tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917318207423359596.post5612234756618075471..comments2023-10-06T03:18:14.924-07:00Comments on Storytelling Arts Inc. Spot: Making New Things FamiliarUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917318207423359596.post-48935827448798696892012-12-24T08:16:00.510-08:002012-12-24T08:16:00.510-08:00Lovely, and if we don't completely understand ...Lovely, and if we don't completely understand how and why it works, that's fine, as long as we are aware of how wonderfully well it does work! Happy telling to you! Storyteller MaryAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917318207423359596.post-46031462764412155862012-12-23T07:25:56.189-08:002012-12-23T07:25:56.189-08:00I agree with Mark that children (and adults) remem...I agree with Mark that children (and adults) remember the details of personal stories as well they remember those of folk and literary tales. However, I don't think personal stories are as "deeply held" as folk tales and myths unless they have been carefully crafted to follow patterns and imitate motifs of traditional story. And, even then, I'm not sure they can have the same impact (although this latter is surely impossible to prove and probably varies from listener to listener). <br /><br />Life isn't art. Most of the personal stories we tell are simply anecdotes, recounting of experiences. People remember them because they wear the clothing of story. The events of one person's experience are embedded in a kind of narrative that may (as Mark says) connect them to a world that is familiar to the listener. I have a detailed recollection of an anecdote I heard from a substitute kindergarten teacher more than half a century ago because, at the moment of the telling, it put me back at my mother's side in my own kitchen where I wished with all my heart I could be and, coincidentally, where I could easily place and visualize the details of her story.<br /><br />Personal stories often contain an element that is common to every human experience. In addition, when a teacher decides to tell a personal story to his or her students, it's usually because the story is relevant to something that is going on in the classroom at that moment. In these cases, the story provides a metaphor that sets its content in each listener's memory. Hearing that kindergarten teacher's personal story situated me in a familiar space and emotion, but if it had been about something that was out of my range of personal experience (as it easily could have been) it would have been meaningless to me. <br /><br />I believe that traditional stories, those cultural phenomena that are grounded in the oral tradition, are always relevant to every listener because they provide connection to our unconscious experiences. In addition, they have been crafted to take the listener on a journey that uncovers some truth about life -- the listener's own life and the more general human experience. We remember these stories AS we hear them as well as after we hear them. They don't simply resemble our experience, they are our stories.<br /><br />About revealing my profession -- As I said, I spend a fair amount of time proselytizing for storytelling in and out of school, but I've lost interest in talking about myself. I get the feeling I'm a lot older and, probably, grumpier than the two of you. I admire your enthusiasm and your willingness to explain yourselves. Keep it up for all our sakes!Paulahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10117710109069705323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917318207423359596.post-14384153867771412652012-12-22T07:40:24.426-08:002012-12-22T07:40:24.426-08:00What a wonderful story about your classroom experi...What a wonderful story about your classroom experience. I, too, tell and teach to 5th & 6th graders, and am amazed at their ability to retain the story and remember it later. <br /><br />Megan-- I believe that personal stories are as deeply held as I see the kids' reactions. They often respond when I tell a traditional story with references to personal stories I have told. I think it is the human need to connect. When they feel you have connected with them by telling about yourself, they retain the information so they can continue to be connected.<br /><br />Paula, like you, I struggled for a time with telling people what I do. Eventually, I decided to change my "approach" from "dreading the difficulty of explaining" with the same excitement I have when telling stories. I relish the opportunity (and, yes, sometimes the challenge) to get people interested and as excited as I am about what I do. Every question they ask or "inaccurate supposition" they have gives me an opportunity to spend more time with them, educate them, tell them a story, plant a seed of interest, and perhaps even get a future gig.Mark Goldmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09043541934213352792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917318207423359596.post-15062413595317779182012-12-21T17:02:46.299-08:002012-12-21T17:02:46.299-08:00I actually enjoy telling people what I do for a li...I actually enjoy telling people what I do for a living. If they're unfamiliar with this obscure little art form...well, explaining my profession can be a good ice breaker.<br /><br />Your experience with the fifth graders is a lovely story in and of itself. It is nothing short of magical the way some stories and their tellings -- strong stories, aptly chosen, well-told -- can go straight to long-term memory and be recalled years later, very nearly intact. I wonder if personal stories are as deeply held and as easily recalled as folk and fairy tales.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com