The basis of this contribution is formed by my master thesis at the FHNW School of Education (PH), which centers on aesthetic education. The aim of this work was to activate students to participate in the educational field of the school with a workshop using the theatrical methods of Augusto Boal. Boal's theater considers itself a school of participation. The focus of this article is on the researching teacher's discomfort and understanding of their role. The art exhibition "Action" at the Kunsthaus Zürich provided an important reference for the workshop. During the workshop, a forced protest action went differently than planned. The actions of the students unsettled the researching teacher, who, confronted with irritation and incalculability, reflected upon these topics theoretically. A central theme of the thesis was how students can act cooperatively in art lessons. Observations made during the workshop formed the focus of the study. Autoethnographic methods were employed: A research diary with photos of all participants was created, among other things. Concrete experiments on dealing with contradictions were carried out and reflected upon. In this article, the research teacher describes one of these situations. The students did not abide by the agreement and acted on their own authority. Assuming an "artistic" perspective, such irritations should be welcomed. Less so from the point of view of the teacher, who desires reliability. In the conflict of the teaching/learning process, a distinction is made as to the type of discomfort: whether and how the unfamiliar or unknown is alien to the content or the method (cf. Sack 2011). The impossibility of a punctual demand for student participation becomes evident. A productive solution lies in the acceptance of the conflict. The imperative of participation is problematic, because participation should indeed be voluntary. The possibility of refusal is regarded as a formative option for action in the interplay between the potential for hope and the possibility of participation in the educational field of the school.