Christchurch Rudolf Steiner School

[http://www.ch.steiner.school.nz/about_us.htm].

David Mollet has been a firm advocate 

of Waldorf/Steiner education.

Here is an exchange of views he had with 

Waldorf critic Dan Dugan in 1996.

[http://www.waldorfcritics.org/active/archives/WCA9604.html]

David Mollet: 

Dan, why do you believe or what evidence do you have for saying that the charter [school] movement is a disaster etc. etc. Every school in New Zealand is a charter school. The Maoris [aboriginal New Zealanders] have found they are able to found their own schools. There is far more flexibility in the [education] system than previously. 

Dan Dugan:

I believe the charter movement is a disaster because it splinters society. Every cockamamie fundamentalist or ethnic group will be bringing up children isolated in their particular culture. To me this is bad news, and I have personal experience of something like that. Two of my kids went to a Christian academy, and the 19-year-old still believes the earth is 6000 years old.

David Mollet:

I have seen nothing worse than what happens to children in public schools in California — it was the main reason we left California and went to New Zealand viz. so our children could go to public school and not have to undergo the horrendous experiences that would have occurred if they had gone to public school in California.

Dan Dugan:

I don't believe you have made any survey of schools in California. I don't deny you may have seen bad schools, but there may be some bad examples in NZ [New Zealand] too. The Waldorf fundamentalism needs a scapegoat to react against, and that's public schools. I dare you to walk into a group of dedicated California public school teachers and talk about "horrendous experiences." 

David Mollet:

Meanwhile if you want an objective view on charter schools in California read the Little Hoover Commission report on them. Sincerely, David Mollet

[The Little Hoover Commission is an independent California state oversight agency that investigates state government operations and policy. David Moffett may have been referring to the “Getting Down to Facts” Project that concluded the education system in California is so broken that it requires fundamental reform. — R.R.]

Years after the exchange reported above, David Mollett 

took a post at a Waldorf/Steiner school in New Zealand.

He found the experience dreadful.

Here are some of the statements Mollett made in a video

discussing his time at Christchurch Rudolf Steiner School.

Note that the video has been edited.

I am proceeding on the assumption that the editing

is fair and accurate and does not misrepresent David Mollet's views.

If I discover otherwise, I will make the needed corrections.

In the transcript, below, I have put a paragraph break

at each point where some of Mollet's statements 

apparently have been edited out. 

— Roger Rawlings

David Mollet talks about his experiences 

at the Christchurch Rudolf Steiner School, New Zealand

"In that time, in 1985, we’d had a look at the school and found out there were all sorts of different problems going on, and so I mean I just didn't agree with the kind of things that were happening in different relationships between teachers and between teachers and parents and so on.

“And I found that especially one person, and perhaps I should [sic: shouldn't] say it, but I mean he'd had, to my knowledge, at least six affairs with different teachers and parents, and here he was teaching children. 

“But suddenly they [members of the school's faculty and others] were spreading the most vile rumors about me, that all my qualifications were fraudulent.

“[A]nd [they said that] I'd actually been deported from the USA. I mean, they were all just vile lies. 

“That's why I mention the CV [i.e., his curriculum vitae or résumé], because if you want to check it, you can. 

“So I left the school. 

“I really felt I was dealing, quite honestly, with people who had no integrity, no morality, no conscience. All I could see is they were motivated by self-interest. 

“But it had to go up to Wellington [the capital of New Zealand] and in the end I had to fly up and see the head of immigration in Wellington.

“And it is very hard to forgive the Christchurch Rudolf Steiner School for causing that amount of distress.

“And sadly I have to say, you know, it was easily the worst experience that I've ever had on this planet."

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwot4zToSn8]

Anecdotal evidence, such as Mollett's report about his experiences at one Steiner school, do not prove much. But when one such report is supported by similar reports made by others, underlying patterns may begin to emerge. [See "The First Person".]

The things Mollet found at the Christchurch Rudolf Steiner school are shocking, yet various other reports coming out of other Steiner schools — reports by former Waldorf teachers, students, and parents — reflect similar problems. Dishonesty and even ruthlessness may be deemed justified when people think they are acting on the side of the gods and with the sanction of the gods. True believers are sure they are right, and they feel absolutely convinced that their opponents are totally wrong. Therefore, true believers think anything they do to uphold the right is justified, even if this means adopting measures that would normally be considered immoral. For true believers and their holy mission, the end justifies the means.

Then, too, a certain level of hypocrisy is probably to be expected in Waldorf schools. It is easy for humans to formulate high ideals, but it is invariably hard for humans to enact such ideals. Waldorf faculties have high, even noble aspirations. We shouldn't be surprised if those faculties prove unable to realize their aspirations. Indeed, failure is built into their system, since the things they believe and aspire to are largely illusory.

A note about URL's (Web addresses) and links to them: These may become outdated. Owners of websites may remove pages, change their locations, etc. I work to maintain the URL's and links at my own websites, but I cannot control what happens elsewhere. If any URL's or links I present here prove to be outdated, I apologize. They were all current when I produced the various essays at my sites, and perhaps with a little Internet sleuthing you may be able to find materials that otherwise seem to have vanished or been altered.

— R.R.