Interview conducted by François GAUTIER
A former student is back at the School, but as a teacher, and not for the first time.
How does it feel now to be on the other side?
Well, well, well! It's great to be in the teachers' lounge, for example, to have the opportunity to pull the rope for the bell, to get to know former teachers on a first-name basis...
Which branches do you teach here?
Gymnastics in classes 4, 5 and 6. This involves outdoor sports, notably at Les Evaux, the Swiss Steiner School "Olympic Games" for 5th grade and, in 6th grade, a real circus period.
What was your career path after the Steiner School?
After my baccalaureate, I entered the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences in Geneva. But that didn't suit me. I then spent 3 years in Paris at the Cours Florent, to train as an actor. I attended the three-year Cours Florent drama school. Towards the end, when it was the height of the pandemic, I put my studies on hold for three months before graduating. I then made the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. On my return, I did a civic service in a Montessori school and finally graduated from the Cours Florent in December 2021!
What was your impression of this Montessori pedagogy?
I found it interesting, with an empowerment of the students that impressed me. On the other hand, there was a certain spiritual deficit in the choice of materials (educational games), and little research into natural substances or materials.
How did you "come back" to the School?
I was contacted by Gaëlle Vandemeulebroeke last year to accompany the 12th graders on a social internship in Senegal - a great experience for me...
Did you also have an internship of this kind during your schooling?
Yes, we had been to India with Mrs Baumann.
And from there to the gym?
Well, on the evening of the return from the social training course, Sabine, who was looking for someone to replace her, particularly for the circus period in 6th grade, told me about this possibility. I applied for the position and it was awarded to me*.
It's a relatively small position; do you have any activities elsewhere?
Yes, I co-run a cabaret (Le Cabarius) at Les Grottes once a month. We invite artists who want to perform. Each artist is given 10 minutes to perform.
And you said you'd just come back from a concert in Lyon?
Yes, I've just done three evenings. I played with my songs, along with two other musicians. It was a small venue, but a good audience.
So the stage, music and performing are an important part of your life. Is there any hope of making a living from it? - Of course there is! Since January, I've been an "Intermittent du spectacle". In France, if you can justify fifty or so events a year, you get a government allowance that enables you, if not to make a living from it in the region, at least to get by if you have another activity. At the moment, in addition to my stage activities, I'm preparing a second CD and writing a new show...
Does your Steiner education have anything to do with this predilection, this taste for spectacle?
No doubt, the moments on stage with the class, the 8th grade play, the 10th grade cabaret, the 12th grade play, the Cirque and its shows...
You did all your Steiner schooling, first in Lyon, then from the 4th year here: how did you experience the spiritual side as a student?
For me, it was positive, especially all the festivities (Christmas, St John's Day, etc.), which for me was like a breath of fresh air. But that wasn't the case for all my friends.
And what do you know about this pedagogy?
It's another thing to have been a pupil than to teach there! Along with a few new colleagues, we regularly take a pedagogical approach with Mme Ripaux. I'm discovering a lot of things that I wasn't even aware of as a student.
And I seem to remember that Marius must have played some God or Devil in Le Jeu du Paradis... that he was one of the more-than-faithful members of the Rustelli Confetti circus... In short, you can guess that a certain talent, no doubt innate in him, may have blossomed more here.
*NDLR: Marius was an avid circus performer right up to the "big classes", where he had already co-hosted circus classes for Rustelli Confetti.
