Tell Me a Story Please!

November 6, 2016 By Jo-Jo

I love November, it means Tellabration! All over the world, storytelling events are being held to promote the oral tradition of storytelling.

Over 20 years ago, my director sent me and a fellow teacher out to Tennessee for the National Storytelling festival, a weekend event. I have to admit, I really did not know what to expect. When we arrived, there were tents spread out over a large area. In each tent there was a stage and rows and rows of chairs. As we walked around, we learned that in each tent a storyteller would tell a different type of story (fables, folktales, historical tales, adult stories, scary stories and not so scary stories known as jump tales, to name a few).

Finally we chose a tent and sat down. Soon after, a bus pulled up and a group of boys around the age of 8 or 9 stepped out. They entered the tent we were in and sat down in front of us. They were chatting excitedly and we were sure we would not be able to hear the storyteller. But we were wrong, as soon as the teller came out and began to speak, the boys immediately quieted and were transfixed by the tells words. As she spoke she created mental pictures of the scene as well as the characters , as if each character stood before us. I found myself watching the boys in amazement. They sat motionless, as if someone was reading rather than telling them a story. The entire audience was captivated by the teller! She used her voice and vocal intonation, as well as hand gestures and body movements to tell the tale. After observing all this, both my fellow teacher and I were hooked. We realized we had just witnessed a valuable teaching tool.

It’s easy to understand why these children were captivated, children first learn by listening to sounds which builds the foundation for language so they can learn new words and vocabulary and finally, read. Storytelling allows children to use their imagination to create the characters and scenes in the mind’s eye. And finally, listening to stories being told builds excitement for books and motivates children to want to read.

Simply go to www.storynet.org to find a Tellabration story event in your area.

We hope you will attend one of these events with your child, it will be a rare and wonderful treat!

Filed Under: Miscellaneous

Make My Day!

September 19, 2016 By Jackie

I just wanted to give a shout out to parents who make a difference in the day of a preschool teacher!  Ours is a unique experience as we are caregivers as well as educators and our bonds with you and your little ones are quite personal. So when we receive a thank you or compliment it really means a lot! Let me share some recent feel good experiences with you.

There is the dad who on a daily basis thanks us for providing a great experience for his son! One day he came in with a box of chocolate pretzels with a little note that said, “thank you for making my first week here so great!” Simple and so meaningful. And then the mom who just enrolled her child in the toddler room who said that she was thankful because she sees such a difference in the way he acts with others now. This thank you came along with a yummy plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies! Yeah ok, food and coffee is always a good thing. :>) One day a mom stopped me to say that her child so enjoys hearing me read the book, No David!, so she bought a copy to read to him at home.

Thank you for the little things you say and do to remind us that what we do matters and makes a difference in the lives of you and your children. I think we have one of the most important jobs there is, and believe me, it isn’t always easy.  So on those days we go home and want to eat chocolate, drink wine, and sleep, lol, your kind words and actions help us to get up the next day and start fresh with a smile on our faces!

Filed Under: Miscellaneous