Story Endings

Last time I wrote about tips and strategies for using stories in teaching and training. I used as examples three stories that I told right up to their cliffhangers in a training on Solution Focused Classroom Management. In the last post I promised the endings to the stories, all of which were used to illustrate one or more of the solution focused strategies of the above workshop. Here now is a recap of the stories along with their endings. All names have been changed.


Story #1 takes place in a men's medium security prison. The men are working on a pencil and paper task and I'm moving around the room assisting them as they indicate their need by a raised hand. I'm helping one gentlemen when another very young man, after having his hand in the air for about 15 seconds, gets extremely irritated waiting for me. He sighs loudly, breaking the quiet of the classroom and says, "Tracy, do you know what I'm IN FOR? If you knew what I was IN FOR, you would NOT be keeping me waiting. You would be AFRAID. And you'd be over here right now helping me! Well, saying something like that in a prison classroom is akin to yelling "FIGHT" on the prison yard. Let's face it, this is the most exciting thing that's happened in these parts all week! Instantly, 20 pencils were frozen in the air and 20 pairs of eyes were on me, all thinking, I'm sure, "Wow, what's she gonna do?!"

I stopped the story there and proceeded to story #2. Here's the ending I returned to at the end of the session.

I took a deep breath and said as calmly as I could, "Daniel, it sounds like you are really frustrated waiting your turn for me."

"I AM!" he said.

"Well," I said, "I can understand that, and after several weeks in this class, I am confident that you have on board a couple of solid skills that can help you take good care of yourself while you wait patiently for me."

"You do?" he said.

"I do," I said.

"I do?" he said.

"You do!" I said.

"Oh", he said, straightening up, pulling on the ends of his shirt to "neaten" his appearance, his face relaxing, and then, turning to his wide-eyed classmates added with an air of dignity, "What are YOU guys lookin' at?"

And that was the end of that.

Story #2 takes place in a graduate school classroom, this time filled with 20 middle aged women. This was a cohort of graduate students in an Adult Education Master's program. The class was studying Learning Theories. They had completed individual research papers on their assigned theory. In today's class they were to join with others who had studied their same theory and prepare a presentation they could give to their colleagues in an exchange of peer teaching. Their task was to use strategies from their learning theory to teach about that theory. They worked for a couple of hours and all was well until I dismissed them for lunch. I checked in with each group and then they went off to lunch, prepared to begin presentations when they returned. I stopped at the last group and not a one of them would make eye contact with me. They all seemed fascinated with the tops of their shoes. One woman finally looked up, eyes flashing, jaw set, fairly hissing at me, "We aren't ready. We DON'T have a presentation. We spent the time instead reviewing MY paper. I NEVER get good feedback in peer review and I was determined to get the feedback I needed so we did that instead! We have NO PRESENTATION!" Nostrils flaring and red in the face, she glared at me. Not being able to resist the unfolding drama, five pairs of eyes unglued themselves from the tops of their shoes, and slowly raised their eyes, looking up at me expectantly.

I stopped the story there and proceeded to story #3. Here's the end of the story that I returned to at the close of the training session.

I stared back, for a few seconds, willing a look of calm composure over my face, and said as evenly as I could manage, "Well, 'Sue', at the start of this course we made a Community Agreement that still hangs on our wall. On it it says, by everyone's agreement, that each of you would support the learning of her peers. The way you agreed to do that today was to prepare a presentation on your assigned learning theory. That's how your colleagues will learn the important tenets and teaching strategies of 'X theory,' through your teaching. Glancing down at my watch I said, "You have an hour for lunch. I'm confident your team will keep its agreement to your peers and have something ready for your colleagues by 1:00 p.m," and then, with heart pounding and a sweat breaking out across my forehead, I walked away.

What if....

What if they came back from lunch with no presentation? What would I do then? How would I make sure that theory X would get covered? With my mind racing and my lunch appetite gone I decided that no matter what happened, I could "teach" the theory through my response to the situation and the ensuing class discussion once the teams returned. After all, this was my opportunity to live out my belief that "everything is curriculum."

Somehow I made it through the next hour. Just before 1:00, everyone returned. The ring leader of the "no presentation" group asked to speak to me in the hall. Meeting her there she said, "We have a presentation, we are ready." I nodded silently, trying not to look too relieved. She cleared her throat and said, "I owe you an apology. I was very rude."

"Yes you were," I agreed, and added "Thank you. I accept your apology."

She looked at me some more and said, "One other thing...I learned a lot from you in the last hour about how to respond to a resistant student. That was the perfect response and probably the most helpful thing I've learned this term as an educator, so...thank you."

And that was that.

Story #3 takes place in a community college classroom, on the first day of a new program with young adult students 18-26 years of age. Because it is the first day, the students are gathered together for an orientation. Because it is the launching of a pilot program VIPS from the college are present, including the campus President, along with the faculty who will be teaching this cohort of students, and dignitaries from the sponsoring organization. It was my distinct pleasure to be leading this fabulous student group in some team building. I was right in the middle of what seemed like a successful team building activity when a student at the back calls out in an irritated whine loud enough for the entire room to hear, "Wwwhhhhyyy are we DOING this? What is the POOOOIIIINT anywayyy? Well, you guessed it, a hush fell over the room and everyone turned their curious faces to me, even, thank you very much, the campus President.

That's where I left story 3. Here's the ending I shared at the close of the training.

"Josh", thank you for your comment. Anyone else feeling like Josh, wondering why we are doing this activity?"

Eyebrows went up as students looked around to see if anyone else was going to nod or raise their hand.

"It's ok, I'd like to know," I coaxed.

A couple of tentative hands went up in the air. I smiled and nodded.

"Josh, thank you for your leadership today. You spoke up and said what several others were thinking. That takes courage and initiative!"

Now everyone was looking at him and he was looking back at me, his mouth open in an "O" of surprise.

"Here's what I'm wondering," I said. "We are very close to being finished with this portion of the activity. Would you be willing to groove with me just a little while longer and then we will debrief and talk about why we are doing this activity? I think it will take just about 5 minutes.

Sitting upright with all eyes on him but ever so cool he said, "Yeah, sure. I can do that."

"Great!" I said. We finished up and then I asked, "Now it is time to debrief. Who would be willing to come up and record the group's thoughts?"

WHO leaped out of his seat to come up?

Yep, you guessed it, Josh.

Not only did he come up and record, but after he recorded the first person's response to my debrief question he took the lead and asked, "Ok, who is next? Who else wants to comment?"

Students and dignitaries visibly relaxed, I stifled a smile and walked backwards turning over, watchfully, the debrief to our emerging leader.

And that was that.