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| Mesa County Spellbinders Newsletter
Volume 1/Issue 8
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Once Upon a Time.......... November 2009
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Profiles in Storytelling
Well, time sure does fly and this past month just sort of sped by....suddenly it was nearing November 1st and my profile research was not yet complete!!
So, after asking a few of our Spellbinders to share information about themselves for future issues, I decided I would take this opportunity to share again the purpose of these profiles.
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What a great time of year. I hope all is well with each of you. Are you holding on to your stories and
hats, because the rest of the year will blow right past you as the holiday
season begins?
Storytellers, your work is incredible. Do you realize the value of being in a
classroom of youngsters? The
treasure of your time, effort, planning and telling will be ever present for those
you tell to; this for many years to come.
Indeed, I remember my very own kindergarten teacher who inspired me to
not be so shy - to be part of the whole class. For those of you who know me, probably think that I have
always been outgoing, enthusiastic, and easy to talk to. Well, that side of me took many years
to surface. Thankfully, I
had many storytellers in my life helping me to see the world in different ways.
Storytelling is for the whole classroom - each child invites
the stories to linger in their own minds and in their own time and ways. When you leave your next
classroom, take a long look back as you walk through the door. There may be just that one child who is
still looking at you with wonder and amazement. Test it and see for yourself. You may be surprised who you find may be the most intrigued.
Enjoy - being a
storyteller.
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Storyteller Coordinator
Anne Saunders reports that there are currently NO orphan classes! All teachers who requested a Spellbinder at our designated schools now have one! THANK YOU to everyone who agreed to take on extra classes so that none of the children would be disappointed.
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Looking for Great Gift Idea?
As mentioned in Show & Tell in October, you can hear Penny, Ruthmary, and many more of our Mesa County Spellbinders tell stories on our CD's.
Just email Claudine Bogart by clicking on the link and she'll tell you how you can purchase the CD's for yourself or your favorite child! Please put Spellbinder CD in the subject line!
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Mesa County Spellbinders Board Members for 2009/2010At our November Board meeting Lois announced that she has received an email from Sally Matchett stating that she is resigning from her board position effective November 1st. Ingrid deLeland has agreed to complete Sally's term as well as serve as Treasurer. We will miss Sally and wish her well. We also appreciate Ingrid's volunteering to return to the board and to serve as the Treasurer.
Lois Becker, President & Library liason
Ruthmary Allison, VP
Pat Malone, Secretary
Ingrid Bratz deLeland, Treasurer
Laurie Kollasch
Evelyn Kyle
Karen Hurst
Anne Saunders
Judy Herr
Terri Smatla, School District liason
Claudine Bogart, Rotary liason
Mary Ann Janson, Spellbinders National Board liason
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 Greetings!
Welcome to Mesa County Spellbinders Newsletter!
A little bit about us:
The mission of the National Spellbinders organization is to bring generations together through the magic of storytelling. In order to spread the magic of oral storytelling Spellbinder chapters train volunteers to become storytellers in their communities.
This newsletter is sent to you by the Mesa County Spellbinders. Enjoy! And be sure to read "Adventures in Storytelling" at the end of this newsletter. Barbara Boudreaux shared a great storytelling anecdote! |
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Spellbinder Profiles - Why?
As a group we only really get to see each other for a couple of hours  each month. One of my frustrations as a new Spellbinder was that many times someone would mention another Spellbinder and perhaps a story they tell, or types of stories they like and I would not have a CLUE who this person was! I knew faces, but matching those up with names was sort of a challenge. So, I decided that featuring a different person each month could help us get to know each other better. Our membership includes a rich and diverse pool of ideas and experiences. Profiles are a great way to share that information.
 It was great to find out that Ingrid speaks Spanish, German and some Portuguese! Hearing about Steve's travels and his favorite story was also great. Reading about Laurie's experiences working with animals her many hobbies and interests helped us all get to know her better. And, who cannot picture a three year old Elizabeth Clark boldly sharing the events of her day?
The other major purpose in doing the profiles is to reinforce that there are all different kinds of stories as well as different kinds of storytellers. You don't have to be a "star" or make earth shattering contributions to the art of storytelling to succeed. Just going to a classroom or classrooms each month and telling children a story makes each of you a part of the success of Spellbinders, and, in my opinion, a star! If you don't believe me...just read Lois' Lane to find out how valuable your contributions are.
Thanks to those who have shared a bit about themselves and to those of you who will share a bit about yourselves in the future.
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Question of the Month:
Have you found any great websites, books or other resources for stories and/or storytelling tips?
Probably the site I use more than any other is our National Spellbinders website. I am always amazed how many Spellbinders have never bothered to access this wonderful resource. Under the "Volunteer" menu you can click on "Story Archives", "Books and Storytelling Collections", and "Storytelling Links". If you haven't signed up for the monthly National eNews, you're missing a real storytelling and story sparks treat.
A favorite book of mine is Jewish Stories One Generation Tells Another by Peninnah Schram, published by Jason Aronson Inc. in 1987. The book jacket describes how the 64 included tales, "abound in a gentle wisdom that presses itself upon our complex and often self-contradictory lives, infusing us with patience, tolerance, and hope. We identify with kings and princes, fools and beggars, heroes and leaders, villains and witches of yesteryear because . . . we share their moral choices and experience their dilemmas." This book is available through Amazon.com or from our library through interlibrary loan. Mary Ann Janson
Since I'm new to the spellbinders group, what I have been
finding may be what others already know.
Just type anything in any search engine on the Internet and it can lead
you to other things. For instance,
I was looking for something on Colorado's Molly Brown and it brought up an
English author of scary stories.
They may be too long for my group, but it looks interesting and
something to check into. Janice Hogue
My best resources are Spellbinder workshops and emails,
websites and Enewsletter. Thank you
everyone!!! Lorna McIlnay
I got a start from just going online and searching
"Stories to tell children". Most of these are older, but workable. It
was a good base for me. Mostly, I haunt the Library. Barbara
Boudreaux
The best source for stories on the Internet is the list from
our training manual, and the National Spellbinder's website. The library is also a great source. The book Ready to Tell Tales
is a great. When I find a story I
think I may use now or in the future, I copy it and file it for reference. Barbara Scott
In researching my story about the Gettysburg Address, I found an awesome website that you might want to check out. It's called Awesome Stories and it is full of resources,including stories, about real people and real events in history. What I like best is that it contains information and even photos/images of actual documents, people and places and draws from primary source material whenever possible. The site also has lesson plans for follow up activities if that is something you are interested in. If you like historical tales you might want to check it out! If you don't know if you like historical tales check it out and see if you get inspired to tell a tale about history!
A great site for Fairy Tales is SurLaLune. This sight includes 49 annotated fairy tales, modern interpretations, and similar stories across cultures. The site also features over 1,600 folktales and fairytales from around the world in more than 40 full text ebooks! Karen Hurst
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Spellbinders Show & Tell
We had some great stories at our October workshop! At least that's what I heard as I had to miss it :-(
Linda Pryor shared a poem by Karla Kuskin called The Witches' Ride as well as an original story called Bull in the Bathroom; about a personal experience when she was 6 years old.
Elizabeth Clark told, Sifted, a fairy tale that she wrote.
My sources tell me that both tellers were a pleasure to hear! Sorry I missed it!
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Coming Attractions!
Next month our Question of the Month will be:
Well, I don't have any ideas for our next question so if there is a question you've been meaning to ask send it my way and I'll poll our membership for great answers!
If you have a great suggestion for a question feel free to share it with your fellow Spellbinders by sending me an email. Please include Question of the Month in the subject line.
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NOTE:
I am also researching developing a website for Mesa County Spellbinders so if you have any suggestions or resources let me know!
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Spellbinders National News
Spellbinders National recently revised their Mission, Vision and Key Beliefs as follows:
Mission: Bringing generations together through the magic of storytelling
Vision: Every elementary school class has a volunteer storyteller
Key Beliefs:
Storytelling by volunteers trained in the Spellbinders program:
*helps restore elders to their traditional place in communities as
custodians and transmitters of the stories and lessons from many
generations and cultures.
*creates connections between generations that are often absent from
modern society.
*weaves the strands of many cultures into the fabric of communities.
*passes on the wisdom, principles and humor of all cultures.
*cultivates the imaginations and sensibilities of listeners and tellers
alike.
*helps develop an understanding of a civilized society: mutual respect,
empathy and social cooperation.
National Spellbinders also published a 2008-2009 School Year Update which highlights the impact of the Spellbinders program and includes data from all chapters.
*411 active storytellers told in 2,214 classrooms in 372 schools to 74,298 individual children.
*After returning many times to the same classrooms, Spellbinders volunteers reached a total audience of 316,772 eager young minds that soared on the wings of stories. This is an 11% increase over last years audience.
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Where in the World is Norma Roscoe?
I heard from Norma and she's doing well. She wanted me to share her new address and phone number:
4713 Aloysius Circle
Stillwater, OK 74074
(405)743-2890
She has told stories to two classrooms so far. She has requests from 13 teachers, but she's not sure she can handle much more than 10! Way to go Norma! Maybe Stillwater needs a Spellbinder chapter......
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We hope you find this newsletter useful. Please let us know what you would like to see in future issues by clicking Newsletter Feedback to send your suggestions via email.
Thank you for your contributions and support to our organization. If you know of someone who might enjoy this newsletter please forward via the link below.
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 Sincerely,
Karen Hurst
Mesa County Spellbinders
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Adventures in Storytelling
I just had to share a story that one of our newest Spellbinders, Barbara Boudreaux, shared with me:
A few weeks ago at a Rimrock Kindergarten, during Halloween
season, I had prepared a short poem that involved the kids responding about
every few lines.
I completely spaced it....for the life of me...it wouldn't
come. What did come was "There was an old woman who lived in a shoe." (Totally not appropriate and not at
all "Halloweeny.")
So, I
improvised.
"There was
an old woman who lived in a shoe."
Response:
"aaaahhh"
"She had
so many children, she didn't know what to do."
Response:
"oooohhhh"
"So she
called them all together, and fed them milk and toast.
Response: "mmmmmmmmm"
"And then she told them stories, of a very, scary ghost."
BOOOOO!
It worked! Even scared the teachers and the kids were
tickled. When I left one little boy
said: "You sure do tell good
stories." It MADE MY DAY!
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| Copyright (c) 2009 Mesa County Spellbinders. All rights reserved (but feel free to copy it, post it, quote it, think about it, and forward on to others.) |
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