Whether I'm teaching across the core subjects for 2nd grade or focused on 10th grade science ''(and I've done both), stories are at the root of my teaching. My first introduction of myself to new students involves a short story about me in middle school: chubby, hiding behind my hair, and terrified of the teacher calling on me because I constantly turned bright red. I can see the nervousness evaporate as my students realize I won't put them on the spot that day. My vulnerability helps establish a sense of safety because they realize that I understand what it's like to feel anxious.
In the next few weeks of school, I portray myself as a curious learner, a foolish scatterbrain, a thoughtful idealist, an obsessive reader, and a vulnerable fellow human being, all through the personal stories I tell. Sometimes my stories are planned; during a personal memoir unit, I share about sneaking out for ice cream lunches with my dad. Other times my stories are spontaneous, such as when I locked my keys in my house or when I saw a spectacular sunrise on the way to school. The stories don't have to be long, nor do they all explicitly link to curricular content. By telling stories, I offer a way to know me better, and students always respond with their rapt attention and, gradually, their trust.
Stories cross cultural boundaries, and oral storytelling is an important part of many Indigenous cultures (King, 2003). Stories hold a compelling universality in addition to the multiple interpretations they encourage. I have seldom met a student who doesn't laugh when I climb up on a desk to act out painting the garage with my grandma or who can't identify with me when I describe being kicked out of the car for fighting with my brothers. Although we can and should understand our differences, stories can serve to create a cohesive community, which allows us to grapple with difficult ideas together.
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