[Tea] Identify the Storytellers

Welcome to "Tea with Julie," a weekly missive by me, Julie Bogart. My wish is to give you food for thought over a cup of tea to enhance your life as an educator, parent, and awesome adult. Glad you're here. Pinkies up!
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Cincinnati, May 6, 2023

Hi Friend,

Human beings are determined to wrestle information into a worldview that tells the story they love to hear. Let’s help our kids identify the storytellers.

Have you ever thought about the viewpoint of a fairy tale?

Fairy tales are repeated to us from the time we are tiny people in a wide variety of formats. So much so, we accept the narrator’s version as the truest one!

For instance, when I think about the Three Little Pigs, I think I know the true story of what happened. I know the role each character plays, their motives, and who deserves support or scorn.

But do I?

In the first chapter of Raising Critical Thinkers, I wrote about Jon Sciezka’s book, “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs,” told from the perspective of the wolf. His book is thrilling to children—in part because it has never occurred to them (or us!) that there may even BE another viewpoint to consider in this tale.

What happens when we listen to additional voices?
How do we determine which ones are reliable?
Why do we trust the pigs and distrust the wolf?

If we spool this idea further, we can ask the same question about historical events, literature, culture, and media. On what grounds do we automatically trust one version of events or facts and equally distrust another?

Human beings crave storytellers and we are adept at finding ones who tell the stories we love to hear. Part of a robust education is helping our children learn to “name those storytellers” and then to vet them against our own biases and expectations!

That’s one of the chief goals of my book and why I was so enthusiastic about writing it.

I love this stuff! I hope you do too.

If you want to purchase my book, there's a free book club guide that goes with it available at the book website: Raising Critical Thinkers.

Warmly,

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