Anything you give kids by way of your life’s anecdotes them they will happily absorb.  It’s very helpful when introducing a new topic to tell them stories about your life as it relates to that new concept.  Until a kid can visualize something and compare it to something concrete, he/she will never have a chance at comprehending it.  It is vital to getting students to understand your message. In teacher jargon this is known as “comprehensible input.” For example, when I am teaching respect for authority figures, such as police officers, I can tell a story of when I was disrespectful to a police officer and got thrown into the back of a police car.  Kids can learn from my mistakes.

A “Dynamite Lesson Plan” should have at least one engaging story that teaches.  This can make the need for a discipline plan obsolete.

Your own kids, as well as your students, in many ways worship the ground you walk on.  To them, you are an image of the real world they desire so desperately to enter.  Telling them stories from your life full of comprehensible input can bridge the chasm for them.  They have nowhere to go.  They are all ears! Make storytelling a part of every lesson you do.

And if you think you have no interesting stories to tell, remember this: Everything you’ve done has value to kids. It’s all in how you tell it to them.  Make it fun and tie it in to age-appropriate input be it SpongeBob or Twilight.  You’ll teach them your objective without them even knowing it.

Do you have any life adventures you could tell your kids?

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