Off Topic: Salute to Teachers

This one is off topic, but dear to me. With all of the Oprah Show ending hype, I've been reminded of one important thing I share with Oprah (besides being Nashvillians) and that was a favorite teacher. Years ago, I was in school, living at home and returned home to my mother watching Oprah on TV. I was rattling around in the kitchen for a snack when I heard Oprah talking about her favorite teacher, Mary Alice Duncan. I went back into the room and saw that Mrs. Duncan was also my Mrs. Duncan, a special teacher in my life, too.

My fourth grade year was a year of transition and change. My family had returned to Nashville after living in Chattanooga for several years. I went from attending an elementary school with one classroom per grade level to a fourth grade school comprised of only fourth grade classrooms that was the same size as my previous elementary school. I was given two team teachers of which Mrs. Duncan was one. Then my homeroom class was dissolved in the face of budget cuts. I was moved to another class away from Mrs. Duncan, more trauma since my new teacher had a subtle harsh streak to her, not horrible, but one I keyed into and never trusted although usually I was her "teacher's pet" grading papers and such.

The biggest problem was that I was a precocious reader and had already tested out of all reading levels. I was used to being held back and didn't mind since I didn't know any different. But Mrs. Duncan--and I was young so I don't know all the reasoning--volunteered to have me return to her classroom each day for a special reading class all my own although I was no longer assigned to her team of teachers. And that's what I did for a year. I had my own reading class until another boy moved in halfway through the year and needed it and then we shared our advanced reading class. It was my favorite part of the day and I finally felt like I was working at a real level of education. I also needed that intimacy of a one-on-one class after moving into such a big school, so it was a blessing on many levels. I still wonder where the time came from since that is definitely not "wise" classroom time management with overfilled classrooms. My feeling was always that it happened because Mrs. Duncan made it so.

Mrs. Duncan was a special teacher and I've never forgotten her. There were a few other important teachers and librarians that followed, but she was the first to make me feel like I mattered, that my skills mattered and should be nurtured. I was blessed with parents who did that all along, but to have a teacher reinforce the message was a boon.

So kudos and thanks to all the great teachers out there who make a difference. The end of another school year is nigh and I hope you enjoy your summers!

You can see that original clip on the Oprah site. Apparently Mrs. Duncan was on the show again this week, but I missed it. I will seek it out since the magic of the internet means it will probably show up somewhere soon.

Fairy-tale characters take the stand to teach children about the law

I haven't seen one of these articles in a while but they are appearing more frequently now. Must mean summer is coming for the fairy tale mock trials seem to come with the higher temperatures and longer days. This particular entry was especially fun.

From Fairy-tale characters take the stand to teach children about the law by Melissa Dribben:

The mock trials took place Friday, the final day of an annual celebration of the American legal system, coordinated by the Philadelphia Bar Association's young lawyers division. Judges Sandra Mazer Moss, Annette M. Rizzo, Sheila Woods-Skipper, Gary Glazer, Teresa Sarmina, Marlene Lachman, and Fox presided over the fairy-tale cases - fairy tale, in these instances, in its literary sense rather than indicating any bias for or against the validity of the plaintiffs' claims.

During the week, the association also arranged for volunteer lawyers to give free legal advice and information to library patrons; give high school students tours of the city's courts; and talk with students about careers in law.

The three pigs were represented by Todd Zamostien of the personal injury firm Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky (which represents the plaintiffs in the duck-boat accident).

Wolf retained Beth Goodell, a defense lawyer from Community Legal Services.

On the witness stand, Wolf, a.k.a. Richard Vanderslice, who bought his hairy, sharp-clawed paws on Amazon.com, testified that he only was trying to make friends with the pigs and felt terrible that his sneezing blew down their homes.

Under questioning, he admitted that because he has no kitchen in his den, "I have to eat out a lot."

One of the tensest moments came when Wolf's physician, a Dr. Lupine, testified that her house was made of sticks and straw. This raised doubts among some astute jurors who wondered why a legitimate allergist would live in a building constructed of such noxious materials.

After deliberating for nearly 10 minutes in Common Pleas Courtroom 426, five of the six juries from the third-grade class from C.W. Henry School determined that Wolf neither intimidated the plaintiffs nor willfully destroyed their property. The sixth panel ended in a hung jury.

Juror Thomas McGill of Mount Airy tried to raise his hand and object during closing arguments, but was asked by the judge to wait.

After the trial, Thomas said he could relate to Wolf's predicament.

"I think B.B. Wolf is innocent because he has allergies," he said. "I have allergies, too!"

Using Goldilocks in Education, Especially Recycling

This article described some unusual usage of Goldilocks in education. Thought I would share. From Read all about it: How to make a chair from newspaper:

PUPPETRY, porridge flicking and chair-making are keeping hundreds of crafty youngsters entertained throughout their half-term holidays.

Children's charity ST-ART, based in Barton-Upon-Humber, has been hosting a variety of exciting and innovative workshops across North Lincolnshire this week.

All activities were based on the popular traditional fairytale Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Children transformed recycled newspaper into hand-made stools with artist Michael Scrimshaw.

Callum Oldridge, 11, said: "The workshop was lots of fun.

"I cannot believe that you can make a stool that you can actually sit on simply out of newspaper.

"We used a machine to squash the paper into rolls so it was really hard and then we used cable ties to fix it all together.

"I am surprised how strong the stool is and I will take it home and use it in my bedroom."

Story Finders by Sharon Barcan Elswit

 

I discovered these books at the publisher's (McFarland) vendor table at the American Folklore Society Annual Meeting in October. I received the books as review copies and wanted to share them as two great resources to start the new school semester, term, whatever term applies to those of you in the education system as student or professor.

The Jewish Story Finder: A Guide to 363 Tales Listing Subjects and Sources by Sharon Barcan Elswit

Book description from the publisher:

A subject guide to hundreds of Jewish stories, this book's purpose is to help teachers, rabbis, librarians, folklorists, parents, and storytellers find the right story to match their need. It also will lead educators to a wealth of Jewish stories on universal themes for use in multicultural programs for all ages. The stories are numbered for easy reference and grouped in broad categories--for example, God, faith, and prayer; rabbinic wit and wisdom; tricksters and fools; festivals and holidays. For each story, a list of tellings (author and book title) provides numerous options for the story seeker, and a list of keywords connects the story subject categories. Two cross-referenced indexes make locating stories easy, whether by subject keywords or by title. An appendix lists recommended stories for children of different ages, from lower elementary through middle school. The bibliography of almost 200 story collections and picture-book tales gives the information needed to locate a source for every story in the book.

Here's the table of contents:

Acknowledgments vii
Foreword (Peninnah Schram) 1
Preface 5

I. God, Faith, and Prayer 11
II. The Torah, the Talmud and Their Study 26
III. Biblical Characters and Events 35
IV. Quests for Sacred Objects and Holy Encounters in Later Times 58
V. Rabbis: Wit and Wisdom 76
VI. Wonder Weavers: Tales of Magic 88
VII. Angels, Demons, Spirits, Gilguls, Dybbuks, and Golems: The Supernatural 115
VIII. Talking Animal Tales and Fables 138
IX. Tricksters and Fools 148
X. Human Stories 175
XI. Tales for Festivals and Holidays 199

Appendix: Story Recommendations for All Ages 239
Bibliography 243
Story Title Index 249
Subject Index 259

East Asian Story Finder: A Guide to Tales from China, Japan and Korea, Listing Subjects and Sources by Sharon Barcan Elswit

Book description from the publisher:

A reference guide to 468 stories and folktales from China, Japan, and Korea, this book aims to lead storytellers, folklorists, teachers, and librarians to both popular and lesser-known East Asian stories. Selected for their multicultural appeal to listeners and readers, the stories are divided cross-culturally into broad subject categories, from tales of supernatural love and devotion to stories dealing with Tengu, Tokkaebi, and other mystical creatures.

Table of contents:

Acknowledgments vi
Preface 1

I. Kindness Rewarded and Lessons Learned 11
II. Cherishing the Earth and All Living Things 28
III. Of Wonders, Magical Objects, and Enchantment 45
IV. Supernatural Loves 73
V. Devotion 91
VI. Strange Events and Ghostly Encounters 108
VII. The Power of Dreams 126
VIII. Supernatural Creatures: Tangling with Tengu, Tokkaebi, Yamaubas, Kappa, Ogres 133
IX. The Heroes: There Is No Danger Which These Women and Men Will Not Brave for the Good of All 150
X. Propitious Births and Extraordinary Children 162
XI. Animal Fables 172
XII. Tricksters and Fools 185
XIII. The Way Things Are 204
XIV. The Problem Solvers 225

Appendix A: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese Stories Listed by Country 237
Appendix B: Glossary 248
Bibliography 251
Story Title Index 261
Subject Index 271

Both of these books are great resources, especially for educators, storytellers and those interested in the areas in folklore. Both resources offered tales and sources I was unaware of but also many that I was familiar with despite both of these areas being some of my weaker personal knowledge bases in folklore. Many of the sources books are older and available on the internet with efficient text searching. I always appreciate books that summarize tales as these do. Elswit also provides a helpful subject index to help find similar topics and themes. The Jewish collection won some awards and the Asian collection is just as excellent. The emphasis is on tales and versions suitable for all ages, including children. Overall, highly recommended.

Call for Contributions: Graduate Programs Information

A frequently asked question I have received over the years--one of the top five actually--is assistance in seeking out graduate programs in fairy tale and folklore studies as well as children's literature for some others. Yes, I realize the two diverge more than they merge, but they often collide, too.

This has also always been one of the hardest questions for me to answer. While I have an advanced degree, it is in Information Science (think libraries and information organization, not programming). My B.A. is in English. During both degrees, I used all opportunities to pursue my love of children's literature as well as fairy tales and folklore. I had great professors who allowed me to stray sometimes from the given assignments into my interests and thoroughly enjoyed obtaining both degrees. I presented papers as an undergraduate at conferences and attended seminars, including one at Simmons College one summer. I was a precocious student. It helped that several professors on my university faculties were interested in children's literature, too. I also finished my last degree eleven years ago, so even those experiences are severely outdated.

Another problem is the relative popularity of folklore and children's literature in academia. They tend to be bastard stepchildren hidden in closets under the stairs of other larger departments on campuses. I learn about programs and then learn they have been changed or ended. I also look at many of the top names publishing in the field and see that their degrees are in other fields, especially foreign languages.

So this is a plea for help. I would like to spend a week highlighting several graduate programs and alternate ideas for those interested in earning higher degrees in these and other related fields. If you are a professor or a student, please feel free to share your experiences. Please send them to me directly by email and I will combine them--with full credit to you--for posts about various programs. Help me promote you. Help me help others learn how to follow their interests, to further their educations.

Share school and department information. Share your personal stories, failures and successes in following your dreams for higher education and even career choices afterwards. You can choose to be anonymous, too. I would simply like to offer the space for those seeking more information on the web. Google indexes very well here. It often refers seekers to archived strings of the SurLaLune Discussion Board where this has been addressed over and over and yet the information is only partially helpful or now even completely wrong. Or they find the woefully out-of-date page on SurLaLune: Graduate Studies in Folklore.

Send all information to me at heidi at surlalunefairytales dot com.

And thanks for your help. I hope to start sharing in a few weeks, so stay tuned.