Teaching Stories

Teaching history is ultimately about telling compelling stories. Stories tie us to others by creating a common narrative. We see how our lives fit into the story of the human family. Our struggles and successes are not ours alone to experience, they are a part of a much larger narrative, a human story.

I often take young people on wilderness treks throughout the year. Most of my treks are in the mountains of East Tennessee including the Cumberland Mountains and Smoky Mountains. Many times, after eating supper around a campfire at night, I'm asked to tell a ghost story or two. I always tell the kids that I don't tell ghost stories, because real history is sometimes scarier than anything you could make up. I often tell the true story of a captured Confederate soldier who was forced to play his fiddle on the way to his own execution. On windy nights, if you listen carefully, you can still make out the sound of his violin in the distance. I like to tell this story not only because it's haunting and entertaining, but because it brings places and historical events to life. I also tell stories about local folkore like the legend of the Wampus Cat and other folk tales.

Someone once told me that if you can get kids to experience something, and you teach them a lessson based on how they felt, they will never forget it. That's why I'm so interested in outdoor education. It gives students an experience that you can build on as a teacher. Of course this approach isn't new. Jesus taught outdoors using lessons from farming, catching fish, and reading weather conditions. Is it any wonder we often miss his lessons when we study indoors surrounded by drywall and airconditioning.