TEACHING THOUGHTS #9: “STORYTELLERS” ARE USUALLY BULLSHIT ARTISTS

I have a profound dislike of anyone who calls themself a storyteller as a teacher. What a high opinion you must have of yourself to regard your tedious anecdotes as having any real value in the classroom. There are also a number of more important issues with treating the classroom as if it’s “your space” to tell stories.

Telling a story kind of implies that other people are not going to be telling any stories. Telling a story suggests that only your stories have any real value in the classroom. And it also suggests a passive audience whose duty is nothing more than to listen. I get the impression that the storytelling teacher is a person who adores being the centre of attention and prefers to be in transmission mode.

Don’t get me wrong – I have stories that I tell in the classroom too. I have two particularly well developed anecdotes that I would describe as the most mind-blowing experiences I’ve ever had in my life. I do tell these stories from time to time and they work well as classroom activities. But I would never describe myself as a storyteller.

What is far more interesting to me is locating the stories that students have to tell in the classroom. That is a much more rewarding and fruitful endeavour. I prefer the idea of students being active rather than just listening to me droning on about camping trips and the time one of our friends fell into a stream and caught a cold but it was fine because one of the people in the group was a doctor and and and …

So if you come across a teacher who calls themself a storyteller take it with a pinch of salt. They are likely to be a practitioner whose lessons are profoundly teacher-centred. The are also likely to be in love with their sound of their own voice.

Don’t call yourself a storyteller – call yourself a storyfinder.