Colloquium on English - Research Institute for Waldorf Education

But the speaker has to perceive the concrete imagination, the memory picture. We need to be aware of the
difference between a head memory which has a photographic quality and the imagination which is more of
the will. This activity, described in detail by Steiner in Chapter 2 of Study of Man, changes the being of the
listener. What is essential in teaching is that the soul of the teacher meets the soul of the student in this way.
Working with concrete imaginations which are perceived by the speaker gives rise to the speech and
sound gestures that it is entirely different than what is received from most speech by the listener. The sound
gestures begin to flow more naturally. The basic process gets started, is in a flow, and then the pieces begin
to come together.
This kind of speaking is not just for reciting poetry but is extremely helpful for general lessons, even
mathematics. If the teacher concretely imagines two objects, then the students will receive the objects
quantitatively rather than abstractly.
This is why it seems somewhat useless in teaching to refer to lecture notes rather than speaking of
what the teacher actually has made her or his own. It is a painful lesson in high school teaching to realize
that if the teacher can’t remember the information, it is pointless to give it to the students to learn.
The whole process requires creating a soul connection with the material. If you use the imagination
in the moment, then you can use the soul connection to the sense perception. Teachers often experience
that the first time they teach a subject seems the strongest. This is because the teacher connects with it on
a soul level.
We know that our bodies move when we speak but we often forget that this is happening. We have
to remember the movement of our bodies and work with that; we have to fully embody our speech.
— Anne Greer from a coversation with Craig Giddens
Craig Giddens is a rich and available resource for suggesting and providing poems and speeches. He has several fat binders full
of material that he is willing to share. He encourages any teacher to contact him: 9 Sweethaven Lane, Harpswell, ME 04079;
207-725-2772.; word@suscom-maine.net
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