A teacher came into an unruly class. \u201cIt will be difficult to get them to be quiet\u201d, he thought to himself. Then he imagined that all pupils were small atoms caught up in a turbulent vibration. He brought himself into the same vibration, fidgeted a little bit with the arms, swayed from one leg to the other, and murmured something to himself. When he reached the same vibration as his pupils, he gradually became slower and quieter. The class also became calmer and quieter. He had to be careful not to calm himself too quickly \u2013 better to fidget for one moment more, and then become quiet again. He needed about three minutes. Then the class was completely still.<\/p>\n
Later the same day, these same pupils were loud again. \u201cDon\u2019t be so loud!\u201d, he shouted. And they remained loud. \u201cWe can\u2019t work like this\u201d, he yelled. \u201cPlease work without noise on your task!\u201d, he called. And they remained loud. \u201cMark, be quiet! Julia, close your mouth! John, be still! Frank, quiet!\u201d, he ordered. Then they became quieter. \u201cEven quieter!\u201d, he murmured, and it became even quieter. \u201cI\u2019m listening to ascertain where it is the quietest\u201d, he whispered. \u201cWhoever is quiet the fastest and stays quiet the longest, has won\u201d, he whispered. And it became very quiet. \u201cAbsolute silence\u201d, he breathed. Not a sound was to be heard. \u201cStay exactly like this\u201d, he said, and continued with the lesson.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A teacher came into an unruly class. \u201cIt will be difficult to get them to be quiet\u201d, he thought to himself. Then he imagined that all pupils were small atoms caught up in a turbulent vibration. He brought himself into … Continue reading