Adventures and Stories
of A Magical Storyteller
Sometimes we don't understand
the impact we have to inspire, and empower, whether we know or not,
it happens a lot!
Impact
After a program in Virginia, the Media Specialist said "It was amazing and so special that you picked the last little boy to help you!" Why I asked? She told me he was going through some rough times, and that his mother had terminal cancer and his father was overseas (presumably in the military, I didn't ask just listened) "I took a picture to send his mom, this did him a lot of good" she told me. ( He was terrific on stage by the way)
I wouldn't have known if she hadn't mentioned it to me. More amazing, incidents like this have happened repeatedly over the years. Its taught me to never underestimate a simple, yet powerful moment and the possible impact it can have on a life.
A few years ago a teacher approached me after a performance where she had been moved by my interpretation of Tomie dePaola's The Legend of The Indian Paintbrush. She said "You do understand what you do is a ministry? An important one of sharing the joy and importance of books."
I could never proclaim anything quite so profound, but was touched that the program impacted her to feel like this. Folks take away their own impressions from each educational and/or artistic experience they have.
Sometimes stunningly so!
A Tradition
At a Private Academy in Florence, SC, Mark's appearances, over 12 years until their closing, had become such a tradition that they made his visits part of their curriculum. In the annual school handbook and under the Library entry was a synopsis of his programs and the fact that he was expected each fall. Very Cool!
Motivation
Mark was the guest of the Chapel Hill Public Library, in Chapel Hill, NC, where he has presented the finale program for their Summer Reading Program the past 10 years. After the performance, a mom approached him. As they were talking, she said, "I just had to come up and say thank you for your program and what you do." Mark asked "Why?" She said, "When we came to your show last year, my son was a reluctant reader. You made the Magic Tree House books sound so interesting and like so much fun when you talked about them. He went immediately upstairs and checked out the first one. Since then, he has read every single one in the series."
In Sam's Club, a mom stopped Mark while shopping and asked him to wait for a moment while she ran to get her son who was with his dad in another part of the store. She wanted the boy to tell Mark about reading all of the Bunnicula series after learning about them during his program appearance. The boy was very shy and excited as he talked about the books with a big smile. It's awesome to experience the follow-up and learn some of the impact. Magical Indeed!
The Connection
Books read today by children can carry a intensely personal and lifelong association.
Often I've finished some of my programs over the years with a reading of Goodnight Moon, a teacher mentioned that she had read the book a thousand times to children, but had never had it read to her and found it a moving experience.
In Greensboro, NC a teacher stepped backstage after a performance to tell me how much she'd "enjoyed the program, however she said, the reading of Goodnight Moon really got to her."
Amazing! The power of some well chosen words, some simple yet elegant illustrations in a much loved book. Pretty Cool!
Just Plain Cool
In Anderson, SC, Mark had finished the second program that morning. He posed for pictures with several of the students around the schools and a lifesize wooden cut out of Flat Stanley. (Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown) And then the reading teacher ask him if he would sign their Stanley, a special honor she said. He was not really paying attention to the other signatures during the typical after show swirl of activity.
A bit later accompanying the Librarian on a classroom visit, they took a short cut through the computer lab, where the reading teacher stopped them to ask Mark if he had looked at the signatures on Stanley and pointed out where presidents, and first lady had signed. Mark felt honored indeed to be included among the many prominent names:)
At St. Mary's Catholic School in Greenville, SC, Principal Sister Veronica's challenge of taking students off school property for field trips had become a chore. She decided to make life a little easier, and bring the field trips to the students! Mark was honored to be a part of her very active Cultural Arts program for 3 years.
"It's The stuff dreams are made of" said Daniel who left the children with their "imagination caps" to ponder the books their library holds for them. Quoted from The "Beacon", Virginia Beach, VA after a school visit there.
The Young at Heart
Mark has been invited to perform many times on Ocracoke Island at North Carolina's Outer Banks. Ocracoke as you may know is a magical place where time literally is frozen to a simpler era.
The library brings him in and works jointly with Ocracoke School to host the appearance. Generally 30 kids and a handful of adults is an excellent turn out on the tiny island, one year it was double that and the show went very well.
Mark had noticed several older couples in the back having just as much fun as the kids. Thinking they were grandparents there with their grandkids, of course. After the program and the kids had left, the couples approached him and revealed they were retired educators from Ohio visiting on vacation. They were principals, superintendents, teachers and they were gushing over the performance "the best thing they'd seen in 30 years of teaching" they said, Mark thanked them as they left the air-conditioned comfort of the building to head out into an island paradise with no kids in tow :)
