We all have our stories and want to share them. Listening to stories of loss is difficult. It requires taking time to slow down and acknowledge the painful emotions. How does telling our stories benefit us? We need to know and express our own stories. Difficulties arise not because we have a story, perhaps a very sad or painful story, but because we become attached to our stories and make them an essential part of our very selves. We are unsure what to say, how to act, what to do. In our fast-paced, efficiency-focused society, people often do not recognize the benefit of telling or listening to the story. Learning is a discovery process. Experiences alone do not equate to learning. Learning involves paying attention to circumstances. Reading stories aloud to children provide a strong, positive influence and build a foundation for a lifetime of significant benefits. It develops creativity and a child's ability to use their own imagination. The more they listen, the greater the likelihood that they will learn new vocabulary words. Vocabulary, comprehension, and oral language skills develop as children listen to those around them, and these skills are the basis of reading and other literacy skills. Stories connect the past and present to the future. Telling our stories is not an end in itself, but an attempt to release ourselves from them, to evolve and grow beyond them. We tell our stories to transform ourselves, to learn about our history and tell our experiences to transcend them; to use our stories to make a difference in our world; to broaden our perspective to see further than normal; to act beyond a story that may have imprisoned or enslaved us; to live more of our spiritual and earthly potential. Studies suggest that people accept ideas more readily when their minds are in story mode as opposed to when they are in an analytical mind-set. Stories also help us connect with our audiences.
Plenty of examples already show that knowledge sharing is a crucial part of development co-operation. Documented experience highlights the importance of developing a knowledge sharing mechanism to foster such exchanges. The practice of sharing should be heard in every discussion about education. Only in doing so will we learn, and then, perhaps, will have fulfilled our purpose as teachers.
