Thursday, February 28, 2013

Where Are the Stories?




Ever have an idea or words just connect with you?  This past fall Lynwood Tall Bull came to our school and talked with our students and staff.  He believes that everyone should have a rock.  We should keep it with us when we are sharing stories, because rocks remember.  Later the rocks will help us recall the stories that are important to us.  I tried to envision the rocks listening as the wind whispered.

This picture (Jan 2013) is of the cliffs in the Four Dances Recreation area across from Coulson Park (Billings, MT).  For me this is the picture I see when I think of the rocks listening to the whispering winds. 

My life is intertwined with stories.  As a high school student Grandpa Watson, then 94, told me about coming by wagon and settling in Idaho when he was twelve.  He told me about the first airplane he saw - it was the first that flew over the divide, and his thoughts when they walked on the moon.  My mother told me stories about growing up.  I remember all the children's toys and antiques at my Grandma Chandler's home.  Mostly I remember the old hand pump in the kitchen, the wood stove and the old oak table with a built in Lazy Susan in the middle.  I remember the late night dashes to the rough planked privy outback.

When I look at a historic item - I want to know its story.  I have always been inquisitive so it came as a shock when I realized that many students glance at pictures, artifacts etc and never ask for the back story.  I have come to understand that students need scaffolding to become critical thinkers.  Part of that progression is learning how to ask questions.  How to make observations.  These are the basic keys to unlocking the hidden stories.  The stories that help us understand who we are and who we want to become.

9 comments:

  1. Hi Ruth, I hope you're going to tell us some of those stories. Your Grandmother Chandler's house sounds just like one of my grandmother's. I remember when she was so excited to get running water in the house (just a cold water tap, but wonderful). I have written so much about times in that house-special memories. I think if you began the conversation, students would begin to respond. And, a different question: Have you read Hattie Big Sky, by Kirby Larson? It's about Montana, & lovely.

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  2. I have a copy. But still need to read it. Kirby said it was based on a family story. She has also written a second book (not a sequel though).

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  3. I'm looking forward to reading these stories, Ruth - how lucky that you have so many that were shared by your grandparents, too, and that you remember details such as your Grandmother Chandler's house with such rich specificity.

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  4. Story, we are all made with one. One of the things I love about the Slice community is that it is a place to share our stories. I look forward to hearing more of what the rocks are storing for you.

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  5. I love this idea. It's so true that each item holds a special history. If only these objects could talk.

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  6. I love the idea that stories keep our history. I think stories also tie us together as families, as communities, and as classrooms. I wonder how else I can connect my students not just with the stories we read but also with the stories we create together.

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  7. Your life is definitely rich with stories. I love the idea of having a rock to remember your stories. Reminds me of Byrd Baylor's book, Everyone Needs a Rock. Looking forward to the stories you have to tell.

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  8. Reminds me of computer programmers who will talk to a rubber duck to try and work out a problem they're having with coding. I guess writers and programmers are on the same level of craziness.

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  9. "Because rocks remember." Oooo, that echoed in me when I read it. I am looking forward to the stories you will bring us here.

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