Come, Listen, and Learn

Abstract

A notice in the teachers' lounge or an item in the staff bulletin alerts teachers to story hour. Teachers don't have to be prodded. They are off and running to listen to stories straight from the experiences of colleagues. Story hour offers a satisfying departure from the routines and demands of school life. The setting is relaxed, the fellowship warm, and the stories personal. Story hour began as a way to strengthen community among teachers and has evolved into a rich opportunity for teachers to explore their connection with teaching. In less than a year, this simple idea progressed from stories that do little more than soothe and entertain to stories that help affirm purpose and direction in teaching. Listen and Learn Story hour began with an invitation to faculty to listen to stories from colleagues about their teaching experiences. Three teachers volunteered to prepare stories that would soothe and entertain, stories that would serve as an antidote for the many stresses teachers were undergoing. For the first three to four sessions, story hour remained a feel good opportunity, with the focus on entertainment. There was the humorous story of a principal, able to keep his teachers on alert through the magic of his trademark crepe soles. There was the story of a 5th grader, inspired to become a runaway by a book his teacher had read to the class. Teachers heard long stories, short stories, laughing stories, crying stories, stories using almost any variety of anecdote that entertained. As story hour continued every month, teachers developed more trusting relationships with their colleagues. Teachers began describing what they were experiencing personally as teachers. As one theorist would say, they began putting forth their biographies in an attempt to make sense of their work (Maclure 2001). To add focus to these stories, and to highlight the theme of loss that seemed to be emerging, teachers were asked to think about their dreams for teaching and to describe the conflict between what they wished for and their current reality. Teachers were then asked to identify at least one step they had taken to align the reality of teaching with their hopes for teaching. Stories volunteered by teachers were diverse, but they shared one major commonality: They came largely from mid-career teachers who were discouraged with teaching and looking for reason to hope. Younger teachers were present but often as onlookers, considering the descriptions as instruction in what might be ahead for them. One younger teacher noted that nothing in her undergraduate work or her current graduate program had included any discussion about the importance of knowing and pursuing what she needed from her teaching. This gives me something important to think about, she said. Stories spoke about the cost of lost purpose, the power of reflection, and the rewards of taking responsibility for your destiny as a teacher. Stories intertwined thinking with feeling, purpose with action, and self-reliance with community. The best way to understand these stories is to hear them. The following two stories, while not the story of any single teacher, capture the meaning and spirit of the biographies presented. What Story Hour Accomplished The most interesting and productive segment of story hour was the discussion that followed each story. Much of the talk centered on the value of getting personal about teaching, of actually naming each individual's clear and defining purpose for teaching. Some teachers seemed never to have engaged in the reflection that brings to the surface their reason for teaching, while others seemed to have a dream but were close to giving up on their ability to live that dream. Story hour underscored the value of a motivating dream and the obligation to find meaningful opportunities to express it. The 15 story-hour participants learned that good teaching is personal. …