I was teaching in autumn a 3 week modern history main lesson to class 11 in Kings Langley, England. It was not usual nor was it totally exceptional that we would have students join us late in their educational development. A very active and lively female student had come at the beginning of the school year. I had not yet had time to get to know her well as my usual experience was teaching the class Eurythmy twice a week.
I quickly realized that the world of modern history did not hold much interest for her and as a result there was the tendency to engage the students on either side of her in the classroom in conversation. The challenge was how to create the possibility of making this worthwhile both for her and the other students.
One morning I came in to the classroom towards the end of the first week of the lesson and asked her to step out into the hall with me for a few moments. I decided to do something radical in the circumstances. I told her a story, taking the time to describe in some detail a walking journey through hills and lush valleys, wood lands and meadows until having crossed a stream via a set of stones she found herself on a grassy knoll with a beautiful temple like structure with a flowing fountain in the middle. Taking a goblet she found on the fountain in her hand she was able to take a long deep drink. This fountain held the water of life.
I told her that if she would come into class each day and draw a picture taking any aspect of the story she wished to draw but not engage the other students in conversation I would find her activity acceptable for this main lesson. She took this up with great earnestness and made a very fine drawing. The other members of the class were able to complete their work successfully without interruption.
The student left Kings Langley several months later and I thought I would never see her again.
About 4 years later at our annual evening for students of class 12 and old scholars this young lady comes up to me with a group of her friends that she has brought to visit the school. She gives me the warmest greeting imaginable and tells her friends “this is the man who changed my life.” I was stunned by this greeting and discover that as a result of doing this drawing, she for the first time became aware that it was graphic art that she had been searching for. She had never realized before that main lesson, that this was the case. She had gone on to an art school, graduated with honors, and was now working successfully in her career as a graphic artist. I will never forget the joy in her eyes and my gratitude at having a moment to be free to move outside of the expected activity of our main lesson and stumbling onto something of real value for this particular individual.
