Imagine.

You are standing on a stage with ten students from your school. Each of them has a story that they are comfortable performing in front of the audience of three hundred people. The audience represents the diversity of your community, a mixture of the different cultural groups that make up your community.

Storytellers who look good.

They are not children who are dryly reciting their lines, but artists who have rehearsed and practiced. These children have a fire inside that shows through in their stories. These ten children are nervous, timid and shy; but they are performing. They are honest storytellers. Some of them are natural thespians, but most of them have never before graced a stage voluntarily.

Guaranteed Festival Success.

I will perform the role of emcee for the night’s events, making sure things go smoothly and rounding out the night with a story. I will help the students polish their material and, if need be, create their material.

Multi-room Thematic Festival

With two weeks of preparation time, it is fairly easy to create a multiple room storytelling festival. Each “tent” would have a different theme such as Rainforest, Bird, Creation, Saints, teen drama and peace stories. In this format many more student storytellers can contribute to the agenda and it is possible for the audience to get close and personal with the storytellers during the performance.



Broadway Elementary School

223 W. Broadway, Tipp City, OH 45371
Principal: Galen Gingerich Secretary: Paula Pinson
Phone (937) 667-6216 Fax (937) 669-9405

11/28/2005

This is a letter of recommendation for Mr. Eric Wolf.

Mr. Wolf is a storyteller that relates to kids. I am a principal at an elementary school in Tipp City, Ohio. I brought Mr. Wolf, or as the kids best knew him, “Brother Wolf,” to our school for a residency during the fall of 2005. He first did a large assembly to showcase his own storytelling and give the students a sample of what a good storyteller does. He spent the next 6 days coaching second and third-graders in the classroom and teaching them storytelling techniques. This allowed them to create stories on their own or tell stories that they read. Mr. Wolf also did a short professional development session with the teachers to encourage the use of storytelling in the classroom.

Storytelling is an art form that allows nearly every child to participate. Mr. Wolf’s strength was allowing the kids to feel a strong part of the storytelling and to help them develop the confidence to perform. He created an atmosphere of adventure and excitement. I saw students practicing stories at recess and while standing in the lunch line. It was fun to watch that take place. The students also learned how to become very good listeners. I felt Mr. Wolf really captured the kids while he was here. The time with Mr. Wolf culminated with a storytelling festival. Students told stories for family, friends and peers in a large setting. It was evident we have some gifted storytellers (and some you may least expect).

Mr. Wolf’s residency was valuable to our school. I believe he opened a new way of expression for students and teachers. I feel the storytelling will also improve the creative writing that students can produce. Please call if you have questions concerning Mr. Wolf and his storytelling.

Sincerely,

Galen Gingerich
Principal
Broadway Elementary School


Springs High School
Storytelling Event Programmer
Carla Steiger

June 6, 2004

To Whom It May Concern;

Eric Wolf gave the students an excellent introduction to storytelling at McKinney Middle School and Yellow Springs High School this spring in a two-week residency. The range and excellence of his own storytelling skills was amazing. Most importantly, he was able to inspire and assist the students in bringing out the best they had in a relatively brief time. Students were provided with a positive supportive environment so that they were safe from each other and felt comfortable with Eric.

Even some of the shyest students in the school were able to tell folk tales and or personal tales. Eric also had the elasticity needed to continually learn how to sharpen and modify his teaching skills as he gained more experience meeting the needs of an extremely varied and challenging group of students. I would encourage you to meet Eric, experience his passion for telling and teaching, and consider him for your next residency.

Sincerely,

Carla Steiger
Storytelling Event Programmer
Springs High School