My addendum to the 'Measles for the One Percent' Waldorf article

On the first of May, I was contacted by Lisa Miller who told me she was writing an article for New York Magazine on Waldorf education and did I have time to answer a few questions? We spoke for about 45 minutes. She was pleasant, articulate, and open-minded. Despite my bad experiences as a Waldorf teacher, I try to be fair, but when the fact-checker contacted me a few weeks later, I knew by the conversation that the article was going to throw a few punches.

It’s a very long article, but well-researched and well-written. I was flattered to be contacted and it was nice to have made the final edits, but I think for the sake of brevity, my words were put together in a way that came off as a little different than I intended. So, I'd like to clarify a couple of things. I also think it's important that the wacky stuff not be the main takeaway from the article out of respect for the people who teach at Waldorf and attend the schools.

I'm quoted about 17 paragraphs in, and I want to thank the reader who emailed me to say that the article was out. But here are the points that I felt were a tad blurry:

When the fact-checker, Jane connected with me, she specifically had a few things that she wanted to clarify, and these were them. I sort of hate the fact that the quote looks like I said 'we don't wear shoes in Hawaii'. I mean, my god, I'd be the laughing stock of the islands if anyone pointed that out. We wear shoes, we just don't wear shoes indoors. Hawaii is primarily an Asian population and normally Asians don't wear shoes indoors, because at least traditionally in SE Asia, people eat and sleep on the floor.

Secondly, I did say that there were kids with zipper coolers and lunchboxes. They were in the minority, but we had them. And while I was snarky during the conversation over the more absurd points, (like the black crayon, c' mon, right?) I tried to give fair answers as I don't hold ill feelings towards the people who were involved in my firing or towards Waldorf education in general. Anyway...enough about me. What about the rest of it?

When I read the article, I was reminded of a bigger phenomenon that is going on in the US. There seems to be not only a witch hunt regarding celebrities who say the 'wrong' things but also one that entails digging through dead men's graves. I understand why Lisa was taking a hard look at Rudolf Steiner. She was doing her research and trying to get her head around some pretty far out literature. Nonetheless, I wanted to add my thoughts.

The tough thing about Waldorf education is there are some very polarizing views. There are those who love it, swear by it, and firmly believe in Rudolf Steiner's vision. And within that spectrum of believers, there are gradients. Then there are those who hate it and had horrible experiences - with degrees of distrust within that camp, too.

I find myself sympathetic to both sides. 

If we looked back at when Rudolf Steiner lived (around World War I and II), I think you'd find many other intelligent people who held what we consider racist and sexist views. I'm not saying this is excusable or okay. I just think CONTEXT is something to consider. As a former student of anthropology, I've read about how races were 'categorized' by early anthro pioneers, my own 'race', for example, was classified as 'barbarians'.  However, at the time, this was one of the ways in which scientists tried to make sense of the world and the people in it. We know better now.

There will be a time when future generations look at how we behave and what we consider moral and normal and question our sanity, much like how we look back at slavery and denying women the right to vote. In fact, there was a time not so long ago in which many people believed gay marriage to be abominable. And yes, I realize there are cultures around the world that still have 'slaves' and treat gays as criminals.

So what will future folks say about us? I can't believe they used gasoline, and drove automobiles knowing how damaging it was to our environment! Anyone who used a car should be eradicated from our historic records no matter what they did. Can you believe they used to let their children use smartphones! Who knows how future societies will judge on what we are doing today? It's an interesting thought and one that I think of when we look back at famous figures.

I think we forget this and keep throwing babies out with the bathwater. To be sure, Steiner said some wacky shit. As someone who studied anthroposophy during my training years, it was very difficult to understand. I often felt like I was getting somewhere, only to feel utterly confused about it the next day. So while the article couldn't possibly do justice to this esoteric body of work, it's important to consider that the sensational bits were the ones mentioned.

It's also worth noting that Steiner's words have been translated from German to English. And while he was born in what is now considered Austria, it's all Germany, and German culture and American culture does have its differences.

And that karma quote? Ugh. Steiner was probably trying to make sense of the world and why bad things happen to good people. He certainly wasn't the first nor will he be the last. More excuses? No, more CONTEXT. Was he clairvoyant? Who knows, who cares! Why can't we take the good parts, the art-based education, the storytelling, the focus on beauty, music, dance, non-technological play, and run with that?

As far as the vaccination or lack thereof with some Waldorf parents, this phenomenon definitely reflects the times we live in. Folks are wary of big pharmaceuticals, they distrust governments, and things that are 'taken for granted'. Parents want to control the chemicals going into their children's bodies. To me, it sounds like these parents are simply hyper-conscious about raising healthy kids. On the surface, these are understandable qualities. 

They have good intentions, but their beliefs are having unforeseeable consequences. If it wasn't we wouldn't be having this conversation.

What’s been your experience with Waldorf education? Did you read the article?