Storytelling

Once upon a time, I started reading this great book, called A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink. Then, my adorable little son started blowing bubbles at me and cracking himself up! I stopped, put the book down, smiled and blew bubbles back! And now, I got a chance to read that book again and just read Chapter 5, STORY! Story is not just about storytelling but about listening to stories and being a part of stories. Basically, Pink makes us realize that we are all born storytellers and listeners, whether it was our first "show and tell" experience, the ritual story before bedtime, or the very, very important events that occurred to us when we were 6 or 7 years old. You know, how when you came back from the assembly there were all these green footprints all around the classroom and you just knew that a leprechaun had invaded your class and, and, and!
After reading this chapter, it reinforced for me that we can all benefit from taking the time to appreciate the "Story" and become not only a better storyteller but a better listener as well. Stories are definitely not a waste of time, rather an avenue to incorporate facts we want to teach and deliver them with an "emotional impact" as Pink says. So, now we just need to find the time or make the time to let our students have show and tell each day, share stories when they come bouncing in the door, and then use this as our instrument to the thinking process. Story is definitely our avenue to thought! ~Nora