There’s nothing more annoying than having to scream to get someone’s attention. You’re standing outside your house and you want your son/wife/mother/father to come out so that you can pass along some vital piece of information crucial to their survival and the best that you can do is scream out their name and hope they not only hear but respond.

Of course in our technologically sophisticated society that we have now, you could whip out your cell phone and speed dial the cell phones they all have and make your request. Of course if their phones are not on, they don’t have it with them or they are busy texting someone else. . . well, you can see the problem.
Continue reading Are you listening?…

Early in third grade a new student entered my class. He arrived with his mother.  Jay came from Israel and didn’t speak any English.  He did however have one word of English down pat, “NO!” Before even uttering a word to the teacher, Jay and his mother got into a heated conversation right in the front of the classroom. I, nor anyone in my class, could understand a word that he and his mother were conversing about.  She shouted at him in Hebrew. He responded loudly to her in Hebrew, emphasizing each statement with the word, “NO!”. That much we all understood
Continue reading Friend…

How does a 6-hour plane flight become a 14-hour story? It’s all in the timing.

I was enrolled in a workshop that was run by what at the time was called NAPPS (The National Association for the Preservation and Perpetuation of Storytelling). It was a weeklong conference on “Using Community and Family Stories in Teaching”.  Renowned storytellers, Syd Lieberman and Barre Tolken, were teaching the class. The course was held at the site of the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee.

This workshop was to begin on a Monday from 5:30 p.m. until 9:30p.m. the first day and then run the rest of the week ending on Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Continue reading When does 6 hours equal 14?…