Like many archetypal stories, I owe a lot of who I am today to the influence of my father. Just watched the remake of the Lion King, where once again Mufasa reminds his son Simba to: "Remember who you are!" Growing up, my father invested a lot of his time reading bedtime stories to my two younger brothers and I. This was huge, it's never left me. To this day, after my years of schooling in both my masters and doctorate programs, storytelling in my mind is the single most effective teaching tool there is. The listener immediately visualizes themselves in the main characters place and becomes wrapped up in the events happening in the story. The lessons learned from a good story are memorable and penetrate deep to a person's core. I often leave the story at the feet of our students asking them a poignant personal questions that leave them seeking answers, both internally and externally.
I have invited Ms. Torres into my classroom on more than one occasion to observe the students' riveted attention as I regale them with stories that I have found, or written over many years of my work as an educator, author, illustrator, storyteller and actor.
Growing up in the 80's (Stranger Things) my parents often kicked me and my brothers outside to play and use our imaginations, what an unrealized gift that was for me at the time. Influences like Mr. Rogers, Reading Rainbow's Levar Burton, Sesame Street's, Jim Henson, Walt Disney and Adventures in Odyssey's Mr. Whitaker character all played a part in helping me realize what kind of a positive influence I wanted to have in my career.
Today I consider myself very fortunate to be able to take on the Elementary Guidance role that I have here at Franklin. For many years I have been able to teach toward the mind, now in many regards, I get to teach toward the heart. My greatest aspiration is to be able to one day pass along the torch, but for now I get to smile because I get to look out over the many students at our school and see the rising hope found in their eyes.
I have invited Ms. Torres into my classroom on more than one occasion to observe the students' riveted attention as I regale them with stories that I have found, or written over many years of my work as an educator, author, illustrator, storyteller and actor.
Growing up in the 80's (Stranger Things) my parents often kicked me and my brothers outside to play and use our imaginations, what an unrealized gift that was for me at the time. Influences like Mr. Rogers, Reading Rainbow's Levar Burton, Sesame Street's, Jim Henson, Walt Disney and Adventures in Odyssey's Mr. Whitaker character all played a part in helping me realize what kind of a positive influence I wanted to have in my career.
Today I consider myself very fortunate to be able to take on the Elementary Guidance role that I have here at Franklin. For many years I have been able to teach toward the mind, now in many regards, I get to teach toward the heart. My greatest aspiration is to be able to one day pass along the torch, but for now I get to smile because I get to look out over the many students at our school and see the rising hope found in their eyes.