Teachers take stage in storytelling competition
Before pen and paper was used to record history, our ancestors used the art of storytelling to pass on the events of one generation to the next. Today the tradition is more entertainment than education, and as News Five’s Marion Ali explains, a new initiative is putting storytelling back in the spotlight.
Marion Ali, Reporting
On Thursday educators took centre stage at the Bliss Centre for the Performing Arts in the first annual Ministry of Education’s Pre-School Teachers’ Storytelling Competition. The ten teachers hailed from the Corozal, Orange Walk, and Belize Districts and the idea was to find the most entertaining and interesting storyteller.
Competition was stiff, but in the end Leolin Stephens of Harmony Pre School in Bermudian Landing claimed first prize with “The Dumpling Story”.
Leolin Stephens, Harmony Preschool, Bermudian Landing
“In the olden days we used to put dumpling in our beans and in order for me to come up with the story I hear it one time before and I decide, well it sounds very good and interesting and I started to tell the children about the dumpling story at our preschool and they get to love it and every time they want to hear a story it’s about the dumpling.”
Marion Ali
“So you made it up yourself?”
Leolin Stephens
“Yes, part of it I did.”
Teacher Sandra Reyes of Corozal’s Play World Methodist Preschool took second place with her version of “The Three Bears”.
Sandra Reyes, Play World Methodist Preschool, Corozal
“I was encouraged by my helper, because I didn’t want to do this. She encouraged me and told me that I can do stories well because when I’m telling it at school she would sit down and (makes facial expression) so then I said okay I’m going to take a try at it. So that’s how I came here today.”
Marion Ali
“Was there a message behind the story that you told?”
Sandra Reyes
“Yes, that children should not enter into people’s house who they don’t know because they don’t know what they can find inside, so they need to be careful of entering into one’s house.”
Rounding off the top three was Ruby Williams of Eternal Light Methodist in Burrell Boom with her take on “The Hungry Caterpillar”.
Ruby Williams, Eternal Light Methodist, Burrell Boom
“Well I like telling stories and I love being in the teaching profession as a preschool teacher. And from the training that we did on storytelling I find that storytelling can put you somewhere in life. By teaching a story, whether in the house, in your school or elsewhere, you can teach somebody by telling a story.”
Marion Ali
“So this came easy for you?”
Ruby Williams
“Yes, because I love it.”
According to organizers, inspiring preschool teachers to embrace the art of storytelling was the idea behind the event.
Leroy Green, Expressive Arts Coordinator, Ministry of Education
“The whole objective is to motivate preschool teachers into becoming better public speakers, because while they do this with panache in front of their students you find that a lot of times when you ask teachers to speak in public they’re afraid of doing so. So this is the first step towards getting preschool teachers used to a stage.”
Green says the event will take place in the month of October every year. While all participants received certificates for their efforts, winners in the story telling competition were awarded trophies and school supplies. Marion Ali for News Five.
