A Teacher Shares Her Experience With VOICES' Storyteller Project:
"Working with Renee and Voices was a wonderful experience! Renee was extremely flexible and open to planning a unit that would meet the needs of my students and align with our learning targets as well as what we were working on. Renee and I shared a google doc. for planning and met a few times to make sure we had a solid plan, schedule, and materials.
Throughout the three week project, Renee came in and co-taught lessons three days a week. After the first day, she had all of the students names memorized. Her enthusiasm, clarity, and knowledge of writing made Renee a wonderful collaborator and fluid co-teacher. Her constant presence in the classroom also allowed us to adjust and modify throughout the week as needed. The students learned interview skills. They learned how to use sensory details to "show not tell". Most importantly, the students learned about the concept of empathy and that listening is the pathway we take to really understand someone's unique experience.
Through Voices, Renee was able to facilitate community members joining us in the classroom. Alone, coordinating this would have been far more challenging. The project culminated with a celebration with parents and the community members as well as a newspaper article in the Sopris Sun.
The students loved Renee and loved the feeling of accomplishment that they experienced at the end of the project. The Storyteller Project genuinely felt like an authentic writing experience born out of real interactions between kids and members of the Carbondale community."
