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Monday, January 2, 2012

Local Schools Network 3

Should the state be funding schools which were founded by a racist mystic?

My comments:

Highland Hall Waldorf School in Northridge CA taught my child in physiology class that the blood of the white race is more evolved than the blood of other races. When I questioned this, they replied that this was “out of Africa” theory. Several meetings and discussions ensued after which it became clear they weren’t about to back off their lesson… claiming “none of the children took anything racist away from the lesson”. Obviously, my own child was troubled enough to question his lesson. Waldorf does not believe it is a racist concept that a spirit-individual “advances” through the races until incarnation in the ultimate, white race. Most people, when confronted with that type of thinking would, indeed, recognize it as blatant racism. Anthroposophists believe they are above racism. They are NOT!
http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2009-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2010-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=4
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Dany Darling wrote: “There are many systems which were originally se-up by someone with dodgy/racist/sexist beliefs (the British Government for example), but unless those beliefs are currently held, you’re wasting your time trying to stir up offences that don’t exist.”
Please read my comment above – where racism was taught to my child. These offensive racist ideas DO exist and are right in the Waldorf curriculum… they were taught DIRECTLY to my child. This isn’t imaginary – it happened, the lesson was documented when it happened, and there are witnesses to and records of the subsequent meetings surrounding this “lesson”. Highland Hall taught RACISM AS SCIENTIFIC FACT. Not 100 years ago… NOW.
Yes, racist beliefs are CURRENTLY HELD by Waldorf – and they are taught to prospective Waldorf teachers – right in teacher training. In fact, you CAN’T be a Waldorf teacher if you don’t treat children with different physical characteristics – IN ACCORDANCE WITH THEIR PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS. It’s what Waldorf teachers are TRAINED to do – TODAY! Please read up on Waldorf before assuming there is nothing to what people here are complaining about.
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A sound education said:
About a black child:
“He has many, many white friends through being at a school that respects each individual for who she or he is.”
Um… ya think being in a predominately white school might have had something to do with it?
“Two families we know withdrew their children last year to send them to a school that is ten times as famous (and charges twice as much); both are bringing their children back after half a year away, because the education was simply better at the Steiner school.”
If the education was so good, why did they withdraw their children in the first place?
What typically happens is, parents realize how much they are caught up in the school. Their kid’s Waldorf friends abandon them in a short time, and so do their own Waldorf friends. Their social circle suddenly collapses.
And, unfortunately, their children cannot adapt to anything else… they are completely LOST in any other type of educational system.
In Steiner schools the younger children, especially, are NOT treated as individuals at all. Younger children have difficulties transferring to other schools. Besides being behind in academics (they ALWAYS are), those with learning disabilities are often discovering them for the first time. And, let’s face it… they tend to appear “odd” in non-Waldorf environments – often having had no exposure to media for example. Is it any wonder Waldorf kids don’t “fit” in other schools?
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The bottom line is – and I find it repugnant that people can make these choices for their unsuspecting children… but… If you want a quasi-religious, or pseudo-scientific, or spiritually racist education for your child… Please don’t try to justify state funding for such nonsense… PAY FOR IT YOURSELF!
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@TheBee – Sune, you are never honest, and I’m pretty sure I’ve even caught you lying right here. BTW, please don’t threaten to punch me in the face as you did at Wikipedia. Before you suggest Waldorf people don’t threaten parents, remember that you made a public threat of personal bodily harm – to me (anyone can look this up… still..).
You said about shutting down criticism at Mumsnet.com “I did it as a private person, only representing myself and noone else, as always when I participate in discussions or write on the net.”
Now, we also have a letter from Mumsnet that you wrote. In it (see Cathy’s post above) it said: “If I see her posting promotion of libel at Mumsnet once more, I won’t tell you about it, but ask Percy Bratt of Bratt and Feinsilber in Sweden to contact you in cooperation with the legal representatives of The Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship in the UK and Ireland
(http://www.steinerwaldorf.org/index.html), about your negligent way of allowing libel to be published at Mumsnet and the one who is the
most fervent publisher of it to continue to publish at Mumsnet.”
Now, Sune, you specifically say your legal representation (P. Bratt) represents or works in cooperation with The Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship in the UK and Ireland. That is NOT the work of an individual… sorry.
So… it’s one or the other… Were you lying when you said your attorney represents the Waldorf Fellowship in the UK, or were you lying when you said you work as an individual when you threaten posters? Did you lie about not representing Waldorf then, or are you lying about having posted as an individual now? It really doesn’t matter which time you lied does it? Your credibility is GONE!
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Sune Nordwall wrote:
“Do Steiner waldorf schools encourage freedom of expression and individuality as Dany Darling writes?”
“That is also the expressed view of Jennifer Aniston, former Steiner Waldorf pupil, Julianna Margulies, actress, former Waldorf student and probably many other present and former Steiner Waldorf pupils.
OK, I challenge you Sune. Where have Jennifer Aniston and Julianna Margulies expressed this view? Can you point us to some publication, some television broadcast, a blog, some tweet perhaps… where Jennifer Aniston and Julianna Margulies have expressed this view? For you to say they have “expressed” this view, you must certainly be able to tell us where, right? I have spoken with Julianna’s sister, Alexandra, BTW, and she is indeed on record saying positive things about Waldorf (even the openly racist Highland Hall). But that’s not who we’re talking about. So where can we read the expressed views of Jennifer and Julianna? Thanks in advance.
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BTW, I see quotes from both these people on your website… but you don’t indicate where you harvested these quotes. Maybe you didn’t invent them yourself… but since your credibility has diminished, I’d like to see the sources for these. Thanks!
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