Beansavi
Yes, we've talked about this before. I'm aware that some kindergartens don't provide black (or brown) to the children. What I could have said better is the things like the black crayons are rumored to be quote/unquote "official" Waldorf, that black is "forbidden". I've heard many times that some teachers pull these colors, and I think you earlier indicated this was the case when you taught in your school. I meant that it's a rumor that Waldorf education itself *forbids* them, like some official policy or something. Black crayons were made available in my children's classrooms, even their kindy drawings. And they were available from the waldorf vendors. What I characterize as *rumors* are the claims that these issues are "the way it's supposed to be", that there is some kind of official Waldorf rule in effect. (An additional rumor holds that the more experienced teachers are more rigid to these so-called official rules, and that new teachers are more likely to deviate. This isn't true in my observation from our school either. I think the more experienced teachers are much more successful in distinguishing and prioritizing between what's the True Waldorf philosophy and one Particular Waldorf Practice or another).
I forget the exact relationship, but I've heard Stockmar described as an anthroposophical company. And they do sell crayon sets without black or brown, but they also sell sets with only black (or only brown).
When I was in kindergarten, we were only allowed one color at a time for the first few months. I can remember this so well
. We started with red, and that's all we had for a week, it seemed like. We were given coloring book dittos of "red" things to color. A red fire engine. A red apple, etc. We used it to color a letter we were learning in the ABCs too.Then blue--I remember the bluebird (which we don't have where I grew up 
) Yellow sun, Orange - orange. Green tree. Purple grapes, then brown. Anyway, black was last. I remember we colored a black bear. And though the teacher must have had some pedagogical reason for teaching us colors this way, in this sequence, black last, I wouldn't characterize the black as "forbidden" in my public school.
But I'd like you to explain more what you mean about the blonde thing. I was speaking of angels, not fairy tales. So this is a different, though equally unsettling, issue. What do you mean that you were taught that the blonde fairy tale characters were closer to Christ? How exactly is this taught? In Jorinda and Joringel, for example, no hair color is given, although Jorinda is described as the "fairest of all". Though "fair" can mean "blonde", it can also simply mean "pretty". As in another FT my children were told, Little Snow White, who was the "fairest one of all", though her hair was as black as ebony. And no Waldorf teacher is encouraged to add any concrete specifics to the FT that weren't already there. They aren't even taught to impart any specific emotional drama to it, but to just let the child respond to the archetypal imagery that comes from the folk tale itself.
Do teacher trainees in the class question this at all?
Linda
Yes, we've talked about this before. I'm aware that some kindergartens don't provide black (or brown) to the children. What I could have said better is the things like the black crayons are rumored to be quote/unquote "official" Waldorf, that black is "forbidden". I've heard many times that some teachers pull these colors, and I think you earlier indicated this was the case when you taught in your school. I meant that it's a rumor that Waldorf education itself *forbids* them, like some official policy or something. Black crayons were made available in my children's classrooms, even their kindy drawings. And they were available from the waldorf vendors. What I characterize as *rumors* are the claims that these issues are "the way it's supposed to be", that there is some kind of official Waldorf rule in effect. (An additional rumor holds that the more experienced teachers are more rigid to these so-called official rules, and that new teachers are more likely to deviate. This isn't true in my observation from our school either. I think the more experienced teachers are much more successful in distinguishing and prioritizing between what's the True Waldorf philosophy and one Particular Waldorf Practice or another).
I forget the exact relationship, but I've heard Stockmar described as an anthroposophical company. And they do sell crayon sets without black or brown, but they also sell sets with only black (or only brown).
When I was in kindergarten, we were only allowed one color at a time for the first few months. I can remember this so well
. We started with red, and that's all we had for a week, it seemed like. We were given coloring book dittos of "red" things to color. A red fire engine. A red apple, etc. We used it to color a letter we were learning in the ABCs too.Then blue--I remember the bluebird (which we don't have where I grew up ) Yellow sun, Orange - orange. Green tree. Purple grapes, then brown. Anyway, black was last. I remember we colored a black bear. And though the teacher must have had some pedagogical reason for teaching us colors this way, in this sequence, black last, I wouldn't characterize the black as "forbidden" in my public school.But I'd like you to explain more what you mean about the blonde thing. I was speaking of angels, not fairy tales. So this is a different, though equally unsettling, issue. What do you mean that you were taught that the blonde fairy tale characters were closer to Christ? How exactly is this taught? In Jorinda and Joringel, for example, no hair color is given, although Jorinda is described as the "fairest of all". Though "fair" can mean "blonde", it can also simply mean "pretty". As in another FT my children were told, Little Snow White, who was the "fairest one of all", though her hair was as black as ebony. And no Waldorf teacher is encouraged to add any concrete specifics to the FT that weren't already there. They aren't even taught to impart any specific emotional drama to it, but to just let the child respond to the archetypal imagery that comes from the folk tale itself.
Do teacher trainees in the class question this at all?
Linda
:
(although DD wouldn't - she likes black because it shows on the paper the best).
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