Starting with a guiding thought for the year

pics by Anne-Liis Kõiv and Piret Päär

Magic happened on Saturday. Four storytellers - from Hungary, Italy, Norway and Israel - delicately spun tales, weaved words, mesmerized their audience. From a low wooden bench in a small country garden I traveled to far away places, emotions danced to different tunes, heart overflowed with awe and gratitude. 

Story. The idea of stories had been with me all last week as I had planned for this year.

"Everyone's story matters" was my message on the first day of school last year.

Thinking of what could be the message this year and what read aloud I should use, I kept returning to the idea of stories. I picked up "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" - the same book I had read last year. Reading it I knew that my students, the ones I had had as third graders last year, would hear the story again, now that they would be in fourth grade with me. This book was speaking to me. Another book I had read some time ago started speaking louder in my memory. Peter Johnston's "Choice Words." In a chapter about identity he says about children, "They constantly narrate their lives, identifying themselves and the circumstances, acting and explaining events in ways they see as consistent with the person they take themselves to be." Little later he says again, "We constantly tell stories about ourselves to others and to ourselves, and the stories shape who we think we are. In a sense, we experience ourselves in a narrative form."

The teachers role is to support the students in building their identities so they become "active agents in their learning." And in life. The book speaks about many more ways we use language in the classroom and how changing the words we use changes how children see themselves, how they solve problems, how they become strategic thinkers, and how the community functions. For me, this year, the idea that we narrate our lives, was speaking the loudest.

The two books had a dialogue in my head, helping me to clarify what message would best help my students this year.

In the midst of the rich dialogue other books wondered whether their ideas might be worth hearing too. They were. "Visual Intelligence", "Creating Cultures of Thinking" and "The Way of Mindful Education" all reminded how our perception plays a role in how we see ourselves or interact with others, and we have the power to shape and change our perspective, thinking and lives.

At some point I got overwhelmed with all I was thinking and thought I should do, and this was even before I had looked at the curriculum.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Let the thoughts settle a bit.

What do I really want for my students? What would be most important?

I took a pen and wrote.

I wish to create a culture of thinking in my classroom. I plan to continue nudging my students to achieve more than they believe they can do. Most of all I want to support my students in creating positive personal identities and learning histories.

And then I knew.

The message for this year will be:

"You are the main character in your life story."

I looked at the back cover of "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" and found another message I had missed: "The power of a story will save the day." I smiled. This is a thought to carry in mind. Our Grade 4 story will be great this year. The best ever. We will create it together. We'll make magic.