Like many districts across the country, great things are happening for the students and teachers in Talladega County, Alabama. Fortunately, the educators there realize how important it is to share their stories of success.
In this post, educators share stories of impact about the innovative practices going on in Talladega County Schools. Using CTQ’s storytelling tools and processes, these educators are able to clearly articulate the impact that their efforts have made on students and their schools. Not only does this process provide the opportunity to celebrate their success, it also helps to inform the education field based on their real life experiences in schools.
We asked the story creators to respond to these three questions related to their stories:
- What is the context in which your story was developed? What brought you to the storytelling process?
- How did the storytelling development and sharing experience impact you, your thinking, and your leadership practice?
- What do other educators need to know about the power of telling their story?
Here are their stories:
Transforming a school culture through relationship building
by Emily Nestor, eyoung@tcboe.org
We wanted to share our story with others in hopes to inspire!
We are family – it’s not just a song, but instead is a mantra for relationship building at Winterboro High School. By modifying the popular House concept used by larger schools to work for a small community school, students and teachers at WHS are building and sustaining relationships that are targeting advocacy, academic advancement, and application of learning. From attendance to discipline to teacher learning, our mission to build positive relationships in order to empower, engage, and energize is impacting every aspect of our Little Rock School’s culture.
The storytelling development and sharing experiences allowed me to see that everyone has a story worth telling and that these stories are vehicles for inspiration, motivation, and reflection – all of which are aspects of great educators and leaders.
“Stories have the power to create social change and inspire community”
– Terry Tempest Williams
This quote truly speaks to the impact that storytelling can have because it is through others telling their stories that ideas are put into the world. And it is these stories that have the power to make an impact on someone, somewhere.
Preparing Students to Innovate with Computational Thinking
by Dr. Brooke Morgan, brookemorgan@tcboe.org
Participating in the storytelling process was a valuable experience that will serve us for years to come. Exploring various modes of delivery (podcasts, blogs, videos, etc.) helped us to thinking differently about the best way to share our story with an audience.
The collaborative opportunities throughout the storytelling process helped to enrich and expand the stories we wanted to capture. This process also helped us to be more reflective of our writing.
Other educators should know that effectively telling stories about one’s struggles and successes can benefit the entire organization in several ways. One way is by bringing attention and celebrating the hard work and innovative solutions of educators. Another benefit is opening the door for collaborating with others across the nation who have similar struggles and challenges. Lastly, educators who engage in the storytelling process gain introspection and learn to constantly reflect on areas for growth.
McSTEAM: Do you remember?
by Stephanie Brooks, sbrooks@tcboe.org
This story is about the transformation of the library and more importantly the Media Specialist. This change has brought new life and meaning to the media center and the media specialist as an educator.
It showed me what areas I focused less on and need to remember what steps to include next time when creating change. It also showed me the importance of people and giving them a voice.
We all have a story to tell and can impact students everywhere not just the ones we teach.
CTQ storytelling
Does your team have powerful educator stories that need to be shared? Are you interested in sharing the great work that is being done in your school or district? Visit this page to learn more the how CTQ can support your team’s efforts to craft and share stories of impact.
