“the power to bring a hush to a room, a catch to the breath, a
leap to the curious heart, with the simple words “Once upon a
time”. From “On Stories,” by Richard Kearney, Professor of
Philosophy, Boston College Every great story needs a great
beginning, and ever since we can remember, those four words were
magic. They made your ears perk up, in great expectation of the
story that was to follow. As Pre-Kindergarten teachers, we read
stories to our students every day, but sometimes feel as though
the magic is not quite there. One of the most important goals of
teaching four and five-year-olds is to create a love for books
and stories. Therefore, when they go on to Kindergarten to begin
reading, they have already learned what fortune lies within the
pages. Our student population is mostly English Language
Learners and many live below the poverty level, resulting in
most of our students not even having books in their home. We
struggle to keep their attention and build language and story
comprehension. We strive t