Friday, November 13, 2015

Storytelling

Good Morning and Happy Friday Steer Nation!


Congratulations, Michelle Lowrey! On Wednesday, Ms. Lowery received the message below from Samsung Solve for Tomorrow. Michelle is a Project Lead the Way Engineering teacher at GHS. 

You have been selected as one of the five State Finalists for the state of Texas in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest! We were amazed by the quality of entries that we received this year and applaud your dedication to inspiring your students, improving your local communities and fostering STEM education in your school.  Out of the more than 4,100 applications, yours was chosen as one of the five best in your state. To reward you for becoming a State Finalist, we will be sending you two Samsung Galaxy Tabs for your classroom! 

As a State Finalists, you qualify to move to the second phase of the contest. You will now compete against four other finalists from your state for the title of State Winner.

Congratulations to the GHS FFA!  Three teams have advanced to the area Leadership Contest that will be held on Monday, November 23rd. The Radio Team consisting of Jordan Crago, Cara Williams, and Finis Smith won district and advanced to area. Caleb Crago won district in Senior Creed Speaking and advanced to area. The Agriculture Issues Team placed 2nd and advanced to area. The team members are: Alee Alvidrez, Riley Wyatt, Hiram Fuentes, Gustavo Ramirez, and Nick Moore. Madi Meacham placed fourth in Job Interview.   Twenty students represented GHS at the District Leadership Contest held this past Monday at Mineral Wells. The group is pictured below.



Our Graham Steers footballers are in action this evening vs. Brownwood.  Good luck and safe travels for all!

Basketball season has begun!  Tons of games on the calendar- http://www.grahamisd.com/page.cfm?p=213&start=11/11/2015&period=month.  Good luck to the boys at Rider this weekend.  The Lady Blues will be in action at home this coming Tuesday evening.  Good luck!

Events on the official campus/district calendar.  Each week I look at the calendar to build my schedule of events to attend and to provide “shout outs” in the weekly Steer Nation Message.  Please make sure your events are being placed on the calendar.  If you have questions on how to make this happen, please talk with your campus principal.
 

Storytelling

Without doubt good storytelling is a powerful skill.  The best speakers, writers, leaders are good storytellers.  From personal experience, my best teachers and coaches were good storytellers. 

Stories spark emotions.  Mary Catherine Bateson states, “Storytelling is fundamental to the human search for meaning.”  Connecting with others on a rational level does not usually change how people behave.  Simple understanding, without emotional engagement, leads to little action.  Storytelling provides a method to reach both the logical and emotional sides of human character.

People learn from stories.  This has been true for thousands of years. Stories shape our beliefs, our practices and our culture.  They serve as the individual threads that morph into the tapestry of our life.  Stories bind us as a family unit.

Stories serve as a very powerful connection to our listeners.  When we share real life experiences or the stories of others it allows our audience (students) to see us as authentic people.  People who have lives outside of the school setting, people who have had challenges and learned to overcome them. I have heard it said that people buy from people they know, like and trust.  I think they also learn from people they know, like and trust. 

One of my favorite television shows is CBS Sunday Morning.  Sometime ago (2012), they produced a story on the topic of storytelling and it has resonated with me since.  Should you be interested, the link below will lead you the segment:

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/storytelling-festivals-keep-an-age-old-tradition-alive/

How might you jumpstart your storytelling?  Consider these basics:

  •       What story would put “flesh and bone” on the point you want to make?

  •       Inspire with phrases such as “imagine if,” “an experience that taught me was,” “I knew this mattered when,”  “John is a service hero because.”

  •     Ask your audience, your students this question: “Please describe a day in your life that will help me understand your knowledge about “X” and how you will use it.”





Corny Joke of the Day: (Share with by Nancy Dunlap)


What do frogs wear on their feet? (scroll down for the answer)







OPEN TOAD SHOES!













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