Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Re: joint venture with cohousing and Waldorf schoo

[C.C. Barron (ccbarron]

Oak Village Commons in Austin is buying land within walking distance of the
Austin Waldorf School.  About half of our current member families are
associated with the school in some way (I, for example, teach Science and Math
in the high school), but there is no official connection, monetary or
otherwise.  We find the community of the school very supportive of our
cohousing community, and the values very compatible.  The school operates on
consensus as we do, for example, and ecology is built into the curriculum.  Our
cohousing community is intentionally inclusive of diversity, specifically with
respect to "race, ethnicity, religion, gender, marital status, sexual
orientation, personality type, interests, abilities, affluence, and age."  At
Austin Waldorf School, the Jewish festivals are celebrated along with
Christian/Pagan ones in at least some of the classes, and our faculty is
mindful and intentional about opposing racism and anti-Semitism.  We have
students from many religions other than Christian, including Jews, neo-Pagans,
various Indian and other eastern religions, etc.  What I have read of Steiner's
work (he wrote over 300 books, so there's a lot out there!) is wise and
compassionate.  I was not familiar with the embarrassing statements posted
earlier -- they prompt me to continue to be vigilant in questioning anything in
the curriculum that might be racist (although I have not yet encountered
anything).

There is another association with Steiner and community -- the Camphill
communities http://www.camphillassociation.org/history.php were inspired by
Steiner's work (and founded by a person fleeing the Nazis).  On a humorous
note, Steiner himself was dark-haired, and most of our faculty are, too!

I don't mean to re-open a heated discussion here, but I did feel compelled to
say something, since I was on vacation when the thread started.

Blessings,

Cat Barron
Oak Village Commons
Austin, TX
www.oakhillcohousing.org

---

A healing social life is found
When in the mirror of each human soul
The whole community finds its reflection,
And when in the community
The virtue of each one is living
(Rudolf Steiner)

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