Highland Hall - Raising Killer Bees on Campus

Friday, September 6, 2013

Where the bees SHOULDN'T BE!

Highland Hall has employed someone on campus to raise bees...

http://www.timesofisrael.com/how-to-catch-a-spiritual-buzz/

Not honey bees... African bees!  While I'm certain this man is well-meaning, anyone who has read my blog knows that idiots are abundant in Waldorf environments.  From the article linked above:

“These honey bees have African genes, which means they’ll swarm to defend themselves if they feel in danger. You have to approach the hives calmly and carefully,” he explains softly as he sprays smoke into several wooden boxes before peeking inside. “I inspect the hives every few weeks to make sure they are ok.”

Notice, the guy is wearing a protective suit... head to toe with head gear, gloves and so forth.  Safety first.  I happen to know Highland Hall... and I can tell you the lower school playground (1st - 3rd grade) is on the other side of the wooden fence where the bee hives are.  

http://www.webpronews.com/30000-killer-bees-attack-couple-kill-horses-2013-07  "A Texas couple was attacked by what is being described as a swarm of 30,000 killer bees. "  July 29, 2013

http://planetsave.com/2013/07/30/bee-attack-africanized-killer-bees-attack-people-in-texas-kill-their-horses/

Two dead horses, five dead hens, and their owner with a couple hundred bee stings — that’s the end result of a recent bee attack in Texas. The bees in question initiated the attack on Kristen Beauregard and her animals shortly after she had finished exercising the two horses on Wednesday afternoon — according to Beauregard, the attack was completely unprovoked, her and her animals were nowhere near the hive at the time.

http://houston.culturemap.com/news/city_life/08-06-13-summer-of-killer-bees-aggressive-swarms-plague-texas-leaving-one-dead-and-many-others-injured/

Texas has been making national headlines since early June, when a 62-year-old farmer from the Waco area was fatally attacked by a swarm of 40,000 killer bees after he disrupted a hive near an old chicken coop. The expert charged with removing the nest told area reporters that although the sub-species is still rare, he had spotted at least fives hives in the last month.

And the strange bee incidents keep coming:

• A woman in Pasadena nearly died on June 18 after bumping into a hive while mowing her lawn,
• In Arlington, a couple was severely injured on July 27 as they unsuccessfully attempted to save their two miniature horses from roughly 30,000 killer bees,
• A Cypress family discovered mores than 100,000 honey bees living in a front yard tree,
• In north Houston on Aug. 1, a dog named Ace was killed by a swarm while an elderly person was sent to the hospital. Days later, hundreds of thousands of bees were removed from a nearby oak tree, along with 250 pounds of honey.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/huge-swarm-killer-bees-attack-texas-man-3000/story?id=19314956

The family of a Texas man attacked and killed by a huge swarm of Africanized killer bees said Larry Goodwin suffered more than 3,000 stings and collapsed as he was apparently trying to reach a hydrant to wash off the bees.

http://www.kgun9.com/news/local/162318866.html

Bees were attacking workers near discarded trailers and trucks at the scrapyard. It all started when 75-year-old Ramon Figueroa Rascon was helping to clean up trash and debris. Little did he know when he moved an old tire, he would disturb a bee hive underneath.

Nogales Fire Dept. Division Chief Gerry Castro said, "We received a call that several people were being attacked by bees."
 
But firefighters had a battle on their hands because these were not just any ordinary bees -- they were Africanized "killer" bees.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/09/bees-sting-man_n_1759824.html

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas -- A 40-year-old warehouse worker has been stung more than 300 times after accidentally disturbing a massive colony of Africanized bees in Central Texas.

http://www.westernfreepress.com/2012/08/02/more-killer-bee-attacks-in-phoenix/

Some experts don’t like the term “killer bees,” as it evokes B-horror movies about giant ants, marauding tomatoes, or blobs that ate things. But honestly, what else does one call the africanized honeybee? After all, they swarm and kill.

I'm certain Highland Hall's irresponsibility with regard to the safety of children comes as no big surprise to many of us. Sure, the world needs bees... but there's a place for everything. Raising African "killer" bees has its place. But no reasonable person would suggest that place is on a campus full of children. The articles above show these bees can attack without provocation or warning. With the playground just over the wall, it's amazing there hasn't been news of an attack yet. Clearly, it's only a matter of time before a child or group of children are harmed.

Waldorf School Testimonials

This article has generated a lot of testimonials from people who have been associated with Waldorf schools.  Here are a few of them:

crunchycat
26 May 2012 10:58PM

I do not think this means what you think it means.

I thought the Steiner theories would interest me, thirty years ago when my kids were little. I didn't read a few exerpts. I read his books on education, I read the training materials for his teachers, and I listened to contemporaries who sent their kids to the schools. You may have had an excellent subjective experience with the schools- that does nothing to change or moderate my opinion of his idiotic, uninformed, and downright wrong theories about children, life, the universe, and how everything works. You might as well induct them into the New Order of the Golden Dawn, or Scientology, or the maunderings of Swedenborg.

incudine

26 May 2012 9:41PM

I am a demonstrator at a farm museum where we were visited by a Steiner school once. I have never met such an obnoxious bunch of children in all my life and recommended to the management that they accept no further visits from said school. I should add that I am blacksmith and one time RAF pilot so well used to the more robust side of life but those children were something else.

cathyandfamily

26 May 2012 8:47PM

Our children went to a Steiner school until the penny dropped about the reasons why certain things were taught and done in a particular way; we whipped them out sharpish.....(and yes, attempts were made to change left handedness of one of our children, and as far as I know at this particular school I know two other left handed children who they have tried with recently too, so this is apparently still going on)
If anyone has any doubts about anthroposphy in the classroom, read the teacher training reading list and course content...... Jeevan Vasagar certainly should have:
http://ukanthroposophy.wordpress.com/plymreadinglists/
http://www.waldorftraining.org.uk/courses.html
School isn't a place where karma, past lives and consulting with angels should play any part in making judgements or decision about children, let alone their education. If Steiner's work  wasn't referred to so comprehensively in all areas of these schools, from the shape of the typeface to the colours on the walls, not to mention the content of the curriculum, it would be less alarming.
I understand that immersion into Steiner's beliefs is a staged process, and teachers are exposed to his more new age beliefs before gradually invited to study his more unusual creeds. It's more like a path of initiation than an education system. "Some are caught so it's worth the feeders who slip by" was how someone put it.
Within school communities,  angels, astral bodies and karma are "normalised". While I don't  think for a moment that the schools are full of racist bigots, to normalise connections between skin colour, eye colour and spiritual  advancement can never be far away, however gentle and spiritual the  sentiment. The schools are quite open about classifying the children  by medieval temperament,  which includes their body shape, pallor  and  physiognomy, and use these as tools  to help in their "child study"  sessions. In my view this is dangerous, anti-theraputic, anti  scientific, anti-intellectual and luminously wrong.

Helensf

26 May 2012 2:48AM

Response to JonathanKent, 25 May 2012 9:11PM

I went to a Steiner school and a girl in my class was left-handed but forced to write with her right. She was taken to the doctor to prove that she could use her right but was just choosing to use her 'wrong' hand. However this was twenty years ago so I would hope things have changed

restlessSF

25 May 2012 11:48PM

I worry a bit on Steiner schools as the perfect breeding ground for almost disappeared contagious diseases: measles, rubella, mumps, whooping cough, they could even bring tetanus back, with their love of gardening and walks in the forest. This because the view of steinerians, and of most of the parents that choose this schools, regarding vaccination is that is something dangerous, to be avoided in favour of a more "olistic" approach.
A sentence like this:"A reductionist biology which states or implies that the human body is a machine … is not one which nourishes the adolescent's deepest concerns. The current theories are just that – theories. They have not been in existence long and though presented as 'truth' they will inevitably change" should be enough to exclude the Steiner schools from every form of state help, I don't want my tax money to pay this. Thanks.
PS: Actually the bit I about changing theories is very interesting, it shows clearly how they just don't get the essence of the scientific method. Of course theories will change in time: In science a theory is valid untill somebody "falsifies" it with a repeatable experiment, and proposes a new one, that will then stay valid until somebody else will falsify it. Mind you, some theories are pretty hard to falsify...
There is no absolute truth, it is not religion.

Saff

25 May 2012 10:35PM

I was considering studying to become a Steiner nursery teacher when I read the website for the training college and came across a case study of a school which said - the teacher plays the lute while the angels lulled the children to sleep. I couldn't do it - as an alternative primary level education I think Montessori is better, it has an extremely well developed, intelligent maths curriculum and materials, science, geography, well designed reading and writing methods and materials, good geography materials (check out the trinomial and binomial cube from the maths materials and you can see the woman was a genius) and curriculum as well as all that creative/alternative stuff parents are looking for that seems to be lacking in mainstream. In a good montessori school children can get both and not miss out on the solid learning they need to survive in the world. In that sense it is more balanced than Steiner.

MrTubs

25 May 2012 9:58PM

I grew up near a Steiner school (near Gloucester) and had lots of friends who had attended it. Many had real problems adjusting to thr world...getting and holding down work, dealing with the reality of everyday life. They would often struggle emotionally and underachive. However I have brother with developmental disabilities who could not cope with state school and would have benefitted by being at a Steiner school.

 JavaJive

25 May 2012 9:22PM

I love almost all of the approaches of Steiner education, the gentleness, the softness and the humanity.
But I cannot send my kids to a school that demeans science - not the technology, but the process - as I have discovered in my life that the understanding of the natural world offered by science is one of the most beautiful of human achievements. I include Darwin and Einstein as part of this endless human project.
If you read Steiner's book the Kingdom of Childhood, he dismisses General Relatively with what I took to be a strong done of anti-semitism. Even with that issue aside, I have studied Relatively and its it one of the wonders of the human world - alongside the greatest art and literature.
Perhaps one day the Steiner movement will start to think for itself and modernise, not normalise, but incorporate the best of human values with the best and highest of all human achievement.
The you would have a real human force to reckon with. In hope... Dr Ben Lane (ex plain theoretical physicist now environmental technologist).

diotavelli

25 May 2012 9:17PM

Response to 0800, 25 May 2012 8:49PM

Look at how Steiner kids end up as adults. Are they evil, damaged, misinformed, ignorant, unhappy, unemployable, bored, suicidal, miserable, anti-social, zealots etc?

Yep, I know a family of three siblings, now in their thirties, all Steiner educated. One committed suicide a few years back. One is a recovering addict. The other is now a research scientist but talks passionately about her "wasted years", struggling to reach the level of her comprehensively-educated peers so as to get research posts and funding.
The suggestion that no kid who had a Steiner education didn't have a difficult life subsequently is fatuous and ridiculous.
You are quite obviously an idiot.

intandem

25 May 2012 9:12PM

I chose a Steiner school for the Kindergarten years, because I considered that a 4 year old didn't need to learn to read / write and research the internet for facts on bees. They could learn about bees by encountering them (experiential learning) and their time was much better spent playing freely in a beautiful environment and cared for by teachers who cared for them as human beings.
The problem I saw was that, once a child hits the 'classes' (age 6 and a half-7) the esoteric aspects of the education become too much and undermine a perfectly lovely way of teaching. i.e. Steiner schools are non-denominational, but really... they are based on Anthroposophy, which is the science of man from an esoteric point of view. The problem is that they wouldn't admit it. As an insider in the school, I once heard a senior teacher admit that 'we can't tell the parents that the education is based on Esoteric Christianity'. So the main issue for me was that they weren't being honest. This deceit was my main reason for taking my children out.

JonathanKent

25 May 2012 9:11PM

I've been interested in Steiner education since interviewing someone who went on to be a well known author who went to the Steiner school in Forest Row in Sussex. She couldn't read until she was 12 or 13, something she says she was never made to feel was a problem, but went on to write several very well thought of novels.
However recently I talked to someone else who went to the Forest Row school who said that left handed children were made to write with their right hand while holding a crystal in their left. That struck me as ante-diluvian, a realthrowback to Steiner education's 1920s roots, if true.
Has anyone else encountered this? If so I couldn't send my child to such a place

Parent Dodges Bullet - Avoids Waldorf School

http://www.mothering.com/community/t/683104/life-after-waldorf-a-support-group/1\
60

"OH how relieved I am. For weeks and weeks, I have felt SOOO alone in my
disturbing disapproval of Waldorf. For me, our wounds, tho fresh, are VERY small
compared to the other blessed mothers here.. My DS was "considered for
admission" into our local WS. We attended the "teacher evaluation" and
"observation" with great hopes that he would be a good fit for the school. Boy
were we wrong. First off, I was met with GREAT disapproval that I did not bring
my husband along on the interview. He works a FULL week and we could not afford
for him to miss any time. When I mentioned my younger son being at home with a
neighbor, the teacher seemed put off that he also was not included in the
interview. I was shocked to hear this, seeing as how I expected the interview to
focus mainly on my son. Oh how wrong I was. The teacher gave me a pitiful tour
of the school and then sat me down for what turned into a 90 minute
interrogation into our family life. She asked me personal questions I would
never have imagined to be asked at a school interview. She paid little attention
to my son and seemed totally uninterested in his questions and conversation.
Immediately the questions about his "TV time" began. She asked me how much he
watched.. I felt shamed to admit that he watched about three hours a week. She
grilled me about his diet, my diet, our home, our spiritual practices, the
festivals/holidays we observe. She went on an on for over an hour and a half. I
felt violated and shamed for every answer I gave.. I can't even explain it.

At the end of the interview, she showed me her classroom and then walked away..
She gave no formal goodbye or anything. So odd. I was flabbergasted. Yet, I
still believed and went home struggling with my pain."

"My horizons have broadened so. What bothers me so deeply about the school and
the anthro lifestyle is how "sneaky" it all felt to me. sure, the facade of the
Waldorf education is lovely and covered in silk (haha) but inside of it, there
is so much that is shrouded in mystery and quiet. this bothers me. I, myself
have survived several "religious" groups. I am recovering still from those. the
idea of the anthro lifestyle is exciting, but the reality sends chills to my
bones and echoes past pain..

to continue my story..

after my interview, my DH and I decided to give it a try. we'd see if the school
was a good fit for DS despite what we felt in our guts. we were so in love with
the idea of him being in what we considered to be such a wholesome environment
that we began making preparations to make HUGE financial sacrifices to send him
to the school. our initial ouput was just under a thousand US to enroll him. we
liquidated part of a 401K and drained our savings. we were totally ready to
front the money to the school..

then DH went to see the school.

let me say up front I have only ever seen two diff. W schools. this one and
another one (both fledgling schools at best)... neither of them were really
impressive to be honest. but DH was appalled at the school. the school is held
in a church as they have no proper land/building of their own. the rooms are
borrowed. in short, the facility was far below acceptable for what we would have
been paying to send DS to this school.

going home that night Dh and I had what I call a "come to Jesus" moment about
the school. we both admitted our "addiction to crunchiness" and our deep hope
our son would grow in such a hippie dippie school. but as we added up the costs,
we started to grow weary. no TV, no juice boxes, no more teaching him to read
(something we had been doing very well with).. limited time with "outsiders"..
new 'holidays' and festivals. new ideals we were squeamish to integrate into our
son's mind.

we prayed for guidance. going to my knees begging God to help me either let go
completely or jump in. still the next day I felt no peace. ironically, we got a
phone call two days after DH had toured the school from another preschool we had
considered for our DS saying he had a spot if he wanted it and they were excited
to meet us. in contrast, the initial financial output for that school was only
about 200 bucks.. a stark contrast to the thousand we were about to hand over..

not long after that, we got our "accepatance pack" complete with HUGE piles of
paperwork about "media" agreements, nutritional guidelines, a massive calendar
of meetings/fests/parent groups.. all of which were to be part of our
"experience" with the W community.

DH drew the line in the sand, saying he completely disagreed with the W
philosophies (thank GOD!) and did not want DS enrolled there. I was at a loss,
but sent letter to them declining our acceptance.

Following that, I received an email from the director stating that our son was
to be "integrated in" to the current student population and they were sad to
have lost the opportunity to school him. I returned her email thanking her,
though bewildered that my son would be "integrated" at all.

What followed was a series of strange emails with pushy questions about why we
were "walking away from such a great chance" and "rejecting this opportunity.."
I stopped replying and decided enough was enough..

A few weeks ago (about two months since my last email with the director) I ran
into a mom at yoga whom I knew had her son enrolled at the school. I casually
mentioned our initial interest and how we declined the acceptance. I watched as
tears filled her eyes. She told me of how she had pulled her son from the school
due to bullying, strange teacher behavior and mounting doubts over the stability
of the school. She was uncomfortable with the amount of time her son was made to
stay outside, even in inclement weather. She was weary of the stringent
nutritional guidelines and was tired of forcing her child to bed at such early
hours. She went on to reveal how much money they had sacrificed and lost to send
him to school only two half days a week because he could not "adjust" to the
full week. We talked for over an hour. I felt so sad for her.. It's not the only
story I have heard..

So, in short, though my wounds are fresh. I still have nothing in compare to the
pain many of you have experienced. I consider myself to have truly "dodged a
bullet". My son is now enrolled in another school and we are excited to send him
to school with a juice box."

Waldorf Student Shares Sad Story

http://www.mothering.com/community/t/368640/a-safe-healthy-haven-waldorf-questio\
ners-concerns-thread

"I guess I will share my experience with Waldorf here in case it helps anyone
looking for more information. Of course every Waldorf school is unique and my
experience is unique as well.

I attended Waldorf in grade 6. My family had just moved out to BC and heard bad
things about the local public schools and I was all set to enroll in one year
into a private Baha'i school so we just had one year until then.

Because I had gone through years in the public school system and was learning
reading with my mom at home even before we started it at school, I was very
shocked at suddenly being immersed in such a different style of learning.

We had no books, we never read in class or for homework. A class usually
consisted of the teacher giving a lecture and we could draw pictures or write
what he or she said. 2 kids in my class of 9 could not read at all, they were
the 2 who had gone through Waldorf from kindergarden age. Math class was drawing
shapes in our sketchbooks and also one time I remember nailing little nails into
a sheet of plywood and wrapping yarn around them to make it look like a star.

It was very hard to learn French and German because we couldn't practice reading
from a text at school or at home. Our teacher would say words and we'd repeat
them. That's it.

By the time I finished the year and went on to the next school, I was so far
behind in my Math that it took me almost the entire seventh grade spent in
after-school tutorials to catch up. Luckily I loved reading and had been reading
books at home even though it wasn't part of my school work at Waldorf, so that
didn't suffer. We didn't learn any science or geography or social studies at
all, so I was behind on all of those too.

I'm so glad that I only went there for one year, other wise I know it would have
taken me longer to catch up and Math has always been a challenge for me.

After that experience, I know I will never send any child of mine to Waldorf. I
loved learning to read when I did - reading was a very special part of my
childhood and I hope it will be for my children too. Also I want them to be
prepared well for university, and I know that if I'd stayed on at Waldorf for
all of high school, I'd never manage with college/university courses.

My younger sister unfortunately struggled with these same issues, since she also
attended Waldorf that year. She was in grade 3. After that year, my parents took
her out and put her in another school since we had moved to another area with a
better public school. She almost had to repeat grade 3 because of Waldorf, but
luckily the new teacher she had was willing to help her out after school if
needed with her reading etc.



Thanks for letting me share my experience, and very glad this thread is here for
those who need it."

Waldorf Teacher and Her Child Abused

http://www.mothering.com/community/t/368640/a-safe-healthy-haven-waldorf-questio\
ners-concerns-thread

Okay, here is part of my story. I will add more later, when I feel up to it.
I'm sure you all can understand the draining qualities of recounting abusive
experiences. Again, I am sharing here to encourage the bravery of others, and to
establish a safe place to talk and get support for what we have each been
through.

Please also reference posts numbers 164-166 later in this thread.

When my child was one year old, I heard about Waldorf Education from a friend.
Since I was in graduate school for Elementary Education, I was naturally
intrigued. I was drawn by the normal influences: the color, the softness, the
natural toys, the stories, the slow pace of the learning. It was pretty much the
opposite of what I was being taught in college.

I attended initial meetings for founding a school in my area (probably five
people at most) and did a lot of the grunt work to get the school going,
including using our truck to haul desks and blackboards from another school an
hour away.

Naturally, the people I was spending so much time with became my new community,
now that I was a new mother. My friends that still had no children and I grew
apart, and I let that happen. The common thread with my new friends was the
Waldorf school, and Waldorf Ed. Unfortunately, I didn't attempt to find any
other community. I felt like those I was with were the best of the best, and we
really knew what was best for our kids, and for kids in general. We were also
"mentored" by other schools and teachers, and so their opinion was that Waldorf
was superior, and they stated constantly how and why. Not good.

The Kindergartens became established, and one grade. After spending years to
help found the school, joining the local Anthroposophical study group, I became
a substitute, then Kindergarten Assistant, then French teacher. I eventually I
became a grades teacher at the school. They sent me, all expenses paid, to
Rudolf Steiner College where I studied for thirteen hours a day, five days a
week, in the summer.

After completing my foundation year of studies, my son was four and in
Kindergarten. Another child started putting his hands down the kids' pants and
grabbing them in front and in back. It took three meetings with the teacher to
get her to do anything. My son was switched by the teachers into another class,
and lost all of the friends he had ever known. The teachers said to me, very
rudely, that there was no switching him back. Period. Then they refused to
consider him for first grade although he met the age limit. He began a blinking
habit, and pooping in his pants "on accident".

No one at the school called Social Services, which is the law, despite my many
conversations about my concerns. I was told by the faculty chair that she
thought the school had to call S.S. and that a parent (like me) could not. I
believed her.

My son started acting out in class. He bit a child because he said the other
kids were too "baby" and messed up his inventions made in class. (He should have
been in first grade). He also said the teacher wasn't even looking most of the
time. Other kids got injured during playtime because the teachers were around
the corner, behind a bush, talking and not watching the kids. Other parents
complained. I was one. I pulled my child out of the school.

No other teachers ever did anything in general to hold others to the carpet. It
all fell on me, and I was overly stressed at that point because of everyone
else's habit of ignoring elephants under the carpet.

Because I was a teacher there, too, I was "punished" (the term the faculty
chose). I was required to write a six page apology letter to the Kindergarten
teachers, and it was closely edited and reworded by the new faculty chair (they
switched mid-crisis since the old faculty chair they considered to be too "on my
side") which took nearly the entire school year! I was soooo exhausted. People
also spoke to me regularly as if I was a child who was behaving badly-and I
wouldn't even speak to my own child in such an abusive tone as they were using!

I was required to write the Anthroposophical doctor they required me to see for
my son. In the letter I was to tell him I should not have told him about the
very reasons I was there to see him and why my son was having a problem, because
I could have ruined the Kindergarten teacher's career! It was assumed that I
told him about our situation because I was trying to win something at the
school, like I am a bad person, or mean with anger issues. I have since come to
understand that people see each other with their "own eyes" and that they saw me
in the way they, themselves, lived. They could not see outside of that.

I am a good, caring person and my concern was for my child-of course! It seems
silly to even have to say that, but they were so dysfunctional IMO that it can
mess with your head when you are feeling low for a moment.

I was also told by the school that my child could not come back the next year
for first grade and rejoin his lifelong friends with a new teacher.

My son's Kindergarten teacher had beers every Thursday night with the Board of
Trustees Chair (Head). The teacher admitted this in a fit of anger at a faculty
meeting. The BOT Chair , after a special meeting on "the crisis" asked her in
front of everyone if she still wanted to go to "Joe's" and have a beer since it
was Thursday. She said "Yeah". Nobodyelse responded! I brought it up the next
day and the new faculty chair said she would "think about it" noncomittally.
WTH? How unprofessional (and illegal with the EEOC) is that?

The BOT Head and this KG teacher discussed confidential things they should not
have. No one questioned this. This type of unprofessional behavior was
commonplace and anyone who spoke out was punished.

The former faculty chair told me that one parent was taken off of every
committee and her children threatened to be kicked out, if she "said one more
thing".

Additionally, the first faculty chair told me to look in the files to see if the
teacher had documented my son's behavior (since it was suddenly so "negative").
There was nothing. The faculty chair got the files out herself. Later, I was
told that because I looked in the file cabinet, and was also a paorent as well
as teacher in the school, then I would have to be on probation since looking in
the files was unprofessional. I said the faculty chair suggested it and was
present. They switched faculty chairs a few weeks before this statement and the
new one said that what the old one did was irrelevant: I looked in the files and
she (the new faculty chair) didn't like it, so the punishment would remain or
I'd lose my job. I was so dumbfounded. It was like the twilight zone! Completely
twisted.

There is much more to this, but I need to pace myself. Bottom line, when I said
they were going too far by also punishing my son (not allowed to return), they
said they were considering that statement to be my resignation. When I said it
wasn't, they said they didn't care, they were still considering it a
resignation, and released a memo to the school and parent community saying I
quit due to family difficulties. They also held a meeting with the parents of my
class without me. They couldn't even say the words, "fired", which is what they
were doing. I was given one more paycheck, and then my family had no more
income, not even through the summer.

After all the exhaustion and abuse, I had to look for another job as well as
grieve and recover. I can't even believe I stayed through as much as I did, but
at the time I viewed it as fighting for the school and stubbornly refusing to be
bossed around. I lost the battle, but I feel like I won the war, because we are
soooo much happier and healthier now. The school will never be much with such
karma behind them. I still hear all the stories of the same behavior, and that
makes me feel like they have learned nothing.

Too bad. But I just don't care anymore, except to help others who feel abused.
It took me three years to even realize how abused I felt. I walked around
embarassed, with my head down. But no more. Those people are the ones who
embarassed themselves. Shame on them.

My family and I are great now, though we do have "flashbacks". We are working on
baby number three, and I teach homeschoolers and enjoy being a family woman.

Sorry this is a bit disjointed, but as you know, I feel spent after talking
about it all.

Aftermath of Mumsnet Censorship

http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education/810386-Steiner-education/AllOnOnePage

*Can anyone suggest an appropriate forum in which I could talk to someone about
Steiner education? We have our concerns about it, but our children are still at
a Steiner school.
Thanks

**Unfortunately I don't think there are any online forums where open honest
debate about this is possible, as Steiner school supporters always turn up and
swamp any discussion between critics, and then it turns into an argument, and
then the posters get barred from the forum, or politely requested to stay off
that topic for fear of litigation.

If you search through old threads on here you will see some long and heated
debates - I know this isn't the same as being able to join in a discussion
yourself, but you may see the same issues you are experiencing being discussed
by others, which at least makes you aware that others have raised those issues
too...

You might also consider whether the fact that the Steiner supporters are so
quick and thorough in quelling open debate between those critical of them is in
itself a warning sign about their attitudes...

***Hi alloveragain. What the others say is true I'm afraid. I don't really go on
mumsnet any more, the "chilling effect" of not being able to discuss problems
about our children's education and what it has done to them is very
disheartening. I only saw this because someone told me.

There are websites which have articles about concerns, and various blogs too.
But forums where mothers try to compare notes, like this, are usually swamped by
specific supporters who report any negative stuff. They also threaten legal
action; the forums have no choice but to delete the negative posts, because they
are frightened of being prosecuted.

It is quite staggering that we aren't able to tell the truth of what happened
personally to our children, discuss the pseudo religion it is based on, or even
Steiner's work, and imo is the suppression of free speech.

If you use the contact another mumsnetter facility, you're more than welcome to
chat off line.

As amum says, your instincts and misgivings are the thing to go on. Those caught
up in it won't ever see any wrong.

**** Oh god...

(I am another with a horror story, but am also very wary of talking about in on
mn, which is...sad)

***** Another Steiner escapee here.
What NR39 said is so true - people do get 'caught up in it' and you will find it
nigh-on impossible to get a straight answer to a direct question.
To me, that speaks volumes.

****** Move on, move on, nothing to see here... oh dear I smell non-violent
communication, or as it has now become, a sort of insincere, passive-aggressive
cunning. Come on, storymama: instead of repeating jargon, try listening to what
these posters are saying. There ARE support groups for Steiner Waldorf parents
and ex-pupils but if anyone posted a link to one here, off this thread would go
like a gnome on a rocket.

The problem is not 'hurt' that needs to be 'cleaned up' but a profound,
intrinsic flaw in Steiner education. The flaw is called 'anthroposophy'.

lolapoppins I contacted you through mumsnet, do contact me if you'd like to I
understand it's hard to trust anyone re this issue! Hope you're OK and the
home-ed is going well.

******* I have taken enough crap off of pro Steiner people who refuse to see
what damage it can do to use up any head space worrying about things someone
posts on a forum! And anyway, I find it soooooo hard to take them seroiusly
because if they were true Steiner followers, they wouldn't even be on the
internet incase their children caught a glipse of Ara-whats-his-face devil bloke
talking to them through the screen grin

Unless they are the kind of Steiner parents who cover up their telly screens
with biege coloured silks! They always made me laugh the most. Even more so than
the ones who used to hide their microwaves.

If you lived in the little hippy haven that I do, you would hear the pro Stiener
bollocks being shouted from the rooftops, so I have far too much to of it to
listen to in real life wink

"actively not teaching children to read and write until the age of 7 because of
some loopy 'spiritual, teeth coming through, mumbo-jumbo' is a step too far"

What do you reckon they said was the reason they wanted to opt out of the EYFS
goals? I'd love to know what BS reasoning they came out with, they can't
possibly have told the loopy truth.

They activly discourage 'learning' anyway in my experience (and many I have
spoken to) even if a child shows and interrest in reading or writing before 7 it
is quashed. I was told my son had a black heart and would never reach his
potential because he had a massive bookshelf full of books in his room. You
would have thought that the Mr Men were demons from the depths of hell. As some
of the pro Steiner people on here will know, a proper Stiener child will not
have been exposed to print before 7 anyway, so they will not know what reading
is (or strip lighting. Or god forbid, a supermarket wink).

******** "having relationships based on clarity and respect"

Sorry, I wasn't going to respond to you but my DH almost passed out wheh he read
that, so I felt I had to before he did with a string of expletives.

There cannot be clarity and respect. How can there be when the 'teachers' see
themseleves as being the childrens spiritual guardians, or 'real parents' as
some put it. The childrens parents are not seen to be improtant. But, you should
know all that if you have looked into Steiner 'education' properly. You cannot
respect someone, when you hide your agenda from them for your own gains.

Oh, and it wasnt hearsay from my child. He actually shut down and didn't speak
for most of the time he was there. But I had nurmerous letters from the school,
stating 'worrying' things my son had done, such as asking why they had wooden
spades when plastic would be better as it would not rot (his soul damaged is by
the modern world apparently hmm), and I was even called to pick him up as he
dared to paint a fire engine instead of a wishy washy painting, I was told that
was a sign he was spiritually stunted - I had to take him home as he had ruined
the 'feeling' for the day. The last day he was there I took to hiding behind the
kindergarten and listening in, as well. I heard it all with my own ears - I have
never cried so much in my life.

I could publish the 60 or so letters we got from the school about 'black hearts'
and 'stunting spiritual growth' becasue he liked Miley Cyrus - it would be the
best selling comedy book ever.

Agh, good God, am wasting my Sunday afternoon arguing over this crap!

********* Thanks for the link Barking, no mention in there of the devil speaking
to children out of a computer screen or not being ready to read because they
have not incarnated fully into thier bodies. Just as I thought.

It is two years this week since ds started at the Steiner school, and it will be
two years next week that I first stated having doubts.

I am not as angry as I used to be, not now that finally, my little boy has got
over what he went through in the six months he was there. He will still mention
it from time to time (if only to take the piss grin) but the nightmares and bed
wetting have stopped at last.

I do read posts from pro Stiener people with a mixture of disgust and sorrow
though, as I do wonder if some of them are by parents who have been so
hoodwinked by the schools, or just so sucked into the community that they can't
see anything other than what they have been told. I have no fear of saying what
I think about Steiner 'education' anymore either, I can argue back to whatever
anyone throws at me, I know what my family experienced, and I know that it sadly
isn't unique. It almost cost me my marrige, my son and my sanity.

I am still being hounded where I live by these people, especially as the school
near to me has now closed and most of the families have chosen to home educate
(as I guess you would have to for a bit if you have a 9 year old that cannot
read, as did 5 or so families at the school) and have spread nasty gossip about
myself and ds at the home ed groups we used to attend. We live in a place where
the whole bake your own bread and only play with wooden toys thing appeals to
all the parents moving up from London with dreams of the good life, so we can't
win. Apparently, I am the loopy one!

If you had spoken to me two years ago, I would have defended my sons Steiner
school to the death. I had a whole summer previous to him joining of being
'welcomed' by the Steiner community, made to feel part of something wonderful.
Looking back, it was like being pulled into a cult.

********** What I have come to realise is that I didn't put my family through
anything, they did. I beat myself up about it for so long, I looked at my ds
being so unhappy and thought that I caused it. My mental health was affected
badly. Please don't blame yourself. I did for so long. When you choose a school
for your kids, you think you are doing the best you can for them.

I saw a great quote from am ex Steiner parent once, who was getting ripped into
on a forum for not having researched Steiner education better before enroling
her children. She came back with something like 'you would research a solicitor,
a car dealer, a dog breeder - you don't research the background of a school. You
go on the information in the prospectus, and from the information other parents
at the school give you. You don't expect a school to lie'.

*********** So sad. Just lost my lovely neighbours to the steiners. They have
moved to a very out of the way place where there is a very active
school/community; their DD, who just turned 7, was my DD's best friend. Funny
enough, when my D started reading at age 4, the little friend would spend hours
being read to by my DD; eventually, when the friend was 5, DD started teaching
her to read because she was fed up doing all the reading.grin Very subversive..
The mum struck me as something of a 'spiritual seeker' type of person, and maybe
this is what attracted her to steiner education. She is a very talented, trained
singer, who has sung with prominent classical ensembles, orchestra choruses,
etc., and there will be no outlet for that where they are going, but apparently
she is willing to toss it all overboard for the steiner thing. The dad has had
no contact with his family of origin since he left for college, probably 20
years ago.
I met a lot of their friends from the steiner school at barbeques and birthday
parties over the years, and I have to say, I found them all a bit lax in their
supervision of the children -- it seemed to me that the law of the jungle
prevailed when they all got together. My neighbour's child had what her mum
called a strong personality (I found her heavy going and bratty hmm a lot of the
time) and I think she was the dictator of the group she was in at the school.
They tried a montessori school with her when her little brother was born,
because it was closer and cheaper, but she couldn't deal with the structure, the
behaviour expectations, or the academic focus. So they took her out and went
back to the steiner place.

*********** I saw the deleted post. It was measured & kind to the poster
mentioned. There was a link to an Australian Rationalist Society article
expressing a complex analysis & interpretation of Steiner education in that
country, where public money is involved. Such analysis is to be expected in a
democracy.

I could see nothing libelous in it or anything that could connect mumsnet to its
views, any more than a link to someone's favourite song would be a thumbs up to
talent.

If we believe in freedom of information we should allow adults to read material
like this & make up their own minds, unless we believe them incapable. My brief
experience of mumsnet reassures me that's far from the case! People can't make
informed choices about something as serious as education when they are not
allowed to read differing opinions. When government funding for Steiner schools
may well be increased in the UK in the near future, this suppression of
information due to a real or perceived threat becomes a matter of public
concern.

Today Richard Dawkins spoke at the Libdem conference about the need to repeal
the UK's libel laws. Such a thing is overdue, as those following the Simon Singh
case know well and this is a link to a description of that case & is in no way
itself libelous!

It's clear from the Quackometer article that it isn't just science that's
effected: 'Free speech is reduced to a meaningless freedom as long as it does
not effect business interests, political ambitions and dogmatic beliefs.'

This is serious. And sadly not irrelevant to this thread.

'It is time for a change. It is time for us to be free from fear when voicing
our concerns.'

Summerfield Waldorf School Review by a Teacher

http://www.greatschools.org/school/parentReviews.page?id=8886&state=CA&sortBy=dd&page=2#revPagination

Posted August 26, 2003

The total lack of a comprehensive science program hurts this school. There is no coordinated physical science program. —Submitted by a teacher

Highand Hall Waldorf School - Open Letter to the Board

5/20/2012
Dear Board of Trustees,

I see a lot of new faces since I was last at Highland Hall.  And, of course, some old faces who are being named as conspirators in my lawsuit against Highland Hall and AWSNA (Hi Laura and Hasib).

I'd like to burden the board with a few questions.

So, my first question to you is... Can you hear me now?  Are you taking me seriously yet?   How has ignoring me and the harm that was done to my family worked out for you so far?  You've made Highland Hall (and Waldorf) synonymous with abuse... not to mention teaching racism.
Do you realize the harm you have done to Waldorf education as a whole?

I see a couple of immediate problems that are going to make things worse for Highland Hall in particular, and Waldorf in general.

First, you've rehired Lynn Kern.  BIG mistake.  She was, as you know, at the bottom of the failed mandated reporting involving Jeffrey Wilkins, the son of a teacher, and Larry W, a teacher.  These were two separate incidents that happened concurrently.  Then faculty members were either kept in the dark (I believe Karen Grant was one of them) or involved in keeping parents from one class from discovering the events that happened in the other class (Lisa Scemema Profumo).  http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html   Lynn Kern is directly connected to AWSNA - and I have AWSNA on record defaming me to a parent inquiring about my case.   You guys have made suing you very easy... but now that AWSNA is directly involved, I'll be suing more than just Highland Hall.  Lynn is going to cost you even more enrollment in the months to come.  Oh, and just let ANYTHING bad happen in your summer camp.

Second, Ed Eadon has been moved to El Rio Charter... HUGE mistake.  Ed is the poster-boy for terrible administrators.  El Rio has already taken down descriptions of what Ed has done in the past from their blog.  They are also claiming a result in the PLANS lawsuit that is downright FRAUD.  Here's the lawsuit - still in progress as if this week: http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/media/view_subpage.php?pk_id=0000009204 . This is evidence of hiding known information and a problematic administrator from the public.  The hiring of Ed put my focus on the Waldorf charter school system.  I'm expecting Jim Pedroja to show up as an administrator somewhere too.  There's no denying what Ed and Jim have done.  The public attention is only the beginning, but it will probably be enough to get El Rio reviewed.  I've already sent the Charter School Board a letter of complaint.  El Rio is going to have their hands full - especially when I sue their administrator's ass off.  I'm collecting the reviews of Waldorf schools here: http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/ and it doesn't look too good.

Speaking of my lawsuit - I want to really thank you for having published all the material I need to sue you.  Document after document admitting and apologizing for your crimes - it has been a real blessing.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, you should really check out my blog:
http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/
especially here:  http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/2010_02_01_archive.html

Many of the things Highland Hall did were criminal.  Many more were shockingly immoral.  Many people conspired to cover up criminal activity... and that too is against the law and is a separate crime.  They conspired to tear down Missing Child posters.  Feel free to read the legal documents I presented to divorce court.  The divorce judge even suggested I should sue Highland Hall.

So know that you've got important work ahead of you.  Highland Hall may even be closing their doors soon... that's how big my lawsuit (and your crime) is.   Teachers who were involved have gone from Highland Hall to other neighboring schools, some across the country, and even across the Atlantic.  It matters not to me... I hold you all accountable and so will the courts.  Those schools will come under review too. In fact, I'm putting EVERY Waldorf school under the microscope. http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/ 

Each of these schools has Highland Hall to thank for the focus I've placed on them.

Think about the harm you've done to ALL of Waldorf education with your ridiculous denial of wrongdoing... or spiritual justifications for harming children.  I'm here to save the world from monsters like YOU.

The Waldorf Review - Parent, Student and Teacher Reviews of Waldorf Education

So, since this blog has been fairly successful (it seems to show up fairly regularly on Google searches related to Waldorf)... it's time to create a second blog... and I've done just that!  THANK YOU for your support!

The Waldorf Review

The Waldorf Review will be a collection of honest reviews and sad stories about people who have experienced the ugly side of Waldorf.  Many parents describe horrible experiences during their brush with Waldorf.  Some parents describe being in a school for up to ten years before discovering the community could turn on them over something very insignificant.

You will notice a lot of the same reviews that have been posted on this blog on The Waldorf Review.  I will leave the reviews in both places for the time being - as it appears this blog gets more hits currently than the new blog.

The Waldorf Review (unlike this blog) allows comments.  Hopefully, parents will feel comfortable describing their own experiences in the comments section.  While meant to be a great resource for prospective parents, The Waldorf Review is also intended to provide a resource to parents for whom the Waldorf experience has ended in divorce.  Minor's counsel's and divorce judges will be very interested to read the sad stories or parents who trusted the Waldorf system - and who were failed by it. 

Hopefully, The Waldorf Review will, in time,  become an excellent resource for parent perspectives of an often problematic and sometimes dangerous educational system.

Enjoy!

Sacramento Waldorf School - Reviews by Parents and Students

http://www.yelp.com/biz/sacramento-waldorf-school-sacramento

Mike U - Davis, CA
5/22/2009

I attended their middle school, and I chose not to go to their high school.
I had this teacher who was a very.... unprofessional.
There was this kid who everyone in school hated. Not that he was stupid or anything.. he just had a lot of questions and liked to interfere with many things.
This kid made a lot of issues at school because people liked to make fun of him. Every single time there was a problem between him and other kids, I just couldn't believe how a teacher could be so immature and unprofessional because she was never fair to the victim.
She always believed things that are only visible, and she never tried to learn the truth.
And she was nice to only kids whose mom gave her a lot of support during field trips and those stupid "fairs"...

School cares too much about Shakespeare and ancient stuff.. They don't even have computer labs.  When I went to a public high school, I was shocked because no one in the real world cares about what SWS seems to be obsessed about.
School is so small that kids there almost never experience the real world. They think what they experience in that tinny group is everything. However, the real world is full of surprises, and I don't think SWS prepares their kids to meet those surprises.

So send your kids here if you want your kids to become Shakespeare freaks....

oh, and also, half of the kids in high school are potheads.. campus has a lot of areas hidden areas... its so easy to f*** around.

East Bay Waldorf School - Reviews by Parents

Famous for epidemics:

http://childrenshealthcare.org/?page_id=200

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local&id=6131662


Here is East Bay Waldorf School:

http://www.education.com/schoolfinder/us/california/el-sobrante/east-bay-waldorf\
-school/

I used to go here for middle school and everybody is hyper-Christian, judgmental
and exclusive towards those who are not part of an established social circle
there. Submitted by a Former Student on Feb 25, 2012

http://www.greatschools.org/california/el-sobrante/10303-East-Bay-Waldorf-School\
/

Posted May 19, 2004
We did not have a good fit there. It might have been my daughters teacher, but
we found that if the child worked outside of their fairly specific norms, the
became quite agitated. Its probably ok for kids that fit a specific mold. Just
make sure your kid does before you go there. The school is fairly rigid and not
always in touch with the 'real world'. —Submitted by a parent

Bright Water School - Reviews by Parents

YES - NO mention of Waldorf in the name. Check out the first review:
http://www.greatschools.org/washington/seattle/3551-Bright-Water-School/

Posted on Mar 18, 2012
Bright Water is a Waldorf school. If you already are familiar with Waldorf
teachings, then that may be all the info you need. I didn't fully understand the
educational philosophy, & the result was 3 years of elementary school misery for
my bright little person. But 1st: the 3 stars given here are a compromise. The
kindergarten deserves 5 stars, and lasts 3 years, ages 4-6. It is gentle,
nurturing, & It is a place where your child (if you comply w rules of NO TV, NO
video games, NO computer on in any common room of your home while the child is
present) will learn a larger vocab. than public school kids, develop as an
independent thinker, & gain a greater attention span than most. (Jane Healy:
Failure to Communicate). After K, grab your child and run. Beveled windows &
beautiful rooms mean nothing if all your child does is copy off of the board.
The goal is for 1st graders to be able to write perfectly on unlined paper. As a
teacher, I was ill when I found this out. 3 years, & I didn't know!! BW teachers
aren't required to have WA state teaching certs, only "Steiner School". It's
like the Amish; if it existed after Steiner, they won't use the ideas. Be
careful here.
--Submitted by a parent

Here's another parent who bought into the hype:

Posted on Aug 10, 2011
Our child attended BWS for two years and our experience did not meet the
theological or pedagogical foundation of a Waldorf education let alone a basic
education. The school has struggled to maintain teachers and approaches any
special needs assessment with a para-professional possessing enough knowledge to
be damaging and in fact was for our child. The administration's interest and
full support was for the school and at no time could we find an internal
advocate for our child. Today, our child has been diagnosed with dyslexia and is
beginning a public school education two years behind following an education at
BWS. While capable of knitting and playing the flute, today is unable to read or
write. This is not a school with growing pains - it is not a school - it is an
institution of incompetence. Before you send your child - investigate the level
of educational certification of its instructors and the credentials of its
"specialists." --Submitted by a parent

Posted on Apr 15, 2011
We did not have a positive experience with BWS. We were attracted to the strong
artistic aspect of the education but quickly were disillusioned. The
administration does not communicate or work well with parents, and we never felt
welcomed by the administration. The teacher was very persuasive in convincing us
of the importance of delaying academics, which put our child at a significant
disadvantage. The teacher also was very cold towards the new mothers in the
parent group. It appeared to us that the philosophy encouraged the teacher child
bond and discounted the importance of the parent child relationship. Children
were left to "work problems out on their own". If you are really interested in
Waldorf we suggest looking elsewhere. --Submitted by a parent

Posted October 12, 2009
Brightwater is a new school. I believe under 10 years old. I really liked the
teachers and families. However, the academics are not strong at the school. Lots
of parents felt the need to tutor their children to supplement. I pulled my kid
out because I did not want her to fall more behind. —Submitted by a parent

This poster noticed the BULLSHIT review before their post. As I said, I've been
avoiding the glowing reviews because they are often made under pressure when
they aren't made by teachers and administrators. The reviewer below even
noticed racial intolerance. Hmmmm....

Posted March 30, 2007
I think the previous review was placed by an administrator! It is to perfect and
glowing. My experience with the school is less then perfect. In fact I often
feel extremely sad about the way I am treated and the way our child is viewed.
The school often feels very intolerant of differences and can seem racist at
times. Luckily my child's teacher (who they have for their entire school life in
a Waldorf program) is an incredible person who is very thoughtful and brilliant.
With that said that is the reason why we stay because the individual teacher is
marvelous. But in the bigger picture I feel kind of with drawn and ambivolent
about our experience over all. The positives include a strong bases in art,
thorough examination of a variety of historical periods of time, and the pace is
very calming!
—Submitted by a parent

http://gocitykids.parentsconnect.com/attraction/bright-water-school-1501-10th-av\
enue-east-seattle-wa-98102-us

Our family has been involved with Bright Water School for some years and will
not be continuing. The school has some good teachers and a great community. But
many teachers are marginally qualified and some good teachers have left. The
administration is the weakest part of the school, being defensive, deceptive,
and authoritarian. The administration is at times hostile towards parents and
certainly has no ability to work with parents for the mutual benefit of
children. They say they encourage freethinking among children, but in reality
children are required to conform to a rigid schedule of what Rudolf Steiner
determined was "developmentally appropriate" 100 years ago. In the time we have
been there the school has had one crisis after another and quite a bit of
turnover. If you are "dead set" on Waldorf education for your kids you might be
surprised to find out what that means in practice.
razguy added: 04/16/2011

My daughter attended this school for two years (1st and 2nd grades). I ended up
pulling her out and placing her back in public school because the academics at
Brightwater were not strong.

It was a hard decision because I loved the environment at the school, the
community and the staff. In our short time there we built some great friendships
especially with the teachers. However, the school was costly and I found myself
having to suppliment her education there with tutors so that she had her basics.
A number of other parents in her class were doing the same thing.

The staff is really dedicated to the school and students. The environment is
creative. However, the school is very young and has some problems to work out
(socially and academically).

It has been a few years since we've been there so I is worth checking out to see
where they are now. Former Bright Water parent


Beware! School uses warm and fuzzy words to draw in parents and students. The
school's teachers and administration do not truely represent the Waldorf
philosophy. Only one teacher of the 8 grade teachers actually has the education
and ability to conduct herself as a true Waldorf teacher. The administration has
made comments to draw in students, but when research is made on the statements
it can be find that the statements are not always true. The administration also
lacks respect for children in need of medicine for health emergencies. One
parent stated to me that when she requested that the school keep an EpiPen for
the daughter, she was laughted at by a member of the administration. If you are
considering enrolling your child in Bright Water School, please think twice.
There are others schools in the area that work within the true Waldorf
philosophy and are truthful to enrolling families. - anonymous

Austin Waldorf School - Reviews by Parents

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/austin/student-hurt-in-fire-at-oak-hill-schoo\
l
Student hurt in fire at Oak Hill school
Burns suffered during lab experiment

AUSTIN (KXAN) - A 12-year-old girl from Austin Waldorf School was taken to Dell
Children's Medical Center on Friday morning with burns from a fire at Waldorf
School in Oak Hill.

A fire official said the girl suffered burns to 20 percent of her body with
injuries to her to leg, arm and face. The fire started as the result of a
laboratory experiment, the official said. There was smoke inside the school but
fire did not involve the building, officials said.

The private school is at 8700 South View Road. The incident is being
investigated.

Here's more on the story:

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/ems-child-suffers-second-degree-bur\
ns-at-school/nXRFz/

Update 11:30 a.m.: Emergency workers now say a 12-year-old girl suffered burns
closer to 12 to 15 percent of her body in an experiment at a school in Southwest
Austin Friday.
The girl suffered serious burns to her airway, a serious concern, said an
Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services official. She also suffered
burns to her face, arms and legs.
The girl was participating in an experiment with her sixth-grade class at
Waldorf Austin School near the Y at Oak Hill before she suffered the burns, the
official said.
Initial reports gathered by emergency workers said the class was working with
water and alcohol — and boiling the alcohol, the official said.


http://www.greatschools.org/school/parentReviews.page?id=7925&state=TX

Posted January 12, 2013

This was a terrible place for my children. My son took a huge blow to his self esteem in the short time he spent there. It truly was a disaster. They are not prepared to deal with learning difficulties at all. They accepted our son based on a very short interview and a quick look over his work from another Waldorf school. The person who interviewed us said his work was "advanced". Two short months into the school year and we were having major problems. After a total of 5 months we withdrew our son as he was suffering in class. He is doing much better now and we are considering the local public school after a short period of homeschooling. The community is not warm as they would like you to believe. We came from another school with a fantastic community, so we know what that's all about and AWS doesn't have it. My children's teachers didn't even know the name of their baby sister. The"mentor" program to welcome new families is a joke. These people were paid a lot of money to blow off our family when we became inconvenient. 

—Submitted by a parent

http://www.greatschools.org/school/parentReviews.page?id=7925&state=TX

Oh boy... here we go - they take this woman's money while losing her son for an
hour...:

Posted July 14, 2011
the customer service and counselors for the camp were not friendly or inviting!
But awkward and uninformative. I did not go back for the last days and did not
get a refund or even offered one. I didn't even know where my son was when
coming to pick up and no one knew where he was for an hour! My mom told me I
should have called the police. Maybe I should have. The teacher was creepy and
wierd My son did not like him and neither —Submitted by a parent

AND ONCE AGAIN... PARENTS WARNING OTHER PARENTS AFTER BEING SURPRISED:

Posted April 19, 2007
Our son was enrolled - he is no longer attending because the school is not the
arts integrated curriculum we first saw upon enrollment. Please look into
Anthroposophy and the teachings of Rudolf Steiner (who the school and curriculum
is based upon)before you enroll.
—Submitted by a parent

Posted April 13, 2006
Very strict on many lifestyle issues. Not the laidback atmosphere we thought it
would be. —Submitted by a parent

Posted July 24, 2005
Do your 'due diligence' before going through the admissions process. Check out
Waldorf education and Anthroposophy in depth before you decide this is the place
for your child. We found that there is much more than meets the eye to this
particular cirriculum. Do the research, it can be tough if you, as parents do
not believe in the Waldorf pedagogy. Ask for full disclosure.
—Submitted by a parent

Ashwood Waldorf School - Review by a Parent

http://www.yelp.com/biz/ashwood-waldorf-school-rockport

6/6/2010

I was not at all satisfied with this school for my daughter. There is a lack of
communication, integrity, and leadership. Without warning my daughter was
dismissed. The teacher was not briefed on the policies. No one was brave enough
to stand up for this act of discrimination. The tuition money that I prepaid was
not returned.


Oh yeah... and they KEPT THE MONEY!

Waldorf School of Cape Cod - Reviews by Parents

http://www.education.com/schoolfinder/us/massachusetts/cotuit/waldorf-school-of-\
cape-cod/#reviews

Posted February 15, 2012
If you think this Waldorf School is like other successful Waldorf Schools,
PLEASE THINK AGAIN. The grades are a GAMBLE depending on the TEACHER your child
will have for 8 YEARS. There is little to no accountability for poor quality and
inconsistent standards of education and behavior. The admin and faculty dogma is
closely held in secrecy which is part and parcel to the Rudolph Steiner s
teachings and if questioned you will receive patent answers with little thought
to your child s specific needs. If you find a faculty member that is willing to
listen without prejudice to your concerns, good luck. Even the faculty who are
known amongst their colleagues for poor performance have job safety. Many
families have left this school after investing many years in it because their
concerns have been systematically swept under the rug. Mum's the word here. I
for one fell under the spell of this school. I found that my child and the
majority of classmates that stayed were left with such deficits in academics
that intense interventions were needed for most. Our class started with 14 or
more and ended with 4. Be aware of retention rates at this school. They differ
among the faculty greatly.
—Submitted by a parent

Posted February 2, 2012
There is no boss at a Waldorf School which means there is no one accountable.
Faculty hold the position of authority and the members change yearly. Issues are
continually deferred for lengthy amounts of times and conclusions are rarely met
or shared. In the past several years the administration staff has changed every
couple of years for a total of approximately six changes to the Administrator
position, six to the Administration Assistant position and several more to the
bookkeeper position. There has also been many staff hired and let go in
positions such as Director of Admissions and Director of Outreach. In short
there is little consistency in the Administration staff. Some faculty will cover
their colleagues backs at great lengths even when evidence of unacceptable
behaviors are present or educational needs of the students are not being
met.There is enormous amounts of indifference directed towards any parent who
may question the Waldorf School or challenge them in any way.Children are not
held in reverence here at the Waldorf School of Cape Cod as is the Rudolph
Steiner teaching. In fact most issues are viewed as the child's and not the
adults in charge. Take a good look —Submitted by a parent

Posted February 7, 2005
My daughter has been attending Waldorf School of Cape Cod for five years,
completing second grade. She's learned to knit, mold beeswax, sing odd songs,
and has barely learned to read or write at the age of eight. This school's
emphasis on political correctiveness and art has completely absorbed their
ability to teach any fundamental aspect of early childhood learning. Though my
daughter has always received good marks in class, she is very far behind the
other children her age who go to other schools in every subject. There have been
several cases of violence that have been dismissed by the school system, and
there seems to be a total lacking of any form of discipline. I anxiuosly await
the end of the school year when I can enroll her into a different school. Please
save your child's education and put them into a different school system.
—Submitted by a parent

http://www.education.com/schoolfinder/us/massachusetts/cotuit/waldorf-school-of-\
cape-cod/#reviews

If academics hold any importance to you, do not attend this school. Don't ask
about how many children are in each class, but about how many have left. If you
enroll your child here, be sure to find a good tutor to take the Waldorf journey
with your child.
Submitted by a Parent on Jul 19, 2011

Absolutely agree with former reviewer. My child's class started with more than
14 students and by graduation only 4 were left. This is not the only class that
dropped out. Do your research regarding this school. Philosophies are archaic
and completely misunderstood by parents. There are no assessments to track your
child's progress and it is almost impossible to find a tutor who can unravel the
gaps your child will undoubtedly have when transferring to another school. Do
not attend this school. There are few redeeming qualities once you get past the
"oooh isn't this a nice place" feeling.
Submitted by a Parent on Feb 22, 2012

Richmond Waldorf School - Reviews by Parents

http://www.localschooldirectory.com/private-school/27347/VA

* Reviewed by Parent or Guardian on May 28, 2011
* Before even considering this school, research anthrosophy and ask very
specific questions about HOW much math is taught each day. Ask what history and
science (very little actually) will be taught in lower grades and will the
school accommodate an early reader (no they won't). And get tuition insurance,
so if you are unhappy with the school and the lack of emphasis placed on
academics you can get your tuition refunded. I am a former Waldorf parent. I
have intimate knowledge with this school and its practices. There are other
schools, better schools, pass this woefully inadequate, albeit lovely pastel
school by.

* Reviewed by Parent/Guardian on September 23, 2010
* Absolutely awful - security concerns - they are just winging it. Ask them
about graduates! Watch them squirm!

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&cp=12&gs_id=55&xhr=t&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_\
pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1496&bih=677&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=richmond+waldorf+school&fb=1&gl\
=us&hq=waldorf+school&hnear=0x89b111095799c9ed:0xbfd83e6de2423cc5,Richmond,+VA&c\
id=11357887947756895560&ei=-0SYT9vyD8LfiAKvubUB&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=placepag\
e-link&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CFoQ4gkwAA

knitter ‎ - Jul 14, 2008
okay for Kindergarten, but go elswhere after that. My daughter attended Richmond
Waldorf for two years before starting first grade there. Their Kindergarten is
for ages 3-6 and it's a gentle, playful atmosphere. The focus was on creative
play, which was fine by me and my daughter loved it. She expected to love first
grade too. After less than two months in Waldorf first grade, my outgoing,
happy, very social and confident little girl turned into an anxious, worried
child who no longer liked school, fell apart and started crying when she made
mistakes and became afraid of meeting new children. I took her out and it was
months before she was back to her old self. I felt her teacher's methods of
working with the children were passive aggressive and emphasized perfectionism.
I also thought she was sometimes flat out cruel to some of the kids. Because
Waldorf is a teacher run school, there isn't much you can do about it when you
have a problem with the teacher. There was only one first grade, so wasn't
possible to tranfer classes. I'm ... My daughter attended Richmond Waldorf for
two years before starting first grade there. Their Kindergarten is for ages 3-6
and it's a gentle, playful atmosphere. The focus was on creative play, which was
fine by me and my daughter loved it. She expected to love first grade too. After
less than two months in Waldorf first grade, my outgoing, happy, very social and
confident little girl turned into an anxious, worried child who no longer liked
school, fell apart and started crying when she made mistakes and became afraid
of meeting new children. I took her out and it was months before she was back to
her old self. I felt her teacher's methods of working with the children were
passive aggressive and emphasized perfectionism. I also thought she was
sometimes flat out cruel to some of the kids. Because Waldorf is a teacher run
school, there isn't much you can do about it when you have a problem with the
teacher. There was only one first grade, so wasn't possible to tranfer classes.
I'm not sure I'd have done that if I could have anyway, because I suspect this
teacher was using accepted Waldorf methods for classroom management. Not that
anyone there would tell you that. Ask a straight yes or no question of a Waldorf
teacher and you get a ten minute answer about child development and Waldorf
philosophy and later you realize your question was never actually answered.
Despite how much my daughter loved her school and the friends she made there,
we've never regretted taking her out. She's never expressed an interest in going
back either.
http://richmond.citysearch.com/profile/44134701/richmond_va/richmond_waldorf_sch\
ool.html

DO NOT believe their website
by Libby365 at Citysearch

As a parent with a child that was in grade 2 and 3 at Richmond Waldorf, I can
tell you this school constantly looses students once the parents realize their
children are not receiving an education that will allow them to successfully
matriculate to other schools. My child came in to RWS after attending
kindergarten and first grade at a nationally recognized Virginia school
district. She was on target for math and above grade in reading. After a year
and a half, her math and reading skills declined. She didn't learn anything of
real substance in history or science.

Waldorf is based on unproven ideas of a man Ruldof Steiner, who didn't have
children or an education in either early childhood education or child
psychology. Steiner's decision to teach reading in second grade is based on
children loosing baby teeth, not any concrete studies on child reading
readiness.

Student evaluations is like reading an astrological chart, with statements like
"not fully reincarnated in body", instead of useful evaluations on academic
progress. You, as the parent, will never be told by RWS whether your child is
doing well academically or not. There is no quantitative evaluation, no
recording of grades.

The children do not have modern school aids (handouts, workbooks, worksheets).
Instead, the students copy black boards full of teacher written narratives and a
drawing that the students must copy. This comprises of the "main lesson", which
is usually a myth or from the bible, rather than real history or real science.

There are better private schools here in Richmond that have real certified
teachers that will teach your child to read, write and a solid foundation and
mastery of math.

Please do not send your child to this school.

Not accredited... hires untrained, uncertified teachers
by Anonymous at Insider Pages
This school IS NOT an alternative to area public or private schools. RWS doesn't
provide textbooks to lower grades, does not test and doesn't equip the child
academically to matriculate successfully to another school at the next grade.…

http://www.yellowpages.com/richmond-va/mip/richmond-waldorf-school-k-8-8988943

FormerRWSparent 12/26/2011
This is in response to RWS Parent.

This is in response to RWS... read more 1861-1925 and nothing learned in the
past 87 years in childhood education are used. Modern workbooks are not used.
The student created "workbooks" are simply the students copying down word for
word what the teacher writes on the blackboard for main lesson which in lower
school is either a legend, bible story or fantasy.

3) As far as RWS children returning to public schools... unless the parents
homeschool them, they are far behind their peers in public schools. I spoke to
the admissions director of the Orchard House School about Waldorf kids. Orchard
House is a private girls middle school that is talked about as a middle school
at RWS. The director told me herself that Waldorf girls must be CAUGHT UP!! I
don't know about you, but I expect my child's school to prepare her for the next
grade or the next school. I took my daughter to Montissori and the initial
testing was that she was 2 grades behind!! She was at grade level when she came
to RWS in 2nd grade in math and above grade level in reading. A year and a half
at RWS and Montissori said she was 2 GRADES BEHIND!!! Another child in her class
that left after 3rd grade, after attending kindergarten thru 3rd grade at
Waldorf was unable to read and spent half of 4th grade in remedial classes
trying to get caught up.

Waldorf schools also try to tell you how to raise your child and run your
household. They are staunchly against technology (but the teachers drive cars to
school). They want you to get rid of your TV, computer and cd collection. The
children cannot wear light up shoes, clothes with cartoons or popular culture.
Also, black is strongly frowned on. Can't wear it nor can the children color
with it. Seriously, no black crayons!!! The lovely water color paintings you see
on the walls, aren't as lovely as you think when you find out that the teacher
requires the children to paint the very same picture, the very same way. It's
not so much as a technique lesson in painting as a Rudolf Steiner pedagogic
anthroposophic thing. Speaking of Rudolf Steiner... blond haired children or
favored by Steiner anthros over dark haired kids and white kids over non-white
kids. This is totally out right true, even though the school will probably
vehemently deny it. A little digging on Steiner, anthroposophy and race will
reveal the truth.

5. Finally... in selecting a school for your child, look for a school that is
accredited by other bodies than themselves, make sure the teachers attended
universities or colleges that are accredited by other bodies than themselves and
have state certification. If there is no headmaster or principal...look for
another school. The teachers are in charge at Waldorf schools and if the parents
have any problems or concerns, they are generally ignored.

6. Waldorf is not a cheap school, the tuition is in line with other extremely
excellent private schools like St. Michael's Episicopal, however the education
that your child will receive at Waldorf will be worse than the worst public
school. If you have $10k to spend on a private education, please look somewhere
else. The academic and psychological harm is simply not worth the pretty pastel
walls, or all the beeswax or knit crafts in the world.

Lib 365 07/02/2011
DO NOT believe their website

Provided by Citysearch

As a parent with a child that was in grade 2 and 3 at... read more grade in
reading. After a year and a half, her math and reading skills declined. She
didn't learn anything of real substance in history or science. Waldorf is based
on unproven ideas of a man Ruldof Steiner, who didn't have children or an
education in either early childhood education or child psychology. Steiner's
decision to teach reading in second grade is based on children loosing baby
teeth, not any concrete studies on child reading readiness. Student evaluations
is like reading an astrological chart, with statements like "not fully
reincarnated in body", instead of useful evaluations on academic progress. You,
as the parent, will never be told by RWS whether your child is doing well
academically or not. There is no quantitative evaluation, no recording of
grades. The children do not have modern school aids (handouts, workbooks,
worksheets). Instead, the students copy black boards full of teacher written
narratives and a drawing that the students must copy. This comprises of the
"main lesson", which is usually a myth or from the bible, rather than real
history or real science. There are better private schools here in Richmond that
have real certified teachers that will teach your child to read, write and a
solid foundation and mastery of math. Please do not send your child to this
school.

http://www.education.com/schoolfinder/us/virginia/richmond/richmond-waldorf-scho\
ol/

Our experience with this school was terrible; our child's teacher told students
that they weren't smart, left children unaccompanied outside ... just awful.
Submitted by a Parent on Mar 15, 2010

http://www.insiderpages.com/b/6508795094/richmond-waldorf-school-richmond

Not accredited... hires untrained, uncertified teachers

Anonymous

This school IS NOT an alternative to area public or private schools. RWS doesn't provide textbooks to lower grades, does not test and doesn't equip the child academically to matriculate successfully to another school at the next grade. What usually happens is the child must either be homeschooled for a year or repeat the year. RWS is not accredited, nor is it required by VA state regulations to provide trained, certified teachers. Probably an ok school for preschoolers, though. If your child is learning disabled, there are other schools with teachers trained in special education that will provide your child with a better education.

March 16, 2011

http://www.greatschools.org/school/parentReviews.page?id=2455&state=VA&sortBy=dd&page=2#revPagination
 

Posted December 13, 2011

We had a terrible experience with this school once my child entered the "grades." If its so wonderful, why do so few students stay through eighth grade? —Submitted by a parent

Posted August 28, 2007

The website states that they teach the whole child. However, in my experience, they are not taught the basics enough to transfer at grade level to another school.  —Submitted by a parent