What's in your suitcase?

I just finished watching a TED Talk on celebrating introverts and what they bring to the table both in our personal life but also in our school life.  It was refreshing to hear that introverts should be celebrated because I have for 58 years tried to push myself to not be as introverted as I am.  I will be honest, I don't particularly care for social gatherings that require me to talk to everyone and be happy and full of great information to share....So, you may be wondering why are you a principal?  Lord only knows why I have been put in this position, but I do the best I can!  I will also be honest and say that I have grown to love being a principal and pushing myself in ways that I would have never done if I stayed in the classroom.  I feel as a principal I can offer teachers something that an extroverted leader may not be able to offer.  I listen and I listen well!  I have found that most extroverted people listen but they do not listen well.  Now, they will say they are listening, but if you are an introvert you can tell they are not!  I notice all body language, cadence in the voice, changes in speech patterns to denote that you are thinking about something else while you are trying to listen to me!  As a leader listening without putting your "spin" on what someone is saying is how you can grow people to want to step out and take a chance...that their idea is worthwhile and it is their idea and NOT the extroverts spin on their idea!  Does that make sense?  I love extroverts, don't get me wrong!  They are some of my best friends and my husband is one and I love him dearly.  But, in saying that, I think as a society we tend to push those that are quiet and introverted to be like their extroverted friends and when we do this we miss out on some of the most talented and creative souls that have so much to offer but may not step out and do so when always pushed to be someone they are not.

At school last year,  we talked about storytelling...telling our own stories which are so important as we build relationships with our students.  In looking for something on this subject, I ran across a TED talk about introverts and it fit so well into why we need to tell our stories that I thought I would share.  At the beginning of the TED Talk, Susan Cain talked about what was in her suitcase as she was going to camp for the summer.  Her suitcase was full of books which are her passion.  At the end of her talk, she asked that we take a moment to examine what we have in our suitcase and take it out every once in a while and share with others because we all have so much to share.  So I started thinking about what would be in my suitcase?  My suitcase would be filled with fabric, quilting magazines, sewing instruments, books on creating things, mystery books, magazines like PEOPLE  (I do love gossip stories), my kindle, stationary, lots of pens, markers, pencils, my calendar (knockoff Erin Condren) with all the trappings for marking up my calendar, essential oils, pictures of my kids and family, and my dogs if they would fit in the suitcase!  My husband said he would bring the following in his suitcase; me, kindle, his favorite pair of shoes, guitar to play, firewood and essentials to make a fire, bourbon, and cigars!  Oh,  how we are different!  In fact, he looked at me like I had two heads when I asked him what he would put in his suitcase which is exactly what I expected.  The funny thing is that my husband who is an extrovert freely shares and talks about what is in his suitcase and all of what he said fits him and what he shows the world.  On the other hand, many people know I love quilting, sewing, and reading but I do not share my work but on rare occasions and it is something that I love doing but never really have the time to devote to on a regular basis!

It was refreshing to hear what Susan Cain felt was important about those of us who function as introverts and that in the school we are always pushing our kids to work in groups, which is fine, but we should also celebrate working alone and thinking deeply which cannot be done when you have five or six kids all talking at once! I think balance is the key to helping our introverted children.  They need to be pushed, but at the same time, they need to have quiet time as do our extroverted kids so that they can learn to think through things, build up their perseverance, and learn to follow through with everything that is asked of them in the classroom.

Her TED talk is excellent if you would like to take a moment to watch it!

Can teachers change the culture of a school using storytelling?

I have been thinking about storytelling lately, not the Beauty and the Beast type of storytelling, but the kind of storytelling that comes from teachers which reveal who we are and about WHY we do this thing called teaching every day!   I don’t think that all teachers really think they have a story to tell.  They feel that they are just regular, ordinary people, who do their best everyday and then go home.  I used to think that too when I was a teacher, but because I was encouraged to step out of my box and be a leader, I am now in a position as a principal to encourage and help others find their “why” and then to move forward and do this most awesome work that we call, teaching.  I have talked with teachers about being leaders, and what I am finding is that many do not think they have what it takes to be a leader.  They do not feel that others would find anything that they are doing to be noteworthy.  I disagree!

I just watched a TED-ED talk by Drew Dudley on, “the power of storytelling”.  In his talk he says that there are “lollipop moments” where you did something that inspired or changed someone else and you did not even know that you did something extraordinary until someone comes back to let you know what you did for them. I think teachers have given many “lollipop moments” and they are just not aware of the power that they have been given to inspire and help children be better people by just having that small word of encouragement or providing that listening ear that says to a child that they are going to make it.

I want my teachers to find their story and know that they are at the center of the greatest work on earth and that is educating our children in all areas not just academics.  I want my teachers to know that as they cultivate their story they help to make the culture of our school better and even change areas of our culture that need to be changed! 

Christopher Bronke wrote a blog piece that I found on the Teaching Channel entitled, “Leading Out Loud:  Teacher as Storyteller”.  Mr. Bronke says, “At their core, teachers are leaders.  And when the “leaders” of a school realize this fact and empower teachers to help enact change, welcoming them into the STORY of their school, the impossible becomes the reality, the unimaginable becomes the routine.”   He goes on to say, “teachers are leaders because they’re at the center of the humanity within the work; living in and yet simultaneously crafting the story of the school, the narrative of the culture, and this is absolutely essential because the reality is this:  a story entertains, it engages; it endears us to others; it enrages; but most importantly, it EMPOWERS.  Without the story, we’re left with blank slates.” 

He states that there are five ways a teacher leader can use storytelling that has the power to change a culture and to also ensure that the work we do everyday as educators is not only valued but treasured by all those that have a part in it.  Here are the five ways:

·      to inspire

·      to share

·      to engage

·      to comfort

·      to affect change

This all leads me back to why I started this journey looking at how storytelling can make us better people which in turn will make us a better school for our children.  Our theme word for this year is ENGAGEMENT.  If our children are not engaged in the learning then what is the point?  One way to engage our kids is by using stories that help set the foundation to get them involved in the instruction by inspiring their curiosity and love of learning.  The ultimate goal would be to have a teacher be able to connect and inspire through storytelling and sharing of themselves in the lessons they teach.  My goal then is help/inspire/influence my teachers to find their own story and know the WHY that supports what they do.   I think that before I can ask them to find their story, I will need to find my own.  Drew Dudley in an interview I read said the following that really resonated with me, “so again story telling is the basic unit to human understanding; so, be sure that you know what your story is about.  Make sure you figured it out, “What the lessons that you’ve learned from that story are? and eventually be willing to share it because we will never understand ourselves, and we will never understand each other if we do not share out stories.” 

To storytelling…..stay tuned!

Cindy

Links to some of the blogs and TED-ED talk that I just recently used to help start this journey called storytelling.

The Power of Story Telling - TED-ED talk by Drew Dudley:  

http://blog.ed.ted.com/2014/10/02/the-power-of-storytelling-ted-speaker-drew-dudley-hosts-ted-ed-club-workshop/

Interview with Drew Dudley:

https://princesdailyjournal.com/interestingpeopl/drew-dudley-leadership-educator-and-founder-of-nuance-leadership/drew-dudley-and-how-he-is-re-defining-leadership/

Christopher Bronke - Blog on Teaching Channel:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/?s=Christopher+Bronke&submit=Search

Lisa Hollenbach - Blog on Teaching Channel:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2017/04/21/10-tips-your-authentic-story/