The first session was at 10:30 a.m. with 73 grade 4 - 6 students. Then we had a delicious pot luck lunch that the staff prepared. After lunch I had my last two groups. K-3 with 84 kids and then 65 grade 7 - 9 students. The staff were impressed that I held the attention of the High School kids on a Friday afternoon. After telling them 7 tales my storytelling is now down for Alberta.
This has been one of the most exciting experiences that I have done with storytelling. The schools that I have visited are filled with warm, respectful young boys and girls. In the mornings, if I arrived at the start of the day at a school I could hear the students singing Oh Canada. I am not certain that the anthem is sung in schools in Montreal. I met so many inspiring teachers, and children from all walks of life. I was always on time and I was prepared. Sometime mornings I arrived before the principal and staff.
The stories that I shared along the way were from Eastern Europe, Costa Rica, Hindu tales, and a French Canadian Tale. Through the telling of the old Jewish - Ukranian Folktale: "A Wonderful Life" I taught many of the students how they could re-tell this tale to their own families. The students of pre-k to grade 6 that I met on this tour all now know the sounds that are in this tale, and they all helped me tell the story by adding their own animal sounds. Together they helped the tale unfold in their own unique creative way. In all I shared 19 stories with approximately 1,147 students over the week. Not bad! Well my plane is here, and it is time to head home. Thank you Alberta for listening!
Post script: the plane took off from Medicine Hat a little late. The ride was a tad bumpy because of air stream pockets. We landed in Calgary with only 10 minutes to my next connection. I was asked to get off the plane before the others and a cart with a driver was waiting to whisk me to the terminal and then I was told to run. I got to the plane but they said that I couldn't board unless they would have time to shift my bag over from one plane to the next. Well within a few minutes I was given permission to board and the rest would soon be history. The flight was uneventful but as I waited for my bag to come out on the carrousel I noticed that Jean Charest had been on my plane.....hmm - flying with a celeb! I can't wait to do a tour like this again, but for now I will keep telling stories and look into getting my Chanukah story off to the publishing world to see if there is any interest in seeing my next dream come to fruition - a book of my own!
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