Lesson Three: I love to tell stories to my class. I find that when I tell stories, I can really connect with my students. I feel an emotional bond because I am able to physically move around them, make eye contact, feel their own emotion and reaction to me – and then react back to them with what I perceive they need to make the story come alive. It’s a constant back and forth communication where they give to me and I give back to them. In the past I’ve told personal stories – of my dog or cat, family member or activity that I’ve been involved in. Today, however, I told them a story that I had read and memorized called “The Tailor”.
I was a bit apprehensive about remembering the details but I purposely chose a story that had repetition both in the text and in the story line. That was good for me and also for my students. I could tell they were already predicting the sequence and enjoyed saying the repetitive parts along with me. This interaction – between storyteller and listeners – was most enjoyable! Hamilton and Weiss in their book, “Children Tell Stories” suggest that “if you wish to convince your students to tell stories, you must tell a story yourself! By telling stories you provide an effective model for risk taking and good-quality oral language for students. You demonstrate the tools that students need to share the pictures, stories and feelings in their own creative minds, both orally and in writing. Perhaps, most important of all, you inspire them.” (2005, 27).