Example Reflection – Storytelling

Challenge & Selection

Storytelling is something that I use to express myself. I’m a college student and along with my studies I  also work for a private day care centre near my residence. A lot of kids coming their having either both  their parents working or are brought up by single parents. Children can sometimes be fussy, adamant and  difficult to handle. I share stories of my life with a dash of fantasy or humor sometimes in order to pacify  them and help them grow their imagination or entertain them sometimes.

Application

So I started using storytelling in my work life when I was asked to handle a bunch of 10 kids around 10 to  13 years of age as an interview process. They were special kids and need altogether different kind of  attention and environment. Since I never had any experience handling kids before it was quite a task for  me. But that’s when the idea of telling a story hit me. I started with the story of a king and his four wives  that stood for beauty, knowledge, popularity and love. I was glad that the kids loved the story since they  were hooked up till the end and my day was saved. I was elated to know that my interviewers liked my  unique way of storytelling and thought what I did was not only entertaining but educating as well and that  landed me the job. As I continue working there I found that my stories do have a lot of impact on these  kids. One of the kids there who has learning disability has picked up writing his own short stories and  sharing it with his friends.

Insight and Approach

The mother of the kid told me that her son had started showing signs of learning disability from a very  young age and that hampered him a lot in adjusting into new environments, meet new people or make  new friends. She used to be tensed regarding the happiness and growth of her child as a social animal and  how he will adjust with people growing up. But she says stories have sparked a new ray of hope in her life.  She has observed how her son has started imagining things and try making his own short stories and  sharing it with his day care friends. All I can say is my fondness for storytelling that saved my day in  interview has grown much bigger with these kids. This course made me see this as a tool in a new way. I  prepare ahead and think of stories that will assist me in presenting my ideas and best illuminate them.

