Kelowna Waldorf School-Of politics or demons article

[fguy]

I'm considering sending my kids to elementary school at the Waldorf school out in the lower mission.

Any parents with kids there who attend?

Please PM me if you don't want to say anything publicly... I want to ensure the school has no serious staff problems, etc., before signing up.

Thanks!

[kgcayenne]

Your child's success may depend on what type of learner he/she is. I have heard tell of a grade 4 child not yet knowing how to read, and knowing the situation with that particular family, I chalked it up to lack of parental involvement in the learning process.

[BelieveNothing]

Hello KG

I know a little about the local waldorf school.

The school and its philosophy were created by Rudolph Steiner, the education is a right brained modality...using arts and crafts, plays based on mythology and the basic philosophy of the school. The ideas are based on new age teachings and often depicted in the many plays and activities the children persue. Very right brained education

The teachers seem to be long committed for the most part...this is usually their chosen format to educate within and they take more education every summer at the waldorf school in the US.

The teachers i have known fron the local waldorf scool are comitted to their jobs with the kids to the point of almost having little time for much else in life. Dedicated.

My suggestion is to fully research the philosophy behind the creation of this partiucular education program.

It is excellent for some and not so right for others :)

[kgcayenne]

Please don't be confused, fguy was the one who asked and I shared what I knew of an isolated family's experience (for whom it did not work out). Your post is informative, and I hope the OP does as you suggest.

[phasyluck]

Pretty sure I went there in the early 80's before that weird building was built...I turned out fantastic!

[JGKT]

http://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/18 ... and-demons
As a parent who left this school after 6.5 years. This article is only the tip of the iceburg. I have to complement the author of the article on his ability narrow down his facts to one page. When our family is asked why we left I'm at a loss of words on where to begin without sounding like a crazy person.
When we first moved to Kelowna 6.5 yrs ago, specifically for the Waldorf School, there was talk about previous events that occured that lead to several teachers and families leaving. At the time I had no way checking the validity of it. It seemed really far fetched so I left it go. 6.5 years later I am understanding why previous parents and teachers left with never wanting to talk about the school again. The current events that led up to this last mass exodus is draining and so unbelievable that it leaves you thinking you may be crazy. I've spent many hours thinking this can't be happening, next thing you now something crazier is taking place. I'm not even talking about the Anthroposophy (religious part of school) thats a topic for a different forum .
I 'm keeping to the actions of Allumni in petitioning against an elected current parent board. The illegal actions of the Intern Board of Directors. When I quote illegal I'm not just throwing that word out there. They never called the mandated Emergency General Meeting, which means that none of their actions in the fall had any legal standing...Including firing our principle, not allowing current parents to have a vote at the AGM etc. Dr. Peter Froese Executive Director of the Federation of Independent School Association BC attended one of our All school meetings. Peter gave some recommendations to the Intern Board, which they declined. It was the opinion of FISA, as reported at the December Annual General Meeting, that the school hire a lawyer to deal with the legal problems engendered by the rogue board.
With all of this again only being the tip of the iceburg we chose to pull our kids. The reason I'm wriiting this comment is to hopefully inform that new parent that may be hearing the rumors that will be going on about the last mass exodus. In hopes that this forum with come up and to help inform you of what went on. The Kelowna Waldorf School does not educate the children to the level of regular school. The teachers that were aware of this tried to impliment new methods of education they were taught through the Waldorf Association only to be denied. Many of the Bachelor of Education Waldorf trained teachers have left the Kelowna School for this reason. It is not as easy to just pull your kids and register them at a different school. Their academic level most likely will be lower, especially at the lower grades. I am now having to deal with this with my children and I hope this will help you research your decision for your children.

[Mr Danksworth]

It's nice to see that people are finally seeing what Waldorf really is. It's an anachronistic, occult/esoteric based 'education' system from the early 1900's that leaves kids unprepared for the real world. Anthroposophy blends ideas from astrology, spiritualism, Rosicrucianism, Christian mysticism and other gnostic and esoteric sources, to create a cosmology based on Steiner’s readings of the ‘Akashic Records‘. The 'Ashakic Records' are a new age concept that says the cosmic history of the past and the future exists on a spiritual plane and is available to the select ew through meditation and clairvoyance. Such a great foundation for an education, lol.

[phasyluck]

Pretty sure my mom had me in that place back in the early 80's, I remember when they built that funky looking place( in the picture) when I was attending OKM and always thought it was odd to say the least.

[JGKT]

duplicate post.

[KingCreole]

Sadly, just after a bitter separation, my ex-wife went against my wishes and enrolled my son to this "school". I interviewed one of the admin, went for a tour and did online research. I was appalled. There were pictures, drawn by preschoolers, of hooded figures and other odd, disturbing images. The feeling I got was: cult. Kids were not allowed to wear superhero shirts or the like. The admin said, that if my son watched T.V at home, or used any kind of computer, he would be completely out of place at this school, as none of the other kids do. It was scary.

I sent her a message conveying my concerns, and sadly, it was completely ignored. I must admit, I feel vindicated by this story.

[GordonH]

Since private schools do get funding from the Province (which I feel is unfortunate, that is for a different thread). They should be teaching somewhat closer to a Provincial standard. Yes, I am aware majority of private schools are religious based, thats what makes them private.

The school mentioned in this thread appears to be little to far out there, the ones that suffer are the kids. A good sound education is one thing they can really use far into there adult lives, they truly deserve that.... everyone does.

[dandugan]

"Meltdowns" like this happen occasionally at Waldorf schools. Because Anthroposophy (the Steiner cult) is an esoteric religion, Waldorf teachers are usually careful about how much they reveal to parents. Otherwise the parents will think they're nuts. But there aren't enough Anthroposophist children to support a school, so they have to maintain an illusion of normalcy to keep enough families in the school for it to survive.

Because it is a cult that demands more than full-time participation of teachers, they sometimes drift away from reality and start acting like the Taliban. People for Legal and Nonsectarian Schools, Inc., a U.S. nonprofit, maintains a web site with information about Waldorf schools from outside the cult. Our web site includes links to other sites giving some other outside views of Waldorf.

-Dan Dugan, Secretary, PLANS Inc. http://www.waldorfcritics.org

[Fancy]

I find it interesting that Waldorf responds to the criticism yet doesn't say anything pertinent to the concerns brought up.http://www.castanet.net/edition/news-st ... htm#191066

Following Castanet's original article, Salsa wrote a letter, claiming the article had many statements that were "completely inaccurate – too many to cite individually!"

When asked to identify these inaccuracies, Salsa responded with what he called, "the important point."

“The important point to understand is the environment we provide the children with here is, we try and prioritize a safe and stable and stimulating environment,” Salsa said. “The Waldorf education is a phenomenal education for the children.”

Salsa did not return numerous calls from Castanet prior to the original article.

[George+]

And this is precisely why public funds must not finance private schools...

http://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/19 ... to-critics

Not to mention bizarre religious beliefs.

[Jflem1983]

Waldorf kids have always been weird . When I was a kid in school we picked on them . No one likes them . Good for the parents who woke up and pulled out