The Having of Wonderful New Ideas

Today my colleagues and I studied Chapter 11 of Study of Man (or Foundations of Human Experience) and I found such inspiration.

The part of our study that stood out most to me was about the reasons why we teach intellectual concepts through an artistic lens. I have always had an intuitive sense for why it is best to teach through the heart. I mean, who doesn’t appreciate a good story? But our study today helped me to see that when we present topics in an artistic way we are actually helping the far future development of the child.

The things that have arisen through superficial convention during the course of cultural development are totally unimportant for the spiritual world. For instance, our conventional means of reading or writing are, of course, not brought by the child. Spirits do not write, nor do they read. They do not read in books nor write with a pen. . . We do something good for the child only when we do not teach these conventions of reading and writing intellectually, but instead implant reading and writing into the child through the chest and limbs [the heart forces/feeling realm]. — Rudolf Steiner

This passage really lit something inside me and helped me confirm that the way I teach my students is not about some benefit that they will experience in the here and now (though there will certainly be some of that!). But it is mostly that this method of teaching is cultivating skills that they will need in the world beyond the earthly realm. Reading and writing will only serve them so far, but thinking imaginatively is a skill they’ll need far into the future.

If I could cultivate only one skill in my students, it would not be reading.

Interestingly, the business world is catching on to this idea and realizing that there are skills more important than practical abilities. “Thinking outside the box” is far more valuable than having a finely cultivated set of skills (which, incidentally, happen to match those of everyone else in the hiring pool.) The Steve Jobses and Bill Gateses of the world didn’t have those “marketable” skills. But, they were able to have ideas that no one has ever had before.  This is precisely what I want my students to be able to do.

Every time they discover a concept (via a lesson I have carefully constructed) they are having an idea that no one has ever had before.

Some examples of recent experiences:

“I see a pattern! All the numbers that end in 2 are even!”

“Ms. Floyd-Preston! 3 + 3 + 3 is the same as 3 X 3!”

These were momentous experiences for my students, because they discovered the concepts entirely on their own. I did not say, “Dear children, when you add 3 + 3 + 3, you get 9.” I did NOT do this because I wanted to give them the opportunity to discover it.

This is also why I do not hit my students over the head with the morals of the stories I tell. Today’s story was the Grimms’ fairy tale Mary’s Child. As soon as I read it, I knew it would have significance for my students. It tells the story of a girl who is dishonest about a mistake she has made, but ultimately confesses and is forgiven. As I told it, I realized it brought lessons of forgiveness, understanding, remorse, compassion and integrity. As they imagined the story, my students were able to live into it and create a new idea or morality that, at least for them, no one has ever had before. Never did I serve up the moral on a silver plate by saying, “And so, dear children, it is important that you always be honest.” Discovery provides lessons that last far longer than direct instruction.

Hard as I try, I really CAN’T teach someone to have an idea that no one has ever had before. The moment I teach it I’m showing that it is an idea that someone has already had. All I can do is set up the experience, create an opening and watch with wonder.