Here’s a quote from an article on storytelling in education, written by Laura Fleming, published in the Huffington Post.
Time and time again I hear how uninspiring education is today, however through the power of story, it is possible that meaning and learning can powerfully coexist.
That’s true. Storytelling has the power of change and inspire people. I don’t think anyone can watch “Pursuit of Happiness” and not be not inspired. Whereas many people will be able to testify to how uninspiring education is. I’m definitely one of them – I dropped out of high school and never got a degree. But how could storytelling be practically implemented into our education system?
I remember one teacher that used to tell us stories during classes – and it was fascinating. Everyone loved his classes, and everyone (even me) learned a lot in the years we had with him.
Storytelling would surely be a great skill to teach the teachers – but someone would have to tell inspiring stories to the teachers first in order to get them motivated. Because many of them feel just as “excited” about their schools as the students do.
Today both America and Europe are in a unique position. We enjoy great wealth and power in the world. Yes, even with the economic downturn and everything. If you look at the facts, you’ll see that we’re damn lucky.
But if we don’t use the power that we have now to do something really mindblowing, sooner or later others will move ahead and leave us behind. And education – the way we influence the minds of kids – is one of the most important things that determines the future of our country and our families.