Here's what the blog said - I highlighted in red the obvious lie:
el Rio Charter School will not advocate or promote any form of
religious or political ideology to the children. Our aim is to teach
children how to think, not what to think.
Posted: August 11th, 2009 | Author: Joan Jaeckel | Filed under:
Uncategorized | Tags: anthroposophy not a religion, Establishment
clause, First Amendment, non-religious, religion and public Waldorf
education, Rudolf Steiner, U.S. Constitution, Waldorf education is
secular, Waldorf litigation | No Comments»
Q: Will el Rio Charter School, offering a public Waldorf-like
education, be secular?
A: Yes, public, Waldorf-like charter schools are 100% secular. Its
core anthroposophical concepts are not religious. This has been
upheld in courts in California and worldwide for the following
reasons:
Anthroposophy is the name giving by Rudolf Steiner, the designer of
Waldorf education, to designate a cognitive research method using
focused concentration and learned compassion as a way of knowing or
method of inquiry. Anthroposophy, essentially, means"inquiry into
the nature of being human". The purpose of anthroposophy is to
humanize human life on earth through learned openmindedness,
openheartedness, objectivity, positivity and intentionality.
Unlike a religion or a church, anthroposophy has no creed or any other
form of doctrinal statement to which members must or are expected to
subscribe.
Anthroposophy has no clergy or form of clergy and membership in the
anthroposophical society does not qualify persons to perform marriage
ceremony.
Anthroposophy does not have sacraments like communion or babtism.
Unlike a religion, anthroposophy does not claim to have sacred
scripture and it does not have or administer a system of canon law.
Anthroposophy holds no formal worship services and makes no efforts to
propagate or missionize.
Anthroposophy is a way of knowing and inquiry into the mysteries of
human life. Its aim is not answers to be believed, but questions and
more questions into the nature of life on earth.
An atheist may become a member or interested in the anthroposophical
society and remain an atheist; an agnostic may become a member and
remain an agnostic; a member of any traditional religious sect or
denomination Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, etc may become a
member of the anthroposophical society and remain a member of their
sect or denomination.
The trial court's final judgment in favor of the Sacramento City
Unified School District and the Twin Ridges Elementary School
District, states in part: “Plaintiff failed to carry its evidentiary
burden of establishing that anthroposophy is a religion for purposes
of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United
States Constitution or the other California constitutuinal provisions
involved in this case, as stated in the Court's pretrial order dated
April 20, 2005 Waldorf Methods Litigation Update, January 21,
2006, by Christian M. Keiner: Kronick, Moskovitz, Tiedemann & Girard.
ckeiner@...
Courts in California and worldwide have found that anthroposophy,
the philosophical foundation of the Waldorf-like curriculum and
methods in public charter schools, is a philosophy and not a religion.
The curriculum and methods of the Waldorf-like education at el Rio
Charter School will be 100% non-religious. Although our teachers will
be trained at institutions like Rudolf Steiner College to observe,
relate to and teach children based on the anthroposophical philosophy,
we can make this assertion because the non-religiosity of Waldorf
education has been upheld in courts in California and worldwide forthe following reasons:
1. "Anthroposophy", the name of the philosophy behind Waldorf
education's curriculum and methods, designates a cognitive research
method using focused concentration, learned compassion and sensory
cultivation as a way of knowing or method of inquiry. “Anthroposophyâ€,
essentially, means “inquiry into the nature of being humanâ€. The
purpose of anthroposophy is to humanize life on earth through learned
openmindedness, openheartedness, objectivity, positivity and
intentionality.
2. Unlike a religion or a church, anthroposophy has no creed or any
other form of doctrinal statement to which members must or are
expected to subscribe.
3. Anthroposophy has no clergy or form of clergy and membership in
the anthroposophical society does not qualify persons to perform
marriage ceremony.
4. Anthroposophy does not have sacraments like communion or
babtism. Unlike a religion, anthroposophy does not claim to have
sacred scripture and it does not have or administer a system of canon
law.
5. Anthroposophy holds no formal worship services and makes no
efforts to propagate or missionize.
6. Anthroposophy is a way of knowing and inquiry into the mysteries
of human life. Its aim is not answers to be believed, but questions
and more questions into the nature of life on earth.
7. An atheist may become a member or interested in the
anthroposophical society and remain an atheist; an agnostic may become
a member and remain an agnostic; a member of any traditional religious
sect or denomination – Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, etc. – may
become a member of the anthroposophical society and remain a member of
their sect or denomination.
The trial court's final judgment in favor of the Sacramento City
Unified School District and the Twin Ridges Elementary School
District, states in part: "Plaintiff failed to carry its evidentiary
burden of establishing that anthroposophy is a religion for purposes
of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United
States Constitution or the other California constitutuinal provisions
involved in this case, as stated in the Court's pretrial order dated
April 20, 2005". Waldorf Methods Litigation Update, January 21,2006, by Christian M. Keiner: Kronick, Moskovitz, Tiedemann & Girard.
ckeiner@...
You may be surprised to hear that, in Los Angeles public schools,
organizations like the Kabbalah Center, Scientology and Transcendatal
Meditation offer (with parental permission) students scripted lessons,
like"Rules of the Game of Life". Kids bring home marketing materials
inviting students and their parents to find out about or join these
organizations. El Rio Charter School will never do this. No
pamphlets, invitations or lesson plans promoting any religious,
spiritual or political organization will ever be distributed to
parents or given to students either by word, deed or implication.
***********
If Joan and Ed could speak on behalf of El Rio and Waldorf, it would be nice. But maybe the heat in the kitchen is making you swoon. I trust it is as always, which means a quality education system for those that seek an alternative to public education.
Pete just might be running out of days in order to file his coveted lawsuit. And I suspect that pressure is what bothers him. It is not like we haven’t been encouraging him in that direction for quite some time in order that he can get final closure and move on.
You see, the only other alternative is for him to seek to undermine every legitimate effort to further Waldorf education with his purely negative attitude, which is backed up by PLANS and the Waldorf_Critics list.
So, please speak on behalf of El Rio, and have the courage to defuse the slander and libel that emits from Pete. I would encourage making him aware of what he is doing, and consider filing a lawsuit for libel/slander against him.
At least, then he’ll get his day in court.
Regards.
Not knowing about the back story of alleged third party events beyond El Rio’s scope, I can only respond by saying, basically, that this site is not the forum for defending El Rio against anything or anyone, or Waldorf education, or our choice of volunteers. This is the web site and blog for people who like the idea of El Rio and the idea of public Waldorf education. It’s not a political forum to debate with people upset over events unrelated to El Rio directly or who think El Rio is a bad idea. There are other places on the net for that. There’s a disclaimer announcing that negative comments will not be welcomed.
The bottom of the front page of this site says: “Conscious, individual expression and personal initiative for the good is a universal value of Waldorf education worldwide. The opinions expressed by the el Rio Charter School founders and school blog authors are ours alone as individuals. Collectively, we hold to Waldorf’s shared human values of (1) the gift of attentiveness (2) the power of initiative, (3) the count-to-ten pause for objectivity, (4) the joy of positivity, (5) the curiosity of openness, and (6) “being the change you wish to see in the world.” We hold the same standard for comments on our blog posts and look forward to your thoughts and conversation starters!” Since the comment your refer to does not hold with the constructive spirit of the web site the writer posted to, I have removed it as inappropriate for the stated aims of this forum.
I know there are people who don’t appreciate Waldorf education for their own philosophical reasons, and this web site is not for them as our disclaimer clearly says. I also know that out of everyone who ever encountered a Waldorf school, that some had a disappointing or actually bad experience. This is not the place for old wounds unrelated to El Rio. I’m aware of the lawsuits and, not being a lawyer, have no comment except to say that I, personally, am satisfied that (a) “anthroposophy”, the worldview underlying Waldorf education, is a philosophy, and not a religion and (b) that El Rio charter school will be a public school in every sense of the word, meaning sensitive to First Amendment issues. The lawsuits have been beneficial in encouraging discernment over the distinctions between Waldorf education in public schools vs and Waldorf education in private schools. Steve, it sounds like you are interested in this question as a prospective parent? If so, and you have some thoughts about our proposed educational program or anything else, please let me know.
Please see my reply below.
Best,
Joan
Really? My ex wife WORKED AS YOUR ASSISTANT. Joan “knows nothing” when it’s convenient. Like I said, Joan has a strained relation with the truth.
So, how low can it go? Angela K. obviously holds strong allegiance to Waldorf, which is why two sons graduated through high school at Highland Hall. What greater truth is there than that?
Surely not Pete’s belief that it all happened while he was negating it all. The truth is, Pete; it means it is, while you gnash your teeth and wring your hands about it.
Your loss is yours, so stop inflicting it upon the world. Get it, chump?
Steve
ps-jeesh!!
Way more than anybody even cares about, or feels threatened by these days.
ohooooo
Nice try, Pete, while you waste the very last shred of the Statute of Limitations (which you seem to find a way to extend forever).
LMAO, Steve
I don’t see Joan laughing. Ed is a liability to her precious charter school scheme. My blog is filled with letters of complaint against Ed – this isn’t just me. Everyone knows his crimes, thanks to ME and to other brave parents who spoke up at the time. Ed Eadon is a monster who MUST be held accountable for his actions at Highland Hall. I don’t stop until that happens.
I only give you a hard time because you need to get it on and get it over with. Closure will be good for you, and disclosure of all the relevant evidence concerning the aforesaids will likely make this the case of the century. I wait for it to appear on the docket, because I take a keen interest in the facts, and the truth; and the justice that is proper to ending this whole matter for you.
It will be interesting to see if Waldorf has a future after this, but you have to remember that their defense will attempt to match you, allegation for allegation. That makes it very compelling to see it happen.
Believe me, I hope it does. No one has come forth like you have, so it must be serious, and the sincerity of purpose is one you have never wavered from.
Steve
With regard to my (surprise to her) lawsuit, I’m wondering if she’s thought about the negative publicity this is going to bring to Highland Hall? This isn’t like some dusty school with CEO’s nobody’s heard of… there are celebrities there… BIG ones. I’m sure Ed remembers the paparazzi days. Highland Hall will be a very interesting place in the coming years.
So what does this mean for El Rio? Well, the negative publicity will affect EVERY Waldorf charter… they taught my kids RACISM as if it was science, for crying out loud. I have a feeling the California charter school system doesn’t have a lot of tolerance for schools that do this. And Highland Hall is the training center for Waldorf teachers in this area… so Joan’s going to have a lot of ‘splainin’ to do when all this comes into sharp focus on El Rio.
So, you may be looking at being your own prosecutor, but with all the time in the world to do it, take every minute to consider every aspect of it, in detail.
It could very well be that these people see a bluffer and puffer in you, and that is why they stay silent. Why wouldn’t they?
I have a VERY good lawyer. Many of the critics know who he is. I’m not bluffing… but I REALLY hope they think I am.
When Joan connected Ed to the charter school system, she screwed up – SERIOUSLY. Now the whole system is up for review.
See why I wait to file my lawsuit Steve? Last year, I had BRAND NEW developments in my case. This year, MORE new developments. The longer I wait, the more I describe publicly what they did, the more Waldorf tries to cover up their crimes… and the more I CATCH them doing it. Every day is an opportunity to connect a new dot. The people I’m suing have infiltrated Waldorf schools across the country. It’s to my benefit and to Waldorf’s detriment for me to wait as long as possible before filing.
I hope Joan tries to force my hand. I searched for my daughter while Highland Hall helped hide her. Through that search, I made some good, supportive contacts at the Poly Klaas Foundation, the Attorney General’s office and the California Department of Justice. I contacted police departments throughout the state. I personally went day and night without rest looking for my daughter. I NEVER STOPPED until she was recovered and safe… ALL the time working AGAINST the efforts of the monsters at Highland Hall.
Now, I’m watching her physically and mentally deteriorate before my eyes. Guess what? I’M NOT GOING TO STOP UNTIL MY KIDS GET JUSTICE!
Actually, the timing couldn’t be better for this… Right before El Rio opens would be the PERFECT time to draw attention to MY lawsuit.
Joan is kinda stuck. To make me stop, she has to take me to court… and I’m pretty sure she isn’t fooling herself about how THAT will end. But, to let me continue will undermine her efforts to spread Anthroposophy to unsuspecting people using public monies.
I’m sure she’d LOVE to pay me to go away quietly, but even Waldorf doesn’t have THAT kind of money. So (and see if you get the irony here) – Waldorf has to sit there and be continually bullied by ME!
Hey, maybe there really IS a GOD?
That’s NOT TRUE. The case is STILL OPEN and is in the 9th district court of appeals.
(Joan, you shouldn’t believe everything you read on Waldorfanswers… LMAO!)
Waldorf has a LONG way to go before satisfying the claim that Anthroposophy is not a religion. The courts are still looking at this case – it has NOT been decided… and there’s a good chance (now that there’s a new judge on the bench) that it WILL go differently with respect to the evidence that has been allowed. The role of Waldorf in the California Charter School system may be a moot point when that lawsuit is finished. It may very well be denied ANY charter schools.
So, to be clear, there is a current “first amendment” lawsuit against Waldorf, AND a “civil” lawsuit coming soon. And no, we’re not sharing the same lawyer.
One question Steve. Why would you think for a moment that I might have trouble finding a lawyer to represent me here? Mine is a multi-million dollar lawsuit. I’ve literally had to screen applicants who want to represent me in this… You think I can’t find a lawyer to take this case? Are you kidding me?
But, what have you just said here? Why would you wait while your daughter suffers so much at the hands of these fiends? What if you were to die tonight because the thief of your soul took you? Who would carry on your legacy?
See what I mean? People think you are bluffing, and that is why they stay silent. Why wouldn’t they? Only you has come forth announcing the egregious offenses inflicted on your kids. Yet, two of these actually graduated from Highland Hall, true?
So, where do you draw the line? Your daughter, according to your own public forum, left Highland Hall after the 8th grade for a public high school, where the real trouble began for her. True?
You see, this is all going to come out in court, and the Waldorf lawyers will take every opportunity to show that it was her transition to public high school, and not Highland Hall, that did the greatest damage.
But, you have no case whatsoever against public high school, and so you seek to pin it all on a private alternative school which you agreed upon voluntarily, and even saw the successful graduation of two sons through the full program at Highland Hall.
It is important to look realistically at the full scope of your situation, and having a dialogue here with Joan and Ed present seems quite real to me.
Steve
My ex was living with the administrator of Highland Hall (after Ed) during her time in public school. He kicked my daughter out of their home after serving me with a restraining order and helping my ex deny my daughter therapy. When I found out what was happening, and tried to find my daughter Highland Hall organized around him to try to keep me from finding her. They would rather see a child come to harm than see bad publicity for their school… get it?
I know you want this over Steve… but I really don’t care what you or Waldorf wants. My kids are still very sensitive and this matter is VERY serious. But don’t worry… If I die tomorrow, my case is laid out and my attorney will run with it… I’m not his only client in this case, remember… there are three others.
Except for the one little detail of waiting all these years in order to gain justice and commission on the part of Waldorf. No, you felt you should wait for years while the damage continued unabated, and your children suffered.
Nice try, but that makes no sense to any normal person who sees criminal offenses being committed right before their eyes.
No, you have waited way beyond the statute of limitations in order to gain justice, even if you have 1-1/2 years left on it, and taking every minute out of it.
Just look at what damage has been inflicted while you wait. Why? Ask you attorney.
Ask them all, Pete.
You know what they’ll tell you? Time is of the essence in lawsuits. Why? Because evidence has a tendency of moving on and getting lost in the shuffle. So, you’re lost in the shuffle, Pete.
You waited way too long in order to make justice in your case a feasible possibility. You’re now nothing more than a pain-in-the-ass to those that have written you off. Why? Because all you do is talk, and threaten, and bully, and bluster about your own pathetic self.
And what do they do in response. Yep; ignore you, as any reasonable person would. Now, go talk to your attorney’s, and tell us what comes next. We’re waiting.
Steve
http://digitalseance.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/faculty_meetings_1_2.pdf
Rudolf Steiner: "It is true that anthroposophy is a worldview, and we certainly do not want to bring that into our school. On the other hand, we must certainly develop the religious feeling that worldview can give to the human soul when the parents expressly ask us to give it to the children. Particularly when we begin with anthroposophy, we dare not develop anything inappropriate, certainly not develop anything too early. We will, therefore, have two stages. First, we will take all the children in the lower four grades, and then those in the upper four grades.
In the lower four grades, we will attempt to discuss the things and processes in the human environment, so that a feeling arises in the children that spirit lives in nature. We can consider such things as my previous examples. We can, for instance, give the children the idea of the soul. Of course, the children first need to learn to understand the idea of life in general. You can teach the children about life if you direct their attention to the fact that people are first small and then they grow, become old, get white hair, wrinkles, and so forth. Thus, you tell them about the seriousness of the course of human life and acquaint them with the seriousness of the fact of death, something the children already [k]now.
Therefore, you need to discuss what occurs in the human soul during the changes between sleeping and waking. You can certainly go into such things with even the youngest children in the first group. Discuss how waking and sleeping look, how the soul rests, how the human being rests during sleep, and so forth. Then, tell the children how the soul permeates the body when it awakens and indicate to them that there is a will that causes their limbs to move. Make them aware that the body provides the soul with senses through which they can see and hear and so forth. You can
give them such things as proof that the spiritual is active in the physical. Those are things you can discuss with the children."
p43
"In contrast, it is important that we develop imaginative pictures through which we can show the supersensible through nature. For example, I have often mentioned that we should speak to the children about the butterfly’s cocoon and how the
butterfly comes out of the cocoon. I have said that we can explain the concept of the immortal soul to the children by saying that, although human beings die, their souls go from them like an invisible butterfly emerging from the cocoon. Such a picture is, however, only effective when you believe it yourself, that is, when you believe the picture of the butterfly creeping out of the cocoon is a symbol for immortality planted into nature by
divine powers. You need to believe that yourselves, otherwise the children will not believe it."
It's pretty obvious to me that Steiner is telling teachers to make every lesson - if not directly about Anthroposophical ideas, at least about ideas contained within Anthroposophy - such as reincarnation, the existence and immortality of the soul and so forth. That's what the curriculum is leading up to in Waldorf. Students might not necessarily come out Anthroposophists, but the intention is to soften them up for Anthroposophy. And if they've gotten the parents hooked, that's the first step. If they only get 5% of the people who find Waldorf (parents and students) to accept Anthroposophy, they're doing better than most religions. If all the other 95% did was fund the school for the other 5%, that's just fine with Waldorf. Do they worry about the families who they've drawn in and who leave in disgust after a few years? Yeah, they worry all the way to the bank.