Mutual eases out of long weekend with stories

American Indian storyteller will spend more time with classes

Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009

Getting elementary school students focused after a holiday break could be, to say the least, somewhat trying for teachers. At Mutual Elementary School, the teachers had a little help.

Dovie Thomason, an American Indian who works as a storyteller with Class Acts Arts Inc. of Silver Spring, said that in her stories she tries to present her cultural values: honesty, respect and kindness.

"We combine something being learned with it being enjoyable at the same time," said Thomason, who told American Indian stories to Mutual Elementary School students Monday morning.

She will also be spending additional time with the Port Republic school's fourth grade as a part of the school's PTA sponsored residency program, in which a visiting artist works with a particular grade for a few sessions.

Mutual PTA member Lisa Reid Ragen said that Thomason, who also told stories to Mutual students last year, was selected not only because her material fit in well with the fourth grade curriculum, but also because November is National American Indian Heritage Month.

"And they loved her so much they wanted her back," Reid Ragen said of Mutual Elementary School students, many of whom had a special request that Thomason retell one of last year's stories.

"What she does is she connects with them and she really attracts their attention," Reid Ragen said, adding that she believes Thomason does so by making her stories interactive; using a variety of different voices; and telling different stories per group of students.

Mutual Elementary School Principal Lisa Wisniewski said that while technology is essential for an effectively run school, programs such as this "bring a personal touch to a world where sometimes we lose a personal touch with technology.

" … [And] the children seem to revel in the experience of the oral development of characters … It's a truly marvelous experience for our children and staff," Wisniewski said.

She also said that the timing of Thomason's visit — the day after students returned from a long Thanksgiving weekend — was good because "going back into the school routine and rules, it can be a bit difficult." She said having a storyteller was calming for children, but also educational.

Fifth grader Tailer Harris of St. Leonard said that she took away an important message from one of Thomason's stories.

"I liked how she used the voices … and I liked how she said ‘you can be your own self,'" Tailer, 10, said.

Her classmate, Emma Raphael, 10, of Port Republic, said that she enjoyed the element of humor in the stories, laughing, "I liked the [story] about the giant moose.

"I liked how she made the giant ‘squish' sound and how she made the moose sound so frantic," she said.

Second graders Emma Kuhaneck of Port Republic and Jenna Wilder of Prince Frederick, said that hearing Thomason gave them some storytelling inspiration to use themselves.

"I like telling stories about animals," said Jenna, 8, while Emma, 7, said she liked telling stories about people.

And Thomason, a former teacher herself, said she loved telling stories to Mutual Elementary School students.

"It really enforces what good teaching does; it's the oldest part of education," she said of storytelling.

She told the students: "Whether you're a bear or a chipmunk, know that you're part of one of the finest schools I've ever been to and some of the sweetest kids I've ever worked with."