Storytelling for Connection

The Commons, in partnership with NPR’s StoryCorps Atlanta

“After nourishment, shelter, and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”  Phillip Pullman

The Commons is committed to “support and empower educators by creating spaces that promote connection, learning and joy”.  StoryCorps aims to “ build connections to create a more just and compassionate world”.  It seemed like the perfect fit for the two organizations to workshop with educators from the Atlanta area.  This is how we came together to learn the art of storytelling.  

And so it was that on a beautiful day in April, I found myself in a small recording booth facing a dear colleague of many years and having a heartfelt conversation with him about who we were as educators and recognizing, as we talked, how much of ourselves we poured into our craft.  Together, we reminisced, we laughed, and we cried. We had taught Spanish in middle school in adjoining rooms for nearly 15 years, very companionably.  In this conversation, we discovered some hidden truths and realizations about ourselves, and we expressed deep gratitude for the important influence that we had had on one another.  It was a truly inspiring experience and has stayed with me many weeks later. 

Our preparation for this conversation was meticulously facilitated by Daniel Horowitz Garcia, Regional Manager for StoryCorps Atlanta, who entertained and instructed us on how to have a meaningful conversation.  The StoryCorps website has a list of great questions to ask if you decide, on reading this, that you would like to interview someone close to you to learn more about their story.  

Some tips for a great conversation are:

• Think of it as a conversation rather than an interview

• Ask for vivid details

• Ask open-ended questions like: “How is teaching different from how you imagined it to be?” - “How would you like your students to remember you?”

The Commons provided us with a delicious lunch and beverages, and StoryCorps offered each pair the possibility of recording ourselves for posterity.