Arts as our bridge to Equity

After 7 months of quarantine, I was excited to work with the 3rd Grade team in October. My first residency teaching the art of slam, competitive poetry - online. This year I partnered with 4 teachers; Ms. Ortiz, Ms. Lamana, Ms. Terry-Edd, Ms. Hayes & Ms. Frazee. Having taught summer school sessions virtually, I knew this would be like a chill tropical breeze; however, I encountered zoom link security blocks and multiple challenges of digital teaching.

Unlike middle and high school students, the majority of 3rd grade students had their cameras on, which was a huge relief. In order to connect over the virtual platform, I designed Google Docs where students typed their poems.

I was challenged by digital learning but I found a way to use Google Docs and improvisation games to get students thinking outside the box. "Name 3" is a game where I asked students to create names imagining new versions of existing places/things. For example, Name 3 New Smithsonian Museums: Museum of Crayons, Museum of Chalk and Museum of Bubble gum. Name the next 3 planets: Unicorn Planet, Pizza Planet & Coronavirus Planet. These games took our poems to new frontiers.

We explored the idea of lies. I asked Ms. Hayes, “What is your name?”  She said, “Ms. Ashley” and I said, “I want you to lie even bigger - push your imagination to make it colorful and silly, if you like.” Ms. Hayes replied, “My name is Princess Cheyenne.” This inspired the students to create new poems taking bigger creative risks. With Ms. Frazee’s class we explored all the things we would like to do when we were alone, but then applied the idea of imagination, so we fought ninjas, became Princess Elsa, and ate chocolate chip cookies. With Ms. Terry-Edd’s group we opened the door and out came a lion, and when I opened the lion out came a mouse, and so forth. Christal, who I am told never speaks, freestyled a poem with me as we both went back and forth with images and sensory detail.

The poetry slam at the conclusion of our residency had almost 100 students, staff and parents watching. Our top 3 poets were poised and confident. One student improvised a poem of wishes for people who were in quarantine - a poem of hope and reunion. The winner, Alanna, got a high 5 from her dad. Alanna’s advice about poetry: “I loved reading books as a child. This was going to be fun. I added colors and shapes and animals to my ideas.”
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We at Story Tapestries are grateful to our team of teaching artists who have worked quickly and effectively, overcoming their own fears and concerns, to adapt their programs to be engaging and impactful in the online environment.

In addition to these in-school and out-of-school time residencies, donors and sponsors have given funds so that we are preparing to deliver 300 activities kits full of wonderful arts supplies and basic school supplies such as markers, colored pencils, paper, pens, glue and more. Over 560 were delivered in the last months and families in the area who cannot afford these supplies are incredibly grateful to have them to support both on- and off-screen learning.

Thank you for believing in and contributing towards the mission of Story Tapestries! We look forward to sharing more stories like this one to let you know how your gifts are giving back to our community.

For us, this is our Happy Thanksgiving with hearts full of gratitude. We wish the same to you and your loved ones as well as good health!

Links:

• Learn more about the work we are doing
• Gift yourself a smile reading more stories like this one

Channeling my inner Mr. Rogers

We are in uncharted and scary times. Like so many all over the world, performers and workshop leaders like me saw our livelihood vanish overnight with festivals, conferences and live school events cancelled everywhere. It has been an emotional rollercoaster and a challenge to gather my energy or feel centered.

Story Tapestries invited me to offer my work in a virtual format. At first, I couldn’t imagine it. 

Not only was I feeling lifeless and not in the least bit creative – but how do I tell stories without a live audience? Storytelling is a communicative event in space and time! It is a relationship.  My style is highly interactive and physical, with audience participation the driving force of the story. How do I create a relationship across screens? And with everyone muted, as they need to be in order for Zoom to function well, how do I hear their reactions? How do I know if they are even listening? If they like it?

Then I remembered Mr. Rogers. He was the first television show I had ever seen in my life. It was August 1968, I was ten years old, just arrived from Israel with my family for my father’s two-year sabbatical at Sandford University in California. I didn’t know a word of English but there he was, Mr. Rogers on the screen, in color, and it felt like he was talking to me! I still remember the sense of connection I felt as he spoke with that gentle voice, his eyes looking straight into mine, inviting me into his neighborhood.

Channeling my inner Mr. Rogers, I ventured into ZoomLand. I welcomed the children and invited them to answer back by showing with thumbs up when I ask a question, to twinkle with their hands to show appreciation. Then, like him, I looked into the camera so to my viewers it would look like I’m looking directly at them. I slowed down. I slowed down a lot. I minimized and gathered my gestures. I was sensing the presence of the children rather than actually seeing them in the little boxes on the screen. I put my trust in my craft and imagination, put my faith in the story and dove into it.

It brought me more joy than I can put in words. All the chaos and hurt of the world vanished. All the worries and fears disappeared. I found myself moved to tears seeing wide eyes children, on a parent’s lap, or sprawled on the couch or bed, smiling or jumping up and down in glee. It wasn't the same as being in a live event, but we were connecting. I felt ALIVE and less alone. 

To my great surprise I discovered there were gifts in this strange ZoomLand: People who couldn't come to a live performance before showed up across borders and time zones: families from Singapore and India, together with my next-door neighbors and people from other places in the US. 

And perhaps the biggest gift of all: 5-year-old Kavin from Singapore was so excited about the Hebrew words he learned in our session, his mom turned on the camera so that she would capture what he wanted to share: https://youtu.be/UVKTloKZNjE

I am so grateful to Story Tapestries for this precious opportunity to allow me to continue the work I love in a format people can access at a distance so that we are all protected. It is the next best thing to a live show sharing the same space. 

Storytelling is a powerful reminder that we are all connected. Now more than ever we and our students need our stories, the family stories, the ancient folktales from every culture on this fragile planet, that hold so much wisdom and shine the light into the beauty and resilience of our human spirit.

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To hear more stories, join Story Tapestries for our 10 year Anniversary Celebration - ONLINE! Click here to learn more and consider reserving your seat at our virtual table. Our donors through GlobalGiving get 10% by using this unique discount code: GlobalGivingFriend10. We look forward to celebrating with you!

Links:

• 5-year-old Kavin shares a wish for peace
• Join us in celebrating our 10-year anniversary!