SAS is gearing up for the 398.2, our very own storytelling festival that will be held in November this year.

Website: Storytelling Singapore 

We have storytelling for children and family online from 4th to 8th November and in person on the 9th and 10 November

All FREE of Charge. Registration required. 

https://storytellingsingapore.com/398-2-festival/

Discover the magic of storytelling with Ten Terrific Asian Tales To Tell! ? Dive into 10 enchanting tales, each filled with rich culture and timeless wisdom!

? Get your copy at the 398.2 Storytelling Festival on 9 & 10 Nov, 10.30am – 3.30pm, first come, first served!

? Stocks are limited, so grab yours before they’re gone!

? Register now to secure your book:

https://storytellingsingapore.wildapricot.org/event-5822513

On October 5th, we will host eight interactive sessions designed to explore innovative ways of integrating storytelling into educational practices. These sessions will provide invaluable insights for educators seeking to enhance their teaching methodologies.

Don’t worry, if you are unable to attend the live sessions, recordings will be made available upon registration.

For more information about the sessions, speakers, and workshop leaders, you can access the official brochure here:

We encourage you to register and participate through the following link, where a ‘pay what you can’ option is available

(with a minimum donation of £1):

https://www.eventbrite.it/e/storytelling-in-education-tickets-920683859207?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=1

Events in Singapore & Around the World

Apply to tell or just come and listen at FEAST’s Open Story Swap.

Friday 25th October 2024, 7.30pm Singapore Time

Check the timing in your time zone here:
OctStorySwap

You can offer to tell a story, or simply sit back, listen and enjoy as we swap stories. We’re looking for tellers to share a story for adult audience.

Last day to submit the application is 12th October 2024.

Click here for details and to register 

FEAST has numerous events (some free and some for a small fee) every month. To find out more or to become a member go to their website here. 

Every hat has a story to tell. Join us for a story swap that will include folktales, legends, personal stories and creative fiction about the diverse world of hats. From ceremonial headdresses with ancient rituals to whimsical fashion statements and practical safety gear, each story will explore the rich symbolism and history or the magical whimsy embedded in these everyday accessories.

This is a free online event organised by the Australian Storytelling Guild (NSW) australianstorytellers.org.au/events

Join with people from all parts of the world for cultural exchange and an entertaining experience of different oral storytelling styles and genres.

Come as a listener or teller. All welcome.

Wednesday, 16th October 2024 – 4.20 pm SGT (check your timezone

If you would like to tell a prepared story of 5-6 minutes on this theme, email Christine Carlton at storyaus@gmail.com

Register on Humanitx for your free link.

Starts November 5th Tuesday, 7:00 am, Singapore time

To find out more and to register click here

Win a prize to the person with the best/funniest costume!

Click here for tickets

Be prepared to be scared, hide behind the sofa, grab your other half or the dog as two exceptional storytellers tell you Tales of Terror 

Click here for tickets

SSG Virtual Story Swap

(every month on Zoom)

Come to share an eight-minute story – personal or folktale, or just come to listen. Family friendly, and told, not read. Feedback will be offered if desired and time allows.

To receive an invitation to attend, please contact:

Barry McWilliams, eldrbarry@gmail.com, or

Marilyn Grevstad, grevstad@aol.com, or

To register: https://bit.ly/SSG1stFridaySwap

For the website and for other events click here 

Click here for tickets to the show 

Click here to register 

• Teachers-Story KeepersTeachers Teach, Teachers TellTeachers Test, Teachers CorrectTeachers Stretch, Teachers EtchTeachers are Keepers.One day, my teacher, Ms. Gulvadi, shut the classroom door, latched it, and stood against it to prevent me from escaping. As the story goes, I beat her, bit her, undid the bolt and bolted out.My two sons had a journal in which they were encouraged to write every day, and their homeroom teacher was privy to their journal. The message from their teachers seemed to be “Sharing is caring, and you are allowed to reach out.”I want to share two classroom anecdotes to highlight the wide reach of teachers. One day, a little girl went up to her teacher and excitedly showed her a paper. Her teacher was aghast as most words were spelt wrongly and nothing made sense.The little girl beamed with joy and said, “Thank you, teacher. I have been working hard on it. Next time I am going to work on my spelling.”Gather and scatter beautiful memoriesMark loved talking nineteen to a dozen. Sister Helen kept reminding him that in the classroom, talking without permission was not acceptable. And every time she reprimanded him, his sincere response would be, “Thank you for correcting me, Sister!” The first time Sister Helen heard it, she thought he was being cheeky but then she soon became accustomed to hearing it many times through the day.After uttering those words, she had barely turned around when Chuck shouted, “Mark is talking again.” She had not asked any of the students to help her monitor Mark, but since Chuck made the announcement and the entire class could hear it, she had to act. The class erupted in chorus, “Put tape on Mark’s mouth.” She realized her blunder but had little choice; she knew her students would not take her seriously thereafter if she did not act.Later, in the year 1965, she was teaching junior high school mathematics and oversaw the ninth-grade homeroom. Mark was in her class again. He had mellowed down and did not jabber as much as he did in third grade. However, as he left the classroom each day, he still made it a point to walk past her desk, smile, and say, “Good night, Sister. Thank you for teaching me.”She smiled and told the class to close their books, put it away and take out two clean sheets of paper. She was a seasoned teacher by then and could easily tweak her lesson plans. Over that weekend, she hand wrote each student’s name on top of individual sheets of paper and then wrote down what each student had said about the person. At the very bottom she wrote what she thought was the most outstanding characteristic of the individual. On Monday she gave each student the paper with the complimentary remarks on it. Soon she saw smiles on the faces of the students and heard whispered remarks of surprise, “Seriously?”, “I never knew that meant anything to anyone!”, “I didn’t know I was liked.” That group of students moved on.The next morning, she set out early for the service. Seeing Mark inside a coffin, the thought uppermost in her mind was, “Mark, I would give all the masking tape in the whole wide world if only you could talk to me.” She was going through an agony of her own right then. If Mark could have talked to her at that moment, he might have said that he had completely forgotten about the incident. Sister Helen was the last one to bless the coffin. As she stood, one of the soldiers who had acted as a pallbearer went up to her. “You were Mark’s math teacher, weren’t you?” he asked. She nodded as she continued to stare at the coffin. “Mark talked about you a lot.” Just then someone called to the soldier to go to the car with the other military personnel. Before he left, he asked if she intended to talk to Mark’s parents before leaving, and if she was, to please ask them about Mark’s personal effects.Mark’s classmates started to gather around them. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, “I still have my list. It’s in the top drawer of my desk at home.” Marilyn looked at him and said, “I have mine too. It’s in my diary.” Chuck’s wife spoke up and said, “Really? Chuck made me put his in our wedding album.” Jim, who was always the shyest boy in class, looked around at the group, put his hand in his back pocket, took out his billfold and showed his list to the group. It too was worn and terribly frazzled at the edges. “I carry this with me at all times,” he said without batting an eyelid. “I think everyone saved theirs.” She quietly said, “Thank you for teaching me, Mark.References: 1)     Stories from here and there, a compilation by Sunil Handa 
• 2) See image below: 
• “A teacher affects eternity; they can never tell where their influence stops.” ~  Henry Adams
• That was when Teacher Helen finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark, she cried for all those who get taken away too soon, and she cried for herself knowing that she would never see Mark again.
• They all gathered at Chuck’s farm for lunch, and most of Mark’s former classmates were there. When Helen arrived there, Mark’s dad said, “We want to show you something.” He took a billfold out of his pocket. “They found this on Mark. We thought you might recognize it.” He carefully removed and opened two worn pieces of notebook paper which had obviously been taped, folded, and refolded many times. She knew instinctively without looking at the writing that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of his classmates had said about Mark. “Thank you so much for doing that,” Mark’s mother said. “As you can see, Mark treasured it.”
• The church was packed with Mark’s friends. Mark’s friend Chuck from primary school was there and his sister sang “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” That was powerful!
• Years passed by and then in August 1970, when Teacher Helen returned after a trip, her parents were at the airport to receive her. During their drive home, once pleasantries were exchanged, her dad cleared his throat and said, “Mark’s parents called from Morris last night.” Puzzled, she said that she had not heard from them in several years. Then, her dad responded rather sombrely, “Mark died in Vietnam. The funeral is tomorrow, and his parents would like it if you could attend the funeral.”
• Nothing more was said or discussed about the assignment.
• She asked them to put their name at the top as usual, then list the names of the other students in the room, leaving a space between each name. After that was accomplished, she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down. No one questioned the assignment. It took the remainder of the class period to finish writing about their classmates. As the students left the room, each one handed her the two sheets of paper. Mark handed her his papers and said, “Thank you for teaching me, Sister. Have a good weekend.”
• One rainy Friday; the class had worked hard on a new concept in algebra all week; the entire class was frustrated and exasperated and so was Teacher Helen.
• She walked to her desk, very deliberately opened the drawer, and took out a roll of masking tape. Without saying a word, she walked over to Mark’s desk and tore off two pieces of tape, Mark had a big X taped over his mouth. Again, without saying a word, she turned and walked to the front of the room. She picked up a piece of chalk and glanced at Mark to see how he was doing. At that moment he winked at her. That did it! She started laughing. The entire class cheered as she walked back to Mark’s desk, removed the tape, and shrugged her shoulders. His first words were, “Thank you for correcting me.”
• One day her nerves were frayed, and when Mark talked once too often, she snapped. Unthinkingly she blurted out, “Mark, if you say one more word, I am going to tape your mouth shut!” Words once spoken are very difficult to take back and the teacher soon realized her mistake, one that many novice teachers as well as parents make.
• It was the year 1959. Sister Helen Mrosla taught grade three at St. Mary’s School in Morris, Minnesota. It was her first teaching assignment. She taught a class of 34 rambunctious students. Most 10-year-olds are endearing and so was her student, Mark.  Mark gave teachers the feeling, “this is why I come to school” He was a delight to have in class; always on cloud nine and could not stop chattering.
• That little girl learnt appreciation and that a little encouragement goes a long way.
• The teacher’s first instinct was to reprimand the child but then she paused, looked at the child, smiled and said, “I really like your paper, your handwriting is fine and easily readable, the margins are neatly spaced, and you have consistently maintained a two-finger spacing between words.
• Encouragement
• “Teaching is a very noble profession that shapes the character, calibre, and future of an individual. If people remember me as a good teacher, that will be the biggest honour for me.” ~ A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
• I met Ms. Gulvadi several times thereafter but she never embarrassed me by mentioning the story. She taught me dignity. A lesson that has stayed with me, “Never strip people of their dignity.”
• I have no recollection of this, but I have heard of the incident a few times from my dad. I had just begun kindergarten and disliked being confined to a room, so I always made my escape, running out of the classroom, dashing through the corridor, and running home to hide between the comforting folds of my mother’s saree.
• Teachers Stumble, Teachers Tumble
• Teachers Sing, Teachers Sting
• Teachers Coo, Teachers Cry
• Teacher, Teacher, Story Keeper