When one discovers someone’s impulse to act, one often hopes to be able to help him or her to live out and bring to light his or her impulse to act so this person can develop further. However, this approach often feels restrictive. On the other hand, it is empowering when the person’s impulse to act manifests itself in their environment. This person then realises how normal it is to act as they do.
The impulse to act emerges in the environment when the facilitator embraces the impulse themselves or invites the group to engage with it.
Bringing the impulse to act to life in the group
Lilly is in Year 2 at primary school. She has spelling difficulties. She writes all words as one, reverses letters and even makes many spelling mistakes when copying. Often, Lilly cannot even read what she has written herself. The teacher has tried everything to teach her to write. But nothing has helped. Instead of writing, the pupil tends to draw.
The teacher decides to encourage this drawing. As they are all supposed to write a letter to Saint Nicholas, she asks the children to write in the most beautiful handwriting they know and to choose a style. She shows some examples on the blackboard: block capitals, cursive, bold, thin, 3D. All the pupils set to work eagerly. Lilly draws large, bold letters. Drawing, she writes perfectly correctly and legibly.
In the next spelling lesson, the teacher tries to build on this experience – this time with a dictation. For each word, she specifies which style of writing should be used. All the children are fully focused on their work. They are curious to see which style they will be asked to use for the next word. The children are much more enthusiastic during this dictation and everyone makes far fewer mistakes than usual. The next day, the children ask for another dictation like this. The teacher has never experienced anything like this before.
Inclusion happens when normality emerges from a shared activity and every single person can participate and contribute based on their own strengths. This is different from helping another person. Efforts to help people who need support often perpetuate a power imbalance, meaning we remain at the threshold of inclusion.
