Reflection – Storytelling

Challenge and Selection:

Storytelling as a concept has existed from centuries, from the time when cavemen would  gather around and listen to ancestral stories. It is indeed a form of art which is passed via  different means for various purposes. I am a volunteer at a special needs school and usually  work under the administration team, but due to certain circumstances, I was asked to  conduct a session on basic values like, peer pressure, arrogance, honesty, kindness, love etc.  with children. I was entrusted with the task of inculcating various values in one session and  this task baffled me.

At first I wasn’t sure how I would go about the session but then I decided to engage the  students with a story. I wanted the kids to have a good time but also learn something  important. I did not wish to exhaust them and hence decided to use the tool of storytelling  to inculcate certain values. “Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the  world”, as rightly said by Robert McKee. Stories have an emotional connection which makes  it more relatable for the listener and hence easier to grasp on the content.

Application:

‘Mahabharat’, which is an Indian epic, was the first thing that came to my mind. It entails  the story of the fight between two groups of cousins (princes) for their respective right to  the throne. The rightful king was the Pandu prince, but with the use of manipulation, lies  and corruption, the Kaurav prince somehow manages to send the Pandu princes in exile. On  their return the Kaurav prince is adamant on giving up the throne and also molests the  Pandu wife (apparent queen). To avenge these wrongdoings, the Pandu princes wage a war  where they come out to be victorious, however at a large price.  In addition, this epic also  narrates the ‘Bhagavad Gita’, the most famous Hindu scripture. Throughout, at every step,  this epic teaches us something. It teaches us the importance of truth, dharma, the cycle of  karma, the ultimate downfall of arrogance, peer pressure, sacrifice and plenty more.

I made use of the sub-stories within this epic to instill the important basic concepts and  values in children. After the session, I was bombarded with questions about this story. One  student confessed that he was under peer pressure and couldn’t find his way out. In  addition to the sub-stories of the epic, I also added a story about one phase of my life when,  I was too, struggling with peer pressure. This is how I applied the tool of storytelling to the  presented challenge.

Insight and Approach:

My decision to use the tool of storytelling worked wonders. The children enjoyed the  session in addition to learning something important. They found the story interesting and

asked numerous questions which proved they were paying attention and were thinking  about what was been spoken. I felt using stories, to instill values is a better way than to  teach them via textbooks. They could definitely relate better and could grasp on these  concepts easily. With respect to the child with whom I even shared a personal story, he  definitely felt better. He understood that he is not the only one struggling and that help is  available. It also led to a sense of self-confidence in him. I conveyed these feedbacks and  observations to my teacher in charge and I am happy to hear that they are considering  having one storytelling session every week. Earlier, I might have used storytelling but  without the knowledge of it being an effective tool. Now, I will definitely make use of this  technique more often when I want to get through to people and want them to have an  increased emotional connection.

