A Stone Fox and a King

Memory Series – Emotions & Stories

A friend of mine was concerned when her son went to high school. He had a learning disability, and his grades were less than stellar. She was afraid high school would be destructive to his sense of self-worth.

One of his first writing assignments in Language Arts was something like this: What is your favorite book? Expound on this; describe your personal experience with the piece of literature. My friend asked her son what he had written about. His favorite book was Stone Fox, a novel that his teacher had read to his 4^th grade class. She was surprised he remembered it. He recalled that at the end, when a dog died, the entire class was in tears, including the teacher. When she closed the book the room was totally silent for a moment. The class shared an experience that was relatable to all of them. There were no snickers about tears, because they were one in that emotional moment. The young man made an excellent grade, and his mom stopped worrying so much. She told me about this, because I was his 4^th grade teacher. She wanted me to know I made a lasting impression on her son by introducing this book to him.

Think about the books you’ve read and the movies you’ve seen. What are your  favorites? Chances are, they were ones in which you laughed out loud or you shed tears. I laughed with abandon when I first saw Robin Williams as Mrs. Doubtfire, and I couldn’t stop the tears when I read Corrie ten Boom’s The Hiding Place. Storytelling often goes hand in hand with an emotional component. It is one of the greatest tools we have to stimulate memory.

When teaching the history of early Germanic tribes, I would talk about Charlamagne, King of the Franks. I told my students of my German heritage and explained that my maiden name was Franks. I told them that a missed question on most tests would only count four or five points against them. However, I personally thought odds were that I was probably of royal heritage. I was a Franks from Germany, so my guess was  Charlamagne was my Great, Great, Great, however many Greats, Grandfather. Though I could accept most errors on a test, I would consider it to be a personal affront to my family if they failed to remember dear Great Grandpa was King of the Franks.

Ten or twelve years after I left that school and moved to another state, I returned to the area for a wedding. At the reception, I heard the loud voice of a young woman proclaim, “Charlamagne, King of the Franks”! Sure enough, it was a former student.

Yes, this was a silly story. It’s unlikely I would have any relation to this royal family. I said it, because I was looking for the information to stick, and it served its purpose.

When moved to laughter or tears, or even better, both, we will likely remember the experience for years to come. Some African tribes have passed down their history through tribal griots, storytellers. This oral history has sufficed for centuries, because the gifted storyteller has woven history into a relatable, emotional tale that each parent is inspired to tell their children.

Stories, with emotions, are powerful in their ability to instill long-term memory. When working with children or the aging, tell stories. Laugh and cry together. Create a shared moment that you will both love to remember.