Speaking in Silence

Last Friday in my last class of the day (from 6 to 8 p.m.) I spontaneously decided not to speak during the class. This is an idea that I had kicked around occasionally in the last few years, but I'd never actually taken the plunge. It wasn't easy -- silence is one of the last things expected from a foreign language teacher -- but I didn't utter a word during the class. I used gestures, pointing to the textbook and other things a lot, and an occasional instruction or comment written on the board. The students were allowed to talk to me and to one another normally. At the end of the class I asked the students (via a question on the board) how they had felt. A few said they had enjoyed this novel class, a few had actively disliked it, and the majority were somewhere in the middle. I myself felt great; I guess being silent made me feel less that I had to be in control and in charge the whole time. I don't plan to use the "silent treatment" again with this same group in the near future, but I may use it with them again some time, and I will definitely use the technique on other occasions with other groups.

On one occasion not long ago dh and I agreed to take a vow of silence for a day. It was a Sunday, so we were together all day and didn't have to work. That was an interesting experiment, too. I feel I didn't do very well, myself, as although I didn't use words I did use a lot of "hmms." It's amazing what you can express without using words but still using your voice! Gestures were rampant, too. I feel it wasn't really a day of silence, but just of noise of a different type. We did relatively well, though, considering it was our first try. Maybe some time in the future we can do it again, keeping truly silent and making it a more spiritual experiment.

So what have I learned from these two experiences? First, of course, that it really is not that difficult to communicate without words. I did feel frustrated at times, but on both occasions I was usually able to make my basic message understood (and, in the second instance, to understand dh's message). More importantly, I was forced to use my creativity to express myself; I could not depend on the same old way of saying things (that is, words). Sure, there are cliched gestures just as there are cliched linguistic expressions; still, it is easier to be lazy in language than in gestures.

Perhaps the most important lesson of these experiences, however, is the reminder of how we humans are able to overcome difficulties, be resourceful, find solutions to problems. I think I often need to be reminded of that. I tend to get stuck in ruts sometimes because I don't think I have to wherewithal to break out of what I already know -- even if what is known is causing me problems. I just need to be reminded of the awesome resources I have available to me inside my very being: life, intelligence, will -- sparks of the Holy Spirit. May I never take them for granted.