /><br />"The comments extend only because of unfortunate poor feelings about Waldorf education, and the science of the spirit itself."<br /><br />Those poor feelings, for many parents, stem from the very untruthfulness I'm talking about. Waldorf has a very dishonest attitude - and it comes directly from Steiner's directives. "Science of the spirit" - is a topic for adults - not something that should be covertly introduced to people's children without their knowledge and against Waldorf's stated purpose.<br /><br />"Thus, in a world where nothing is perfect, it can be expected that nothing is perfect. But, when something has been made perfect in theory and ideology, as clearly demonstrated by Rudolf Steiner's Anthroposophy"<br /><br />Hold on... nobody has ever demonstrated Steiner's theory and ideology is perfect. <br /><br />"and its application to the education of the child, it can only be adduced that the human factor could intervene in order to create errors of judgment and application in these fields. Assuredly, that has taken place, but just as assuredly, these fields have achieved success far surpassing those unfortunate errors of human nature and its consequences."<br /><br />No... I don't agree. Steiner DIRECTED Waldorf teachers to lie directly to parents - (have you read Faculty Meetings yet? I provided the link?). When harm is done to children, it's when teachers follow Steiner's instructions rather than common sense - or even the LAW. In my case, it made more sense to teachers to cover up harm that was happening to my child than to follow mandated reporting laws. Steiner directed teachers to keep quiet to outsiders about what goes on in the school. I guess that includes the police. Anyone who doesn't think Waldorf teachers lie can try this simple test... JUST ASK THEM A DIFFICULT QUESTION. <br /><br />Rafael, I believe you've completely misunderstood what is going on in Waldorf teacher training. They learn MUCH MORE than Steiner's ideals, they learn Steiner's practical methods for dealing with children and parents. Those were not "perfect in theory" - they were horrible! Why wouldn't they be? Steiner was NEVER an teacher and knew nothing about teaching in a classroom of children. But that didn't stop him from trying to come up with some ideas about how teachers should do it. It's just like the fact that Steiner never met a black person, yet he developed all kinds of ridiculous ideas about black people without having any knowledge or experience. Wouldn't it be better for Waldorf teachers to get their instructions from a great teacher instead of a great con-artist?<br /><br />Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399265">Pete K</a> on 12/04/2011 at 9:07 AM</span><br />
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"why did you mistake me for a teacher?"<br />
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You wrote with such an air of authority in defense of so-called "anthroposophy" that I assumed you were a representative of the school. It was a simple and honest mistake and it was made precisely because I know nothing about the school except what I read in this blog.<br />
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" Are you closer to Waldorf than you're saying?"<br />
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That is a curious question. Would I be more likely to mistake you for a teacher if I was closer to Waldorf? Or do you suffer from a touch of paranoia?<br />
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"Sounds like it."<br />
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Indeed!<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2359577">Mr. K--</a> on 12/04/2011 at 1:42 PM<br />
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Well, with all due consideration, I feel that Pete K. definitely is paranoid when he refers to Steiner's "Faculty Meetings With Instructors" in short crib-notes in an otherwise 700 page volume. Please give the context in which the negative words were said, Pete. Thank you.<br />
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And relative to the Science of the Spirit, aka, Anthroposophical Spiritual Science, I would humbly advise Mr. K. to attempt an informed judgment before denouncing something he admits to knowing nothing about.<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399752">Rafael</a> on 12/07/2011 at 8:18 PM<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Pete K</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">The context is a faculty meeting. Steiner fielded questions from the very first Waldorf teachers and responded to them. It was quite a different experience for him I'm sure - than simply writing about the idealistic education he envisioned. When teachers came to him with real-life problems, Steiner had ridiculous answers. Anthroposophical doctors couldn't determine any physical difference between a "large-headed" and "small-headed" child for example... yet Steiner claimed such differences existed. Below is an example of Steiner talking with Waldorf teachers about how to spot demonic possession in children... pretending that he has "facts" about this when questioned by a teacher, but then tells the teachers not to tell the world about his nonsense - since there was already considerable opposition to Waldorf schools in his time. From Faculty Meetings:<br /><br />Dr. Steiner: “That little girl L.. in the first grade must have something very wrong inside. There is not much we can do. Such cases are increasing in which children are born with a human form, but are not really human beings in relation to their highest I [the highest element of one’s spiritual being]; instead, they are filled with beings that do not belong to the human class. Quite a number of people have been born since the [1890s] without an I, that is, they are not reincarnated, but are human forms filled with a sort of natural demon. There are quite a large number of older people going around who are actually not human beings, but only natural; they are human beings only in regard to their form. We cannot, however, create a school for demons.”<br /><br />A teacher: “How is that possible?”<br /><br />Dr. Steiner: “Cosmic error is certainly not impossible. The relationships of individuals coming into earthly existence have long been determined. There are also generations in which individuals have no desire to come into earthly existence and be connected with physicality, or immediately leave at the very beginning. In such cases, other beings that are not quite suited step in.... They are also quite different from human beings in regard to everything spiritual. They can, for example, never remember such things as sentences; they have a memory only for words, not for sentences....<br /><br />“I do not like to talk about such things since we have often been attacked even without them. Imagine what people would say if they heard that we say there are people who are not human beings. Nevertheless, these are facts. Our culture would not be in such a decline if people felt more strongly that a number of people are going around who, because they are completely ruthless, have become something that is not human, but instead are demons in human form.<br /><br />“Nevertheless, we do not want to shout that to the world. Our opposition is already large enough. Such things are really shocking to people. I caused enough shock when I needed to say that a very famous university professor, after a very short time between death and rebirth, was reincarnated as a black scientist. We do not want to shout such things out into the world.” (Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, Anthroposophical Press, 1998, pp. 649-650.)<br /><br />Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399265">Pete K</a> on 12/08/2011 at 11:19 AM</span><br />
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The context is faculty meetings that you weren't present at and have no idea of what the full context was, now isn't it?<br />
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In fact, 700 pages were given in meetings with the fledgling first teachers of Waldorf, and I doubt by your allegations that Waldorf has to hide anything, since they published them in full.<br />
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Taking someone's words and phrases out of context is a well-know ploy used to denounce someone. Nice try, but you lose.<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399752">Rafael</a> on 12/09/2011 at 10:04 PM<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Pete K</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">"The context is faculty meetings that you weren't present at and have no idea of what the full context was, now isn't it?"<br /><br />After 700 pages? UM... I think we can ALL get the full context of what he was saying. After all, that's exactly why the faculty meetings were documented in the first place - so that future Waldorf teachers could be trained in Steiner's methods. If there's a more "full" context to this work (there isn't), certainly new teachers entering Waldorf teacher training aren't going to be aware of it.<br /><br />"In fact, 700 pages were given in meetings with the fledgling first teachers of Waldorf, and I doubt by your allegations that Waldorf has to hide anything, since they published them in full."<br /><br />Waldorf didn't publish them.<br /><br />HIDE? They're not hiding anything, they're TEACHING this stuff to new teachers. It's on Waldorf teacher reading lists everywhere. I'm just helping people who aren't teachers learn what Waldorf teachers are learning and WHY. The "why" is the important part. The author of this article hadn't heard of this apparently.<br /><br />"Taking someone's words and phrases out of context is a well-know ploy used to denounce someone."<br /><br />If the context of the entire 700 page volume isn't enough context to get the gist of what Steiner was saying, there are 40 books and 6000 lectures by Steiner to fill in the context. If there is anything in any of them that conflicts with or changes the context of Faculty Meetings, please feel free to present it. Additionally, there are LOTS of other books on Waldorf teacher reading lists... this just happens to be one that IS available on-line. If you would rather discuss Knowledge of Higher Worlds and its Attainment (also required reading for Waldorf teachers) we could do this too. But, Faculty Meetings is the book the most directly applies to Waldorf education and it establishes the methods Waldorf teachers use when they deal with children. We see this confirmed time and time again in Waldorf. <br /><br />Here's a quote from Knowledge of Higher Worlds - Also REQUIRED reading by Waldorf teachers:<br />"Critical thinking is especially hazardous. Good children "have a respect that<br />forbids them, even in the deepest recess of their heart, to harbour any thoughts<br />of criticism or opposition." [KNOWLEDGE OF THE HIGHER WORLDS AND ITS ATTAINMENT,<br />p. 10.]<br /><br />And also in the same book:<br /><br />"For peoples and races are but steps leading to pure humanity. A race or a nation stands so much the higher, the more perfectly its members express the pure, ideal human type, the further they have worked their way from the physical and perishable to the supersensible and imperishable. The evolution of man through the incarnations in ever higher national and racial forms is thus a process of liberation. Man must finally appear in harmonious perfection." (Steiner, Knowledge of Higher Worlds p. 207)<br /><br />Steiner's ideas about races and racial perfection are all fed to Waldorf teacher trainees, right along with his "insights" about children (and how they shouldn't think critically). That's part of Waldorf teacher training and Waldorf's missionary role in spreading Steiner's philosophy to unsuspecting students.<br /><br />"Nice try, but you lose."<br /><br />When people work dishonestly to feed our children their guru's nonsense, WE ALL LOSE!<br /><br />Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399265">Pete K</a> on 12/10/2011 at 8:29 AM</span><br />
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Nobody loses, except those who did not find value in the system of Waldorf, and its aims. And that could easily be reduced to geographic location, and even a specific school that had the right mix of bad teachers, bad administrators, bad students, and the reactive parents reacting against it. It all makes sense to me that the failure of a child's education should be taken seriously.<br />
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As for "Faculty Meetings", wasn't that published by Bob and Nancy; at least they have made it easily available on the internet? And they fully support Waldorf Education.<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399752">Rafael</a> on 12/11/2011 at 8:59 PM<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Pete K</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">"Nobody loses, except those who did not find value in the system of Waldorf, and its aims."<br /><br />In other words - EVERYBODY loses except those who find value in Anthroposophy. Outside of promoting Anthroposophy, Waldorf has no value to be found. It is a ruse set up to deliver Anthroposophy - EXACTLY as Steiner intended and instructed. Waldorf education is valuable to Anthroposophists.<br /><br />" And that could easily be reduced to geographic location, and even a specific school that had the right mix of bad teachers, bad administrators, bad students, and the reactive parents reacting against it. "<br /><br />Yet, the same problems are reported WORLD WIDE. Your argument makes no sense - particularly because Waldorf teachers are not confined to a "specific school" - they are in ALL Waldorf schools. Where do they get their training? AT THE SPECIFIC SCHOOL I AM TALKING ABOUT. Highland Hall is the TRAINING facility for Southern California. Teachers all over the world are trained by the very same "mix of bad teachers". <br /><br />BTW, what are "bad students"? That sounds like something Steiner would say. <br /><br />"It all makes sense to me that the failure of a child's education should be taken seriously."<br /><br />Ya THINK? So, why doesn't Waldorf take criticism of the harm they do seriously - especially when they cannot demonstrate any value at all in their educational system? Do you think the WORST teachers should be training other teachers? Do you think maybe that's why we have so many stories in the news about abuse by Waldorf teachers. The Waldorf teachers at Highland Hall BROKE THE LAW TO COVER UP ABUSES. They lied directly to the parents of children who were abused. "Reactive parents"? The worst offenders have moved to other schools, hoping to evade attention. Hopefully, those abusers who have been hired at other Waldorf schools from Highland Hall won't continue abusing children and parents at their new school. I'll make sure to publicize their locations (and new names when they've changed them). They don't belong around children and I'm doing my best to ensure they are discovered wherever they are.<br /><br />"As for "Faculty Meetings", wasn't that published by Bob and Nancy; at least they have made it easily available on the internet? And they fully support Waldorf Education." <br /><br />No, it wasn't first published by Bob and Nancy. Keep trying though...<br /><br />Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399265">Pete K</a> on 12/12/2011 at 8:49 AM</span><br />
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This sounds like a vendetta Pete on a little independent newspaper wherein J. Adrian Stanley wrote an article for reading. Goodbye and good luck, as someone famous used to say ;)<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399752">Rafael</a> on 12/14/2011 at 9:23 PM<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Pete K</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">Vendetta? No... Whistle-blowing... Yes! People shouldn't write articles about stuff they don't know about or haven't researched thoroughly. But you can't blame the author - Waldorf is VERY GOOD at hiding their true intent. They have been doing it for quite some time now and pulling the wool over this article's author's eyes was clearly very easy to do. With the rise of the internet, Waldorf's true nature has been revealed and it's not very pretty... in fact it's quite sinister. People promoting a hidden philosophy to other people's children - covertly... that's quite a problem. I've proven, right here on this thread (see the earliest posts regarding Waldorf teacher Harlan Gilbert pretending to be simply a satisfied parent making a comment) how dishonest Waldorf teachers are with regard to promoting Waldorf. If Waldorf teachers are willing to be so dishonest, without provocation, imagine what happens when a child is harmed! They simply LIE and it's up to people like me to hold them accountable. When Waldorf promotes dishonesty (and they do) they leave themselves open to public scrutiny and, in my case, legal action. This isn't a case of one or two bad teachers, it's an entire movement built on dishonesty. It's my moral obligation to do what I can to expose them. Pete Karaiskos, Waldorf parent/advocate <a href="http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/">http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399265">Pete K</a> on 12/15/2011 at 9:37 AM</span><br />
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Well, here's what the lady had to say back on November 23, 2011. It seemed pretty good to me.<br />
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I'm sure she's gone on to other investigative writing projects since then. So, the vendetta charge seems accurate to me. <br />
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In any event, I liked the report and felt it fair and impartial in terms of the present WWS (Waldorf World Situation). Of course, as she states outright, she knows about those who have problems with the Waldorf education system. And I felt she dealt with that very handily.<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399752">Rafael</a> on 12/17/2011 at 9:30 PM<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">You've linked to her first response to me. Why? It's right here in the comments? She was mistaken in that comment, as I pointed out. She relied on Wikipedia (something high school students aren't allowed to do) for her information. Wikipedia articles about Anthroposophy are intentionally distorted by Waldorf teacher Harlan Gilbert. I've already shown this. <br /><br />"I'm sure she's gone on to other investigative writing projects since then. So, the vendetta charge seems accurate to me. "<br /><br />I'm sure she has thought twice about "investigative writing" through the use of Wikipedia... LMAO! The author, if she's halfway intelligent, learned a valuable lesson here... don't write about stuff you haven't researched thoroughly. The fact that her source has a severe conflict of interest is something she should have, BY NOW, returned here to mention. She left it up to her readers to discover that she hadn't done her homework about Waldorf. That's shamefully shoddy "investigative writing" to me.<br /><br />"In any event, I liked the report and felt it fair and impartial in terms of the present WWS (Waldorf World Situation)."<br /><br />How could it be "fair and impartial?" It relies on "facts" supplied by WALDORF! As I said initially, their JOB is to pull the wool over people's eyes. The author obviously missed a LOT of what Waldorf is about by simply asking them. Unfortunately, this is often the same mistake parents make when enrolling their children. It's hard to believe educators would outright LIE to people when you don't understand WHY they lie. It takes some serious digging to determine the reasons Waldorf representatives lie to people... but it's there if you look. As I pointed out, Steiner INSTRUCTED them to deceive the outside world. They do a good job of this. But that's changing.<br /><br />"Of course, as she states outright, she knows about those who have problems with the Waldorf education system. And I felt she dealt with that very handily."<br /><br />Really? I think she crawled under a rock when she realized how badly she had misrepresented Waldorf this article. I'm happy she'd heard about the problems with Waldorf, of course, but the fact that she didn't investigate them other than to ask Waldorf about them is probably VERY embarrassing. What if parents send their children to Waldorf based on THIS article? That would be silly, I know, but "investigative, fair, impartial" are not words one might use with a straight face to describe what was written here.<br /><br />Here's a news flash for you... Waldorf won't admit they have problems. They won't admit they're dishonest. They won't admit they're racists. It's up to people like me to point out to people like the author of this article and everyone who reads it that they are not what they appear to be. The more Waldorf is in the news, the more opportunities critics like me have to reveal what they are really about. Get used to it!<br /><br />Pete Karaiskos / Waldorf critic / Whistle-blower / Advocate<br /><a href="http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/">http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399265">Pete K</a> on 12/18/2011 at 8:40 AM</span><br />
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Pete, you only prove my assertion that you have a vendetta against Waldorf. And then you go on to make J. Adrian Stanley look like a fool in her reporting, which was as objective as possible, considering that she left your singular "school of hard knocks" out of her article. Using Wikipedia these days is useful as a source, as it has gained in accuracy for the benefit of the internet audience. <br />
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Therefore, it seems to me that what she is indicating to you, in knowing about your situation, in no way lessens the importance of Waldorf as an alternative-to-public school system. And that is why she felt the need to report on it. In other words, its more global and positive rationale yields results that cannot be denied, even as there are sad results like yours. <br />
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She told you this in the beginning of her very well-considered response to you. Yet, you don't listen. Why is that?<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399752">Rafael</a> on 12/19/2011 at 10:20 PM<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">"Pete, you only prove my assertion that you have a vendetta against Waldorf. And then you go on to make J. Adrian Stanley look like a fool in her reporting, which was as objective as possible, considering that she left your singular "school of hard knocks" out of her article. Using Wikipedia these days is useful as a source, as it has gained in accuracy for the benefit of the internet audience."<br /><br />So, you want to rehash everything we've been over? OK. BTW, thanks for characterizing the school that abused my children as a "school of hard knocks". I'm sure it gives readers a good impression of how callous one must be to promote Waldorf educators in light of the harm they do to children regularly.<br /><br />I didn't make J. Adrian Stanley look like a fool... so if she looks like a fool, that is her own doing. She came here praising Waldorf and suggesting - "It must be so - since I read it on Wikipedia". She had help in her fool's errand, of course, from the very author of the Wikipedia articles she used for her info, Waldorf teacher Harlan Gilbert, whose perfectly-timed post drove home my point about the dishonesty in Waldorf. And NO, Wikipedia hasn't gotten better "these days" nor has it "gained accuracy" - that's ridiculous and unsupported nonsense (or perhaps wishful thinking). <br /><br />"Therefore, it seems to me that what she is indicating to you, in knowing about your situation, in no way lessens the importance of Waldorf as an alternative-to-public school system. And that is why she felt the need to report on it. " <br /><br />Waldorf is very important TO AVOID as an alternative to public school system. I've given many reasons why, not the least of which is the systematic abuse of children and their parents through their dishonest enrollment practices. Attrition is HUGE in Waldorf and the reason is dishonesty (as demonstrated by - and thanks to Mr. Gilbert) - dishonest representation of the curriculum, dishonest representation of the skills of the teachers and the success of their methods. For every child that graduates Waldorf, a dozen have had their education interrupted - or faced much WORSE. Well-meaning parents believe they've found something wonderful in Waldorf. They sometimes do no more research than J. Adrian Stanley did before putting their kids there. That's what Waldorf is counting on. It means my work is only just beginning. Exposing Waldorf's true nature is important work. I do it so other people's children may not have to suffer.<br /><br />"In other words, its more global and positive rationale yields results that cannot be denied, even as there are sad results like yours."<br /><br />Again, ATTRITION wasn't taken into account in the global "results". Nor did she investigate the "94% of Waldorf graduates attend college" claim very well. Globally, Waldorf is under attack for their deceptive practices. Public Waldorf in the UK has run into huge opposition. Same in Australia. This article is a puff-piece for a school system that doesn't deserve one. But if you're going to do that, at least get a few facts correct. Ms. Stanley didn't. She didn't even offer readers a real answer about why Waldorf doesn't use technology in classrooms... all she got was the public face of Waldorf - like so many prospective parents get.<br /><br />"She told you this in the beginning of her very well-considered response to you. Yet, you don't listen. Why is that?"<br /><br />I'm glad you asked! Because I have DECADES more experience with Waldorf than she has. Which is why she should be listening to me - not the other way around (and so should her readers). And unlike Waldorf representatives, I DON'T have a reason to be dishonest. Waldorf isn't MY place of employment, and I don't have a stated missionary goal to indoctrinate as many people as possible - Waldorf people DO. I'm not an Anthroposophist. I haven't devoted my life to following a guru's words and teachings, right or wrong as they may be... Waldorf teachers HAVE. <br /><br />I have very GOOD reasons to be completely honest. I'm suing Waldorf for millions of dollars... for things they did as individuals and for things they conspired to do under the Waldorf system. I'm sure I wouldn't get too far if I've been spreading lies on the internet, would I? <br /><br />Pete Karaiskos<br /><a href="http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/">http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399265">Pete K</a> on 12/20/2011 at 10:06 AM</span><br />
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It certainly sounds like you have issues that go far beyond this article. Yet, the author, J. Adrian Stanley, seemed to know about your concerns, even as she wrote and submitted it.<br />
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Thus, it appeared to me that her article took the general flavor and milieu of Waldorf education into account, rather than the singular problems of one local school, which is obviously your issue. Yet, you exacerbate your concerns over the whole genera of a system of education that has proven itself to be important, successful, and what people want for their children. I doubt that you could refute the statistics on its success, nor could you give any reasonable explanation of why anyone should doubt Harlan Gilbert, who you vilify as if you know something sinister about him. What gives?<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399752">Rafael</a> on 12/21/2011 at 8:46 PM<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Pete K</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">"It certainly sounds like you have issues that go far beyond this article. Yet, the author, J. Adrian Stanley, seemed to know about your concerns, even as she wrote and submitted it."<br /><br />So, you believe she knew about my concerns but still she allowed herself to be shown to be a fool - YOUR words not mine. How does that make sense to you? To me, it's obvious she DIDN'T do any serious investigation into the criticisms of Waldorf... (or into the "positive" aspects of Waldorf for that matter). <br /><br />"Thus, it appeared to me that her article took the general flavor and milieu of Waldorf education into account, rather than the singular problems of one local school, which is obviously your issue."<br /><br />How many times are you going to try to claim that this is a single problematic school? Are you hoping somebody might read your conclusion and not bother reading the other comments? Deceptive advertising is a problem with ALL of Waldorf education. Problematic teachers are SUPPORTED by AWSNA - the head of Waldorf in the North America.<br /><br />"Yet, you exacerbate your concerns over the whole genera of a system of education that has proven itself to be important, successful, and what people want for their children. "<br /><br />You chose your words carefully. They have proven they are what? "Important?" "Successful?" "What people want for their children?" How about GOOD LEARNING INSTITUTIONS? You can't make that claim can you? Neither can they. They haven't proven they're good learning institutions. <br /><br />"I doubt that you could refute the statistics on its success"<br /><br />Post some... let's see? Oh wait... there AREN'T ANY!<br /><br />"nor could you give any reasonable explanation of why anyone should doubt Harlan Gilbert, who you vilify as if you know something sinister about him. What gives?"<br /><br />Conflict of interest. Do you know what that is? He's a Waldorf teacher who is writing articles in Wikipedia about Waldorf from a supposedly "unbiased" point of view. That is, I'm afraid, quite impossible. References from Anthroposophical authors have been specifically excluded from Wikipedia for this reason (I know first hand) - yet Mr. Gilbert is somehow permitted to not only post but control those articles. It's an obvious conflict of interest on Wikipedia. It is evidence of how poor a source Wikipedia is when it comes to information about Waldorf, Steiner, Antrhoposophy and about 50 other articles related to Anthroposophists and Anthroposophic enterprises. <br /><br />Mr. Gilbert arrived here, AGAIN, with a conflict of interest pretending to be a satisfied parent of a Waldorf school. Were I not here to point out who he is... his comment would have slipped by as that of a satisfied customer... promoting the education their children received. His behavior is shameful, but certainly not the worst we've seen from Waldorf representatives. There are far more sinister people than Mr. Gilbert working (getting a paycheck) to promote Waldorf. <br /><br />You seem unable to see what is very obvious here. The problem I'm describing runs through ALL of Waldorf - and by luck was demonstrated right here in the first comments to this article.<br /><br />BTW, I think we're finally getting somewhere. You're going to post some statistics of the successes of Waldorf students, right? I'm very interested in those. Hopefully, they will have been produced by someone other than Waldorf, but even if they have been, let's see the reports. Feel free to post links to anything that has been peer-reviewed, any studies that have been conducted, and so forth. I'm always happy to discover new evidence supporting the notion that Waldorf is doing a great job - to help balance the evidence that they aren't. <br /><br />Pete Karaiskos - Waldorf Critic / Parent / Advocate<br /><a href="http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/">http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399265">Pete K</a> on 12/21/2011 at 10:05 PM</span><br />
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If one looks at the series of comments that you have made since this article was first printed, it seems clear that your experience of Waldorf education is a disaster, to be sure. Yet, nowhere else can it be judged to be what you say it is. You sound like a lone-wolf, or whistleblower, as you say, but one who expounds a rather isolated incident as if it was the global norm for Waldorf in general. Thus, the statisitics of proof in your favor rest on you, not me.<br />
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So, go to work and make your case.<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399752">Rafael</a> on 12/22/2011 at 8:04 PM<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Pete K</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">"If one looks at the series of comments that you have made since this article was first printed, it seems clear that your experience of Waldorf education is a disaster, to be sure."<br /><br />Oh, not just MY experience. Very large attrition rates are part of Waldorf's problem and they occur because of dishonest practices. They even acknowledge this. 25% of students are removed every year. That's a lot of interrupted educations - or worse.<br /><br />"Yet, nowhere else can it be judged to be what you say it is."<br /><br />Really? Parents contact me regularly with stories similar to mine. Currently very similar things to what happened to me and my kids are happening at the Brooklyn Waldorf school AND a Waldorf school in the San Francisco Bay area. That's a fact! <br /><br />"You sound like a lone-wolf, or whistleblower, as you say, but one who expounds a rather isolated incident as if it was the global norm for Waldorf in general."<br /><br />So you consider over 10 years of abuse involving over a dozen teachers and administrators going all the way to AWSNA an "isolated incident". Is this one of your "hard knocks" jokes again? <br /><br />There are REAL REASONS behind why this happens in Waldorf. Your "isolated incident" claim is like making a claim that it's an "isolated incident" when measles breaks out in a Waldorf school. NOT TRUE! There are very specific reasons measles break out in Waldorf schools frequently - VERY specific reasons related to Waldorf and Steiner. If you follow Steiner's recommendations, you will have a poorly immunized population where measles (or whooping cough) break out. The REASON is in Steiner's works - just like the REASON for Waldorf's abusive teachers can be found in Steiner's works as well. Steiner instructed teachers to be dishonest with parents. That's what they do!<br /><br />" Thus, the statisitics of proof in your favor rest on you, not me."<br /><br />You wrote: "I doubt that you could refute the statistics on its success"<br /><br />OK... produce the statistics of their success then. Here's what I see... Waldorf has been around for 100 years. They have 1000 schools... each presumably graduating students. Let's say 20 grads per school - that's 20,000 grads per year... every year. So far, Waldorf success stories hover around the CEO of Am Ex and Jennifer Aniston. Who else have these schools of innovative thinkers produced in the past 100 years? Anybody we've heard of? Everybody knows Waldorf can produce actors and actresses... (abused children learn these skills automatically). Where are the famous thinkers? Where are the famous scientists? Where are the famous engineers? Seriously... Jennifer Aniston is the best they could produce? With 94% of grads going on to attend college? I'd LOVE to see some statistics from Waldorf. Got any?<br /><br />Pete Karaiskos <br />Waldorf whistleblower<br /><a href="http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/">http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399265">Pete K</a> on 12/23/2011 at 9:17 AM</span><br />
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Well, in my estimation, Waldorf has proven itself to be a successful alternative to public school in these nearly 100 years since it was first founded in 1919. And that is the BIGGEST statistic you'll find anywhere. Difficulties, poor performance due to administration and teacher/student problems do exist, as they do in all environs wherein human interaction is the challenge, but they tend to get solved without stagnation setting in. Waldorf has moved forward in a big way by solving issues at each level of occurrence. Just ask AWSNA here in America. They do their own periodic review of schools, and watchdog and whistleblow themselves in the process. <br />
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In fact, HH has been recertified a number of times since you began to complain some ten or twelve years ago. So, I would strongly suggest moving on in life for your own health and well-being, as it appears that Highland Hall has met all the requisite student and curriculum standards for over a decade now, according to AWSNA.<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399752">Rafael</a> on 12/23/2011 at 10:18 PM<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">"Well, in my estimation, Waldorf has proven itself to be a successful alternative to public school in these nearly 100 years since it was first founded in 1919. And that is the BIGGEST statistic you'll find anywhere."<br /><br />You may very well be right about that. No statistics about their success - only the proliferation of their schools.<br /><br />" Difficulties, poor performance due to administration and teacher/student problems do exist, as they do in all environs wherein human interaction is the challenge, but they tend to get solved without stagnation setting in. Waldorf has moved forward in a big way by solving issues at each level of occurrence."<br /><br />Do you have some evidence of this? Didn't think so.<br /><br />" Just ask AWSNA here in America. They do their own periodic review of schools, and watchdog and whistleblow themselves in the process."<br /><br />You're funny! They would be the WORST people to ask, of course, but here's what AWSNA COULD do that they don't. They own the name "Waldorf". They could pull the Waldorf name from problematic Waldorf schools. They don't. In AWSNA's head administrator, Patrice Maynard, we find someone who served as MENTOR to Claire McConnell - daughter of US Senator Mitch McConnell. Under Maynard's mentorship, McConnell tied children to their chairs with duct tape as punishment. Not just once but on two separate occasions. <br /><br />Here's the story: <a href="http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=1364683&nav=0RZFGxHZ">http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=13…</a><br /><br />"Claire McConnell, who apologized in a letter June 24, was accused of strapping one child into a chair with a leather belt, tying the hands of others and taping shut the mouths of some elementary school students, the Albany Times Union reported Thursday. "<br /><br />"McConnell, daughter of U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., did not immediately return phone messages. "She's a young teacher, a learning teacher," Patrice Maynard, a teacher and mentor to McConnell, told the newspaper. " <br /><br />Maynard is a director at AWSNA. With AWSNA doing their own whistleblowing, who needs critics, right?<br /><br />"In fact, HH has been recertified a number of times since you began to complain some ten or twelve years ago."<br /><br />Oh yes, in fact they had been "recertified" several times while I was there too. They also tried re-structuring, flooding the college with administrators then disbanding the college of teachers, hiring administrative teams, hiring a single head administrator, hiring Waldorf consultants to restructure, then back to administrative teams again - each time promising parents that they had made significant changes. So, why is Highland Hall running at 50% capacity then? As I've been pointing out - the problem isn't ONLY with Highland Hall - it goes MUCH higher up. The problem is with AWSNA itself, the poor standards they endorse and the harm they are willing to write off as perhaps "a young teacher" or other nonsense like that. REMEMBER Patrice Maynard represents AWSNA... ;)<br /><br />"So, I would strongly suggest moving on in life for your own health and well-being, as it appears that Highland Hall has met all the requisite student and curriculum standards for over a decade now, according to AWSNA."<br /><br />I'm sure you would suggest that. If AWSNA wasn't more corrupt than Highland Hall, I'd say you may have something there. But as I've demonstrated here, over and over again, the problem is bigger than Highland Hall... The problem is WALDORF. The problem is bad teachers being moved from school to school (McConnell is in the UK now I believe). Highland Hall teachers are everywhere. The problem is dishonesty at the highest levels (AWSNA), even dishonesty on Wikipedia. They obviously have done a good job of fooling people like you into thinking there are statistics for their "successes" when there aren't... or that they've produced lots of intelligent graduates - when they haven't. That's why they pay people to confront criticism on the internet... in order to continue committing the fraud they commit on a daily basis. <br /><br />And I will move on with my life after I have sued Waldorf and AWSNA on behalf of my kids (Yes, the statute of limitations hasn't run out yet)... but only after I'm sure the world is aware of the games they play.<br /><br />Pete Karaiskos / Whistleblower / Activist<br /><a href="http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/">http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399265">Pete K</a> on 12/24/2011 at 10:07 AM</span><br />
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"And I will move on with my life after I have sued Waldorf and AWSNA on behalf of my kids (Yes, the statute of limitations hasn't run out yet)... but only after I'm sure the world is aware of the games they play."<br />
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I suspect that the Waldorf education alternative has advanced quite well in the years since you first saw problems at your school. What this means is that on a more global scale, Waldorf works. But, it could be a fraud that needs a lawsuit to make them come clean about their motives. I look forward to hearing about it, and how Waldorf responds to your issues.<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399752">Rafael</a> on 12/25/2011 at 9:57 PM<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Pete K</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">"I suspect that the Waldorf education alternative has advanced quite well in the years since you first saw problems at your school. What this means is that on a more global scale, Waldorf works. But, it could be a fraud that needs a lawsuit to make them come clean about their motives. "<br /><br />Waldorf has "advanced" by stepping up their public relations program. They have become MORE deceitful, more dishonest, more sinister. As I said before, people contact me EVERY DAY with stories just like mine. Waldorf hasn't addressed the problems they have - how can they? SERIOUSLY! Their problems are directly related to their philosophy. Waldorf is WORSE today than it was a few years ago PRECISELY because they have to deal with people like me making noise on the internet. <br /><br />They have, for example, hired a disinformation officer (besides Harlan Gilbert) to troll the web looking for complaints. Sune Nordwall is a 50+ year old childless man who is PAID to fraudulently pose as a mother with children on the internet. His job is to refer readers to his own Waldorf disinformation sites and Wikipedia. That's his JOB - he's PAID BY WALDORF to promote disinformation about Waldorf... to act like a satisfied customer with happy, well-rounded, well-educated children who love their school... and to direct people away from complaining parents. That's how Waldorf addresses complaints. Waldorf teacher training now includes classes on DEALING WITH CRITICS.<br /><br />Not surprisingly, Waldorf has taken the dishonest route in addressing their problems... they have decided to disguise them rather than correct them. When parents ask about something their children are being taught, it is unlikely they will get straight answer. Steiner taught Waldorf teachers that a child's parents are SECONDARY to the child's Waldorf teacher. Waldorf teachers are taught to be dishonest - they have dishonest answers prepared for almost everything (that's why they never sound genuine). AND, when things go terribly wrong, the dishonesty is what Waldorf teachers fall back on. They lie to parents, and they lie in court. I guess it must be easy when you have been brainwashed into thinking you are part of some "bigger plan" for the Earth.<br /><br />"I look forward to hearing about it, and how Waldorf responds to your issues."<br /><br />They will FINALLY have to respond in court won't they? I'm looking forward to their response too.<br /><br />When I prevail in court, I intend to set up a fund to help other parents who were lied to and who wish to sue Waldorf. When Waldorf discovers it's a CRIME that actually costs money when they lie to people, they might reconsider their approach to public relations. I doubt it though... after all, we have the worst miscreants at the very top of the Waldorf hierarchy and they are following the guidelines of their guru - Rudolf Steiner.<br /><br />Pete Karaiskos<br />Waldorf whistleblower / activist / critic<br /><a href="http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/">http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399265">Pete K</a> on 12/26/2011 at 9:04 AM</span><br />
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"I look forward to hearing about it, and how Waldorf responds to your issues." -Rafael<br />
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Pete: They will FINALLY have to respond in court won't they? I'm looking forward to their response too. When I prevail in court, I intend to set up a fund to help other parents who were lied to and who wish to sue Waldorf. When Waldorf discovers it's a CRIME that actually costs money when they lie to people, they might reconsider their approach to public relations. I doubt it though... after all, we have the worst miscreants at the very top of the Waldorf hierarchy and they are following the guidelines of their guru - Rudolf Steiner.<br />
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Pete, whatever occurs one thing is certain in this debate, and that is that J. Adrian Stanley has moved on to write other interesting articles. Good luck, and thanks for the talk friend.<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399752">Rafael</a> on 12/30/2011 at 9:34 PM<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">"Pete, whatever occurs one thing is certain in this debate, and that is that J. Adrian Stanley has moved on to write other interesting articles. Good luck, and thanks for the talk friend."<br /><br />I have no problem with the reporter who was duped by Waldorf and I'm sure she'll make a fine reporter some day. It would be unusual if she WASN'T fed a bunch of lies by the school she attended. This article, along with the comments, will be referenced for quite some time by Waldorf critics, I'm sure. It's a great example of how stories can be skewed - even by well-meaning reporters. Let's hope she researches her future subject matter a little better than she did Waldorf. <br /><br />Thanks for the opportunity to have this debate. Also, thanks to Harlan Gilbert for punctuating my points for me so eloquently. <br /><br /><br />Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399265">Pete K</a> on 12/31/2011 at 8:09 AM</span><br />
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"I have no problem with the reporter who was duped by Waldorf and I'm sure she'll make a fine reporter some day. It would be unusual if she WASN'T fed a bunch of lies by the school she attended. This article, along with the comments, will be referenced for quite some time by Waldorf critics, I'm sure. It's a great example of how stories can be skewed - even by well-meaning reporters. Let's hope she researches her future subject matter a little better than she did Waldorf."<br />
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I found these comments compelling enought to write Stanley in order to ascertain the depth and level of her report. Waiting to hear back. I told her that I thought her article was fair and accurate, and that your concerns might actually be a vendetta. Sorry for that, but I am interested in what she responds with. Some of us see a vendetta on your part, Pete, which seems clearly stated, and even more so when you look up the word in the dictionary. Thanks.<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399752">Rafael</a> on 12/31/2011 at 10:31 PM<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Pete K</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">"I found these comments compelling enought to write Stanley in order to ascertain the depth and level of her report. Waiting to hear back. "<br /><br />Well, that doesn't make a lot of sense does it? What do you expect in return? Something acknowledging that the reporting was superficial? Maybe talk her into yanking the comments? It's the kind of thing I've come to expect from Anthroposophists. <br /><br />"Some of us see a vendetta on your part, Pete, which seems clearly stated, and even more so when you look up the word in the dictionary."<br /><br />So, you've been in contact with other readers? Or do you automatically speak for the masses? When you can't refute what I say, you try to make the discussion about ME personally. I'm describing HUGE problems in Waldorf. Parents should check them out for themselves. If they want to spend time checking me out, I have nothing to hide.<br /><br />If you were here for no other reason than to promote Waldorf, what would you have said differently? Some of us can see what you are doing here! <br /><br />Pete Karaiskos / Waldorf whistleblower<br /><a href="http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/">http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399265">Pete K</a> on 01/01/2012 at 8:19 AM</span><br />
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I just reviewed the article again, and it is quite objective. A neutral stance on technology and its value in schools. Of course, the official waldorf statistics concerning success come from an acknowledged source, which objection can be taken with. Maybe vendetta is a bad choice of word, but you have been on this for several years with little to no resolution other than complaints and accusations. Now, the accusations you've lodged here seem weak, and possibly cannot even be substantiated. For example, Harlan Gilbert feels no need to justify his position, nor have you proven anything against him. Only your word has come forth on this whole thread of talk, and it is almost entirely accusatory.<br />
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Therefore, without detailed stats to refute the success numbers given by the official waldorf record keepers, it seems your charges are more personal than global. The great majority of waldorf schools are successful in terms of competent teachers, happy students, and satisfied parents. Otherwise, why would they expend the dollars for the hefty tuition? As for knowledge of the principles of Waldorf being based on the Anthroposophy of Rudolf Steiner, few parents would have a problem with it once explained in terms of the educational cycles, and the reason for that is because we all experience them, and most of us have been educated accordingly, even in the public school system.<br />
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Unfortunately, Highland Hall seems to be the exception, or one of the few exceptions to successful education, and that is where your experience is. But I look with interest to hearing about the lawsuit and how waldorf officaldom responds. This will be important for making the needed changes, placing fault, and getting admission of negligence and malfeasance and so forth. Good luck, and I'll stay on the alert to hear about it.<br />
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Posted by <a href="http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/Profile?oid=2399752">Rafael</a> on 01/01/2012 at 1:19 PM<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pete K</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">"Maybe vendetta is a bad choice of word, but you have been on this for several years with little to no resolution other than complaints and accusations."<br /><br />Instead of V for Vendetta, how about A for Accountability! There's a multi-million dollar lawsuit in the works. What "resolution" did you expect? Perhaps an apology from Highland Hall? My daughter will have psychological problems for the rest of her LIFE! They harmed all my kids and I'm holding them accountable. If my accusations are unfounded, it behooves Highland Hall to take legal action to stop me from making them. I've certainly cost them a bundle over the years. They can't stop me because what I'm accusing them of is TRUE, and it's only the tip of the iceberg. They're hoping the statue of limitations will run out before I file. That's NOT going to happen.<br /><br />"Now, the accusations you've lodged here seem weak, and possibly cannot even be substantiated. For example, Harlan Gilbert feels no need to justify his position, nor have you proven anything against him. Only your word has come forth on this whole thread of talk, and it is almost entirely accusatory."<br /><br />It's obvious Mr. Gilbert cannot justify his position - hence the silence. It is an indication of the strength of my point, not the weakness of it. It's clear and documented what he attempted to do - mislead the readers of the article. The smartest thing he could do at this point is remain silent. <br /><br />"Therefore, without detailed stats to refute the success numbers given by the official waldorf record keepers, it seems your charges are more personal than global. The great majority of waldorf schools are successful in terms of competent teachers, happy students, and satisfied parents."<br /><br />How can you possibly substantiate this. ANY snapshot of Waldorf schools at any given moment in time is going to find mostly satisfied customers. Is this surprising to you? The dissatisfied ones are GONE! Who are you getting YOUR information from? Parents still at the schools? I hear from a different set of parents altogether... the ones who have been harmed and whose children have been harmed.<br /><br />"Otherwise, why would they expend the dollars for the hefty tuition?"<br /><br />They don't. When they discover the fraudulent practices, most leave or weigh the harm they've already done to their kids vs the harm of continuing. Depending on where their kids are in the process, leaving the school immediately isn't always an option. <br /><br />"As for knowledge of the principles of Waldorf being based on the Anthroposophy of Rudolf Steiner, few parents would have a problem with it once explained in terms of the educational cycles, and the reason for that is because we all experience them, and most of us have been educated accordingly, even in the public school system."<br /><br />That's absolutely absurd and you know it! If parents wouldn't have a problem once it's explained - WHY NOT EXPLAIN IT BEFORE THEY ENROLL?<br /><br />"Unfortunately, Highland Hall seems to be the exception, or one of the few exceptions to successful education, and that is where your experience is. "<br /><br />Yet, they are the TRAINING CENTER for Waldorf teachers. The very worst teachers are teaching new teachers. AWSNA owns the name Waldorf, yet they don't pull it from Highland Hall... in fact, AWSNA keeps reaccrediting Highland Hall. AWSNA members are at Highland Hall all the time. It's a 50+ year old Waldorf school - the oldest on the west coast. To suggest Highland Hall is an anomaly is ludicrous. The only anomaly is ME, a parent who has said "Enough already!" and is holding them accountable for what they do on a DAILY basis!<br /><br />"But I look with interest to hearing about the lawsuit and how waldorf officaldom responds. This will be important for making the needed changes, placing fault, and getting admission of negligence and malfeasance and so forth. Good luck, and I'll stay on the alert to hear about it."<br /><br />I'll absolutely keep the world apprised of the results. I think this case will be more important than the PLANS lawsuit. Fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud will be very easy to prove. AWSNA has committed conspiracy to defame, libel and other charges. I am legally well-represented. Keep checking on my blog which is regularly updated:<br /><br /><a href="http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/">http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />Pete Karaiskos<br />Waldorf parent, activist, whistleblower</span>PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268549717815146574.post-19111892300372477102014-09-07T07:33:00.001-07:002014-09-07T07:44:32.219-07:00Green Meadow Waldorf School Reviews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #38761d;">We have seen Green Meadow Waldorf School investigated since the recent sex scandals broke - but let's have a look at some of the parent reviews too. The first one suggests we haven't heard the end of the Green Meadow scandals:</span><br />
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<strong>Please be careful as you consider this school. As a</strong> former parent, I found this school to be unsafe for my children (fairly recently). I think the insular nature of the GMWS community contributes to this. An investigation determined that illegal things occurred at this school in the past and much of it was swept under the carpet, only to be investigated after a former student exposed some of this. Information on this is easy to find on the internet. It's my opinion that most of the egregious issues that occur at this school, even recent ones, are only seriously addressed if they are exposed publicly. Proceed with caution as it's my belief that there are still lots of "skeletons in the closet" at this school. <span class="author smallText1-333" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">—Submitted by a parent</span></div>
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<strong>The school community is incredibly insular. As another person previously</strong> stated, GMWS is a great place to be if you want to have no connection to the outside world. There are great class trips and you will make wonderful friendships that will last a lifetime. Going there is not to be taken lightly--it WILL change your perspective on the world and people, for better or worse. In my case, I was in need of serious emotional help when I got there. I think that, for me, the school did just as much harm as it may have done good. <span class="author smallText1-333" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">—Submitted by a student</span></div>
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<strong>This school is different. If you want your child to</strong> lead a sheltered life and have no idea of what is going on in the world..then send them to GMWS. A good thing is that they will make friendships that will last them a lifetime. Students become very very very close that they are almost like family. Also they will go on class trips which are extremely fun educating. It also helps them bond with their classmates. If you are looking for a school out of the ordinary to send your child to this is the perfect one.<br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/green-meadow-waldorf-school-sex.html">http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/green-meadow-waldorf-school-sex.html</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/green-meadow-waldorf-school-sex-scandal.html">http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/green-meadow-waldorf-school-sex-scandal.html</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2013/09/httpwww.html">http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2013/09/httpwww.html</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/eugene-schwartz-child-pornographer.html">http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/eugene-schwartz-child-pornographer.html</a></span><br />
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PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268549717815146574.post-448491860021243192014-09-07T07:10:00.003-07:002014-09-07T07:10:41.490-07:00Washington Waldorf School<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #38761d;">Washington Waldorf School somehow got missed in my reviews. They're in "Waldorf" MD, so that's probably why I missed them. Since this is "Where Knowledge Runs Deep", we'd better have a look. WWS appears to be a school where <b>bullying</b> runs deep. As with many Waldorf schools, we see a lot of complaints and then suddenly, only positive 5-star comments from staff and teachers - often all on the same day - in this case September 10, 2009. Clearly, Waldorf schools FALSIFY reviews to get ratings up. Here are the reviews:</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.greatschools.org/maryland/bethesda/2859-Washington-Waldorf-School/?tab=reviews">http://www.greatschools.org/maryland/bethesda/2859-Washington-Waldorf-School/?tab=reviews</a><br />
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<strong>WWS has a great approach to learning, I greatly credit</strong> it to my success in middle and high school. The main drawback of it is there is a lot of bullying, I got bullied a lot in my five years at WWS, unless you get a good teacher and a class without bullies this school can be a great experience.</div>
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<strong>WWW lacks leadership and its academic standards are obsolete. Our</strong> experience was a negative one, despite the artistic curriculum. Each teacher does as they please, there is no accountability, and if you are unlucky and get one of the "not so good teachers", your child will get the short end of the stick. There is a "cultish" approach about their particular philosophy. The school lacks the resources and staff needed to meet all the children's learning needs. Overall, I do not reccomend it.</div>
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<strong>Our experience was very much like those of other families</strong> posted on this site who experienced bullying. Whether or not you stay at WWS will depend on whether or not you and your child can take it.<br /><span class="author smallText1-333" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">—Submitted by a parent</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;">Posted March 28, 2008</span></div>
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<strong>Despite all the beauty and love of this school, it</strong> cannot handle bullying even at the kindergarten level. It is a socially tough school and unless the school turns things around, I cannot recommend it. Either you learn to be a bully and run away from one. In today's world, a child needs more guidance and some rules to follow with consequences! <span class="author smallText1-333" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">—Submitted by a parent</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;">Posted October 14, 2007</span></div>
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<strong>We were really let down by this school. At first</strong> we were intoxicated by this colorful approach to education.The art and music were truly beautiful. However the school had no idea how to handle bullying. As much as they say that they educate the whole child they really dropped the ball with our child.There was no leadership, no boundaries set and we felt our child was unsafe.In addition to that his educational needs(dyslexia) were not being met.Needless to say we left. We thought this school held the promise for greatness in education...it does not.<br /><span class="author smallText1-333" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">—Submitted by a parent</span></div>
PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268549717815146574.post-52665086351271236042014-08-30T11:46:00.001-07:002014-08-30T14:10:32.168-07:00The City School - Pure Waldorf<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUKV4cunMeMea5AOtJYYr231_goVUnO7YcCGfzha_tDi20v_pKYTMgSZGCMapZLrj6zHTWUNy-jl67un6KxglZkLpY-Cj6t3Z_Q-t1Tz8SqrIOCZOAkvq-u14SvhtD7CmbAXVYmrBjp0c/s1600/city_logo-3-14.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUKV4cunMeMea5AOtJYYr231_goVUnO7YcCGfzha_tDi20v_pKYTMgSZGCMapZLrj6zHTWUNy-jl67un6KxglZkLpY-Cj6t3Z_Q-t1Tz8SqrIOCZOAkvq-u14SvhtD7CmbAXVYmrBjp0c/s1600/city_logo-3-14.png" height="58" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have a bit of an intimate relationship with <a href="http://www.thecityschoolla.org/" target="_blank">The City School</a>. Since they have been in the news lately, it seems fitting I should post a little something here about them.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Background:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Andrew Janczak was a teacher at Highland Hall. He was, in fact, my son's teacher. After a year or so, Highland Hall decided he must go - and over the objections of all the parents but one (apparently), they insisted on disrupting the education of our children and fired Janczak.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Janczak talked the first grade teacher into leaving with him - and with the 6th grade teacher (his sister) left Highland Hall to create The City School - only a few miles away. This left a huge vacancy in Highland Hall - which they scrambled to fill with <a href="http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/2010_10_01_archive.html" target="_blank">unqualified teachers</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After The City School got underway, I was contacted to play the role of "Bishop Nicholas" at the Christmas season.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Inherent Racism:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">I was the City School's "Bishop Nicholas" for many years. For those who don't know, Bishop Nicholas goes from class to class distributing gifts to the children. He has a book with each child's name in it - and reads a little about each child. If the child was "good" the child gets a gift - a golden walnut. There's always the chance the child was "bad" and this could result in a stern reproach from Bishop Nicholas - and instead of gold, the child could receive a lump of coal. I had no use for the "bad" child nonsense and despite receiving instructions from several teacher each year about how to chastise the "bad" child - and even provided coal to give to the child, I disobeyed their twisted instructions and never chastised a child or gave them coal. In fact, I provided my own gifts for the children, usually wooden tree ornaments.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">Bishop Nicholas has an assistant named Rupert. Rupert is intended to frighten the children and represents crudeness, wildness and mischief. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20px;">For years, my "Rupert" was a dark-skinned, dark haired boy related to one of the teachers. I paid it no mind as it didn't seem important. One year, however, when he couldn't be there, they chose a dark-skinned parent to play the role of "Rupert". In a conversation a</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #38761d; display: inline; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20px;">bout this, Janczak explained that skin color was an important part of Rupert's appearance. I stopped associating with this school after that. </span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; display: inline; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Breaking Up Families:</b></span></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; display: inline; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Years later, a dad called me for help to get his children out of this school. The school took the side of the mother and refused all contact with the father - wouldn't even correspond to let him know how his kids were doing. When I intervened and called Janczak directly, he claimed that since the parents were divorced, it was too "costly" for the school to send two sets of grades out to both parents. I suggested they should send the reports to the estranged parent rather than the one who was at the school daily. They wouldn't relent until after I threatened to make them as popular as I have made Highland Hall. </span></span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; display: inline; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">From my letter to Janczak:</span></span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; display: inline; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: normal;"><i><span style="color: #38761d;">I've tried to avoid this Andrew but I cannot stand by while another man goes through what I went through. I WILL go to the mat for this man I've never met... and for his kids. My tenacity is legendary. Please, Andrew, don't allow the City School become the focus of my attention over this. Ask poor Hasib at Highland Hall what that's like - he already has his hands full with me. I'm already in contact with people in the entertainment industry about Highland Hall. You don't need any part of the publicity they're about to get... trust me on this.</span></i></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #38761d;">... I would have preferred to discuss this issue reasonably with the City School but time has run out it seems. My hopes for your school were too high apparently. When the chips are down, you behave just like Highland Hall. No room for Waldorf to improve?</span></i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><i>We go our separate ways now, yes?</i> </span></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The City School Lately...</span> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Recent video:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">First, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga4Z_g2SoFs" target="_blank">here's a parent</a> from the The City School describing Waldorf education in "layman's terms". In other words, she's telling us what she's been told.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I once supported The City School because they had given me the impression they were up-front with parents. I later learned otherwise. Obviously, they are unwilling to go on camera themselves - and have instead put a parent with no knowledge of Waldorf philosophy on display to do a Waldorf brochure "testimonial". </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Recent News:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's the<a href="http://www.losangelesregister.com/articles/parents-604110-school-children.html" target="_blank"> recent news article</a> quoting The City School's administrator Andrew Janczak:</span><br />
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; letter-spacing: 0.05000000074505806px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At The City School, a private school in Van Nuys, just two kindergartners in a class of 17 had all their required vaccines last year. </span></span></i></blockquote>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; letter-spacing: 0.05000000074505806px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The parents of the other 15 students decided not to immunize their children, because of their personal beliefs. </span></span></i></blockquote>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; letter-spacing: 0.05000000074505806px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“This is not a school policy, this is just a preference of our parents,” said Andrew Janczak, the school’s founder. “I think many of our parents believe their children benefit from a more holistic, natural approach. I think you see that by the choices they make.” </span></span></i></blockquote>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; letter-spacing: 0.05000000074505806px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The City School had the highest rate, 88 percent, of parents opting out of vaccinations in Los Angeles County in the 2013-14 school year. </span></span></i></blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>UnSpoofable:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As many of you know, I've been involved in producing a <a href="http://promisehollow.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Waldorf school parody website</a>. On it, I try to select from and write the most outrageous things within Waldorf. The City School, however, is unspoofable. They go far beyond even what I could ever hope to think up. For example, I have tried to spoof how unqualified Waldorf teachers are. I focus on the lack of actual teaching credentials. Yet, on The City School's Faculty pages, the teachers have even FEWER credentials than the ones I have spoofed. Here's an example: </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.5px;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She has received Waldorf teacher training through WISC workshops and lectures and has been mentored by master teachers both at Highland Hall and the City School. She has been our Music Teacher at The City School for many years, and this year we are thrilled that she has chosen to take a class through the Grades! She is currently teaching Grade 1 and 2 in addition to leading the chorus. She has two sons, both Waldorf students.</span></i></span></blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Laura Watkins - Enrollment Director<br />and Outreach... arrrr...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've added a few goofy pictures on my teacher profiles, but seriously? </span><br />
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PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268549717815146574.post-60924286136712934382014-08-26T16:01:00.000-07:002014-08-26T16:05:58.094-07:00Waldorf School Bullying - old and new in recent testimony from Mumsnet<div class="tr_bq">
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thank you to the <a href="http://stopsteinerinstroud.com/2014/08/26/mumsnet-again/" target="_blank">Stop Steiner in Stroud</a> blog for bringing the updates to this older thread to my attention. I'll count this as two new reviews.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">From Mumsnet<a href="http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education/a554507-steiner-school-scotland#" target="_blank"> http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education/a554507-steiner-school-scotland#</a></span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education/a554507-steiner-school-scotland#" target="_blank"> </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="nickname" style="color: #336699; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="nick" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">AJMG</span> </span><span class="post_time" style="font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 5px;">Fri 07-Jun-13 18:57:53</span>dear all - have not been on this website for some time but now find ourselves in the midst of a Steiner bullying situation in Scotland. See there has been a thread before and wondered if any of those involved are still here?</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="nickname" style="color: #336699; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="nick" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">kaumana</span> </span><span class="post_time" style="font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 5px;">Sun 09-Jun-13 12:00:38</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Have a look at the Local Edinburgh thread and you'll see that it is still a problem.<br /><span class="nickname" style="color: #336699; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="nick" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="nickname" style="color: #336699; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="nick" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">JaneGI</span> </span><span class="post_time" style="font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 5px;">Tue 06-May-14 19:25:40</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hope you don`t mind me writing on here but i have been thinking of this for that last few days. I was a child at a Steiner School in the 1970`s, bullying there was rife by Staff and Pupils alike, no one ever listened, no one ever stopped it, don`t know if i can go into it all because it is quite painful, but there was a girl in my class who was slightly different to everyone else because she had a medical condition that meant she was over weight. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One particular PE lesson, i don`t exactly know what happened because i wasn`t there that day, some other girls in the class went into the changing rooms, stripped her and put stinging nettles on her buttocks, nothing was done about it because the idea was it was her own fault. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was a boarder there for some time and on regular occasions i had a boy come into my room at night who told me i would be dead in the morning. I also witnessed a teacher hit a child on the back of the neck so hard the child vomited. And witnessed another teacher drag a small girl by her hair along a path very hard because she didn`t want to go outside. I know this is an old thread but i just needed to tell some one. Thanks for reading.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="nickname" style="color: #336699; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="nick" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Willow22</span> </span><span class="post_time" style="font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 5px;">Sun 24-Aug-14 11:45:06</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've not read this thread before but just came across it. I noticed it was old and wasn't going to comment until I saw your message JaneGI. I'm so sorry to hear how bad it was for you and your fellow pupils in the 70s.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I hate to admit it now but we sent all three of our children to a Steiner school and we so regret the decision. My daughter was bullied both by the children and one of the teachers. My husband once arrived to collect her and found her soaking wet and covered in mud after being tipped into the local stream from a wheelbarrow. When he spoke to a teacher he was told she asked for it. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We don't know how it happened but even if she had volunteered to ride the wheelbarrow why didn't they clean her up and comfort her? She was bullied incessantly as were other children in her class and nothing was ever done. when she eventually became afraid to attend school we were asked to remove her because she was disrupting the class by not taking part in lessons!</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My two boys did not experience this sort of thing but the level of education was really bad. The eldest left with two GCSEs, a C in Maths and a F in English and found college impossible to cope with yet he has an IQ in the gifted range. My younger son was asked to leave when we got into arreas with the fees after a lot of family problems incuding still having to cope with our daughter's ongoing mental health problems partly caused by her experiences at the school.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">This is the school that is now a state funded academy and has received an £8,000,000 grant after the local education authority refused to help our children with their dyslexia due to a shortage of funding!</span> </span></blockquote>
PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268549717815146574.post-51657429272810734312014-08-22T07:33:00.000-07:002014-08-22T07:36:45.124-07:00"Unreliable Statements" by Estranged Wife - Schwartz Practically Exonerated<a href="http://www.lohud.com/story/news/education/2014/08/21/waldorf-teacher-sues-child-porn-report/14396333/">http://www.lohud.com/story/news/education/2014/08/21/waldorf-teacher-sues-child-porn-report/14396333/</a><br />
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<span class="character dateline" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">CHESTNUT RIDGE – </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">A former teacher that the private Green Meadow Waldorf School quietly cut ties with in 2005 after a trove of child pornography was allegedly found in his home is suing his former employer for defamation.</span><br />
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Eugene Schwartz, 69, claims in a lawsuit that <a href="http://www.lohud.com/story/news/2014/07/11/green-meadow-probe-details-sex-abuse-history/12539465/" style="color: #1990e5; text-decoration: none;">a recent investigation</a> by the school that outed him as a "sex addict" is libel based on<b> "unreliable statements" made at the time by his estranged wife</b>.</div>
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Schwartz worked at the Green Meadow school from 1981 until 2005, when the child pornography allegedly surfaced along with a stockpile of other photos of his featuring students in swimwear, according to the school's investigators. At least one "inappropriate" photo of a young female student was also found, investigators said.</div>
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He has not been charged with any criminal wrongdoing.</div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1278732/eugene-schwartz-defamation-lawsuit.pdf" target="_blank">The text of the lawsuit</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">According to the suit, Schwartz was "never, at any time, in possession of child pornography" but, <b>as a result of accusations made by his estranged wife in 2005</b>, his employment at the school was terminated.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><b>Background:</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Last month, Green Meadow released a summary report of the investigation that revealed past sexual misconduct and abuse at the school that was most pervasive in the 1970s and '80s but which school leaders failed to address for years afterward. The summary report identified three former teachers, including Schwartz, as perpetrators of varying degrees of misconduct.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/eugene-schwartz-child-pornographer.html">http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/eugene-schwartz-child-pornographer.html</a></span></span></div>
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Green Meadow Strikes Back:</b></div>
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Eric Silber, co-administrator at the Green Meadow school, said the school stands by the findings and the manner in which they were distributed to more than 160 Waldorf schools in North America.</div>
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"We looked at everything that went out (in the summary report), all the implications of that and, at the end of the day, we felt that we were going to take the steps to get the information out," Silber told The Journal News earlier this month</div>
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Silber said an ex-spouse of Schwartz's was not a witness in the investigation.</div>
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<b>He declined to describe the materials reportedly found on a computer in Schwartz's residence and would not say whether the school or its investigators possess evidence of those materials now.</b></div>
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In a statement Thursday, Silber said that Threefold and Green Meadow "deny they are liable" to Schwartz for any of the claims in his complaint.</div>
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"We intend to vigorously <b>defend against Mr. Schwartz's unfounded claims</b>, as we maintain our focus on fulfilling the mission of our school," Silber said. "We have confidence in the judicial system and trust that the claim will be resolved in the school's favor."</div>
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PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268549717815146574.post-41483405939122626312014-08-17T10:56:00.000-07:002014-08-18T10:28:18.275-07:00Sexual Abuse in Steiner Schools<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqZ63LqZ7Om0WEOe0RL2XaVA9JBMnITD0JzvqSxEF6iGeYUtnNaguUQ5gYHRaRTJJsnFDASxlzzVdme6tjb1duQyUIaxC52nt2-tWwW17d9_EB1fTXy93uJS4uLopzcevog93O0XPCVKM/s1600/AbuseVictim_lg.250w.tn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqZ63LqZ7Om0WEOe0RL2XaVA9JBMnITD0JzvqSxEF6iGeYUtnNaguUQ5gYHRaRTJJsnFDASxlzzVdme6tjb1duQyUIaxC52nt2-tWwW17d9_EB1fTXy93uJS4uLopzcevog93O0XPCVKM/s1600/AbuseVictim_lg.250w.tn.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.antroposofia.be/steinerschool/wordpress/seksueel-misbruik/" style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.antroposofia.be/steinerschool/wordpress/seksueel-misbruik/</a><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is a Google translation of an article from 2010. The translation is a little troublesome, but the meaning comes through.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Sexual abuse</span></b><br />by Ramon De Jonghe • 11/05/2010<br />Germany is a case of child abuse again come to light. <b>In anthroposophic home for disabled people, the group leader himself, according to the testimony of his own son, molested some children.</b>Victims are not the mentally handicapped children, but<b> the children of employees who live in the home with their families</b>. It was also the son that his father pointed to the youth.Lübeck Nachrichten published the news the day before yesterday, May 9th.'Child-abuse in the home for the disabled Lübeck / Köthel - Serious abuse allegation against a group leader at an anthroposophic handicap facilities in Köthel (District of Lauenburg): <b>The 44-year-old man is under strong suspicion of having sexually assaulting over the years of children. His own, underage son, friend of the alleged victim, turned desperately to the youth welfare office.</b> ' <a href="http://www.ln-online.de/artikel/2783323">volledig article.</a></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">About the victims, the newspaper writes: Affected are a now 15 and a 18-year-old youth. The younger one is friends with the son of the suspects. He had told him about the abuse and so set the ball rolling.What is special is that even in the case of the 18-year-old from abuse is spoken. About that arose on this site in recent weeks still under discussion. <b>Commenting on the post work-shy scum supporters of Steiner showed among other know that can not be spoken. Of child abuse at 18-year-olds While, however, according to Waldorf education until adulthood there is 21 years.</b> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now I have always had the strong impression that will not be lifted relationships between teachers and pupils. So heavily within the Waldorf school movement See this response from Lieven Debrouwere. <a href="http://antroposofie.wordpress.com/2010/04/15/werkschuw-tuig/#comment-2870">22/04/2010 15:06</a> <b>And then a teacher who enters into a relationship with a student. Child abuse?</b> That depends. As you know, Steiner schools are not eager to send children. Asap to the first year Which has the result that there may be students sitting in the last few years that already 18 years old. <b>You can hardly speak of child abuse if such a student enters into a relationship with a teacher. Is it ethically justified? Probably not. But what do you do when you are head over heels in love? What do you do when school when that happens (and as is well known: such a thing happens only at Waldorf schools)? Teacher immediately dismiss? </b>To the police as some parents demand? All of them are not easy. I mean: Each case must be considered separately.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">He even joined by another steiner adept. <a href="http://antroposofie.wordpress.com/2010/04/15/werkschuw-tuig/#comment-2895">Disciple, 06/05/2010 19:24</a> You're quite easy to confuse the user. People over 18 years are not children, and you can not therefore speak of child abuse, period. speak of everything that you want, but not from child abuse.On April 21 Lieven Debrouwere had indeed <a href="http://antroposofie.wordpress.com/2010/04/15/werkschuw-tuig/#comment-2854">yet also said this</a> : Also the "misuse and abuse" of children in Steiner schools is inflated grotesquely. <b>I have in the 30 years that I have two very close steiner schools have experienced, heard of exactly one case of what you 'sexual abuse' might call. So that's one case that he himself knows.</b> Someone else has yet another case. Tell former students about their experiences. Teachers are put for a while inactive. And so that is piling up. If you add all that and on that message, are you exaggerating? Strange. </span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">From the comments: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">steiner school haarlem </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">22/05/2010<br /> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">at disciple:<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>I am a former student of Rudolf Steiner school haarlem, I've counted four incidents experienced in my time at this school</b> ... <b>one teacher later married the pupil</b>, <b>and the other three teachers have left the school.</b></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d;">Where did they go, I wonder? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I've been with a girl in the class who is <b>deflowered by a horticulture teacher</b> .. which it persisted at the time said doubted whether they really wanted it .. it lijtk me more than clear that not all the teacher pupil ratio such as to be heard. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">01/06/2010<br /> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Students steinerschool celebrate 18th anniversary class.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><img height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh_vkRdqwqeU-9K1Rymxiq3sHLE08eCl39GamhoPA94X5eceEg4tkLpJE2ZXjYE254m5TjSxrXpHcgzGlfKg8IqZM4xQfFoVhOmmxdJlRsvLt6JnKEYnwcfCcoZg4nTG46a_b0iKwpsqvU2EJCszmkhJxKDVbF4lJIRABentOM=" width="320" /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the background are a lot of minors to see. And a parent. <b>I have some parents of students facing the school concerned with this picture, and they responded by saying that the lady in question just dancing.</b> (Well, stripping is dancing, but not just <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEg31VirluJL0RtrGSHkm2P-R1b6hDVOP4l-YTSczkJfG-y6S4-ZbW7x-acF8JayNZkrJ29npgslr9IdR_RhvuvhVyTR3OkRJpTKPqIRuqrVZ1RAADSfWiPjPWyfnT-eEQStruHwojS2qsa1uS-CGnYB5_sAstyMHRGcgtuESrQIANYAczCAlDF1518zimTKM1jlIjaNi0AAFI0W3Bk=" /> )</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My youngest son (. 11y) was once on this site reading and immediately said, "Is that woman stripping in the school where we have been?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Yes, boy. But people call it as it is not stripping, but dance. "</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">To which he "Ho dude, who are no good."<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have the impression that it is something with which relationships between teachers and pupils. That the outside world sees it differently than the inner world. </span></blockquote>
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Ramon DJV<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">28/09/2010<br /> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Anthroposophists indicate sexual abuse increasing.<br /> </span><a href="http://antroposofieindepers.blogspot.com/2010/09/weten-of-non-weten.html" style="font-family: inherit;">http://antroposofieindepers.blogspot.com/2010/09/weten-of-non-weten.html</a> </blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Translate and read the link above for admissions of sex abuse by the Christian Community Church. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Anonymous </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 22/11/2011<br /> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>I know this story of free school haarlem and can confirm this message (first hand)</b>. Also, I have very bad experiences with the free school haarlem. It is a sectarian school which are swept., Just like in a sect such cases under the carpet There is for example in their statutes that they are based on the individual child, nothing is less true if you as a child is not within their ideal is you become seen as an apostate and handled accordingly.<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I encourage all parents to never put their child in this school especially on the so-called. superstructure.</span></blockquote>
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Ramon DJV<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">23/11/2011<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dag Anonymus,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks for your comment. You perhaps know whether at the time was registered against the relevant teachers? Because I have received a few reports regarding some Waldorf school teachers which is known they establish relationships with students via private mail and that the police was passed. Perhaps these are the same teachers as those who you have known? You can let me know by Steiner schools (at) gmail.com</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">That "based on the individual" in the statute is obviously a paper measure.Something always pulls x number of parents who think it is really so. You have well noted that the real issue whether a child meets the anthroposophical development into it. Does that little or not you get the most bizarre situations (some children are not even considered human or devils).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Groet,</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ramon</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Harassment</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">23/11/2011<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Beste ramon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As far as I know, there is no declaration made the girl in question now has a normal life (such as it is) and want the whole story does not go rake. To protect this girl, I will not publish the name of this teacher.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'll call all (future) parents to never free school haarlem to put their child.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hell is other people </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">02/02/2012</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Three relationships between underage students and teachers, I can attest as a former student of the Rudolf Steiner School in Haarlem, </b>(a fourth is not known to me). This played around the 90's affected girls <b>16-18 years old, and teachers who were (in my memory) around 30.</b> <b>In one case, it resulted in a pregnancy.</b><br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">To what extent there was involuntary, I can not judge. That is up to the individuals themselves. However, I believe that such relationships, even with mutual consent, a safe and pleasant school environment in the way and unhealthy for the development of adolescents. <b>And three cases in a period of about five years is a relatively high frequency, especially on a relatively small school.</b><br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Were I to undesirable behavior, then a victim, I do not think I had reported it. The culture within the school I experienced so that students and parents who are critically drafted, could count on. Exclusion</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>I think that a nuance is in place here.</b> Cross-border manners are not just reserved for free schools. Also, we are now 20 years on and I hope the school who has long seized to implement better policies. Chance A culture and school climate can change so much in so many years.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I will not put my children in a free school because I have taken away from anthroposophy as food and education vision. following my own experiences On that basis, I would advise against parents. But I would not dare to say that the situation at the time was similar to the current conditions at this school or representative of private schools in general. Because I do not know.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">anonymous</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">04/02/2012</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When it comes to numbers of abused children anthroposophic Zonnehuizen also occupies a prominent place. Some abuse cases have reached the court here. </span><a href="http://www.rhcvechtenvenen.nl/phocadownload/userupload/kranten/Utrechts-Nieuwsblad_1996/Utrechts-Nieuwsblad_19960402-web.pdf" style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.rhcvechtenvenen.nl/Utrechts-Nieuwsblad_1996</a><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A multitude of abused children in the same case did not. Chance</span><a href="http://www.rhcvechtenvenen.nl/phocadownload/userupload/kranten/Utrechts-Nieuwsblad_1998/Utrechts-Nieuwsblad_19980219-web.pdf" style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.rhcvechtenvenen.nl/Utrechts-Nieuwsblad_1998</a><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The abused children were part of a special vulnerable group, often placed out of home. The majority of abused children did not have access to a safe and secure home</b>, where they could. Supervised from a justice and fair care Making this vulnerable group of children could be an easy prey, and the probability of detection for offenders and other knowers nil.</span><a href="http://www.rtvutrecht.nl/nieuws/231481" style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.rtvutrecht.nl/nieuws/231481</a></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That the government her hands full of Zonnehuizen deducted, has besides the financial ones that prevent reason. It seems that they have taken into consideration here. "Separate abuse culture 'within anthroposophic institutions</span></blockquote>
Related links:<br />
<a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-indoctrination-of-students-to.html">http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-indoctrination-of-students-to.html</a><br />
<a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/green-meadow-waldorf-school-sex.html">http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/green-meadow-waldorf-school-sex.html</a><br />
<a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/08/waldorf-schools-how-well-do-you-know.html">http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/08/waldorf-schools-how-well-do-you-know.html</a><br />
<a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/green-meadow-waldorf-school-sex-scandal.html">http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/green-meadow-waldorf-school-sex-scandal.html</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvT2vfVP-8L0wL60IppG7SlRw5hjo7sX9b0bsetbyDyjEtXdyQqPqUILjcgAmLsFPh1rGj4LKHYc9gl27f9PlLq2mnIe-yo70MqeTpHbr9aAxy1rjfeIH0H3oqAFC3phEBB2OhK_CJE7K8/s1600/westside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvT2vfVP-8L0wL60IppG7SlRw5hjo7sX9b0bsetbyDyjEtXdyQqPqUILjcgAmLsFPh1rGj4LKHYc9gl27f9PlLq2mnIe-yo70MqeTpHbr9aAxy1rjfeIH0H3oqAFC3phEBB2OhK_CJE7K8/s1600/westside.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">Recently, the Westside Waldorf school was quoted in a <a href="http://www.lohud.com/story/news/education/2014/08/09/teacher-linked-child-porn-became-waldorf-rock-star/13849859/" target="_blank">newspaper article</a> about <a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/08/eugene-schwartz-child-pornographer-who.html" target="_blank">Eugene Schwartz</a>. The article said:</span></div>
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"<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">The Westside School permanently barred Schwartz from its campus on the outskirts of Los Angeles after learning of Green Meadow's "disturbing"<a href="http://www.gmws.org/uploaded/What%27s_Happening_Now/Green_Meadow_Community_Letter_-_July_2014.pdf" target="_blank"> </a></span><span style="color: #1990e5; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><a href="http://www.gmws.org/uploaded/What%27s_Happening_Now/Green_Meadow_Community_Letter_-_July_2014.pdf" target="_blank">report</a></span></span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><i>.</i>"</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white;">
<i style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">The Westside school is one of many Waldorf institutions Schwartz frequented as a guest lecturer and education consultant in the years since his departure from Green Meadow.</i></blockquote>
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<i style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">"We are deeply troubled and saddened by these revelations," the Westside school's governing council said in a July 21 email to parents. <b>"We have redoubled our efforts and heightened our vigilance more than ever to provide the safest environment possible for our students."</b></i></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">Really? I warned about Westside here: <a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/06/westside-waldorf-school.html" target="_blank">Westside Waldorf School Reviews</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">I know a few of these people since they were at the school my kids attended. I even breakfasted with one of them frequently. Here's how I described them:</span></div>
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Listed from Highland Hall are:<br />
1) Lisa Profumo (Scemema)... who hid the Wilkins molestation incidents from the entire school, ignored mandated reporting laws and put the school in severe legal jeopardy. She's lying whenever her lips move.<br />
2) Liis Edwards... Check out letters from Highland Hall on this blog for her signature. She was involved in MANY cover-ups at Highland Hall.<br />
3) Alex Houghton... a former friend and former Waldorf teacher - he once pretended outrage at what was going on at Highland Hall and promised to reform Waldorf through WISC... he's now silent as WISC continues to employ the very WORST teachers Waldorf has to offer. He is influencing Waldorf boards across the country... sadly.</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4Jhyphenhyphen-1sU0kQ58aoZsODENpi41egnLPXm8byr1VU8e2Pw46dxkZCJYmQJzCExKsAQ1n1NP1XdLs4vjkUx3kyiqzxElbIc_tYY1gexxWCSN7IX45gH5Y5JWeTqW3YbJiitL6sZpfjwwuM_/s1600/Profumo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4Jhyphenhyphen-1sU0kQ58aoZsODENpi41egnLPXm8byr1VU8e2Pw46dxkZCJYmQJzCExKsAQ1n1NP1XdLs4vjkUx3kyiqzxElbIc_tYY1gexxWCSN7IX45gH5Y5JWeTqW3YbJiitL6sZpfjwwuM_/s1600/Profumo.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #38761d;">The person I find most disturbing on the list above with regard to child safety specifically is Lisa Profumo (formerly Lisa Scemema). She was my son's teacher from first through twelfth grade. I know her well. She was directly responsible for allowing and later covering up a known <a href="http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/2010/02/letters-from-highland-hall-wilkins.html" target="_blank">pedophile at Highland Hall</a>. She hid information from parents and teachers alike. She lied to parents about supposed "signed" contracts and when the<a href="http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/2010/10/letter-from-angry-parent-1.html" target="_blank"> inevitable happened</a>, she and everyone else at Highland Hall, despite being <a href="http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/2010/03/highland-hall-breaking-mandated.html" target="_blank">mandated reporters</a>, FAILED TO ACT. I'm sure the teachers at Westside are shocked to hear about the proclivities of this long-time child pornographer (who also frequented Highland Hall). There's absolutely no chance they knew about him and kept silent (as Lisa did about a pedophile known to her)... Absolutely NONE, right?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">So yeah... "redoubling" their efforts to maintain the safest WALDORF environment possible isn't really saying much is it? This is Waldorf admitting they have put children in harms way in the past - and are keeping the same untrustworthy people on staff... but hey, you can trust them with your kids NOW.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">http://www.yelp.com/biz/westside-waldorf-school-pacific-palisades</span><br />
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<li class="user-location" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Los Angeles, CA</b></li>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.9999408721924px;">Alessandra "Lisa" Profumo is abusive. She neglects the needs of her students. She is greedy and is a petty thief who steals childhood; time we cannot get back. Avoid her and this school at all costs. Pathetic facade . . . brush off the fairy dust. She left my son and his classroom alone with the gnomes watching who reported the children were bad. The stuff that our child endured that is coming out now that he is safe is worthy of a lawsuit. This woman is a sick human being. We are just grateful to be free.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.9999408721924px;">Wish I could give them ZERO STARS !!! I had an ABSOLUTELY AWFUL experience !! This used to be a super sweet school with lots of nice people, but when I returned after attending a different school for four years, this place has turned into a nightmare, and the root cause of this nightmare IS one of the leaders of the school LISA PROFUMO ! Lisa mentored all of the abusive, horrible teachers I had and I believe she should NOT be allowed to be around children. WHY SHE WAS MADE HEAD OF THE SCHOOL I DO NOT KNOW !!! My problems started at Westside after I was there Five years and they made the wrong choice in first grade teachers. I was in a class where the teacher would walk kids up to the front and hit them (not me). The school didn't believe us so we left, but about six months later they eventually fired him. then went to another Waldorf school in the area, where the teacher had anger management issues and would throw a coffee cup full of hot liquid. I was scared constantly and ended up having severe anxiety. My parents then decided to give WSW another try so i went back for seventh grade. My teacher was totally incapable of teaching middle school, and when she felt that you were starting to figure that out she would humiliate you saying you knew too much, or try to give you a lecture on how drops of water are not the same as water drops. I use to try to help other children in my class with organizing their desks, homework... and my teacher would often ask me why I was wasting my time on them, or she would tell me they would never be able to get it. She also humiliated me in front of my class, often calling me the worst drawer in the class. The math program needs a lot of work too !! One time I was wearing clear nailpolish, and they made me take it off in front of the head of school, while she gave me a lecture on how it is harming the imaginations of the younger children. SEND YOUR CHILD TO A SCHOOL WHERE THEY WILL GET A SOLID EDUCATION WITHOUT THE ABUSE.</span>PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268549717815146574.post-33065131546733072412014-08-13T18:54:00.003-07:002014-08-13T20:01:15.151-07:00Waldorf Schools - How well do you know your child's teacher?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gPyCPZpZb_vtNGoVUWdlEa6h8bn4fVZ_08WcJc5zx7hog3KO1pe4Id8dTwtAxp9d0UX4G-4-0FF8ZcXYjlymCA-oVPTgyWcB-CJMHIyFvt0YC3e9el7HajUiHoMdweyS_kq6mU1Bext4/s1600/1029657_com_helpinghan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gPyCPZpZb_vtNGoVUWdlEa6h8bn4fVZ_08WcJc5zx7hog3KO1pe4Id8dTwtAxp9d0UX4G-4-0FF8ZcXYjlymCA-oVPTgyWcB-CJMHIyFvt0YC3e9el7HajUiHoMdweyS_kq6mU1Bext4/s1600/1029657_com_helpinghan.jpg" height="288" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">"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." Gregoire Perra former Waldorf student and Waldorf teacher.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"> </span><a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-indoctrination-of-students-to.html" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small;" target="_blank">The Indoctrination of Students to Anthroposophy in the Steiner-Waldorf Schools</a><br />
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<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-weight: normal; margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; position: relative;">
<span style="line-height: 16.899999618530273px;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Yes, your child's teacher will be very close to your child... per Steiner's instructions. They may be with your child for eight years - even more. Waldorf teachers are intentionally supposed to get as close to the child as they can - and are to be seen as "authority" figures by the child. </span></span></h3>
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<span style="line-height: 16.899999618530273px;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">That's not always a good thing.</span></span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perra continues later:</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> "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."</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="line-height: 16.899999618530273px;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> - as we have seen with the recent disclosures of child abuse at <a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/green-meadow-waldorf-school-sex.html" target="_blank">Green Meadow Waldorf School</a>.</span></span></h3>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the central conclusions from the independent investigation is that Green Meadow failed to adequately protect its students, faculty, staff, and community members from Mr. Alexandra. Allowing Mr. Alexandra to freely roam Threefold property resulted in giving him essentially unrestricted access to students and faculty members, and thereby enabled him to continue to victimize others. A number of the adults at Green Meadow and Threefold were in a position to have stopped Mr. Alexandra’s inappropriate and sometimes criminal behavior. However they did not do so, either because they were unaware of the breadth of his misconduct, or because they failed to understand the seriousness of what they had been told or had seen. </span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Mr. Alexandra was a prominent member of the community and in a position of authority. Therefore his child victims were even less likely to come forward. In addition, T&M found that there was a feeling among some victims that adults at Green Meadow were complicit in what Mr. Alexandra was doing, since they observed his inappropriate behavior yet encouraged students to maintain a relationship with him. </i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Doesn't this sound a lot like Gregoire Perra's description of teacher-student relationships going too far? </span></blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Your child will have their teacher for many years. </span></b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; position: relative;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">But there's another problem that makes this even more serious than the occasional bad teacher, child abuser or pedophile ending up at a Waldorf school. Steiner instructed teachers to keep quiet about what happens in the school - even from parents. <i>Faculty Meetings</i> is required reading for Waldorf teacher trainees. It only takes Steiner to page 10 to get to how teachers should "not speak to people outside the school".</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;"><i>“However, there is something else that I would ask you to be aware of. That is, that we, as the faculty—what others do with the children is a separate thing—<b>do not attempt to bring out into the public things that really concern only our school</b>. I have been back only a few hours, and I have heard so much gossip about who got a slap and so forth. All of that gossip is going beyond all bounds, and I really found it very disturbing. We do not really need to concern ourselves when things seep out the cracks. We certainly have thick enough skins for that. But on the other hand, we clearly do not need to help it along. <b>We should be quiet about how we handle things in the school, that is, we should maintain a kind of school confidentiality. We should not speak to people outside the school, except for the parents who come to us with questions, and in that case, only about their children</b>, so that gossip has no opportunity to arise.”</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From the Green Meadow Report:</span><br />
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<i style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="word-spacing: normal;">"</span><span id="yui_3_15_0_1_1405204394814_1460" style="word-spacing: normal;">The findings, revealed in a damning report by a private investigative firm hired by Green Meadow, also accuse two other teachers of sex crimes — one of possessing child porn and another of assaulting a girl on a school-sponsored trip. <b> </b></span><span id="yui_3_15_0_1_1405204394814_1458" style="word-spacing: normal;"><b>It says the school FAILED TO ACT when complaints of teachers' alleged criminal behavior surfaced.</b></span></span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;"><span id="yui_3_15_0_1_1405204394814_1485" style="word-spacing: normal;"><i>In the case of John Alexandra, the alleged serial offender, the school's lack of response enabled his predatory behavior, the report finds.</i></span></span></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">'Allowing Mr. Alexandra to freely roam Threefold property resulted in giving him essentially unrestricted access to students and faculty members, and thereby enabled him to continue to victimize others,' investigators said."</span></i></blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Waldorf schools are run by a very secretive society. If you're involved in one... ask LOTS of questions - and insist on getting good, meaningful answers. Waldorf schools are predisposed to hide information from parents... to keep things "confidential" - even to the point of preventing parents from talking with each other. If your child's teacher is doing something inappropriate, there is no guarantee anyone will speak up, and a very good possibility nobody will speak up. In Waldorf environments, they are trained to sweep this sort of thing under the rug.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So... how well do <b>you</b> know <b>your</b> child's teacher?</span> </span>PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268549717815146574.post-56786950004070449642014-08-09T23:07:00.001-07:002014-08-11T07:34:12.173-07:00Eugene Schwartz - the Child Pornographer who became a Waldorf Rock Star<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7VAXF20wAiqmvf2StSWp5wmgfScA6Qc0yC6lusqVd7zUtMFtZpXyfG7pJrVGyvTfctMnQg5E5nFybXZf4oYpUsBSqHlkxM0Og8Sd56WTXPDOUZ-hwu_xo2X8-aUs4OzuKQeD8E-yfOUV/s1600/schwartz_tears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7VAXF20wAiqmvf2StSWp5wmgfScA6Qc0yC6lusqVd7zUtMFtZpXyfG7pJrVGyvTfctMnQg5E5nFybXZf4oYpUsBSqHlkxM0Og8Sd56WTXPDOUZ-hwu_xo2X8-aUs4OzuKQeD8E-yfOUV/s1600/schwartz_tears.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am quoted in this story. I added a few of my own comments at the end:</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.lohud.com/story/news/education/2014/08/09/teacher-linked-child-porn-became-waldorf-rock-star/13849859/">http://www.lohud.com/story/news/education/2014/08/09/teacher-linked-child-porn-became-waldorf-rock-star/13849859/</a><br />
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Eugene Schwartz, now 69, has lectured widely and earned a reputation as a distinguished pedagogical leader since he left the Green Meadow Waldorf School in Chestnut Ridge in 2005,<b> when the child pornography reportedly surfaced.</b></div>
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But<b> Green Meadow officials did not investigate or share information at the time</b> about Schwartz, whose career prospered after his 24-year teaching tenure ended in his abrupt departure from the school after that year's graduation ceremony.</div>
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...</div>
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The news sent shock waves to the West Coast, where the Westside Waldorf School in southern California severed its ties with Schwartz.</div>
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Other schools are expected to follow suit, said a spokeswoman at the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America, which is charged with accrediting dozens of Waldorf schools in the U.S.</div>
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"I suspect, based on my conversations, that many others will take the same strong stance," said Beverly Amico, AWSNA's leader of outreach and development.</div>
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The Westside School permanently barred Schwartz from its campus on the outskirts of Los Angeles after learning of Green Meadow's "disturbing" <a href="http://www.gmws.org/uploaded/What%27s_Happening_Now/Green_Meadow_Community_Letter_-_July_2014.pdf" style="color: #1990e5; text-decoration: none;">report</a>. </div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.66666603088379px;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's an interesting thing that slipped by me when I first read the report:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;">"Green Meadow assigned another teacher to teach with Mr. Schwartz in his class for that </span><span style="color: #38761d;">last week of school and to accompany him for all graduation activities. It then severed its </span><span id="yui_3_15_0_1_1407689194792_930" style="color: #38761d; font-weight: bold;">professional relationship</span><span style="color: #38761d;"> with him after the term ended." </span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That doesn't mean he wasn't on campus.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Based on the results of T&M’s investigation,</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> (LAST MONTH) </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mr. Schwartz has now</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> (NOW?) </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">been permanently barred <span id="yui_3_15_0_1_1407689194792_924" style="line-height: 1.25; word-spacing: normal;">from Green Meadow and Threefold property."</span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_15_0_1_1407689194792_923" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_15_0_1_1407689194792_921" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So... he was still allowed to visit GREEN MEADOW - AFTER they knew about him!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The School at the time sought, and followed, the advice of its <span style="font-weight: bold;">THEN</span><span id="yui_3_15_0_1_1407689194792_915" style="line-height: 1.25; word-spacing: normal;"> legal counsel as to how and<span style="font-weight: bold;"> to whom</span> to communicate what they learned about Mr. </span><span id="yui_3_15_0_1_1407689194792_936" style="line-height: 1.25; word-spacing: normal;">Schwartz <span id="yui_3_15_0_1_1407689194792_935" style="font-weight: bold;">and why he was no longer working at Green Meadow."</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_15_0_1_1407689194792_938" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In other words, the (now fired) attorney told them what story to give out and to whom? Seriously? Give me a break!!!</span></div>
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The Westside school is one of many Waldorf institutions Schwartz frequented as a guest lecturer and education consultant in the years since his departure from Green Meadow. <a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/06/westside-waldorf-school.html">http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/06/westside-waldorf-school.html</a></div>
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...</div>
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After the child pornography discovery in 2005, Schwartz allegedly told several adults at Green Meadow and within the larger Threefold education community at Chestnut Ridge, where he lived, that he "was attracted to young girls," according to investigators.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvtPnmO_yyVpKk3PBMvvbhyphenhyphenlbUfNESvuD-cFZaA5qUPqZ7YWRfZavoiwASNvxsgXE3CEy0Pnw7if0spk7kd7KhH7BijXax79EYHuLsDrTyuTrgyd2Vq0Rp0rr4Z5E-USaE6BGnS9ScR6Q/s1600/1407638053000-TJN-0810-WALDORF-Eugene-Schwatz-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvtPnmO_yyVpKk3PBMvvbhyphenhyphenlbUfNESvuD-cFZaA5qUPqZ7YWRfZavoiwASNvxsgXE3CEy0Pnw7if0spk7kd7KhH7BijXax79EYHuLsDrTyuTrgyd2Vq0Rp0rr4Z5E-USaE6BGnS9ScR6Q/s1600/1407638053000-TJN-0810-WALDORF-Eugene-Schwatz-2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Schwartz with a 4th grade class at Green Meadow in 2001 - photo Kathy Gardner </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The investigation determined Schwartz had also taken many photographs of students, including students in swimwear, as well as at least one "provocative" photograph of a young female student in a bathing suit. The report's summary does not provide any detail about the nature of what it describes as pornography.</div>
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...</div>
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In Schwartz's case, the investigators indicated, the school took the advice of its lawyer and did not report the pornography findings to police.</div>
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Nor did the school conduct a "prompt and thorough investigation to determine if he had acted inappropriately with any Green Meadow students or other children in the area," investigators reported.</div>
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<b>Possession of child pornography is a felony. While employees of nonpublic schools are considered mandated reporters of suspected child abuse inflicted by parents and other guardians, the law, with few exceptions, doesn't obligate nonpublic school staff to report alleged abuse by other school staff.</b></div>
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<b>...</b></div>
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In the nine years since Green Meadow quietly severed ties with Schwartz, he has traveled the world lecturing on Waldorf education, published articles and books, produced podcasts and videos and offered online workshops, according to his website, <a href="http://www.millennialchild.com/" style="color: #1990e5; text-decoration: none;">Millennial Child</a>. He's worked as a consultant at schools throughout the United States — especially in California and in the Northeast — and visited classrooms to speak with students, teachers and parents.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2yMmwaM-QG1MKDsYp5h_zG1KYHtx3oECLkt9Efu8n2Xdeb_jVRARXpWKYZ64zXGKgxAgAVv72CR61ogNxnH6nLgMPN1_HIgby3KpcY21M6GYyNHBhWe80DzMfh6b6QmIjItfSK0tUvUKo/s1600/schwartz_radio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2yMmwaM-QG1MKDsYp5h_zG1KYHtx3oECLkt9Efu8n2Xdeb_jVRARXpWKYZ64zXGKgxAgAVv72CR61ogNxnH6nLgMPN1_HIgby3KpcY21M6GYyNHBhWe80DzMfh6b6QmIjItfSK0tUvUKo/s1600/schwartz_radio.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Schwartz on the Radio</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
..."All through the years that I've known Eugene Schwartz I've had the highest regard for him," Bedingfield said. "He had a reputation as an outstanding teacher."</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVBXGpSX4fIin4qDQKMGA8TRojZbwdizwVzL0Sum9zRMUQNcrPms8bU-qGcaO1yOtaBrMOHp2fYpdGu1zJNvpwLy3t0-eNzAn4K6OxSvCzAxGv8QOS8REL_FUd1R3uEzyebQV1j28P3JQ/s1600/schwartz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVBXGpSX4fIin4qDQKMGA8TRojZbwdizwVzL0Sum9zRMUQNcrPms8bU-qGcaO1yOtaBrMOHp2fYpdGu1zJNvpwLy3t0-eNzAn4K6OxSvCzAxGv8QOS8REL_FUd1R3uEzyebQV1j28P3JQ/s1600/schwartz.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/06/why-waldorf-bullies.html">Schwartz Video</a></span></td></tr>
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She said Schwartz's last visit to Suncoast was around 2006, when he gave a lecture about adolescent education. A <a href="http://suncoastwaldorf.org/a-visit-from-eugene-schwartz" style="color: #1990e5; text-decoration: none;">blog post</a> on the school's website describes the visit and his talk about "the unique relationship between the Waldorf class teacher and his or her students."</div>
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The blog post continues, "Since Waldorf teachers ideally stay with a single group of students from the 1st through the 8th grades, they have the opportunity to truly get to know each of their students and come to love them as an individual."</div>
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Bedingfield said that, if she could, she would have a conversation with Schwartz and hear him out about the child pornography allegations.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLuBVGAN4UUuvNO_hXbGLsD2xhvIRtMyMFBTiB7P4FQIQotGrJPMJBUlVXOReYJ-iM4n-lmUgs4MPHrUZCOm_pDc1tvpvO1ITLg41BFDDa8X86z8SDi7Hb6gvM0LRBTF9ecwV4eUQLoXu/s1600/Eugene-Schwartz_promoting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLuBVGAN4UUuvNO_hXbGLsD2xhvIRtMyMFBTiB7P4FQIQotGrJPMJBUlVXOReYJ-iM4n-lmUgs4MPHrUZCOm_pDc1tvpvO1ITLg41BFDDa8X86z8SDi7Hb6gvM0LRBTF9ecwV4eUQLoXu/s1600/Eugene-Schwartz_promoting.jpg" height="111" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Schwartz using his teaching<br />
status to promote Waldorf products</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">
"Of course everyone's talking about this ... it's disappointing to hear," she said. "This sometimes happens when people are brilliant and they have much to offer... Human beings aren't perfect and it can be disappointing when you find out they're not perfect."</div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's the problem with all this. Excusing crimes against children is common for Waldorf. We have already documented many cases of child abusers moving from Waldorf school to Waldorf school - with full knowledge of the schools. That Schwartz was allowed to continue in the Waldorf world after having been discovered is not unusual AT ALL. Ultimately, most of the blame for this has to fall at the feet of Green Meadow teachers and staff who knew about Schwartz' problems and who said and did NOTHING! Also, the attorney for the school - who thought it might be smart to keep this quiet... seriously? Is that the type of attorney Waldorf schools hire to represent them? Did he tell Green Meadow their teacher was a felon? How could he not have? </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Green Meadow did nothing more than dismiss a known felon out into the world 1) without telling the police of reports of his crimes 2) without investigating the crimes themselves 3) without informing other schools in their own system which they knew Schwartz was visiting. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Was Schwartz guilty of these "alleged" crimes? Let's say he wasn't. You're a well-known, established Waldorf teacher taking your third class through from first to eighth grade (24 years) and suddenly - "allegations" of child pornography arise. If you are innocent of these allegations, do you DO NOTHING while the school assigns a supervisor to you while you finish your semester, and then fires you and bans you from their campus? Or do you try to challenge these "allegations" that are ruining your career? Apparently, Schwartz quietly ended his 24 year teaching career without a peep... no challenge to the allegations... only to launch a new and successful career in Waldorf - as a (well-respected) lecturer, teacher trainer and media promoter. So - no peep from Schwartz... no peep from the school... Everything stayed quiet for almost a decade while Schwartz visited schools - often residing in the homes of parents when he visited. Below is a copy of an email sent from Highland Hall when Schwartz visited California.</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nov 8, 2006</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hi All,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eugene Schwartz is coming to town and needs a place to call home. He arrives on Sunday, Nov. 12th and leaves on Wednesday, Nov. 15th. He will be spending 3 days at Highland hall and will have a car.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Please call ASAP if you can help.</span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Communication & Outreach</span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">
<blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Highland Hall Waldorf School</span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<div style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I actually offered my home for him to stay in (he didn't, BTW). This is the type of reception Schwartz was used to from the school communities he visited. He would just visit a family and make himself at home while spending a few days at the school. It would have been nice if Green Meadow had mentioned something (officially). I think it's unlikely that Schwartz sexual proclivities were a secret to everyone in the Waldorf movement. I think there were others in the movement who knew about him and kept quiet (just like the teachers at Green Meadow did) because of his "rock star" status. </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">UPDATE!</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Schwartz has issued a letter of rebuttal:</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/waldorf-critics/conversations/messages/27900">https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/waldorf-critics/conversations/messages/27900</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21.66666603088379px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<i>Dear Colleagues,<br />Recently the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America forwarded a summary report from the Green Meadow Waldorf School to your school. That report contained a number of serious allegations against me.<br />I want to assure you that these allegations are false, and they should never have been disseminated. Based on them, some schools have rushed to judgment about me without seeking to discover the truth.<br />To address this libel and the defamation of my character, I have retained the services of Janis Law, LLC, of Malvern, PA. We have submitted a complaint against Green Meadow Waldorf School and against the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America, and we will take whatever further action may be needed to resolve this matter.<br />I appreciate the support from so many of you and look forward to having my name cleared of these baseless allegations.<br />Sincerely,<br />Eugene Schwartz</i></blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">It appears everyone is hiding something. We know Waldorf schools are predisposed to lie to people. We know Waldorf teachers are equally predisposed to dishonesty. I'm hoping we will ALL learn the FULL truth about what has happened here, but I don't want to get my hopes up.</span></div>
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Related posts:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; line-height: 22px;"><a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/08/waldorfs-millennial-child-pornographer.html">http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/08/waldorfs-millennial-child-pornographer.html</a></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/eugene-schwartz-child-pornographer.html">http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/eugene-schwartz-child-pornographer.html</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; line-height: 22px;"><a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/green-meadow-waldorf-school-sex.html">http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/green-meadow-waldorf-school-sex.html</a></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/green-meadow-waldorf-school-sex-scandal.html">http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/green-meadow-waldorf-school-sex-scandal.html</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">
<a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/richard-moeschl-admitted-waldorf-school.html"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/richard-moeschl-admitted-waldorf-school.html</span></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2013/09/httpwww.html">http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2013/09/httpwww.html</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">
<a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/highland-hall-waldorf-school-remodeling.html"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/highland-hall-waldorf-school-remodeling.html</span></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">
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PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268549717815146574.post-15737566602333397732014-08-08T11:45:00.002-07:002014-08-09T15:15:37.141-07:00Waldorf's Millennial Child Pornographer - Eugene Schwartz - Possessed by Demons?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRnaYyUR9-v-XfdNptz5NJs7Lc0yvfB1PBkotfxYdXhBvWKWcg6dQeEtXu93IdD1XmFWrIEE_50vwqxOb8-9h7Vy9da5uss5QTkN4cznLlvUgIZeqYyJXT8j_4FbQ4-PrbrO-CW06QoBo/s1600/schwartz_faust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRnaYyUR9-v-XfdNptz5NJs7Lc0yvfB1PBkotfxYdXhBvWKWcg6dQeEtXu93IdD1XmFWrIEE_50vwqxOb8-9h7Vy9da5uss5QTkN4cznLlvUgIZeqYyJXT8j_4FbQ4-PrbrO-CW06QoBo/s1600/schwartz_faust.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eugene Schwartz - Possessed by Demons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Eugene Schwartz - It wasn't his fault... the Double made him do it!</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="color: #38761d;">It's the only Anthroposophical explanation! Double Devils - Lucifer and Ahriman took over Schwartz (and the elemental beings he took in through his eyes) - and the poor man has had to live with this demonic possession for who knows how long...</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.eleggua.com/Objects/Koulias-The_Double.html">http://www.eleggua.com/Objects/Koulias-The_Double.html</a><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We have heard in past lectures how <b>Lucifer entered into the human</b> being through his nerves and senses that is, into his Astral body during Lemurian times. This made it possible for Ahriman who exists around us in the material world to enter into man through his senses. <b>Ahriman longs to reside in the Etheric body for it is in the Etheric body, in the body of formative forces, the life body where resides memory that he finds it most suitable for his development.</b> Along with these beings there are elemental nature spirits that enter man through his food, enchanted in the minerals and vitamins that he ingests. <b>Through his eyes man also takes in these elemental beings that live in the Etheric element of the Earth</b>, through his sense of smell and all his other senses taste touch etc. These beings have no ego and must rely on man in order to progress. <b>A man of moral character disenchants these beings</b> and allows them to progress further in their evolution.<br />
<b>A man who is not moral traps them inside himself and they become prey to Luciferic and Ahrimanic beings.</b> </blockquote>
...<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>There is however another being that enters man just before he is born. This forms a part of what Rudolf Steiner calls ‘the Double’.</b></blockquote>
...<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Rudolf Steiner tells us that wherever there occurs unconsciousness this creates opportunities for spiritual beings to enter into man. Therefore the fact that man is unconscious into his physical nature creates an opportunity for spiritual beings to enter into the void left by the soul and spirit. <b>It is into this space that a being enters a short time before we are born who takes possession of those unconscious physical processes.</b><br />
<br />
This being Rudolf Steiner tells us falls into the category of an Ahrimanic being. A being that is connected with the great being of opposition Ahriman whose realm is matter, the earth and the fallen ethers.<br />
<br />
<b>This double being under the service of Ahriman continues to live within us during our life predominantly in our Etheric body in the same way that our spirit lives predominantly within our soul.</b> </blockquote>
...<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Why do they enter man?</b><br />
<br />
These beings are Ahrimanic in character and so they are retarded beings that serve the beings that fell behind during the old Sun evolution of the earth. Ahrimanic beings that could not pass through their human stage at this time had to undergo their development at another time not suitable to their existence – on a Physical earth. Having no physical bodies with which to undergo their development they had to take up residence in the physical body of human beings if they were not to suffer greatly.<br />
<br />
<b>Their particular sphere of action is the Etheric body.</b><br />
<br />
In the Etheric body lies our potential for memory and therefore our Intellect. <b>In it also there lies the power of love and the beginnings of what will one day be true conscience.</b> It is not then difficult to see why these beings are attracted to this sphere as they have an extremely high Mephistophelian intelligence, but<b> it is an Ahrimanic intelligence that has no warmth of heart and no conscience</b>. In the Etheric body lies our temperaments and we can see the connection here with these beings that are possessed of a strong will akin to the nature of the elements. What does this mean?</blockquote>
...<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
‘…There arises the phenomenon known as the Guardian of the Threshold — the appearance of the lower double of man.<b> The spiritual being of man, composed of his impulses of will, his desires and his thoughts, appears to the Initiate in visible form.</b> <b>It is a form that is sometimes repugnant and terrible, for it is the offspring of his good and bad desires and of his karma — it is their personification in the astral world…’</b> Steiner, An Esoteric Cosmology</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>This being bars the way to the spiritual world</b> because while ever we carry the baggage of our faults and fallacies all our lower desires needs wants, all our impulses of will, all that is perishable and not eternal we are too heavy and cannot enter.<br />
...<br />
It is no surprise then that the existence of this being in our life body leads to illnesses of our organs. <b>In the Astral body this being is demonstrated in psychological</b>, nerve<b> illnesses</b>.</blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d;">The poor man... it's plain to see why he was attracted to young children so intensely when understood in Anthroposophical terms. No wonder teachers learning of his problems said and did nothing to let other schools know. This "child pornography" stuff was between Schwartz and his demons.</span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>How does this happen?</b><br />
<br />
<b>This results from the fallen forces that stream out of the earth and are intimately connected to the double</b>. Where the double is strong in us he attracts the fallen forces that then further feed and enhance him. <b>It is a fact</b> that there are certain beings that prefer certain <b>geographical locations</b> where this or that fallen ether is more prevalent and will enter into human beings born here or there. The fallen forces in man (the double) are especially strengthened by coming into contact with their counterpart in the outer world.</blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d;">So the "geographical locations" would explain the pockets of possessed people at Green Meadow and Highland Hall, for example.</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...<br />
<b>How do we perceive him?</b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In everyday life we see him in our intellect wherever it becomes cold and hard and lacking in feeling. We see him in our temperaments –<b> wherever something becomes habitual</b>, whenever we<b> lose the control over our emotions and whenever we lust over things of a material nature.</b></blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d;">Photographs of children perhaps?</span><br />
...<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>How do we redeem him?</b> <span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d;">Now we're talking... some powerful Anthroposophical ways we can get Eugene Schwartz back on track!</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Firstly, as in Rumpelstiltskin we have to learn his name. That is we have to recognise him through our Ego consciousness, since every time we recognise him he loses power. </blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d;">OK, admittedly, Schwartz needed the help of others to recognize his problem. They recognized it for him and said he could never go back to Green Meadow school. Yet he continued to lecture at neighboring schools and campuses practically adjacent to Green Meadows' campus. Furthermore, he visited schools all around the country - often living in homes of parents with children when he visited. So, nobody, apparently, was able to recognize that Mr. Schwartz had a problem. It's as if they all knew Rumpelstiltskin's name, but didn't want to tell anyone outside their circle.</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Secondly, we have to raise our thinking up from the realms of matter. This is done by<br />
<ul>
<li>Ordering our thoughts (will in thinking) through concentration exercises</li>
<li> Releasing our thinking from the brain through meditations on spiritual truths that are warmed through with feeling (feeling in thinking).</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d;">OK, that makes sense... Eugene will have to change his thoughts and release his thinking from his brain. Some would suggest he was already thinking with another part of his anatomy, but I digress. Schwartz will have to actively THINK about not liking child porn, meditate for a while and sure enough, he will be transformed... that is... the little devils inside him will get bored. </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Thirdly we have to work on our feeling life to balance the highs and the lows through<br />
<ul>
<li>Equanimity (thought in feeling)</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li>Positivity (will in feeling)</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d;">THINK POSITIVE... Got it! </span> <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Fourthly, we have to work on our life of will to do the good<br />
<ul>
<li>Will exercises (Thought in will)</li>
<li>Open mindedness (feeling in will)</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d;">OK... but... um... does anybody see some reason why this man shouldn't seek help? I mean, you know... from outside HIMSELF? And the Green Meadow (and other) Waldorf people who knew of his "possession"... don't they require a little counseling on why you should speak up if one of your teachers is victimizing children?</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">WHY DON'T THESE PEOPLE GET SOME THERAPY? It might help chase the little devils out of their heads.</span><br />
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<br />PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268549717815146574.post-61773723177859894202014-08-06T14:28:00.001-07:002014-08-06T17:46:05.622-07:00Is Anthroposophy taught in Waldorf schools? Of course it is!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rudolf Steiner - Thinking out loud</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did Steiner really say there should be no Anthroposophy taught in Waldorf schools?<b> Of course he didn't.</b> To Steiner, Anthroposophy represented the truth... and to NOT teach the truth would be impossible. Here's Rudy:</span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px;">“You need to make </span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; line-height: 20px;">the children aware that they are receiving the objective truth, and if this occasionally appears anthroposophical, it is not anthroposophy that is at fault. Things are that way because anthroposophy has something to say about objective truth. It is the material that causes what is said to be anthroposophical. We certainly may not go to the other extreme, where people say that anthroposophy may not be brought into the school. Anthroposophy will be in the school when it is objectively justified, that is, when it is called for by the material itself.” Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 495.</span></span></i></blockquote>
<a href="http://digitalseance.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/faculty_meetings_1_2.pdf"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://digitalseance.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/faculty_meetings_1_2.pdf</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; display: inline; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Faculty meetings is required reading for Waldorf teacher trainees.</span></span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; display: inline; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, every Waldorf teacher is taught that when Anthroposophy and "the objective truth" overlap, then naturally, Anthroposophy MUST be taught. According to Steiner, not to teach Anthroposophy, when it is called for, would be "extreme". Steiner was invested in promoting Anthroposophy. Let's face it - he didn't pump out a lecture a day for the fun of it.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; display: inline; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; display: inline; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: #38761d;">How, EXACTLY does he suggest Waldorf teachers slip in the Anthroposophy? The use of AUTHORITY is critical to this process. Steiner describes it here:</span></span></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #38761d; display: inline; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.waldorflibrary.org/images/stories/articles/RB13_1steiner.pdf">http://www.waldorflibrary.org/images/stories/articles/RB13_1steiner.pdf</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Previous to this, Steiner talks about younger children:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We now can no longer expect to act upon the children <b>purely through fairy tales</b>, or through all kinds of <b>teaching stories in which we animate the outer physical world</b>. So </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">let’s start with the observation that the child distinguishes itself from the outer world as an “I”. </span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But something else plays an essential role, which is connected deeply with moral development. The following happens: at the beginning of the stage <b>during which children completely trust authority, they accept this authoritative individual </b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>just as he or she is</b>. Between the ninth and the tenth year, something happens—it doesn’t have to be conscious, it may happen deep in the realm of feeling, <b>we might say in the subconscious realm</b>, but it is unquestionably there—children find themselves, so to say, forced by their development to look through the authoritative person <b>to what it is that that person represents</b>. </span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The authoritative person says:<b> this is true, this is good, this is beautiful</b>. And now, the child would like to sense <b>where the source in the authoritative person lies, which gives that person knowledge of the good, the true, the beautiful; and where the will resides for the true, the good, and the beautiful.</b> </i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Let's not fool ourselves, Steiner is talking about Waldorf teachers when he says "authoritative individual" and about Anthroposophy when he says "what it is that that person represents". He is saying Waldorf teachers were accepted by the children during a time of complete trust as authority figures... and at some point that may be subconscious to the child (but Waldorf teachers should be on the look-out for it) the child will be interested in the source of their teacher's authority which has, throughout the child's development, instructed the child about what is good, true and beautiful. That "source" of "authority" is Steiner/Anthroposophy. This is why the teacher/student connection is SO important to Waldorf. The moment of interest for Waldorf teachers (the harvest, so to speak) happens when the children are ripe to be exploited by their trusted authority figures to look to the source of their authority - Anthroposophy.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">Steiner continues a little later on the page (lest anyone thinks my "harvest" remark was off):</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To know that, to count on the fact that just </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">as one lovingly nurtures the seed in order for it to </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">become a plant, so in the same way something — </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a physical seed—that at one time was being prepared </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">in the child now stands before us, demanding </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to be nurtured psychologically; knowing this </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">gives one a special relationship to the child. <b>And, </b></span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">in this way, one plants the seed of religion into </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the child.</span></b></i></blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And in this way, one plants the seed of Anthroposophy into the child, he meant. </span><br />
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PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268549717815146574.post-68204234317066810202014-08-05T18:40:00.005-07:002014-08-05T18:45:42.237-07:00Why Waldorf Lies - The Short Answer<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;"><i>Author's Note: This is part of a larger work I am preparing... Stay tuned</i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwW6vSNSXOFrgJ4DaDKw9leVDyfCZC3hfg82IFMNgj-o9MsO1Ruab3MFZkj1DTw3kk1Rg6NYoa28PydVkKSvPVD1QWUFMRiVd28v60epQAEZ2Pahf1FVtYpg66cjgOPbtpHZC3yuT-VCC/s1600/Science.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwW6vSNSXOFrgJ4DaDKw9leVDyfCZC3hfg82IFMNgj-o9MsO1Ruab3MFZkj1DTw3kk1Rg6NYoa28PydVkKSvPVD1QWUFMRiVd28v60epQAEZ2Pahf1FVtYpg66cjgOPbtpHZC3yuT-VCC/s1600/Science.jpg" height="112" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;"><b>Why Waldorf LIES </b></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;"> Here's the one line answer: “They're on a MISSION to save
humanity”.</span><br />
<div style="margin-left: 0.49in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #333333;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.49in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #333333;"><i>"The
task of Anthroposophy is not simply to replace a false view of the
world with a correct one...The task is to raise the spirit-soul into
the realm of the spiritual, so that the human being is no longer a
thinking and feeling automaton...The human being is...in danger of
drifting into the Ahrimanic world, in which case the spirit-soul will
evaporate into the cosmos.”</i></span><span style="color: #333333;">
</span><span style="color: #333333;">
</span><em><span style="color: #555555;">Rudolf
Steiner</span></em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;"> Waldorf schools are the missionary arm of Anthroposophy, Rudolf
Steiner's quasi-religious doctrine outlining an “impulse” for the
development of society. Waldorf representatives are “missionaries”.
Their mission is to spread the ideas of Rudolf Steiner and to
convert as many people as they can to the new wisdom that will
transform society, Anthroposophy. Rudolf Steiner paints a very dark
picture of a world without Anthroposophy guiding human spiritual
development.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;"> As luck would have it, Waldorf teachers already have a personal
spiritual connection to your child – according to Steiner. If you
found Waldorf education, it was the child's karma that influenced you
to find it. Once you have enrolled in a Waldorf school, your child
becomes their child. They are doing what is best for the child, even
over your objections if necessary. In a conflict, Waldorf
representatives believe they are doing something that represents the
greater good by lying to parents about their children. It's
truthfully that simple.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;"> In order to fulfill their missionary responsibility, in order to
promote Anthroposophy to children, Waldorf representatives LIE to
parents – for the sake of the child!</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;"> There is no getting around this – people representing Waldorf
schools are universally dishonest with outsiders – and yes, that
especially includes parents. This is a systemic problem traced to
Steiner himself. Waldorf's founder direcly instructed Waldorf
teachers to lie to outsiders.</span><br />
<div style="margin-left: 0.49in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #555555;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.49in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #555555;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i>"We
have to remember that an institution like the Independent Waldorf
School with its anthroposophical character, has goals that, of
course, coincide with anthroposophical desires. At the moment,
though, if that connection were made official, people would break the
Waldorf School’s neck." </i></span></span><em><span style="color: #555555;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Rudolf
Steiner, Faculty Meetings with Rudolf Steiner (Anthroposophic Press,
1998) p. 115 </span></span></em>
</span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.49in;">
<em><span style="color: #555555;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-style: normal;">-
Faculty Meetings is required reading in Waldorf teacher training</span></span></span></em></div>
<ol>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;">From the same book:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i>I
do not like to talk about such things since we have often been
attacked even without them. Imagine what people would say if they
heard that we say there are people who are not human beings.
Nevertheless, these are facts. Our culture would not be in such a
decline if people felt more strongly that a number of people are
going around who, because they are completely ruthless, have become
something that is not human, but instead are demons in human form.</i></span></span><br />
</ol>
<div style="margin-left: 0.49in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i>Nevertheless,
we do not want to shout that to the world. Our opposition is already
large enough. Such things are really shocking to people. I caused
enough shock when I needed to say that a very famous university
professor, after a very short time between death and rebirth, was
reincarnated as a black scientist. We do not want to shout such
things out into the world.”</i>
<em><span style="color: #555555;">Rudolf
Steiner, Faculty Meetings with Rudolf Steiner (Anthroposophic Press,
1998)</span></em>
pp. 649-650.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;"> Steiner
felt justified in lying to parents. After all, what are a few lies,
when the over all scheme is to convert the world to Anthropsophy and
thus saving humanity (quote repeated from above):</span><br />
<div style="margin-left: 0.49in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #333333;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.49in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #333333;"><i>"The
task of Anthroposophy is not simply to replace a false view of the
world with a correct one...The task is to raise the spirit-soul into
the realm of the spiritual, so that the human being is no longer a
thinking and feeling automaton...The human being is...in danger of
drifting into the Ahrimanic world, in which case the spirit-soul will
evaporate into the cosmos.”</i></span><span style="color: #333333;">
</span><span style="color: #333333;">
</span><em><span style="color: #555555;">Rudolf
Steiner, Faculty Meetings with Rudolf Steiner (Anthroposophic Press,
1998) p. 115</span></em></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></span></span></em></span>
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"> Steiner
was aware that once students graduated Waldorf, they could go on to
college. He realized that some of the nonsense he was teaching to
adults (the workers in Dornach) wouldn't fly with college professors.
He struggled to find ways to get Anthroposophy into the students
without putting it into the content of the lessons.</span></span></em></span><br />
<div align="LEFT" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #555555;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #555555;">“</span><span style="color: #555555;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i>The
students are about eighteen, and at that age it is best if they
attain an overall understanding of history and art. We should give
them an understanding of the spirit of literature, art, and history
without, of course, teaching them about anthroposophy. We must try to
bring them the spirit in those subjects, not only in the content but
also in the way we present them. With the students, we should at
least try to achieve what I have striven for with the workers in
Dornach, pictures that make it clear that, for instance, an island
like Great Britain swims in the sea and is held fast by the forces of
the stars. In actuality, such islands do not sit directly upon a
foundation; they swim and are held fast from outside. In general, the
cosmos creates islands and continents, their forms and locations.
That is certainly the case with firm land. Such things are the result
of the cosmos, of the stars. The Earth is a reflection of the cosmos,
not something caused from within. </i></span></span><span style="color: #555555;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><b>However,
we need to avoid such things. We cannot tell them to the students
because they would then need to tell them to their professors in the
examinations, and we would acquire a terrible name. </b></i></span></span><span style="color: #555555;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i>
</i></span></span><span style="color: #555555;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><b>Nevertheless,
that is actually what we should achieve in geography.</b></i></span></span><span style="color: #555555;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i>
FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, p. 607.)”</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.49in;">
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #555555;"> </span><a href="http://digitalseance.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/faculty_meetings_1_2.pdf">Link
to FACULTY MEETINGS</a></span></div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br />OK, so now we know Steiner wanted Waldorf representatives to lie, do we have evidence of them lying? Well, yes, LOTS... but that's going to be part of another blog post. For now, let's focus on one Waldorf representative who we can watch in action.</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifZsywMFRnnSqqyg7G9KiiFKdevttrUSq4pxNtLhtwGcJEeSVgRKE3vyekPJuKT7nsxzZiP8tfFpH1A-m6e1Os-Vb02IbKYgSkj2iD4fJRRgiUc0ph4QuKEMYVDw4KqBIFtAOMbisBabT/s1600/mepham.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifZsywMFRnnSqqyg7G9KiiFKdevttrUSq4pxNtLhtwGcJEeSVgRKE3vyekPJuKT7nsxzZiP8tfFpH1A-m6e1Os-Vb02IbKYgSkj2iD4fJRRgiUc0ph4QuKEMYVDw4KqBIFtAOMbisBabT/s1600/mepham.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Trevor_Mepham"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Trevor_Mepham</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">"Trevor
Mepham lives in Herefordshire with his wife. They have 4 children.
After studying International Relations and European studies at Keele,
Bruges and Aberystwyth, he trained to become a Steiner teacher. He
worked as a class teacher at the </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/South_Devon_Steiner_School"><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">South
Devon Steiner School</span></span></a><span style="color: black;">,
Dartington, before joining the advisory team of the </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=UK_Steiner_Schools_movement&action=edit&redlink=1">UK
Steiner Schools movement</a> –</span><span style="color: black;">
the </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Steiner_Waldorf_Schools_Fellowship">Steiner
Waldorf Schools Fellowship</a> </span><span style="color: black;">(SWSF).
He spent 12 years at the University of Plymouth, working in the
Faculty of Education as Co-Director of the Steiner BA Programme. He
served on the Executive Group of SWSF for 6 years, before taking up a
new post, in September 2008, as Principal of the </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Steiner_Academy_Hereford&action=edit&redlink=1">Steiner
Academy Hereford</a> </span><span style="color: black;">-
the first publicly-funded Steiner school in the UK. In 2009 he joined
the Board of the </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=European_Council_for_Steiner_Waldorf_Education&action=edit&redlink=1">European
Council for Steiner Waldorf Education</a> </span><span style="color: black;">(ECSWE).
He is a Fellow of the </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Royal_Society_of_Arts&action=edit&redlink=1"><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Royal
Society of Arts</span></span></a><span style="color: black;">."</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black;">"While
in Devon, he spent 12 years working in the Faculty of Education at
the University of Plymouth, teaching on the Steiner BA Programme and
the European Masters Programme. Trevor has served as a member of the
Executive Group of the UK Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship (SWSF)
and a member of the Board of the European Council for Steiner Waldorf
(ECSWE). In September 2008, he became Principal at the </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Steiner_Academy_Hereford&action=edit&redlink=1">Steiner
Academy Hereford</a> </span><span style="color: black;">–
</span><span style="color: black;">the
first publicly-funded Steiner school in the UK. Trevor is moving to
Frome with Helen, his wife and looks forward to helping to plant a
new school in the loam of Somerset."</span></span></blockquote>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;">OK, so he's been around a while, very involved in the Steiner/Waldorf movement. That's why he was interviewed here: </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpOXitdxzk4"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpOXitdxzk4</span></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #38761d;">At 4:30 in this film, SWSF
representative Trevor Mepham suggests</span> <b>Rudolf Steiner didn't believe in
Reincarnation.
</b></span></blockquote>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;">Of course he did – and that FACT is
supported in ALL of his writings. Why would Trevor Mepham lie about
it in an interview? Well, the interview was about to get a lot of
exposure... and it's his job to make Waldorf sound benign to parents.
He assumes most of the people watching the interview won't know he's
lying. The interviewer, however, did know. The more she presses
him, the more Mr. Mepham turns to time-proven Waldorf nonsense that
tends to placate innocent mothers asking about this or that.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;">By 6:20 in the video, Mepham is having
to explain away Steiner's racist theories. In the end, he suggest
the famous “Steiner was a man of his time” dodge. Again, the
interviewer isn't buying what he's selling. But wait, if Steiner
didn't believe in reincarnation, what are his racist theories about?
Aren't they dependent on the idea that people get to incarnate “up”
to a better race when they reincarnate? Isn't that what makes them
excusable to Anthroposophists?</span></blockquote>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;">By 8:30, he has tried to confuse the
interviewer about the influence of Anthroposophy in Waldorf schools –
and even suggests it's a “generic” term and will not even
acknowledge, despite that the schools' own literature says so
explicitly, that Anthroposophy is at the heart of Waldorf education.
</span></blockquote>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Mepham is convinced Waldorf is the best thing for children. He "would argue" that Waldorf does lots of science - something even Waldorf supporters agree is lacking in Waldorf. Let's face it, he would argue ANYTHING that is critical of or even might be construed as critical of Waldorf education.</span>
</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2012/may/25/steiner-state-funded-free-schools"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">http://www.theguardian.com/education/2012/may/25/steiner-state-funded-free-schools</span></a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333;">Mepham
says: "There are different ways of approaching science, aren't
there? We would argue that we do lots of science, and we do it in a
scientific way."</span> … <span style="color: #333333;">Mepham,
who is moving from Herefordshire to be principal of the Frome school,
is keen to advance the Steiner curriculum and legitimise the
Steiner approach to science education. "That's one of the
questions that we are exploring – how can we turn that
unaccredited element [of science teaching] into something that has
validity and recognition.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">"The answer, ideally,
is to get our curriculum accredited. It isn't at the moment, so we
have to dovetail GCSEs with Steiner curriculum [and] that dovetailing
is a compromise."</span></blockquote>
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PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268549717815146574.post-20208829210123239212014-08-04T19:04:00.000-07:002014-08-05T07:10:31.504-07:00John Stumbles into The Waldorf Review<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A recent debate erupted between John Stumbles and myself on the Quackometer Facebook page:</span><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/quackometer"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">https://www.facebook.com/quackometer</span></a><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">on the article about Sylvie Sklan's rebuttal to the recent Guardian article. Here's what transpired in the comments... Enjoy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9QdJ9q-pxxi519Z3VVNKCrNQQnscRM0Vhp5BRX-9vs79g6PP8s3agB3zb_zykmxgNv1xl3zRT3G5iFPoFVwP0lxHj8AzEakDuIV3pdI-NsdfXkYJ4uuYxgvVgCupEUb2n2zeCehiNJZB-/s1600/stumbles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9QdJ9q-pxxi519Z3VVNKCrNQQnscRM0Vhp5BRX-9vs79g6PP8s3agB3zb_zykmxgNv1xl3zRT3G5iFPoFVwP0lxHj8AzEakDuIV3pdI-NsdfXkYJ4uuYxgvVgCupEUb2n2zeCehiNJZB-/s1600/stumbles.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">John Stumbles</span></b><span lang="EN"> Speaking
from almost 2 decades of involvement of 2 kids in a Steiner school the article
seemed generally accurate (modulo some weaselling about vaccinations).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">The Quackometer</span></b><span lang="EN"> It is only
accurate in the sense that it is consistent with how Steiner Schools wish to
portray themselves to the outside world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">John Stumbles </span></b><span lang="EN">You imply
that the reality is different from this: what is your evidence for that?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVUna6p3bIHSr7t8xZT3ho3Qk9QakxqiPMp0XJsFQnb8-4Mw-b5qD3HMSgMr9yiQXK_0yL-VpmU0xHb4Xg_o3hq8G0mVTSG7jFY73BcCQdNgNqqoCAgpbGSoQJGGTZDv5nxQ552fdgys-/s1600/HandOfGod_smiting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVUna6p3bIHSr7t8xZT3ho3Qk9QakxqiPMp0XJsFQnb8-4Mw-b5qD3HMSgMr9yiQXK_0yL-VpmU0xHb4Xg_o3hq8G0mVTSG7jFY73BcCQdNgNqqoCAgpbGSoQJGGTZDv5nxQ552fdgys-/s1600/HandOfGod_smiting.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">The Waldorf Review</span></b><span lang="EN"> Hi John...
how about the expert testimony of over 600 expert witnesses who experienced
Waldorf first-hand and discovered the schools portray themselves as something
other than what they are? Is that a good start at least? It's at least 600
times as good as your first-hand knowledge, right? <a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/">http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">John Stumbles </span></b><span lang="EN">That site
seems to be a collection of anecdotes about bad things alleged to have happened
at various Steiner/Waldorf schools around the world. Can you point me to the
"expert testimony of over 600 expert witnesses" (presumably teachers
and educational academics?) to which you refer?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">Pete Karaiskos (The Waldorf Review)</span></b><span lang="EN">
Plenty of teacher and student reviews listed there... far more qualified than
your opinion. Do you have ANY evidence that Waldorf schools are honest with the
public when they describe themselves? Anything? Lots of people say NO. Why do
you say yes?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">John Stumbles</span></b><span lang="EN"> Pete, your
question "do [I] have ANY evidence...?" implies that the alleged
conspiracy exists unless proven otherwise. This seems to be the accepted
position on InfoWars, Natural News and whale.to, but as a skeptic I suggest
that it is incumbent upon those alleging conspiracies to produce evidence for
them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which I what I was asking Andy for earlier, and
which neither he nor anyone else seems capable of producing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">Pete Karaiskos (The Waldorf Review)</span></b><span lang="EN">
Well, John, firstly, you're not a skeptic, you're a Waldorf cheerleader. I
think we established that on the DC's Improbable Science blog (do you need me
to provide the link?). Secondly, a collection of hundreds of testimonies
constitutes evidence (legal, not scientific). We're not going to scientifically
prove Waldorf schools are dishonest - all we can do is show evidence of them
hiding their underpinnings on their websites and in public statements - of
which there is plenty. Oddly, when parent and student testimonies are
investigated, as happened recently with the Green Meadow case, they turn out to
be true - and the evidence of that investigation points to a systemic problem
with Waldorf credibility and a failure to act on complaints or even knowledge
of criminal activity. That evidence is there for the reading - if you care to
open your eyes... or not.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">John Stumbles</span></b><span lang="EN"> A
"Waldorf cheerleader"? We don't have cheerleaders in this country but
from what I understand of US culture that would be a person who rallies
unconditional support for a sports team. People can make up their own minds
whether my critical appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of
Steiner-Waldorf education amounts to unconditional support; however I can
understand that with your avowedly black and white view of the subject anything
short of rabid anti-Steiner dogmatism must seem like "cheerleading".<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a skeptic (sic) attempting to weigh up issues
on the basis of objective scientific evidence I have been accused of being a
shill for the nuclear industry, for genetic engineering and Monsanto, and for
vaccines and Big Pharma; and these ad hominems have always been in lieu of
rational arguments. The title of "Waldorf cheerleader" seems to fit
this pattern.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Testimonies, however many hundreds you collect,
do not - as you admit - constitute scientific evidence. As lovers of science
and evidence like to say "the plural of anecdote is not data".
Homeopaths, chiropractors and other quacks can produce enough testimonials to
sink a ship but they no more constitute evidence for the efficacy of their
practices than a bunch of complaints from disaffected former Waldorf parents,
pupils and teachers constitutes a systematic survey of Waldorf education.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I actually think that within Steiner-Waldorf
education teachers vary in their abilities from brilliant to incompetent,
schools vary (and vary over time) from excellent to dysfunctional, and there
are good, bad and indifferent aspects to Waldorf educational practice and
theory. But I know your monochromatic world-view will not admit of such
subtlety.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">The Waldorf Review</span></b><span lang="EN">
"Testimonies, however many hundreds you collect, do not - as you admit -
constitute scientific evidence. As lovers of science and evidence like to say
"the plural of anecdote is not data". "<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yeah, "science" is a word you throw
around as if you understand it. After a doctor sees measles a few hundred
times, (s)he can learn to identify measles. Sure, it could be something else -
something very rare that looks exactly like measles... but having seen plenty
of cases of measles, we can assume with confidence the doctor actually knows
what (s)he's looking at. It would be different if the doctor had only seen a
coulple of cases... but having studied hundreds of cases, there will be little
doubt. In science, what is new is tested against what is already known. You can
be skeptical about all knowledge, but that leaves you no place to begin
inquiry. We really can know some things by observing them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Homeopaths, chiropractors and other quacks
can produce enough testimonials to sink a ship"... blah blah blah...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What's the incentive on the part of Waldorf
teachers, parent and students to speak out against Waldorf. Unlike homeopaths,
who stand to gain financially, they have nothing to gain by lying about what happened
to them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I actually think that within
Steiner-Waldorf education teachers vary in their abilities from brilliant to
incompetent," <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cool. Where do the incompetent teachers go? Are
they kicked out of the Waldorf system? NO... When they've shown they no longer
belong in a classroom, they go on to TRAIN other Waldorf teachers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"schools vary (and vary over time) from
excellent to dysfunctional," <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, the parents kicking out $30,000/year for
their child's education... who happen to be at a school when it's in
"dysfunctional" mode? What happens to their child's education when
the school kicks families out for asking questions. Varying from excellent to
dysfunctional is NOT OK! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"and there are good, bad and indifferent
aspects to Waldorf educational practice and theory."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If there were good aspects to Waldorf, they
wouldn't have to disguise them. No TV, for example, isn't explained as a battle
against Ahriman. Eurythmy isn't explained as the physical embodiment of
Anthroposophy. Even the "good" stuff you claim to see is wrapped in
dishonesty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">The Waldorf Review</span></b><span lang="EN"> Like doctors
learn to identify measles, the people at the Te Ra school in NZ learned to
identify racism in the lessons and practices of the Waldorf school. Reading
what others have been through - and what practices Waldorf is hiding is
absolutely essential to understanding Waldorf... cheerleaders' opinions
notwithstanding.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">John Stumbles</span></b><span lang="EN"> Pete you
still haven't responded to my request to you (under your "Waldorf
Review" alias) to "point me to the "expert testimony of over 600
expert witnesses" (presumably teachers and educational academics?) to
which you refer?". I guess that means you haven't got 600 expert
witnesses, but you just unquestioningly accept any and all allegations against
Steiner-Waldorf schools that suit your Waldorf-hater bias.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't object to you being anti-Waldorf, but you
could be honest about it: the title "Waldorf Review" suggest an
impartial, dispassionate evaluation of Waldorf education rather than an
anti-Waldorf agenda. It seems ironic, not so say hypocritical, to then accuse
Waldorf schools of having a covert agenda at odds with their public position!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">The Waldorf Review</span></b><span lang="EN"> "I
guess that means you haven't got 600 expert witnesses, but you just
unquestioningly accept any and all allegations against Steiner-Waldorf schools
that suit your Waldorf-hater bias." I guess that means you don't consider
people who have experienced Waldorf as expert witnesses. So other than
experiencing Waldorf yourself - how are you qualified to trump the testimonies
of all these other people? At least these people put their names to their
allegations... unlike the "anonymous" cheerleaders who report glowing
reviews of these schools. For all we know, *you* could be providing all the
anonymous reviews for these schools. In your second statement, you're not often
right, but you're wrong again... The Waldorf Review makes no claim to be
unbiased. Here's the first thing you read there: "We're well over half way
to our goal of documenting over 1000 critical Waldorf reviews." Try
another one John, this accusation doesn't stick. Meanwhile, explain why you
think "dysfunctional" schools should exist at taxpayers' expense.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">John Stumbles</span></b><span lang="EN"> The term
"Expert witness" has a specific meaning:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"A person whose level of specialized
knowledge or skill in a particular field qualifies them to present their
opinion about the facts of a case during legal proceedings."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/.../english/expert-witness">http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/.../english/expert-witness</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't discount the testimonies of people who
report bad experiences with Waldorf education: will you extend the same courtesy
to those of us who report good experiences?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">expert witness: definition of expert witness in
Oxford dictionary (British & World English)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/www.oxforddictionaries.com">www.oxforddictionaries.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Definition of expert witness in British and World
English in Oxford dictionary. ... See More<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">Pete Karaiskos (The Waldorf Review) </span></b><span lang="EN">The
definition fits perfectly - I, for example, provided testimony as an expert
witness at a Waldorf trial. Other Waldorf critics can and have provided expert
witness testimony - with no more qualifications than being parents in the
system. "I don't discount the testimonies of people who report bad
experiences with Waldorf education:" You certainly do. You call them
"allegations". "will you extend the same courtesy to those of us
who report good experiences?" NO, and I explained why already. 1) These
anonymous testimonies are placed there by Waldorf representatives (my blog
includes many parents describing exactly this). 2) Many, MANY of the critical
reviews are from people who once praised the school - a HUGE percentage. I,
myself, supported Waldorf once. Positive reviews are nothing more than negative
reviews that haven't hatched yet.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>John Stumbles</b> So basically you don't believe
people unless they agree with you?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Waldorf Review</b> I don't believe people when I
know they're lying... big difference. <a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/.../waldorf-fraud-in">http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/.../waldorf-fraud-in</a>...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Waldorf Review: Waldorf FRAUD in Reviews<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="line-height: 115%;"><span lang="EN">John Stumbles</span></b><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"> And you
"know" they're lying because they disagree with your views on Steiner
and Waldorf Education ...?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">The Waldorf Review</span></b><span lang="EN"> No, I know
they're lying because they've been caught lying far too many times. They employ
people to lie for them. The glowing positive reviews disagree with hundreds of
reports I have collected, not just my personal views. That's exactly why I
collected these reviews. My blog has many independent witnesses accusing
Waldorf representatives (posing as parents) of posting positive reviews,
removing negative reviews, even cutting and pasting positive reviews from other
school pages. Collectively, Waldorf representatives are dishonest about so many
things it's impossible to take the anonymous 5-star reviews seriously. My site
hosts many honestly-written 4-star reviews, BTW. You should actually read the
reviews sometime... it's very compelling evidence.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">John Stumbles</span></b><span lang="EN"> I'm not
talking about reviews on websites, I'm talking about ordinary parents and
pupils and ex-pupils and what they say. My ex-Steiner school son and his
friends who then spent several years at state schools and then (in all but one
cases) university, speak happily of their time there: are you claiming that
they are lying? I'm generally happy with the education my boys have had: are
you claiming that I am lying?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">Pete Karaiskos (The Waldorf Review)</span></b><span lang="EN"> I'm
claiming that you, like every glazed-eyed parent in a Waldorf school, are one
incident away from being a critic John. I'm sure your kids were happy at
Waldorf - but if that was your goal, you could have sent them to Disneyland
(for less money). Happiness isn't the goal of education - education is the goal
of education. Lots of parents are happy with their choice to harm their
children. Look at the anti-vax people. When one talks to happy Waldorf parents,
one needs to remember those are the bliss-ninnies who sat quietly while
problems arose at their school (and they did). Parents who discovered the
problems have left the school and aren't always available to be interviewed.
That's why the critical reviews of the parents who took the time to write them
are SO important. The parents who wrote these reviews are no longer around to
discuss Waldorf problems with prospective parents... they're long gone!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">John Stumbles</span></b><span lang="EN"> I am a
critic, in the sense 1a: <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/critic">http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/critic</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm certainly not glazed-eyed: not after almost
20 years, though I know what you mean: I was in the early days and I see others
who are. I've seen bad stuff at our school as well as good and I know some
parents left disaffected (and with good reason). But there have been good, and
some excellent, teachers too, and I think more children have left with good
educations and also good social skills: I don't know to what extent it's
general of S-W schools but in ours the education is not just about the academic
side but about helping the children to develop as social beings with respect
for themselves and each other - and happy (cliched as that may sound).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I do think that prospective parents need to be
disabused of the hippy-dippy paradise view of SWE that's often peddled by its
proponents. I guess your site and others of that ilk do a service by presenting
an equally extreme counter-view, but I don't think either of these
black-and-white views conveys the more complex reality of actual schools and
teachers and their changing strengths and weaknesses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Critic - Definition and More from the Free
Merriam-Webster Dictionary<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/www.merriam-webster.com">www.merriam-webster.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Definition of critic from the Merriam-Webster
Online Dictionary with audio pronunciations, thesaurus, Word of the Day, and
word games.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">The Waldorf Review</span></b><span lang="EN"> So you think
children can be helped to "develop as social beings" by being around
the most anti-social, dishonest people on the planet... whose teachers are
trained to humiliate them into an education steeped in racism? Obviously, you
haven't thought this completely through John.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">John Stumbles</span></b><span lang="EN"> The
arrogance with which you assume that you, through your self-confirming
prejudices, know my children's teachers - who you have never met - better than
I - who have known them collectively for a decade and a half - is breathtaking.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Your attitude is like the fundamentalists who
refuse to believe that anyone can simply not believe in god and insist that
atheists are simply angry with god. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like those religious bigots I think you believe
that those you hate are worse people than you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think the reverse is true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">The Waldorf Review</span></b><span lang="EN"> Since you
haven't bothered to read or understand Anthroposophy, I dare say I DO know more
about your children's teachers than you do - I know the criteria by which they
have assessed and evaluated your children all these years... and the ridiculous
beliefs that guide them in those assessments. I know those beliefs are grounded
in spiritual racism that extends to physical racism. I know those teachers who
looked at your child's head size, hand dominance and physical characteristics
(for assigning a temperament) didn't ignore the race of your child - or you and
your child's mother. These are FACTS John - it's what they are taught to do in
their training TODAY. This isn't me making this stuff up... I married into an
Anthro family full of Waldorf teachers. I studied Steiner for 18 years. To
suggest this is my "attitude" about Anthroposophy is silly. This
stuff is written in stone - and taught to Waldorf teachers. It isn't arrogant
to point that out. It seems arrogant to you because I have to point it out to
you continually - on multiple blogs - over many years. I'm waiting patiently
for the day you understand what Waldorf is about - and stop promoting something
that is genuinely harmful to children. With so many educational models
available today - why would parents even consider one based on racist ideas
that find their way into teacher training, one run by liars at the highest
level, one that finds karmic excuses for bullying and even molesting children
and (according to recent news stories) even hides those molesters within their
ranks for decades, and one that even you acknowledge has a tendency to drift
into dysfunctional (as if all of the above wasn't dysfunctional enough)? Why
would anyone support Waldorf when so much evidence shows how horrible these
schools are?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">John Stumbles</span></b><span lang="EN"> I understand
what you're saying Pete and I'm not contradicting your experience of the
Waldorf school and people you've been involved in. But what you're describing
is not one iota akin to what I've experienced of the school and teachers I've
been involved with for almost 2 decades, closely enough that I know many of
them socially: seeing them at the same gigs, our kids hanging out together. I
talk to them and I talk to my kids and their friends and I actively look for
the racist and bullying attitudes which you and your fellow Waldorf-haters warn
of, and I find not a whiff of them. On the other hand I find more egalitarian
and accepting attitudes to gender, sexuality and differing abilities - and less
tendency to bully based on such criteria - than kids in mainstream schools seem
to display.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fact is Pete, you don't know what all
Steiner/Waldorf schools and teachers everywhere in the world are like. But
you're so convinced by your own motivated reasoning and the reinforcement of
your small circle of fellow Waldorf haters in the echo chambers you seem to
spend most of your life in that you have a huge disincentive to opening your
mind to ideas other than those approved by those you move amongst.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which is sad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">The Waldorf Review</span></b><span lang="EN"> Right, John.
I'm the one with the blinkers on. Meanwhile, you're at the ONE school that's
the exception. I've heard about this legendary school from lots of bliss-ninny
parents. NOT MY school... all the others maybe, but not MINE. My answer is
always the same... If your school is so great... NAME the school... let's make
it the teacher training center for ALL of Waldorf - that is, if this particular
school is so great at delivering the Waldorf promise. Name your school John...
if your experience was so great. Let's see if it's on my list, and if other
parents share your opinion about YOUR SCHOOL or if the far more likely scenario
has transpired... that you're being dishonest or are oblivious about the
problems at your school and here promoting it as if it has no problems (despite
that you acknowledged above that it does). That YOU don't see racism and
bullying (just like Waldorf teachers don't) isn't as big a shocker to readers
here as you might imagine.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">The Waldorf Review</span></b><span lang="EN"> Here's you,
John, acknowledging there are serious problems at your school: "I've seen
bad stuff at our school as well as good and I know some parents left
disaffected (and with good reason)." And then you say "But what
you're describing is not one iota akin to what I've experienced of the school
and teachers I've been involved with for almost 2 decades" - YOU YOURSELF
describe parents leaving for "good reason". How many iotas is that
worth?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">John Stumbles</span></b><span lang="EN"> Pete, <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's a joke about a shopkeeper complaining
about the number of customers who ask him for an item he's discontinued:
"How many times do I have to tell these people: there's no demand for
it?!"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You acknowledge that lots of parents have told
you that their schools are not as you claim they must be. A rational person
would question their own belief that led them to make such a generalisation.
But not you: you dismiss the parents' reports by attacking them ad hominem;
always a red flag for a dearth of rational evidence and argument.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, yes, Pete, you are the one with the blinkers
on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">The Waldorf Review</span></b><span lang="EN"> "You
acknowledge that lots of parents have told you that their schools are not as
you claim they must be." Yet, they refuse to name this magical school...
as you yourself appear to be doing. That you completely missed the point is,
again, not a shocker. What do you think I'm going to do... stand outside waving
a sign? Tell me about this school that has no problems... that ranges at times
from excellent to dysfunctional... but has no problems. People should rush to
that school John. Why keep the name a secret?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">John Stumbles</span></b><span lang="EN"> The point,
Pete, is that according to the testimony of the "lots of" parents who
have told you that their schools are not as you claim, it would seem that there
are many good Steiner-Waldorf schools, not just one "magical" one.
But since your mind is closed to the very concept of good S-W schools there's
no point in discussing them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">The Waldorf Review</span></b><span lang="EN"> As usual,
when you say "the point" you're mistaken. Here's what the point is...
Lots of parents, like you have shown us here, are willing to make fantastic
claims about schools that, in reality, aren't very fantastic... and in fact,
they are schools that do exactly what I describe. These parents can't back
their fantastic claims up by naming the school, just like you can't, because
the claims simply aren't true. Your own propensity to claim your school is
fantastic after already having said parents left for good reasons makes me
wonder about your own threshold for honesty. I'm glad you have decided there is
no point in discussing good Steiner Waldorf schools because there really aren't
any. You can certainly discuss the merits of Steiner schools... but not separate
from their inherent problems.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">John Stumbles</span></b><span lang="EN"> I didn't
claim our school was "fantastic", and I daresay the other parents who
contradicted your assertions about their schools didn't claim that theirs were
"fantastic" either. The only thing that's fantastic is your fantasies
about schools you know sweet f.a. about.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">The Waldorf Review</span></b><span lang="EN"> No, what you
said was: "I actually think that within Steiner-Waldorf education teachers
vary in their abilities from brilliant to incompetent" - but you don't
acknowledge how this plays out for students who have had the incompetent end of
the spectrum. You went on to say: "schools vary (and vary over time) from
excellent to dysfunctional" but again, don't acknowledge how this plays
out for students who are trapped in the dysfunctional schools or during
dysfunctional periods (I assume this would mean decades for some schools). You
further stated: "and there are good, bad and indifferent aspects to
Waldorf educational practice and theory" - as if such a spectrum of
educational practices is OK in some way. We've seen how "bad"
teachers can be - and how "indifferent" schools can be when children
are bullied, abused, raped and so forth... What's the "good" that
makes up for this? Stone soup? Gardening? Eurythmy? I don't have any fantasies
about Waldorf John... YOU do.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">John Stumbles </span></b><span lang="EN">Children have
been bullied, abused and even raped at all sorts of schools. Nothing like that
at ours, fortunately: the dysfunctional end of the spectrum was some
incompetent teachers and personal antagonism between teachers which the school
didn't deal with effectively. That was about 10 years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't think bad teachers or dysfunctional
schools are OK, in any sector. But it happens, in all sectors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">The Waldorf Review</span></b><span lang="EN"> "I
don't think bad teachers or dysfunctional schools are OK, in any sector. But it
happens, in all sectors." And is excusable in Waldorf... why exactly? You
may find bullying in lots of places, but not with a school-wide REASON for
allowing it. You don't find all sorts of schools hiding known rapists within
their communities for decades. These cases may not be 100% unique to Waldorf,
but they happen with a LOT more frequency in Waldorf environments because
Waldorf is built on a philosophy that allows their representatives to find
excuses for this. How do I know? I've gone to the trouble of collecting the
reviews of parents. That data set is what allows me to make these statements
with confidence. All you have is your opinion that this happens everywhere with
the same frequency - you parrot the official Waldorf line. You are far too
blinded by waving your own pom-poms to see this or the reasons behind it. I
couldn't care less. Certainly others reading this will see past your
cheer-leading.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">The Waldorf Review</span></b><span lang="EN"> <a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/.../why-waldorf">http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/.../why-waldorf</a>...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">John Stumbles</span></b><span lang="EN"> "they
happen with a LOT more frequency in Waldorf environments"<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Evidence (figures of relative frequencies from
reputable sources) or STFU.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">The Waldorf Review</span></b><span lang="EN"> But John,
Waldorf doesn't report these things - how is anyone supposed to compile
evidence? Sure, we have incidents of kids catching on fire, and being spit on
by teachers, but we both know Waldorf schools hide the worst incidents - and overlook
things like bullying... so how can we know the full extent of the problems? We
have a good indicator at The Waldorf Review - with how frequently parents
complain about these things - and I'm told there are people at work going
through the reviews and compiling the data - so we will have an answer to your
question (as far as known reviews are concerned). But Waldorf chooses its
victims carefully. Sadly, children don't speak up often enough. When a Waldorf
school was forced to open their doors to investigators, after a student became
an adult and spoke up, they found rapists, pedophiles, gropers, and child
pornographers among their top teachers - and other teachers who knew about them
and kept silent while these monsters lived among the community - the worst next
to a day care center. <a href="http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/.../green-meadow">http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/.../green-meadow</a>...
Teachers hide this stuff. This isn't a one-off school... it's a top old,
established Waldorf school in the USA. They train teachers who end up in the
UK... to cover this stuff up too. Dishonesty is what Waldorf is famous for.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN">John Stumbles</span></b><span lang="EN"> So you don't
have figures for the incidence of sexual abuse in Waldorf schools. Do you have
figures for prevalence in state-funded schools? Or other independent schools
(because I'm sure those are really quick to publicise any bad stuff going on)?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No, I thought not. So your claim about "a
LOT more frequency in Waldorf environments" is simply another lie you made
up to support your bigoted anti-Waldorf agenda.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A lie Peter: you claim that Waldorf schools tell
lies, and get very indignant about it, but you tell lies yourself. It's hard to
believe a word you say.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN" style="background-color: white;">The Waldorf Review</span></b><span lang="EN"><span style="background-color: white;"> LMAO!
Right... it sounds like somebody's projecting - and hoping readers won't
notice. I never lie John. Here's the part you ignored "Waldorf is built on
a philosophy that allows their representatives to find excuses for this."
I hate to draw examples from the Catholic church hiding pedophiles within their
ranks, but this is exactly what Waldorf is doing. A business model would get
rid of bad teachers (they're bad for business) - a religious model hides them -
even promotes them. That's not a lie John, that's a fact. There is the very truthful
reason why there is a lot more frequency of abuse in Waldorf environments... It
is ALLOWED TO HAPPEN. That Waldorf representatives lie is a fact too - they
have done this countless times and been caught at it. Their guru, Steiner, TOLD
THEM TO LIE TO PARENTS. It's documented many times. But no worries... You
obviously don't know Steiner's material, and so you don't understand what you
think you do. When documents say racist things, you insist they are saying the
exact opposite. When teachers do bad things, you say it's part of a wider
spectrum of acceptable (to you) teaching techniques. You don't even know what
you yourself have written from one post to the next. You are simply here to
tell any lie about Waldorf schools you think might stick - hoping you may get
one or two parents who are skimming this material and not following the links.
Again, I don't lie John. I don't need to. </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN"><span style="background-color: white; color: #38761d;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN"><span style="background-color: white; color: #38761d;">Update: After I posted this, John posted back on Facebook, challenging me to put up his post. I love challenges:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><b>John Stumbles</b> Pete you're weaselling: you make, and then repeat, a statement based not on any factual evidence but solely on your bigoted beliefs, and you present it as fact. That is craven dishonesty.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Care to include that statement on your website too?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">And on the subject of your despicable website the publishing of material presuming the guilt of someone who has been accused but not convicted of any offence might in some jurisdictions be considered prejudicial to a fair trial and contempt of court. And publishing the accused's home address and a photograph of their house might be considered incitement to vigilante action.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">I think that speaks to your respect for the law.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">It's hard to credit accusations against Waldorf people when they come from someone ethically bankrupt.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><b>The Waldorf Review</b> Sure, I'll tack on your comment. No worries. I'll reply to it too. Guilt doesn't require waiting for a conviction. When somebody admits he has done something, but the law hasn't convicted him, it doesn't undo what happened. But hey, good job of standing by and supporting the plight of the pedophiles and child pornographers. As you have admitted, you have no problem turning the other cheek for problematic teachers - even when other parents don't.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><br /></span>
</span><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love how John is using the "innocent until proven guilty" defense against pedophiles who have themselves admitted their guilt - and yet suggests I'm the one who is "ethically bankrupt". </span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></span></span></div>
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PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268549717815146574.post-50549180588002516792014-08-03T08:06:00.000-07:002014-08-03T08:06:05.575-07:00Steiner Waldorf Schools Federation Public Relations Memo<div class="tr_bq">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Steiner Public Relations: Standing Together: </span></b><br />In just a few years since its inception, the Steiner Waldorf PR Group has met in London at Steiner House and at our schools in Kings Langley, York and Forest Row. Initiated by Alan Swindell before he took the post of Principal at Exeter Steiner Academy, we are delighted that our next meeting later this year will be held there as we continue our work together. </blockquote>
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PR meetings have been a space to share best practice with colleagues and to brainstorm ways in which we can better work together to be a more effective voice in British education. We have shared advertising in targeted publications including The Green Parent and The Guardian as well as shared representation at school trade fairs. This has significantly reduced our marketing costs as we have received preferential rates on advertising space, but perhaps more importantly, has woven an invisible thread of connection and community between us. </blockquote>
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Our work has not just been limited to meetings. Working with email groups of up to fifty people, it has been necessary to outline clear and accountable processes with previously agreed timeframes to ensure that all the goodwill, ideas and expertise in our schools is channelled constructively into definitive actions and outcomes. Perhaps similar to how mandates work for those of us familiar with them. As a result, the PR Group has gone from strength to strength. The willingness of colleagues to engage whole-heartedly with the process and to work with sincerity has made the experience of working together both inspiring and a pleasure to be a part of. </blockquote>
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Our latest campaign “Ripple Day” is another initiative that has arisen from our group. Research from the schools reflects clearly that word of mouth referrals are our greatest source of new leads for prospective parents and pupils. To this end, we have circulated “Ripple Day” leaflets to parents in nineteen of the schools who have wholeheartedly stepped on board. This campaign also goes live on Ripple Day - Friday 18th October, where posts will be shared across our various social media networks, including facebook and twitter. The aim is clear - to raise awareness of Steiner Waldorf Education in the UK. </blockquote>
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The call to action is to invite parents, colleagues and friends to like our “Imagine a School Where,” facebook page. This is an independently created community space sharing inspirational messages as well as highlighting the benefits of a Steiner Waldorf education. It is also a space to celebrate and support children to just be children! Please do “like” the page and help us spread the word.<br /></blockquote>
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If you have any brilliant ideas to help get our message out there, we would love to hear from you. Please email pr@steinerwaldorf.org<br />Priya Mahtani </blockquote>
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The SWSF are pleased that Priya has taken on our facebook page and look forward to working with her. We are concerned that since Alan left we have not been able to replace him due to financial restrictions. We see a need for training for those in schools working in this area, also seed money to support the work being done by the PR Group and welcome donations to enable this to happen. </blockquote>
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PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268549717815146574.post-25951201472862500862014-08-01T15:21:00.000-07:002014-09-04T06:27:52.059-07:00New Zealand Steiner Teacher talks about colonization<div class="tr_bq">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbfM-LoUPvW1cDnCWM2TS-0L7RV66yDAVj0GdROO7V0t1WvtnQvPCe8LeW2BmW0DiW3_piK3NvqHbfBmJSxL5vUz7uaO4qmGw8syonyINYJX7Wc1wsnwSzAB5qPRlu-btOhsHpL756FCw5/s1600/rawle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbfM-LoUPvW1cDnCWM2TS-0L7RV66yDAVj0GdROO7V0t1WvtnQvPCe8LeW2BmW0DiW3_piK3NvqHbfBmJSxL5vUz7uaO4qmGw8syonyINYJX7Wc1wsnwSzAB5qPRlu-btOhsHpL756FCw5/s1600/rawle.jpg" height="200" width="123" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colin Rawle<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">There seems to be mounting evidence of systemic racism in Waldorf and Steiner schools around the world. Here is a blog describing the recent racism at the Te Ra school - an excellent read. It identifies a veteran Waldorf <strike>teacher </strike>lecturer who has spewed some interesting writings since the Te Ra incident. I've added a few of his views from before the incident as well. </span></div>
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<a href="http://readingthemaps.blogspot.com/2014/08/steiner-teachers-and-racism-tale-of-two.html">http://readingthemaps.blogspot.com/2014/08/steiner-teachers-and-racism-tale-of-two.html</a><br />
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From the blog:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"><a href="http://www.listener.co.nz/commentary/letters/letters-august-9-2014/" style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">In a letter</a> published on the <i>Listener's</i> website, Simpson insists that accusations of racism at Steiner schools are 'ridiculous'. Simpson will admit that 'a small number' of Steiner's writings contain racist ideas, but she claims that the 'essence' of his philosophy is 'the opposite of racist'. Today's Steiner teachers are, according to Simpson, paragons of anti-racism.</span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"><b>On the same day that Simpson's confident denials of racism turned up on the <i>Listener's</i> website, though, another important figure in the Steiner schools movement published an epistle of his own in the <i>Otago Daily Times</i>. Colin Rawle is a veteran Steiner teacher who has worked at many of the movement's New Zealand institutions, and is currently attached to Dunedin's school. Rawle is also a long-time member of the New Zealand Anthroposophical Society, and is listed as a Dunedin contact person on the outfit's website.</b></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"><a href="http://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/opinion/311033/languages-have-natural-life" style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">In his letter</a> to the <i>Otago Daily Times</i>, Rawle predicts the imminent extinction of the Maori language, and delights at the prospect. Echoing the words that Steiner used about indigenous peoples like the American Indians, Rawle argues that not only te reo Maori but the whole of Maori culture belongs to an older, more primitive era, and should be left to die. Rawle calls advocates of Maori culture 'malcontents', and warns that 'the old mentality or consciousness' that te reo Maori expresses is 'the very last thing that modern cosmopolitan societies want'. </span></span></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d;">From the letter linked above dated July 30, 2014 by Colin Rawle:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 0.9em; margin-top: 0.5em;">
<i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How many past civilisations, races and languages have synthesised and evolved to become the modern language and culture we know as English?<br />And this too shall pass, ''in its season''.</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 0.9em; margin-top: 0.5em;">
<i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The demise of ancient cultures should neither be hastened nor prolonged, but be allowed to pass in dignity and gratitude and not be kept artificially alive as humiliating caricatures of their former reality - especially at the cost of untold millions of taxpayers' dollars, every cent of which could be put to better use.</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 0.9em; margin-top: 0.5em;">
<i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Are we to assume that ''dumbing down'' has succeeded to the point that we moderns are now completely ignorant of once well-known facts?<br />If the present-day part-Maori agitators possessed any trace of the spiritual wisdom they pretend to, they would know that it is the fruits of the past which we carry forward with us into the future, not the trappings.<br /><span style="line-height: 1.4em;"></span></span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 0.9em; margin-top: 0.5em;">
<i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;"><b>Such malcontents have no wish to arrive at the truth since they know this will not be to their advantage.</b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> </span></i></blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d;">Back to the blog: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"><i>Th</i>is is not the first time Rawle has shared his views on race relations with the </span><i style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Otago Daily Times</i><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">. In a series of letters over recent years, he has bemaoned the backwardness and ungenerosity of Maori, and hailed the honesty and charity of Pakeha and the British Crown. </span><a href="http://www.grownups.co.nz/discuss/show/id/5854" style="color: #999966; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">In a 2012 letter</a><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">, for instance, he suggested that 'the only proper, rational attitude that Maori can have toward British colonisation is the deepest possible gratitude'. </span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d;">There is so much good stuff here that directly relates to Steiner's ideas about the races. Again, read the blog and follow the links.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">This </span><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="http://www.anthroposophy.org.nz/~anthropo/files/u27/Sphere_03_2009_B.pdf">http://www.anthroposophy.org.nz/~anthropo/files/u27/Sphere_03_2009_B.pdf</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">is a link to a document by Rawle about political correctness (p10)</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">P.C.’s multi-culturalism and diversity campaign, therefore, is at least two-fold in its purpose. Its first intent is to overwhelm and neutralise orthodox Christianity with a plethora of non-Christian religions. The second is typical of left-wing utopianism in that it always tries to prematurely impose social conditions (in this case, <b>forced mass racial/cultural/tribal/religious integration</b>) which can only harmoniously develop in the fullness of time, and in the context of suitable threefold social structures. In the spirit of the Ahrimanic 666 A.D/ Gondishapur impulse, P.C. tries to drag us prematurely and disastrously into a future state of being for which we are unprepared (evil being the consequence of things that are out of place and/or out of time)</span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Christianity can never be finally eradicated. It is certainly possible for Christianity to live and work in governments, bureaucracies, political parties, or any other type of organisation, but it first must live in human hearts and here lies the hope for the<br />future. <b>Therefore, it behoves those who understand these things to carry the seeds of true Christian civilisation over the blood and ashes of its destructive impersonators to the dawn of a new day.</b> The antidote to our present social ills is to be found in rousing and applying those dormant faculties which have the power to instantly recognise evil, throw a clarifying light on the real meaning and purpose of modern natural science, and, at the same time, take us confidently into the future. </i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>And yet, having discussed all this, it remains true that such opposition to the proper course of human evolution is after all, necessary. ‘Evil’ as we know, has its task. It should been seen as a challenge – an anvil upon which we either forge our true<br />humanity – or do not. But, seen it must be if we are not to be wrecked upon it. Opposition and anvils must be recognised as opposition and anvils. Only then can ‘evil’ fulfill its appointed mission. The true nature of P.C. is not nearly enough recognised, and the unrecognised evils of today become the catastrophes of tomorrow.</i></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #38761d;">UPDATE:</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">OK, so to be fair, let's see what Steiner had to say about colonization:</span><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #783f04;">"But all such questions are illuminated as soon as we recognize the<br />nature of the spiritual essence which lies at the back of our blood. Who<br />can deny that this question is closely linked to that of race, which at<br />the present time is once more coming markedly to the front? <b>Yet this<br />question of race is one that we can never understand until we understand<br />the mysteries of the blood and of the results accruing from the<br />mingling of the blood of different races. </b>And finally, there is yet one<br />other question, the importance of which is becoming more and more acute<br />as we endeavor to extricate ourselves from the hitherto aimless methods<br />of dealing with it, and seek to approach it in its more comprehensive<br />bearings. <b>This problem is that of colonisation, which crops up wherever<br />civilised races come into contact with the uncivilised: namely — To what<br />extent are uncivilised peoples capable of becoming civilised? How can a<br />Negro or an utterly barbaric savage become civilised?</b> And in what way<br />ought we to deal with them? And here we have to consider not only the<br />feelings due to a vague morality, but we are also confronted by great,<br />serious, and vital problems of existence itself. Those who are not aware<br />of the conditions governing a people — whether it be on the up- or<br />down-grade of its evolution, and whether the one or the other is a<br />matter conditioned by its blood — such people as these will, indeed, be<br />unlikely to hit on the right mode of introducing civilisation to an<br />alien race. These are all matters which arise as soon as the Blood<br />Question is touched upon."</span><br />(Rudolf Steiner, The Occult Significance of Blood, Theosophical Publishing Company 1912, 13)</blockquote>
PeteKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04639360954653184378noreply@blogger.com11