This is the question I get more often than any other when discussing my assembly programs: What topics do you address when you perform in schools? I have five different assemblies. I'm going to spend a few blog pages letting you know what I talk about when I come to your school.
Let me tell you about "Folktrails". "Folktrails" is a show that has the ability to address a lot of different subjects. The assembly is composed of three stories. Each story is from a very different culture and country, but each story addresses our common need for kindness and generosity. It allows children to experience the
differences in cultures, while seeing how people can share the very same values. So, the first way to see "Folktrails" is as a show that addresses values and the commonality of man.
Several years ago I began to study the 'Hows and Whys' of Bullying, and to my surprise I discovered that "Folktrails" was perfectly suited to lead children to an understanding of what bullying is, why it's not a good thing, and the things we can positively do to stop it. So, the second way I use these stories is to address bullying.
Finally, the third reason I perform this program is as a justification for stories. I will often perform an introduction with this assembly that explains the origin of stories. Why do we have stories? Why are they important? What would life be like if we did not tell stories? Stories are important. We tell stories to make sure people understand who we are, and why we believe what we believe. We tell stories to make each other happy. We tell stories to understand our world, and we tell stories to pass on our values.
I love performing this show! And, I'm happy to say, children really enjoy themselves when they see it. But at the same time they learn a great many important lessons about how they have the power to make this a better life for themselves and others as well.
“Tim was wonderful! An entertainer, an artist, a motivator!” Cheryl Wiegle, a teacher at Chestnut Hill School