Budding Storytellers in Leyte
Gurong Kaakbays of Region VIII – 24 of them to be exact -- were in for a treat when quintessential storyteller Bodjie Pascua held a workshop especially for them at Isabel, Leyte on March 19, 2009. The event, which took place literally from sunrise until sunset, was the first time a Petron Programang Kaakbay (PPK) Enrichment Workshop was held in the Visayas. Past PPK activities have been held in Metro Manila, apart from a workshop in Pampanga and another in Baguio in 2008.
At the workshop dubbed ““The Storytelling Experience: A Workshop on the Art and Craft of Storytelling”, Kuya Bodjie, as he is fondly known from the famous children’s TV program Batibot, emphasized that stories and storytellers are part of the lives of children. In the classroom, storytellers are the teachers themselves, and through storytelling, the teacher is able to build a spontaneous, creative and interactive relationship with the students. Through storytelling, children become better listeners.
Despite the participants’ diversity (some are Math or Science teachers), the Gurong Kaakbays eagerly participated, recognizing that stories enhance learning in whichever subject they teach. Lively chaos and commotion ensued during the activity “Show, Don’t Tell” which proved to be quite a challenge to the group, who, as teachers, are so used to explaining in spoken words rather than action. And plenty of action there was, as the participants showed off their own storytelling abilities. Each and every one exhibited their own combination of voices in reading the story plus gestures and facial expressions to connect with the audience.
At the end of the day, the participants (many of whom still wanted an extension of the workshop) emerged with a sense of renewed purpose, armed with skills that the hope would unlock for their students a treasure trove of knowledge sustained throughout their lives making them passionate readers and lovers of stories read and listened to; and dreaming that as storytellers, they would be able to give children the ability to fly and take countless journeys full of discovery.
