The Power of Story

By Joan Hamilton

When author Mitali Perkins visited Pierce School last week, she talked to the 6th and 7th grade students about the human need for "a story fix." "Where do you go when you need story?" she asked, "because we all need stories." When asked how many students had seen one movie five times, nearly every student raised his hand. When she asked how many played video games (now many of them also using the concept of story to hook kids), many also raised hands. But what surprised Ms. Perkins was that when she asked how many had read one book at least five times, a majority of the students raised their hands. She explained, "If you've read it five times, it is a story that speaks to something in your heart, in your soul. Later she told me, "I'm amazed. I speak at schools all over the country, and seldom do I have such a high percentage of students who have a book they've read five times."

Why is this reading experience so common to Pierce students? I would like to claim it is because from the first day of kindergarten to the last day of 8th grade, we build around them a culture of reading. It is a culture built through read-alouds, author study, genre study, literature circles, Bingo for Books, Pierce Reads, author visits, the study of folk literature motifs, independent reading projects, poetry recitations, required summer reading and participation in the Massachusetts Book Awards. It is a culture based on the 1,500 titles of multiples housed in the library that form the foundation of our literacy program.

Sadly, it is a culture at risk. It is at risk because Brookline will be eliminating all library assistants in the elementary schools if the override does not pass. The result will be an erosion of that culture--perhaps not noticeable at once, but over the years an inexorable erosion.

Later in the same day that Mitali Perkins was so impressed by our students' love of reading, a retired colleague stopped by. She had been substituting for several weeks at a school that had no library. She said the 4th graders in that school could not even sit still for a story read-aloud.
In contrast, I pictured Pierce 4th graders. Mention the word "story" and their ears perk up and they settle quietly into their listening positions. At Pierce children often clap at the end of a read-aloud. For they know, as cultures throughout the ages have known, that it is through story that we learn our history, we learn what we kind of persons we hope to become, what kind of community we want to live in. I remember Chet Raymo, the Boston Globe's science writer for many years, saying if you want your child to become a scientist, read him stories; for then he will be able to wonder and imagine. There have been civilizations without the wheel. There has never been a civilization without story.

How Can We Make a Difference?

It was one of those a-ha moments at a technology conference... Ms. Wang and I attended a presentation by Dr. Tim Tyson, former principal of Mabry Middle School. He spoke about his vision for technology in education; through his leadership, the Annual Mabry Film Festival was launched as a way to propel technology integration into engaging instructional activities for students. His passion about wanting to make a difference and to inspire students to know they could make a difference was contagious. On the way home from the conference, Ms. Wang and I started conspiring about how we could do something similar with her students.

This morning, Pierce School had its very first "film festival". The students in 5W showed their Environmental Science films to an audience of their parents, during a class breakfast. They will show their little buddies in 1W their videos in a few weeks; the students of 5W hope these movies will educate others about issues in the environment and what each person can do to save the environment.

Students had researched, planned, written scripts, directed, filmed, added voice-overs, chose images, and edited their films. From the very beginning of the process, students had to decide what information was most essential to share in a two-minute video. Information was found, read, and discussed; before each groups could receive approval to proceed to the next step in the process, they had to reach consensus.

Through this video experience, students learned about working cooperatively, the environment, and all the technical skills necessary to create a video. Ms. Wang and I learned that one person truly can inspire others to make a difference. If you have a chance, borrow the 5W DVD or check out the Mabry videos online. These students make me think about how I can make a difference.