REFLECTION – STORYTELLING

CHALLENGE & SELECTION  Storytelling is a great tool that I use all the time due to my work as a volunteer communication

teacher in a public secondary school. Many of my students deal with different personal and

family problems that undoubtedly affect their school performance. Most of these children live in

dysfunctional families and in some cases, they tend to witness fights and arguments between

their parents. Likewise, those who have younger siblings, take the role of the adult and take

charge of the upbringing of their siblings, since their father and / or mother must go to work.

For me not only is academic education important but it is also essential to cultivate an

emotional education; especially in this stage of adolescence. For this reason, I spend a lot of

time talking with my students, in which each one has the opportunity to tell what they did

during the previous week and if they had any problems tell us how they managed it, in this way

I seek that their own stories are an inspiration to the other.    Thus, I also have the opportunity to know the real reasons why they do not perform effectively

in the classroom, a vicious circle, - they have personal and family problems that leads to many

of them losing their appetite and therefore have a poor diet, And this in turn leads to them

being unable to concentrate in class; therefore they get bad grades - which could not be

adequately solved if we do not understand that the student is not really to blame for getting a

bad grade, but rather, it is the teachers and parents who must also take charge of our

responsibility in the affair.    APPLICATION  That is why storytelling at this point was extremely important to me to make my colleagues and

parents understand about the importance of being more present and responsible teachers and

parents in education and in the general life of students; but above all, recognize that

adolescents also go through problems that affect them emotionally and; therefore,

academically, and that we cannot demand that they be responsible as students when we are

not responsible as teachers and parents. However, I had a great dilemma that I had to face,

the school had a culture based on results and punishments where if the student does not pass

an exam, their parents are immediately notified who end up punishing their children; that is,

the student does not receive support or understanding from anywhere. Therefore, I also took it

upon myself to explain to them that the school is not a correctional facility where the father

takes his son who will be guided for the "good way" by a military-style teacher and that

continuing to think that way would only bring negative consequences such as bad grades and

even worse, the desertion of many of them.     To achieve my goal, I told them a story about a student who had many problems at home: her

parents fought all the time, she could not sleep well because of the screams she heard every

night, she was very afraid that her parents would separate because She wanted to have her

family together. This anxiety made her lose her appetite and lose all interest in her studies.

She only went to school to forget for a moment what was happening at home, her grades

dropped notably, no teacher really cared about her situation, they only told her that if she

continued like this, she would end up repeating the year. However, this changed, when the

school decided to place in each classroom a tutor who was present all the time in class due to

the frequent fights between the students. At first, the role of the tutor was only to ensure that

the students behaved appropriately, but the tutor in this student's classroom decided to take a

role more of a guide than of a watchman.     Every Monday, before class, the tutor had a small talk with each student, in which she showed

interest in what was happening in their lives. She also observed them and noticed that some of

them were not entirely comfortable like the student in my story. Therefore, she decided to

approach her and gain her trust, since this student was very reserved, the tutor wanted to

understand why she had such low grades. This is how the tutor decided to open up on a

personal level with the student, since she thought that in this way, the student would feel

closer to her, that is why she began to tell her stories about her youth and that she was also a

teenager with dilemmas and difficulties.    INSIGHT & APPROACH  Thus, the student began to trust her, so much so that one day she decided to tell her about the

recurring fights of her parents and without waiting for it she began to cry, the tutor understood

that this student only needed to be heard and understood and that her low grades had nothing

to do with an issue of intellect but with an emotional issue that had been dragging from

home.Therefore, without the student's knowledge - she later found out - the tutor went to

speak with her parents to explain their daughter's situation and that the low marks she had

was due to the fights they had. The parents realized their mistake and decided to go to

couples and parents therapy, the student found in the tutor a guide to whom she could turn,

likewise, when problems began to be solved at home, problems at school They also began to

be solved: the student began to get better grades and was able to finish the year effectively.     The story of this student is my personal story, my school stage was good when my parents

and teachers understood that education is everyone's job, not just the student's. As you will

know after hearing what I told them, it had a great impact on both my colleagues and parents.

So much so that all of us there decided to commit ourselves to a new way of educating where

there is a balance between the academic and the emotional. Some results were: guide tutors

in each classroom, 2 compulsory hours of tutoring to know the situation of each student and

based on that to develop a personalized support strategy, artistic workshops as tools for stress

relief for the student, every Friday meeting of parents and teachers in which the students are

the ones who expose the doubts to be resolved and among others. All of this led to better

academic performance for all students. Sometimes a little story can do a lot of good.    This course made me see Storytelling as a tool in a new way. A good story is, in essence,

communicating a logical message, with emotional connection and with a greater purpose.I

think that storytelling incorporates a different element: it is not about a list of things to do, but

about the connection that we offer to people about the information that we want to share.

That's why now I can prepare ahead and think of stories that will assist me in presenting my

ideas and best illuminate them.


REFLECTION – STORYTELLING CHALLENGE & SELECTION Storytelling is a great tool that I use all the time due to my work as a volunteer communication teacher in a public secondary school . Many of my students deal with different personal and family problems that undoubtedly affect their school performance . Most of these children live in dysfunctional families and in some cases , they tend to witness fights and arguments between their parents . Likewise , those who have younger siblings , take the role of the adult and take charge of the upbringing of their siblings , since their father and / or mother must go to work . For me not only is academic education important but it is also essential to cultivate an emotional education ; especially in this stage of adolescence . For this reason , I spend a lot of time talking with my students , in which each one has the opportunity to tell what they did during the previous week and if they had any problems tell us how they managed it , in this way I seek that their own stories are an inspiration to the other . Thus , I also have the opportunity to know the real reasons why they do not perform effectively in the classroom , a vicious circle , - they have personal and family problems that leads to many of them losing their appetite and therefore have a poor diet , And this in turn leads to them being unable to concentrate in class ; therefore they get bad grades - which could not be adequately solved if we do not understand that the student is not really to blame for getting a bad grade , but rather , it is the teachers and parents who must also take charge of our responsibility in the affair . APPLICATION That is why storytelling at this point was extremely important to me to make my colleagues and parents understand about the importance of being more present and responsible teachers and parents in education and in the general life of students ; but above all , recognize that adolescents also go through problems that affect them emotionally and ; therefore , academically , and that we can not demand that they be responsible as students when we are not responsible as teachers and parents . However , I had a great dilemma that I had to face , the school had a culture based on results and punishments where if the student does not pass an exam , their parents are immediately notified who end up punishing their children ; that is , the student does not receive support or understanding from anywhere . Therefore , I also took it upon myself to explain to them that the school is not a correctional facility where the father takes his son who will be guided for the " good way " by a military - style teacher and that continuing to think that way would only bring negative consequences such as bad grades and even worse , the desertion of many of them . To achieve my goal , I told them a story about a student who had many problems at home : her parents fought all the time , she could not sleep well because of the screams she heard every night , she was very afraid that her parents would separate because She wanted to have her family together . This anxiety made her lose her appetite and lose all interest in her studies . She only went to school to forget for a moment what was happening at home , her grades dropped notably , no teacher really cared about her situation , they only told her that if she continued like this , she would end up repeating the year . However , this changed , when the school decided to place in each classroom a tutor who was present all the time in class due to the frequent fights between the students . At first , the role of the tutor was only to ensure that the students behaved appropriately , but the tutor in this student 's classroom decided to take a role more of a guide than of a watchman . Every Monday , before class , the tutor had a small talk with each student , in which she showed interest in what was happening in their lives . She also observed them and noticed that some of them were not entirely comfortable like the student in my story . Therefore , she decided to approach her and gain her trust , since this student was very reserved , the tutor wanted to understand why she had such low grades . This is how the tutor decided to open up on a personal level with the student , since she thought that in this way , the student would feel closer to her , that is why she began to tell her stories about her youth and that she was also a teenager with dilemmas and difficulties . INSIGHT & APPROACH Thus , the student began to trust her , so much so that one day she decided to tell her about the recurring fights of her parents and without waiting for it she began to cry , the tutor understood that this student only needed to be heard and understood and that her low grades had nothing to do with an issue of intellect but with an emotional issue that had been dragging from home . Therefore , without the student 's knowledge - she later found out - the tutor went to speak with her parents to explain their daughter 's situation and that the low marks she had was due to the fights they had . The parents realized their mistake and decided to go to couples and parents therapy , the student found in the tutor a guide to whom she could turn , likewise , when problems began to be solved at home , problems at school They also began to be solved : the student began to get better grades and was able to finish the year effectively . The story of this student is my personal story , my school stage was good when my parents and teachers understood that education is everyone 's job , not just the student 's . As you will know after hearing what I told them , it had a great impact on both my colleagues and parents . So much so that all of us there decided to commit ourselves to a new way of educating where there is a balance between the academic and the emotional . Some results were : guide tutors in each classroom , 2 compulsory hours of tutoring to know the situation of each student and based on that to develop a personalized support strategy , artistic workshops as tools for stress relief for the student , every Friday meeting of parents and teachers in which the students are the ones who expose the doubts to be resolved and among others . All of this led to better academic performance for all students . Sometimes a little story can do a lot of good . This course made me see Storytelling as a tool in a new way . A good story is , in essence , communicating a logical message , with emotional connection and with a greater purpose . I think that storytelling incorporates a different element : it is not about a list of things to do , but about the connection that we offer to people about the information that we want to share . That 's why now I can prepare ahead and think of stories that will assist me in presenting my ideas and best illuminate them .