By Robin Fogel-Shrive
I recently completed coordinating the first Lake County Big Read program, which was co-sponsored by the Lake County Office of Education and the National Endowment for the Arts.
It was well received by many county residents and students and was, all things considered, an immense source of personal inspiration to witness the power of great story telling among our diverse audiences. Featured writer Edgar Allan Poe, 150 years post mortem, touched the lives of many teens with his descriptive, poetic language and obsessive fear of entrapment and oppression. It was wonderful to see these kids value Poe”s literary merit and relate to personal struggles as emerging, but not quite, adults.
Sonoma County author Jean Hegland, who graced us with her book discussion and signing as one of The Big Read events, related her position on stories by stating, “stories are the things that make us human ? that we use to make community.” This sparked me to think of the power of stories that we tell and how valuable our personal stories are to others. As a teacher, I recall my student teaching experience in a first grade classroom in San Francisco. These 5 and 6 year olds used to beg me to “tell them a story”, and it was a true treat to them (and me) when I did. Currently, in the high school environment, I find that telling my stories (some the same, others more sophisticated to engage my more mature audience) is still an easy way to make connections with students who are living in a very different world, but with very similar needs to hear a good story and see their teacher as a person with humor and compassion.
This past summer, as part of their AP assignment, my students read Amy Tan”s The Joy Luck Club, a beautifully written novel intertwining the stories of mothers and their daughters in China with their American daughters born and raised in contemporary San Francisco. As part of the assignment, students were asked to write an essay on the power of story telling from their own family history. I was initially struck by the widespread response that many did not know their family histories or ?stories”. I was rewarded to find that these same students, though, touched by the novel, were hoping to investigate and pursue their knowledge of their relatives and perhaps unearth the reason for, say, their red hair, or a particular personality trait. Just knowing where they came from, and knowing the stories of these family members, was now an important connection for them; as they grow they will know how valuable it is to impart stories to their own children and grandchildren.
As we begin a new year and make resolutions to improve our selves and our world, make a vow to tell your children, your grandchildren, and those young people in your community circle, your stories. Whether they be funny, sad, historical or just a learning experience, as you interact and get the conversation going, the power of your stories will continue to be felt, valued and simply known.
Lake County Publishing is proud to welcome new columnist Robin Fogel-Shrive. She teaches at Lower Lake High School and is the project director for The Lake County Big Read literacy program. She can be reached at rshrive@yahoo.com.
