by

Marilyn Kinsella

Manners seem to have become passé in today's society. Yet, manners embody the very character traits we strive to teach. The character words vary, but in the BASIC Initiative, they identify "The 12 Pillars of Character Education:" Integrity, Trustworthiness, Perseverance, Cooperation, Self-Discipline, Fairness, Citizenship, Caring, Respect, Responsibility, Peace, Empathy.

Besides the stories themselves that highlight many of these traits, the very act of listening to a live performer, be a storyteller or any other edu-entertainer, is an opportunity to put these pillars into action. There are many ways, but here are some that I thought of:

• Trustworthiness - Your teacher has to trust the class to be on its best behavior while the telling is going on. She can't see everything and everyone. She must trust that you will be good listeners.

• Perseverance - You may not really enjoy the story. That doesn't mean that the others don't like it. It takes perseverance and patience to sit through something that does not appeal to you. You must do so without any rolling of the eyes, deep sighs, or fiddling that distracts others from a good story.

• Cooperation - Oftentimes, a storyteller will ask the class to participate in a "call and response," or action, or sound effect. It makes the story more fun and keeps you involved in the story. Cooperate with the storyteller and you will be telling the story, too!

• Self-discipline - It's hard when you are tired or bored, but you must keep your eyes and ears open to the story. It's impolite to lie down or talk to others. Some students love to text-message, but if you are self-disciplined, you will wait for an appropriate time to do so.

• Fairness - When the storyteller asks a question, raise your hand and wait your turn. Storytellers love to hear what you have to say - after the story is over. It's also being considerate, if you sit as instructed by your teacher. It's not fair to others sitting behind you, if you are sitting on your feet.

• Caring - If you truly care for your classmates, you will gladly move over, so they can see better and keep quiet, so they can hear. If you have to leave, you will show you care by waiting until the story is over and then quietly stepping to the side, so you can talk to your teacher about your emergency.

• Respect - There are many ways you show respect while listening to the story. You respect the teller by listening and participating; you respect the story by getting involved in the picture-making; you respect your teacher by showing off your best listening skills; you respect your fellow students by following the character traits; and you respect yourself for behaving in a way that you know is to the best of your ability.

• Responsibility - Whenever you follow all the character traits, you are a responsible person. That is the reason that teachers will ask certain students to do helpful tasks for them...they know they are responsible and will do what they are suppose to do. The same is true with the storyteller. If a teller were to ask someone to come up front to help with a story, a responsible person will do what he or she is told, and not try to upstage the story by acting silly or disruptive.

• Peace - You may think of peace as the opposite of war, but war doesn't usually start with the big things...it starts out with the little things. There is a saying "Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You." If you are listening to a storyteller and the class starts to get rowdy, it didn't happen all of sudden. There were some who were not using their best listening skills nor were they following the pillars of character. The next thing you know, your teacher has to intervene. If everyone did their part...everyone could listen in peace and quiet.

• Empathy - That's the feeling you have when you know how others feel and try to be helpful with your words and actions. Let's say the storyteller should forget the next words in the story. If you fell empathy, you would know how it feels, when you can't remember what you were talking about. You wouldn't laugh or snicker, because that just makes it worse. Because you have empathy you know how the storyteller feels, and you would quietly wait until the storyteller goes on with the story.

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         The following are more ideas on providing the best environment for the class and the teller, so the stories may be enjoyed by all:

(Collected and adapted by Sharon Kirk Clifton, with thanks to Richard Marsh, a storyteller from Ireland; "Granny Sue," a West Virginia storyteller; and Mary Garrett and other tellers who participate on Storytell listserv.)

Most children today have grown up with television, which often merely provides background noise for other activities, including eating, homework, games, and conversation. As a result, some children are not sure of what is expected of them during a live performance.

Storytelling differs from some other forms of live performance in that it is very interactive. There is no "fourth wall" between the teller (or tellers, in the case of a tandem or team performance) and the audience. The teller, the story, and the audience work together to form a web of communication. All three are essential for the performance to be "successful." Good audience manners are a way of showing the performers and other people that one is considerate and ready to partake in the storytelling experience. And everyone can have a good time.

If families attend the performance, many tellers prefer to have the children sit with their parents, rather than having them segregated and seated with other kids in a group up front. This allows the performance to be truly a shared experience for the family.

        Here are some suggestions to share with younger audience members:

• Turn off cell phones, watch alarms, and pagers.
• Do not talk to others during the performance and don’t yell out inappropriately during the story, except for times when the teller invites you to participate.
• Do not throw objects, participate in horseplay, or fidget with things. Please come to the telling area with nothing in your hands.
• Do not play video games, etc., during the performance.
• Pay attention to the teller; do not lie down, lean on your neighbors, or sleep.
• Applaud at the end of each story and at the end of the performance.
• Watch your teachers, parents, and the other adults around you. They are role models and will demonstrate how to behave during a performance. Notice that they are not talking or doing other activities while the tales are being told.
• If you must leave or enter the area where the program is in progress, do so between stories, if at all possible. Try not to draw attention to yourself. Do not walk in front of the audience or in the performance area, unless the teller invites you to come up to be a part of some activity.
• If the teller invites the audience to ask questions at the conclusion of the show, you are welcome to ask serious questions about storytelling or about the storyteller. Try to start your question with “who, what, where, when or how.”
• Have a good time! Let your imagination take you to far away places. It can happen when you listen to a story.

                                Remembering a few good manners helps everyone to enjoy the stories. Now, let the telling begin

From Harlynn Geisler (storyteller from San Diego) - We all want the students to have the best experience with oral literature possible. If they enjoy the storytelling, it will increase their vocabulary and sense of story structure, expose them to other cultures and ideas, and encourage reading. The best way to accomplish this is to have an assembly that goes well with no interruptions.

Teacher's Checklist:

1) Do my students need to be reminded of appropriate assembly behavior such as no playing with Velcro on shoes or with other students, to follow the storyteller's instructions and participate as she asks, to enter the room quietly, etc.?

2) Can my students sit for 40 minutes of unsheltered (no props or pictures) If not, before the assembly, inform the storyteller that you will be leaving after 20 minutes. She will let you know when it is a good moment to exit quietly.

3) Have I placed nearest to me the students who might need my attention during the assembly?

4) Do the students know the difference between fiction and reality?

(Tell them a story about a talking animal. Read them a paragraph from an encyclopedia about a real animal. Ask them what the differences are.)

After Story Activities:

After the students listen to the story talk to them about the sequence. What happened first, second, etc.. Then give them a piece of paper and fold it into sixths or eighths. Have them draw a picture of as many scenes as they can.

Find a copy of one of the stories that I told. Have them draw a picture of what they thought one of the characters looked like. Then read the storybook to them and show what one person (the illustrator) thought it looked like. Aren’t our imaginations great!

Make a story map. Have a line that circles around the page. Draw simple stick figures and objects in the various scenes as they appear in the story.

Try to elicit from the class alternate endings to the story. Or, tell a story about one of the minor characters that is in the story.

                                                  A sample letter that Marilyn Kinsella sends to the schools:

Dear Principal and Teachers,

I am delighted you asked me to visit your school. I love to visit new places and then, hopefully, to return to visit old friends. Since 1981, I have been telling primarily to school age audiences. My experience as an elementary teacher and as a children’s librarian has enabled me to develop the stories most appropriate for their grade levels. Sometimes, when I get to a school, I like to walk down the halls and get a feel for the school. It is often the children’s artwork or a poster that inspires me to tell a particular story that day. So, I never know for sure which story will beg to be told until I see the faces of my audience. However, I do have a list of some stories that I try to keep especially for certain grades. That way, if I come to your school next year, the class won’t hear the same story because they will be in another grade. If your school is following a certain theme, I will try to match my stories to that theme. If your school does not want stories with any ghosts, witches, or other such beings, please tell me, and I will not tell them.

Below I have some of the stories I often tell. If you would like to find these stories at your library, it would add another dimension to the telling. However, please do not show or read those stories ahead of time. One of the joys of telling a story that children have not read or seen or TV is that they use their imaginations to see the pictures. If they see the book…that will be the pictures they see. Once I leave it would be fun for you to review the story with the kids. Have them tell it back to you. Then, read the book and show the pictures and ask… Do these pictures look like the one you saw in your head? What did your picture look like? (There are no right or wrong answers here…only different perspectives.) How was the storyteller’s story different than the one in the book?

My stories often come from different countries. When you get back to the room, try to find the countries on the globe from where the stories originated. Talk about any unfamiliar words or phrases that came from another culture. Try to find books in the 398.2 section of the library that has other stories from that country.

I find that children need very little preparation to hear stories. However, since some schools request a study guide to prepare for storytelling, I have not only listed the possible stories that I tell, but I have also collected some ideas from fellow tellers on manners during a performance. Perhaps, it’s because students are inundated with entertainment that allows them to roam, and talk, and lie down that they don’t realize that they are being rude. Storytelling is an art form that demands full attention for everyone to receive the most from the experience. Some of these ideas are ones your teachers and students already know, but it’s always good to review good manners before a performance.

At the end of most of my performances, I ask the students if they have any questions about the stories I told or about storytelling. I try to answer as many as I can. If a child has a question that I wasn’t able to get around to answering, please feel free to email me at Marilyn Kinsella , and I will answer as soon as I can.

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