I can’t begin to tell you how much I miss sharing stories with people in person. Over the many years of taking my stories into schools I’ve often been aware of the children’s (and teachers) hunger for these stories, for the wisdom they offer and connections they create. I’m concerned that during this lockdown year our longing for a rich and bountiful feast of stories has increased and left many feeling famished, hollow and deprived. The question I’m continually asking myself is how do I best provide this nourishment and is it possible to successfully do so ‘online’ and from a distance? How can I share my knowledge with families and teachers so that they can bring more stories directly to their children?
Storytelling is one of the most ancient of art forms and a unique form of human expression. Children and teenagers who grow up with stories develop a wealth of knowledge, skills and resources which are available to them throughout their lives.
In a world of passive media, stories and storytelling activities play an important role in strengthening our imaginations and offering an antidote to the stresses of our world. Stories have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education and cultural preservation, for thousands of years.
What I seek to achieve with storytelling is not a short term quick-fix, but a powerful tool which will encourage the pursuit of lifelong literacy and learning. Storytelling underpins literacy, improving skills in reading and writing, but more than this, stories can motivate children to connect with their learning across the curriculum and be used in all subjects. Stories offer adults an opportunity to look at themselves and world around them in new and challenging ways, perhaps encouraging them to reframe their own story.
At the end of a creative learning project in which I was involved one of the teachers wrote about their experience. ‘I have learned that I can tell a story and engage 120 children; I have learned I can write a story; I have learned to listen more attentively, respond more slowly and thoughtfully. I have learned there is magic in and under everyday objects. I have learned that stories live within me. I have learned that books are only the beginning. It will stay with me and change my teaching forever.’
I’ve witnessed first hand the powerful positive effect of storytelling many times. One experience was when I worked, as a storyteller, in a secondary school in a deprived inner city area with twenty Year 7 & 8 boys. Together with a freelance musician, and in partnership with the English and Music Departments, I created and led four one day sessions using games, music, stories, dance and writing.
The objective of the project, working within the curriculum, was to help draw out the boy’s rich cultural heritage, actively engaging them to improve their attention and listening. The boys, who didn’t know each other at the beginning of the project, spoke 17 languages between them ranging from Yoruba to Cantonese, German to Gujarati. By the end of the project the boys had bonded well, with a strong sense of community.
I saw how much they had changed in a short time, from the first day when they were restless, aggressive and dismissive to being totally engaged and attentive. The most surprising and powerful moment for me was when the boys asked to present their own ‘made-up’ stories. The tales were funny, irreverent and moving. These young men were no longer just a ‘gang of kids’, but individuals with their own rich stories to tell. We journeyed together and changed each other completely. A year later they asked if I would go back and tell them another story!
I have seen these transformations through story many times, including a man who spoke to me after a performance of ‘I Believe in Unicorns’ – a story about the power of imagination, storytelling, books and reading. He said that he hadn’t picked up a book in 25 years since leaving school but that he was inspired to go home and read to his son.
So why storytelling indeed? Nowadays we live our lives at such a fast pace that we need permission to take a break, I believe storytelling gives us that opportunity. Stories give peace to our minds and feed our souls, they can inspire us to achieve more than we thought possible, to meet the world reinvigorated and renewed.
Do you tell stories? If so what’s your reason and motivation? I’d love to hear your story…..