I was so excited to see that this article was about Sudanese refugees since I recently read a book called They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky by two refugees themselves. It was a powerful story (you should check out the book if you ever get a chance!) I appreciated the chance to think about the literacy side of these refugees' stories. When reading the book, I was wrapped up in the struggles overcome by the boys, by their lives and the stories they had to tell. Looking back now, I realize that I did experience their literacy. Weren't they telling their stories to me in the form of a book? Weren't they expressing thoughts, emotions, and experiences in a storytelling format? Absolutely!
Which got me to thinking...when did the art of oral storytelling transform into the written word? When (and why?) did various cultures suddenly decide that the stories told should become the stories written? And why has the written word overtaken the spoken word? Storytelling is a lost art and something that is now rare to find. There are storytelling festivals all over this country, and the mere existence of them show that it is not a common occurrence--there have to be festivals to even bring them to the public's attention.
Storytelling in general has always fascinated me because it is the original form of literacy. What can be more simple than telling a story? It's so primitive and ancestral. No matter what your culture, you can bet that, in the beginning, it all started with a story. We are all linked by the fact that our cultures have storytelling at their beginnings. African, European, Asian, Hispanic, and Indian cultures all have storytelling roots. These Sudanese refugees were linked by their stories, and it was what they brought to this country to remind them of their past. The following quote by Bok sent shivers down my spine: "My story...was all I had with me, the only remnant of my past." This is more powerful than any written word, than any book. What do these refugees have if they don't have their stories?
I would really love to start utilizing the art of writing and telling stories in my classroom. Do any of you use storytelling in your classroom? How have you done it and have you found it effective? I'd love to hear some of your ideas!
-Christy Rivers
Comments (3)
I have not used storytelling in my classroom, but I, too, am interested. I took 18 hours of courses in divinity school and we talked a lot about "story." The Bible is a collection of stories. I would argue that some were written to teach about God's character and not to necessarily recount an actual event. Those stories were told to children and adults and retold hundreds of times.
Each of us has a story, too. We all need the chance to share it, even if we have not experienced the horrors of the Lost Boys.
Ashley Catlett
Posted by Ashley Catlett | March 20, 2009 9:26 PM
Posted on March 20, 2009 21:26
Christy,
I enjoyed reading your reflection of the research article we read. I really felt the quote that you highlighted was an important quote to identify because if we are able to share our paths with our students, then they can begin to share their paths and hopefully create an environment where story-telling and other forms of literacy can take place effectively. I think teachers try to find literature that will reach students, but maybe the search should begin with the stories students have embedded in them. I think people need to feel comfortable in order to take away something from an environment, it may just be me that feels that comfort levels are important for an environment.
Elizabeth Griffin
Posted by Elizabeth Griffin | March 24, 2009 8:38 PM
Posted on March 24, 2009 20:38
Christy,
I too wonder this:
And why has the written word overtaken the spoken word?
Probably has something to do with the advent of compulsory schooling and the use of writing as "assessment" of student knowledge. There is definitely a hierarchy of language value in our country at the level of written/spoken. Just look at our own universities and how graduate students are assessed with portfolios, which involve a lot of writing!
Posted by Alecia Jackson | March 25, 2009 4:22 PM
Posted on March 25, 2009 16:22