German
My repeated mistake was to persist too frequently in trying to solve the problems right now when I had not been able to make the situation clear instead of postponing the solution and giving myself time to think. To my surprise, however, one of the other students who had seen clearly through my fumbling efforts, would step in and give a helping hand. I heard sighs of relief and smiles brightened the gloomy faces. As the weeks advanced I became aware how little visually oriented I had been all these years. Students made signs that my pocketbook obstructed their view, that the shades had to be pulled down because of the glaring sun making the reading of the charts impossible. They also wanted to recognize the colors of the rods as clearly as possible. Of course, not every student felt happy right from the start, without the accustomed grammar explanations, and one student left in protest telling me that The Silent Way was not his cup of tea. The great majority stayed, more than in a traditionally taught course. Some of them became much freer, jumping up, seizing the rods to find clarification by setting up a new situation or replacing the rods by other objects. I heard them say: “Mit dem Bleistift, aber mit der Feder,” shaking their head at the strange German language. One girl got up waddling like a duck to explain the word “Ente” I had been unable to explain. Yet, I continued to realize that I did not fully listen to the students nor was I often aware of their reactions. The striking example was a young, strong student who stood beside my desk describing the rods. I heard him ask whether he
153