Read & React Story

Story- I feel as though story is something I relate to in many ways. But the best way I can think is that my Father and Grandfather are great storytellers. Oddly enough all of my Grandpa’s (5 total) were/are great storytellers in their own individual ways. So it’s funny to me that I was in the story group- like Father like Daughter J  I also feel that the ability to tell stories lends itself to the gift of gab. But on to the reading. It also helps that I was in the story group.

“Because in many ways, stories are how we remember.” (Pink 2005). This idea translates to the idea of how way back in time before we could write, people told stories to pass on the information and history of their ancestors. A great way that I learned something better was to turn around and explain it to someone else a tell the story of how I learned it.

Pink makes another great point, “What begins to matter more is the ability to place these facts in context and to deliver them with emotional impact.” (Pink 2005) Our students are inundate with facts or even non-fact that they believe are facts. As teachers when we deliver not just a story but also our lessons we have to deliver it with emotion and excitement.

I am very intrigued by this idea of a hero's journey. The hero’s journey- “just the same stories retold.” (Pink 2005) with a Departure, Initiation, and Return. Being a newer concept to me, I was totally surprised when I considered all the classics they were talking about and how they each contain the 3 basic parts. I'm watching Captain American and it has all three parts as well. I wonder how much story writing would change for students if we taught with this 3 part structure in mind. Many pieces of art work that tell a story contain the hero's journey.

“Scratch the surface in a typical boardroom and we’re all just cavemen with briefcases, hungry for a wise person to tell us stories.” (Pink 2005)  with Reference to how Xerox feels they need to run their business- they keep a database of all their stories of how to repair rather than the use of manuals. My father used to work in this manor, rather than teaching the new technicians about lasers from a manual, they would spend a few weeks with him on the road, doing hands on work and learning the stories of how things can go wrong/right.

There are two more statements that Pink made that really stuck with me:

“If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they are needed. Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive. ~ Barry Lopez” (Pink 2005)

“We are our stories” (Pink 2005)
Story was definitely one of my favorite senses!