“Will you tell me a story?”
These words evoke an image of a young child sitting on a lap or under the covers wishing to hear another tale told by a caring adult – a nostalgic scene that we remember from our childhoods and, if we’re lucky, get to relive in our adulthood as the storytellers.
We all have stories to tell. When we share our experiences by telling and listening to stories, the fabric of our society is woven. Stories bind us together and are integral to the human experience. They inform us about our past and help us make sense of our present. As it turns out, they are also essential to navigating our way in the future. As Daniel Pink explains in his New York Times bestseller, A Whole New Mind, story is one of six right-brained aptitudes that are necessary for success and fulfillment in what he calls the Conceptual Age, and that are often under-emphasized in schools. As we emerge from the Information Age, with facts being “so widely available and instantly accessible, each one becomes less valuable. What begins to matter more,” Pink writes, “is the ability to place these facts in context and to deliver them with emotional impact. And that is the essence of the aptitude of Story – context enriched by emotion . . . a deeper understanding of how we fit in and why that matters.”
Story is a part of our daily lives at WCFS beginning with our youngest students and the earliest minutes of every day. Students begin their day with Morning Meeting which often includes time for children to share what is important to them – their personal stories. Literature is the foundation of everything that we do in the language arts; in order to tell a story, you need to be able to hear and read a story. As students learn to write, they draw first upon personal experiences for subject matter. Third graders learn, record, and pass on their families' stories as part of their study of Immigration. Storytelling is even a part of music classes, where instruments are used to evoke feelings and emotions in the telling of "sound stories." Intergenerational experiences such as Grandparents' Day and visits with our neighbors at The Hickman are reminders that listening is a major (and often overlooked) component of storytelling. This year, the faculty have chosen “Folktales and Legends” to be our all-school theme, placing even greater emphasis on the lessons to be learned from tales of the past.
As members of the WCFS community, we all have stories about our most memorable school experience. One of my favorites is about the birth of our daughter on the first day of school in my first year as Head of School. On the other end of the spectrum, I recently recounted on my blog the story of how, just five days later, we experienced the events of September 11 here at school.
I invite you to share your WCFS stories. In celebration of the school’s 175th year, we are collecting 175 memories from alumni, alumni parents, current and former faculty and board members, Meeting members, and friends. Any and all memories are welcome from specifics about a particular teacher, activity, subject or event, to something broader (“I loved playing on the lawn.”). Short or lengthy, funny or poignant, we want to hear what you think of when you remember WCFS. The stories will be compiled in a book that will be available for purchase and go in our archive. Some will also be shared on our web site. You may mail your memory to the school, email development@wcfriends.org, or leave a message at 610-696-2820.
Will you tell us a story?
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