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Storytelling to teach character and prevent bullying

It was my great privilege to be able to present a workshop at last years National Storytelling Conference in Sydney. The idea for my workshop sprang from my experiences using Elisa Davey Pearmain’s fabulous and comprehensive book Once Upon a Time: Storytelling to teach character and prevent bullying: Lessons from 99 Multicultural Folk Tales for Grades K-8.

Pearmaine has created an extremely practical, easy to use, rich resource. It includes ideas on how to tell the stories, how to teach storytelling, how to use the pre-story and follow-up activities in the classroom, how to create a character education program in your school and how to set the scene and create an atmosphere conducive to storytelling and listening.

She has grouped 99 multi-cultural folktales stories according to 12 categories of good character: co-operation, courage, diversity appreciation, empathy, friendship, generosity, honesty and fairness, leadership and citizenship, perseverance, respect, responsibility, self-control and bullying prevention. Beside each tale is a little note stating the stories country of origin, main themes and which year-group it works best for.

The follow-up activity ideas are very do-able, fun and age-appropriate. They range from discussing particular questions, to dramatization to artwork to writing provocations to creative visualisation.

The reason I began working with the stories in the book was that in 2011, my daughter had become the target of quite severe bullying from a girl who had been fostered by a local family. She had undergone severe traumas within her birth family, as well as subsequent upheavals when she had been removed form a happy placement and separated from her younger siblings. All this was translating into some quite heavy behaviour, towards my daughter Layla, who was then 7 years old. The foster family knew what was happening, were doing their best and it wasn’t appropriate to approach them. So I decided to use stories to try to alleviate the situation. I hadn’t worked therapeutically with story much before, but felt it couldn’t hurt and might help.

Each week I’d ask Layla’s teacher what was the main issue at play which I could address through story. It was usually about the need for generosity, empathy, honesty and kindness.

The first thing that struck me about the class was that they were exceptionally distractible. I had told stories in in many classes at our school as a mum. While this was quite different to being a professional visitor, the students were still well-behaved. But this class had at least six high energy boys and girls and the atmosphere- even in mid-morning was often close to a whirlwind. I was a bit taken aback and my usual settling tricks weren’t working, so I had to get used to a slightly different process, but the students did come to settle a little better once we were in the routine of stories. The wildness of the class meant we rarely able to do many activities after the story. After a guided discussion, sometimes the students drew the story and sometimes they rewrote it. Once we retold it in a circle and once we had a go at enacting the story in groups. The children were enthusiastically engaged in the process.

I told Feathers, Sweet and Sour Berries, The Magical Axe, The Legend of the Big Dipper as well as some I have told for a long time which were also in the book: Rat and The Tailor (which I tell as The Blue Coat).

One of my favourite stories is ‘The Legend of The Big Dipper’. It is a story of generosity. The girl in the story uses a tin dipper to gather water at great effort and generously gives it to others. The water dipper changes to silver, then gold, then diamond. Then along come a wise woman who throws it into the sky where it becomes the star constellation and where the water drops fall, a spring bubbles up.  I told it at the workshop and people re-enacted in groups exquisitely.

So what effect did the stories appear to have? We were hoping that the whole class would benefit as  kindness was an issue for most of the children. Without being in continued contact with the little girl in question, I am not sure. She certainly loved stories. The stories were not a magic spell or instant fix which I didn’t realistically expect, though the irrational side of me did want a quick change for my daughter’s sake!

What struck me was how children can be extremely resistant to recognising their own behaviour in a story, if it is negative. I didn’t push it. However, in discussion, they were very keen to tell examples of when they had been kind or generous. On reflection I confess I can be the same. When I first told ‘The Luckless One’ to my partner, he said it reminded him of me. I was extremely indignant, but could eventually recognise that at times I fail to recognise the blessings in my life.

I often discussed with Layla’s teacher whether the stories were having any effect. She said there were two spin-offs. One was that she began to tell stories again, because she wanted to reinforce the ideas in the stories between my visits. Secondly, she said the stories gave her and the wonderful teacher’s aide in the class, a neutral reference point and a shared language with the students. Rather than just suggesting the children act kindly, she could say ‘Remember the boy in the story of Sweet and Sour Berries. Let’s see if we can all be kind and generous like him.’ So it created a sense of community in the classroom because they had shared stories. The stories helped remind me to consider my own actions more carefully too.

Of course there are many other great books on healing tales, which I list on my resources page at my website www.storytree.com.au and there are great treasures at the Healing Story Alliance (H.S.A.) website too.  In a world where inspiring spiritual messages and wise role-models are sometimes few and far between for all of us, and where we are often barraged with advertising and reality TV shows which encourage selfishness, competition and nastiness, collections of tales like this are real treasure indeed! I hope to continue my adventure with these tales.

Pearmain, Elisa. (2006) Once Upon a Time: storytelling to teach character and prevent bullying: Lessons from Multicultural Folk Tales for Grades K-8, Character Development Group, Greensbooro, NC, USA.www.CharacterEducation.com Library of Congress Number: 2007934445 

The Rabbit in the Moon and other Stories for Autumn

The Meaning and Origins of Easter

As the shops began filling up with chocolate Easter eggs, bunnies and bilboes, for me, it is time to think of a story for the season. 

The word Easter comes from the old English eastre meaning a Festival of Spring. In pagan times this meant it was time to celebrate the fertility of the land. As hares are prolific breeders, they were a logical symbol of Spring fertility. (Hares are quite different to rabbits also. European hares are larger, faster and have taller ears than rabbits. They also have not been domesticated as rabbits have, so are a symbol of the wild.) 

Persephone, Goddess of Spring

The ancient Greeks celebrated the Spring Goddess, Demeter and the God Dionysus. The Romans celebrated the resurrection of their God Attis and the Vestal Virgins relit the sacred fire in the temple of Vesta, the Goddess of the hearth. However, if you, like me live in the southern hemisphere and want to be more in tune with the Earth, then why not celebrate Autumn?

The Autumn Equinox

The equinox occurs this year on Wednesday, March 20. On the equinox the duration of the day and the night are almost equal. So is a time of balance between light and dark. Traditionally in the northern hemisphere, this was a time to gather in the harvest, give thanks, rest and prepare for the winter ahead. 

A Celtic Autumn Myth: Modron and Mabon

In the British Isles, the Celtic and Welsh the Goddess Modron, which means great mother, was celebrated. She was sometimes pictured at a triple Goddess, seated together on a throne. They were responsible for abundance and sustaining the life of the people.The Story of Mobon (the "great son of the great mother", Modron) to the Underworld is similar to the Demeter and Persephone myth. Modron was the Guardian of the Otherworld, the Healer, the Protector, the Earth. 

The Equinox is the birth of Mabon, from his mother. Mabon was taken when he was a mere three nights old. Through the wisdom of the oldest living animals - the Blackbird of Cilgwri, the Stag of Rhedynfre, the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, the Eagle of Gwernabwy and the Salmon of Lyn Llyw -- Mabon is freed from his mysterious captivity.

The Eleusinian Mysteries

At this time, the ancient Greeks celebrated the Eleusinian mysteries. This celebration was held in the city of Eleusis, a city in Attica, north of Athens. The mysteries honored the great Goddess of Grain, Demeter, and her daughter, Persephone who was either kidnapped ny Hades God of the Underworld. (In Starhawk's version she went because she loved him and wanted a change.)

The festival is held here, because it is commonly believed that during Her search for Persephone, Demeter was welcomed by the King and Queen of Eleusis. Demeter nursed the sons of the King, and even tried to make one of them immortal by holding him over the sacred fire. She was interrupted by the Queen, and in fury, revealed Herself to the Queen and bid her to build a temple in Her honor in the city.

The temple was built, and in late Autumn, the Mysteries began. It is said that this is when Persephone returns to the realm of Her husband, Hades. Demeter begins to grieve once again for the loss of Her daughter. Source: mabon lore

Asian Autumn Moon Stories

In China and Vietnam, the Moon Festival is celebrated which is about giving thanks, praying and moon gazing. Years ago when I used to tour with a mediaeval and Renaissance music  ensemble called Pastance, the recorder player, Matthew who's partner was Japanese, told me the story of the rabbit in the moon and the moshi cakes. "Tsukino Usagi" means "Rabbit of the Moon", which refers to the Japanese legend of a rabbit that lives on the moon and pounds moshi, to make rice cake. Possibly, the rabbit in the moon was first known in India, and has afterwards spread through out the rest of Asia, though it has become most popular in China and Japan.

The Rabbit in the Moon

In Chinese tales the rabbit is pounding elixir of life for the moon goddess Chang'e, the rabbit is also known as jade rabbit in China. In Japanese tales it is said that the rabbit is making moshi, a japanese rice cake.

The Hare - Jade Rabbit

In this legend, three fairy sages transformed themselves into pitiful old men and begged for something to eat from a fox, a monkey and a rabbit. The fox and the monkey both had food to give to the old men, but the rabbit, empty-handed, offered his own flesh instead, jumping into a blazing fire to cook himself. The sages were so touched by the rabbit's sacrifice that they let him live in the Moon Palace where he became the "Jade Rabbit."

The Lady - Chang Er

The time of this story is around 2170 B.C. The earth once had ten suns circling over it, each took its turn to illuminate to the earth. But one day all ten suns appeared together, scorching the earth with their heat. The earth was saved by a strong and tyrannical archer Hou Yi. He succeeded in shooting down nine of the suns. One day, Hou Yi stole the elixir of life from a goddess. However his beautiful wife Chang Er drank the elixir of life in order to save the people from her husband's tyrannical rule. After drinking it, she found herself floating and flew to the moon. Hou Yi loved his divinely beautiful wife so much, he didn't shoot down the moon.

Ethical Easter Eggs

Meanwhile, for those of us who buy Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies or bilbies, remember chocolate often contains palm oil, which as you know contributes to habitat loss for Orangutans. This Easter, be careful to buy orangutan friendly chocolate which doesn't use child labour.    If you want an ethical Easter choccie feast- check out this resource and this one:  Fair Trade.

Sources: 

Starhawk; Baker, D; Hill, A (2000) Circle Round: Raising Children in the Goddess Traditions, Bantam Books, New York.

Chinese stories found at:

http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/midfallstory.htm

http://dreamsofalostspirit.deviantart.com/art/Moon-Rabbit-86012617

Frightful Witches and Kissable Toads: the power of folktales

One day Baba Yaga’s two trusted toads said,

”You are truly terrifying!”

            “Good!” said Baba Yaga, “because that’s what I’m here for.”

from The Wise Doll by Hiawyn Oram.

Dear Reader, A few years ago I wrote this article for 'Kindred Magazine'… Some of my ideas have stayed the same and a few have changed since then, which I will write about in the coming months. I hope you find it thought provoking. Feel free to respond in the comments section. Jenni

As a professional storyteller, I have to confess my prejudices. I am totally and passionately in love with the genre of folktales. Yes, there are folktales that are boring or overly violent or model terrible values. These are the toad stories and yes, sometimes one has to kiss a few toads before finding the princes and princesses of story. Also, if your main exposure to the classic fairytales has been Walt Disney films or books, you may be unaware of the earlier, earthier and more satisfying versions. As my friend and master storyteller Brian Hungerford often wryly asides, ’There is a special place in hell for Walt Disney.’ (1) Many adults seem also to have lost the ability to decode the metaphors in folktales, which leads them to confuse princes and princesses with toads. This means many parents miss the potential in folktales to heal, soothe and model ways of being for their children and themselves, in an entertaining and gripping way. Thus I want to write in defense and in praise of my good friends and lovers.

Folktales are often rejected for their violence, their ‘sappy idealism’ and happy-ever-after endings and for being all about kings and queens. For me, those things didn’t worry me, but the gender stereotypes did. So I avoided telling the classic Grimm’s tales and chose to tell more unusual folktales with active heroines. But two experiences reversed that rejection. The first was my son’s obvious delight in Little Red Cap (Red Riding Hood), Rapunzel, Goldilocks, Rumplestiltskin and Jack and the Bean Stalk. (2) He was then two years old. The second was reading a book called The Uses of Enchantment by Bruno Bettelheim (2a). Firstly, why are there so many kings and queens in folktales? Perhaps you associate the monarchy with dictatorial power, inbreeding and financial inequity. Yet symbolically, the king and queen represent our whole, mature and evolved selves. Kings and queens in an archetypal sense, have high self-esteem and the wisdom to make important decisions. They manifest loyal supporters, can withstand opposition and live in a state of abundance.

Brono Bettelheim wrote,

Every child at some time wishes that he were a prince or princess - and at times, in his unconscious, the child believes he is one, only temporarily degraded by circumstances. There are so many kings and queens in fairytales because their rank signifies absolute power, such as the parent seems to hold over the child. So the fairytale royalty represent projections of the child’s imagination.

Violence in Folktales

Now, let’s address violence in folktales. There are two things I’d like to consider here. The first is age appropriateness. The second is sorting out positive stories from destructive stories.

Woodford Folk Festival, Australia

 To tell the truth, I have a love-hate relationship with Woodford Folk Festival. That is because it is usually either stinky hot and dusty or very, very muddy. It’s a bit like after a woman gives birth, you say “Never again”. Then the baby is so cute, you forget how it hurt and off you go and have another and it’s both wonderful and terrible. As I’ve gotten older and also now that I’m a Mum, usually just after Woodford, I say “I’m not going next year.” Then application time comes around a few months later… I get excited and so does my partner. We put in our applications. Then packing up time comes. 
I think of heat, mud, crowds and finding a camping spot and I think “I’m not going next year.”…. Then we get there and it is absolutely fabulous, and I think “How could I have POSSIBLY considered NOT coming?”…..and the cycle continues. I have been to Woodford Folk Festival (including Maleny as it once was) 16 times. All but one of those I went as a season camper and all but twice as a performer.  Since having a family eleven years ago, I have gone nine times with my partner Max and two children. So why have I gone so many times and why might you? 
For more details, read my blog at http://www.storytree.com.au/woodford-folk-festival-for-families-why-go-there/

Woodford Folk Festival Images

Woodford Folk Festival is one of Australia's largest folk music festivals. It happens on land owned by the Festival and has grown into something far larger than a folk music festival. There is something for everyone- except those who don't like crowds! Though there are a few quieter nooks.

I have written more at my blog, but since images look so great here on blogger here are some of the photo's I took this year and last. I love the street signs at Woodford! Here are just two of my favourites.

Valentino's pink coat and folk tale 'The Blue Coat'

I recently had the great pleasure of visiting the fabulous Valentino exhibit at the Brisbane Museum of Contemporary Art. When the second week of our October school holidays turned raaaather soggy, we aborted our plan to go camping, and decided it would be more fun to go to our closest city Brisbane, for a few days.

The weather alternated from rain to light drizzle to 'Irish mist'. The sun didn't come out once. But we had some fun even though we did a lot of walking and forgot our gum boots. We stayed near the Botanic Gardens in the heart of town.

We walked along the river through the gardens, along the mangrove walk and over the river to South Bank via the fantastic footbridge. We went to the Maritime Museum and saw a beautiful reconstruction of a ship from the 1700's (more on that in another posting) and the kids made their third visit to the Science Museum. 

Since I took them the first two times, I volunteered Max to take them this time. Max's eyes widened (it is a veeery noisy museum), but as he slowly nodded, I hastily seized my moment. I hoofed it quick smart to the Brisbane Museum of Contemporary Art to see the Valentino exhibit. My sister had raved about it and declared it was well worth the $20. 

I am NO fashion buff. But I do like to look at pretty things and this was really sumptuous.  My favourite piece was the ensemble pictured. 

 

Valentino | Evening gown (detail) | Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2008, Model 184 | Strapless evening gown made of silk voile appliquéd with silk voile ruffles and corollas in graduated shades of pink; fabric: Clerici-Tessuto | Collection: Valentino Archives | Photograph: Jean Tholance | View full image

I stood gazing at it shoulder to shoulder with several other women and made an an admiring comment to two older women near me. They smiled warmly. One replied, "It reminds me of the story of the woman who wore a boring old grey coat everywhere. She looked very drab to everyone. But when she opened her coat, the inside was a stunning red. But she rarely showed anyone the inside."

"I suppose it reminds you not to judge a book by its cover..." she continued. Then I realised something that hadn't dawned on me, that if you closed this coat up, the outside would look gorgeous, but relatively plain- as all the spectacular detail was on the inside. We chatted a bit longer and the women moved away.

As I pondered the Grey Coat story I had just been told, I thought of another very different coat story- the traditional Jewish folktale 'The Tailor' or 'The Blue Coat'. I love best the version by UK teller Hugh Lupton's  on his 'The Story Tree' CD. I have recorded a version inspired by and very similar to his retelling. It is a beautiful and simple circle story, very easy to retell. It has many themes or layers to it which can be explored: growing up, family love, the story of storytelling, valuing possessions and even recycling. It works for all ages, but is particularly fabulous for the very young. If you would like to read the script of my retelling read below. 

The Blue Coat 

A Jewish folktale - closely based on the retelling by Hugh Lupton

Long ago in a cold country in Europe- a country where you need a very warm coat in the chilly months, a family had a little baby boy.

The grandfather of the baby was a tailor- someone who makes clothes for a living. He bought some beautiful warm blue cloth and he stitched a big cosy baby’s blanket for his grandson. With every stitch, the grandfather put his love into the blanket. When that baby boy was wrapped in that blanket he felt like he was being hugged, even when he was lying alone in his cot.

As the little boy grew, he learned to crawl and then toddle and then walk and wherever he went he would drag that beautiful blue blanket with him.

One day, his mother shook her head and waggled her finger and she said

“Dear, dear, dear, that baby’s blanket is nearly worn out!

We’d better get it fixed.”

So they took it back to granddad.

He lay it on the table,

got out his best scissors,

cut out the best parts and fitted them together,

piecing one part to another part,

until he had made him a beautiful blue coat!

--------------------------------------------------------------

Oh that boy, he loved that blue coat!

He wore it in the sunshine, he wore it in the rain.

He wore it in the wind and he wore it in the snow.

He ran and jumped and skipped and twirled in it.

He splashed through the puddles and he rolled in the mud.

Until one day… his mother she shook her head and she waggled her finger and she said,

‘Dear, dear, dear. That blue coat is nearly worn out, we’d better get it fixed.”

So they took it back to granddad.

He lay it on the table,

got out his best scissors,

cut out the best parts and fitted them together,

piecing one part to another part,

until he had made him a beautiful 

waistcoat!

--------------------------------------------------------------

Repeat the part between the lines replacing coat with waistcoat,

hat; bow-tie; button! 

Until he had made him a beautiful story- a story of The Blue Coat and

that boy told it to his friends and family...who told it to their friends and family, who told it to me. 

Now I’ve just told that story to you, so now you can tell it to your friends and family- 

the story of 'The Blue Coat'.