Story Telling

I have always had a great interest in oral history or story telling, I wish I was better at relating the stories I have been told.

I found this web site today The Center for Digital Story Telling , the website is kind of like an answer to what I am looking for.

I have searched for a way for people to express themselves, a way to bring back the art of story telling.

As an educator I know my students have stories, some are able to relate bits and pieces of those stories to me and others. I try every year, to strengthen the writing abilities of these students so they can share the stories they have with others. Some feel self conscious about their writing abilities, I prod encourage, share the difficulties I have in writing. With the use of the stories on this website I think I may have found a solution.

By using a video camera and photographs I can capture the stories these students have and then change them to text. Showing them they have the ability to speak the story they need to write. Now I just need to create the correct motivation to get my students writing their stories.

A few weeks ago a teacher mentioned a writing project he had tried a while ago and wanted to try it again. It called "Ordeal By Cheque" by Wuther Crewe and was first published in Harpers Magazine in 1938. Any way the idea behind the writing project is to use the collection of about 30 checks to create story about what was happening and why the checks were written. The checks are available here and an example of a story written using the checks is at this link.

Besides getting students to use something different to start a story idea, the checks could also be used to work on basic math, algebra and also life skills.

Because the checks were written in the early 1900's a comparison of cost of items between then and now could also incorporate some social studies into the whole project.

So for an ABE/GED instructor this little idea written so very long ago very easily could become a week, 2 week or even a month long learning block teaching all the content areas for the GED exam and also cover some important life skills in the process.

I tried out the project in my evening ABE/GED class, at first the student were not very receptive to the idea but after discussing the first check and sharing ideas about why the check might have been written, how much money was spent, and the difference in prices then and now, the students began getting excited and started their stories. They wrote for nearly 45 minutes in class and I hated to stop them, The stories when completed were quite interesting and unique. Some students used first person other third , the styles of writing were as diverse as the writers. I really enjoyed this little project and will surely use it again.

Last Class

So I'm sitting here watching my students. Tonight is post-test night, the night that gives me proof that I make a difference in the lives of these people. I know they have learned something you can see it in their eyes. I can see that they have learned the ability to question and interrogate what they are confronted with and to look for tools or skills, they now know how to use to solve a problem in a way that works for them.

Anyone that comes into one of my classes, would probably wonder if learning is occurring. My classes are loud and noisy, the students ask questions, they look for proof, they question what they have done and see that even if they have trouble with addition and subtraction they can still solve more complex algebraic equations. They try to prove me wrong and sometimes they do! When I let them J.

My students can use the Pythagorean Relationship! They know what it is for. They know why they might need to use it in real life, even if they never do.

My Students can look at a photograph and know why the photographer took the photo that particular way.

My Students understand proportions, most already understood them and used them all the time, and they just never knew it.

My students have learned that they are teachers also, and that they have something to contribute.

My students are the greatest, and I sadly will most likely not be their teacher next year.

I hope I have given them enough of me, to inquire and question and stand up and disagree or agree.

I hope they have the strength to keep going, to achieve their goals.

I hope that I will not miss the fun and excitement of teaching a class of adults.

I hope the teacher I find to replace me is better then I am, these students deserve it.

This is not the very last class but is very close. We are going to the library for the next class and then finally having a celebration!

Why go to the library? I have taught these students of mine to think. Now they most go out and do it themselves. I have given them a mission to fulfill, and they are on their way. The library is one of the greatest classrooms ever, anything you want can be found in the library, My students will not have class again until September, 3 very long months, They need to keep working, no starting over, I want them to be ready.

I wonder, what will it feel like in September when I don't have a class to teach?

My students next year will be different, my students will be teachers, and I will be too.

Remember

My friend and coworker, I guess I can call her friend; she is a friend to all and enjoys the company of everyone.

Well, My friend Kelly invited me to her home today, to "Main Street in the Chop" as she calls it. We were there for business, but trying to avoid the sterile, offices we commit ourselves to working in most every day. Our fearless leader or coworker, the one that keeps us from falling off the track, the numbers person that can make anything look sensible on a spread sheet, was late, so Kelly and I wandered out to the front yard and down to the dock, Kelly in her outside shoes (visit her blog you will know what I mean).

Kelly was all filled up with excitement, sharing her ideas and dreams of what this little patch of Choptank wants to be. We visited with her friend the Muskrat, "He shot us a look, and slipped beneath the river. Who could blame him, I was an interloper, I didn't really belong there, this place was his and he had shared it with "My Friend Kelly" not me. We moved out to the dock and anointed our feet in the silent waters of the Great Choptank. Kelly chattering on about this place in her dreams, I kind of lost track of exactly what she was saying I apologize now but do not regret, my mind had moved been shocked! Is more like it these waters flashbacked memories more than I can tell.

I remember as a teenager coming to this pleasant little town with nothing but a small marina and boat ramp, I remember paddling and boating across the deep dark water of the Choptank river. I remember traveling from the head waters to where it joins the Chesapeake, many times in my life. In a flash I remembered, I remembered why, I remembered my path, the one I chose long ago, the one that sent me to Florida on a quest to find what I needed to find. I have traveled south and traveled north to Boston and Cape Cod. Somewhere along the way I forgot my "path" I forgot why I was taking the journey I have taken.

In the instant I placed my feet in those cold cool waters, I knew I had a reason, I had a place, I had a plan all along.

So, thank you Mr. Muskrat and I hope that you can forgive our mutual friend Kelly for allowing me to enter your world, and thank you "My Friend Kelly", because the simple thing you did today, the thing you don't even know you did, has brought back a passion for "the river" that I had forgotten.

As we returned to the shore and journeyed up the old main road, now grass covered and recently mowed, Kelly shared her dream of a place where like minded souls could find their place on "The Chop". Her dream is grand and all so great, a place that will be as she wants it to be. I think Mr. Muskrat would approve of her plans.

We returned to find our leader had arrived she had been there for a while, searching for us. We laughed and we joked and accomplished some of what we needed to do. With work finished for the day we returned to the dock, for a short goodbye, the tide no longer allowing us to touch the powerful waters that flowed. Mr. Muskrat was not present, I think he has done his job, at least for me he has, I know, I have remembered my plan.

Famous influential People

This evening I taught a pre-GED reading lesson about influential people. The lesson did not go the direction I wanted which sometimes happens when the mood is right or wrong however you want to look at it. I dumped my plans and moved into something else that I thought would still accomplish the same goals. Earlier in the day, I found an old clipping from a newspaper just part of a page no name date or other identifiers. The page was important because it listed Historical Famous Influential People that were residents of Maryland. I decided a history lesson would be helpful especially because the class ends in a few weeks and I want these people to find things of interest to read over the summer.

I read off the first name and saw a lot of head shaking and thought occurring but in the end I had to tell these people that have worked all year to learn who Francis Scott Key was. The next name was one I had never heard of but found him very interesting and I think my students did as well. Tench Tillman a Marylander and better yet an Eastern shoreman having been born just outside of Easton was from a famous local family, but his unsung claim to fame was to have the honor of being the person selected to deliver the message to congress in Philadelphia at the time that Cornwallis had surrendered in Yorktown. I didn't know this then and find I rather amusing that while most of us know of the man riding horseback screaming "the British are Coming" like some lunatic, very few know of this man that delivered the news that alerted the country that we had accomplished our goal of separation from England.

I read a few others and we discussed at length that very famous women "Black Moses" of her time Harriet Tubman. This leader of people worked tirelessly to achieve freedom for a persecuted and mistreated race. I found this PDF file when I Googled Tubman's name. I was surprised to learn her parents were rescued from certain death by hanging in the very small town I was teaching tonight "Denton, Maryland"

Many other names Like Frederick Douglas, Edgar Allen Poe, Colonel William Richardson, Johns Hopkins (did you know he made his fortune in the Railroad and by hauling whiskey over the mountain from West Virginia.)

So while Maryland will most likely always take a back seat to our more populous northern Yankee, New England States, We do have very influential people that tread on the lands we now tread.

Why Someone I spoke with yesterday decided to get their GED.

I was enrolling someone in Adult Education GED prep classes in Federalsburg Maryland today, and I asked the question "Why is getting your high school diploma important to you?

" This person responded that it was because of something President Barack Obama said during his address to Congress in February. This person quoted word for word the portion of the speech shown in bold below.

I included more of the text from that portion of the speech just to be sure it was not out of context and I felt it evoked an even more powerful response.

"It is our responsibility as lawmakers and educators to make this system work. But it is the responsibility of every citizen to participate in it. And so tonight, I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. This can be community college or a four-year school; vocational training or an apprenticeship. But whatever the training may be, every American will need to get more than a high school diploma. And dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It’s not just quitting on yourself, it’s quitting on your country – and this country needs and values the talents of every American."

Now, I am not a Democrat and disagree with a lot of the ideas that the president has. No I did not vote for him. I am very excited about the fact that one line in a speech could motivate someone to take the kind of life changing step this person took to get enrolled in Adult Education and get his GED so as to "-not quit on our country!"

First thoughts

I have toyed with the idea of creating a blog for a long time now. My idea behind the blog is to create a place to put my thoughts down, about the things I see and do. Initially the postings to this blog will be very random, but hopefully as I increase my postings they will become more focused on specific topics I am most interested in.
My first idea for creating a blog was to get the message out that Dads are important parts of a family structure, for the past 6 years I have been extremely involved in working with custodial and non-custodial fathers helping them become the best men they can be, by showing them what it means to be a father. The responsibilities, the fun and the difficulties that are experienced as a child grows from infant to child to adult, with Dad as his or her most important role model along the way.

Another area I am keenly interested in is Adult Education. I truly believe that earning a High School Diploma is a necessity in the working world we live in. I don't believe everyone needs the level of education required to achieve a High School Diploma, but that they need that piece of paper to prevent roadblocks that may pop up as they make their way to their desired career goal or goals. What I mean is that I have met people that have not graduated from High School that are extremely intelligent, people that have knowledge that can not be demonstrated by taking a test. These people have skills and abilities that surpass the simple skills learned in high schools, unfortunately a slip of paper or lack there of, can lock them out of careers that would be beneficial to their families and the communities they live in. More on this in a future blog.

Now for some fun stuff, My favorite pastime currently is called Geocaching. Geocaching is an online and offline adventure using a GPS receiver and coordinates for a cache container, provided by the website www.geocaching.com. After entering the coordinates in your portable GPS, you are off on a search that will take you to places inside and outside of you very own neighborhood that you may have never known existed. I have seen views across the Delaware Bay from a top a 200ft fire tower, and been in forests so thick that you would find it hard to believe Baltimore and Washington DC are less than 1 or 2 hours away. I have paddled on ponds, lakes and rivers across both Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia finding unique places of natural, and sometimes historical value. I have been on wooden covered bridges less than an hour from my home and climbed cliffs so steep and high that one slip would have surely resulted in severe injuries. I have become part of an unique community of what are called "cachers" all in search of the next cache hide. This activity could be considered a near obsession for some and an addiction for many. My son travels on many of my trips into the woods or across the states looking for these hidden little treasures.
I think this is enough for my very first post in the future I will go into much more detail for each of these topics I have introduced here.