Monday, March 27, 2006

Let me tell you a story

Today's Spokesman was a quick read. No "Huckleberries" cuz Blogfather Oliveria moved his Monday morning column to Saturdays. And, now that we don't have a local basketball team in the NCAA tournament, the Sports section was kinda blah except for the big story about the George Mason team which has surprised all its opponents and the pundits all the way to the Final Four. I did like the front page because I saw Jody Maberry working hard at Riverside State Park.

Bill and I met Jody about four years ago while hiking on a trail near Slough Creek in Yellowstone Park. We were coming down the trail after some fishing and bear escaping. Jody and his friend, Kevin Jury, were headed up the trail. They had a video camera, so I was sure to tell them about the big brown bear that had scared the beejeebers out of me and how my husband had just kept on plodding up the trail, leaving me to ponder my death, even though a bear stood fewer than 50 feet away from us.

We talked enough during that chance meeting that both Jody and Kevin later signed my website guestbook, telling me how good the pancakes tasted at Katy Jack's Restaurant in Trout Creek. Since then, I've heard from Jody every Christmas, and we met him, his wife and his cute little boy, August, again during a geocaching outing at Farragut State Park. Jody had worked in banking, but he wanted to be a park ranger. So, that's what he did, and now he does the bicycle patrol along the Centennial Trail, among his other duties at Riverside State Park.

It was a nice surprise to see my friend in the front-page picture, but I didn't read too much of the story. His picture was just a prop for the article about getting rid of the $5 use fee for state parks in Washington because people quit coming. I wonder if that would ever happen in Idaho. We don't mind the one-time fee because we enjoy what the state parks have to offer.

Besides Jody's picture, the only other item that took my eye, besides Miss Manners' wisdom, was a story about story telling. I'm sure folks would not be surprised that I'd tune into such a piece. I got to thinking, after skimming the story, what life would be like for me if I couldn't tell stories. I liken that possibility to having to go without chocolate or cheese. Both are staples in my daily life, as are good stories.

I think back on my teaching career and how dull it could have been if I hadn't figured out early on that kids love stories. They usually got a full dose of them in my class. I always tried to find some connection to whatever we happened to be studying so I'd have an excuse to tell a story. One story would lead to another and then we'd soon be into a relay situation. One student would be trying to finish a story while six hands were waving through the air, their owners anxious to take their turn.

I really believe that we learn better through story-telling than virtually any other means. Of course, I do have sympathy for math teachers cuz it's kinda hard to connect a lot of anecdotes to logarithms or whatever the heck they are. I don't recall a lot of story-telling in my math classes, although there were the story problems. Maybe if I'd heard more stories in those classes, I might have been smarter in math.

My story-telling mentor was Imogene Davis, the beloved SHS shorthand teacher. Imogene had a way of finding her own connections for why a certain story fit in the overall scheme of why a young lady really ought to learn her shorthand. She was a master storyteller, and we didn't mind one bit when she'd quit that dictation, give our hands a rest and get our ears all perked up to listen to at least 20 minutes worth of her life experiences.

Though I stuck with Imogene for just one semester, because my clumsy fingers crawled rather than walked through shorthand, I took with me the notion that a little story here and there never hurt anyone. Kids listen, and kids learn if the stories to have a purpose to whatever the discipline happens to be. Plus, kids learn how to tell their own stories, and the cycle continues.

Of course, story-telling is part of my daily diet, along with the chocolate and cheese. I've made money off from my story telling----whether it's my own experiences or the great stories I've been able to pen about others----but my greatest enjoyment in the craft comes from the nostalgia, the lessons learned, and the reactions of listeners or readers.

I'm glad the Spokesman focused on the art of storytelling today because it also reminded me that you don't really need a connection to tell a story. Sharing the story itself often provides us some of the most cherished connections we have.

And, speaking of stories, I'd better get busy. I've got a fascinating story about birding to finish writing before the day's end. You can read it in Sandpoint Magazine, when the summer edition hits the streets in mid-May.

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