Storytelling bringing continents together
Three years ago, Patti Warnock participated in the Kanoon Storytelling Festival in Iran. This spring, Danville’s travelling storyteller once again left the Townships to spread her craft across the world, this time partnering with renowned Chinese-canadian author Ruowen Wang to help teach English to Chinese youth and parents alike.
Warnock packed up in April to leave for Shanghai where, for two weeks, she, Wang, and Tudo Education (a private Chinese education institution), worked together to provide a more entertaining, stimulating and accessible way to teach English as a second language (ESL) to the local children.
“It was such great fun,” said Warnock, who teaches ESL when she’s here in the Townships. “It was a pleasure for me to have that experience. I had never been to China. It was so great, the people there are amazing and generous. It was a nice vacation.”
The storyteller had already been familiar with Wang’s work, having often read them to her audiences. Two years ago, the two met through Storytellers Canada, an organization dedicated to preserving the art of oral storytelling.
“We got along instantly,” said Warnock with a laugh. “Ruowen was ready to leave right away!”
Warnock explained that in such a populous and quickly developing country, learning English is a precious skill.
“It opens so many doors to be bilingual there. Shanghai is changing so much that they say that you can’t even recognize the skyline from twenty years ago,” said Warnock. “Now they’re allowed to have two children, but no one can afford it. It’s so expensive there, English classes can cost $2 000 a month and there’s a lot of fraud. People pass as teachers even if their English is very poor. So, a lot of what we’re doing is building trust. I’m glad Ruowen was there, since I don’t speak Mandarin.”
The travelling storyteller worked with both children and their parents. According to her, her craft proved an invaluable tool: the children get opportunity to hear spoken English, but also benefit from the visual aspect that storytelling offers in learning a second language.besides giving weekend workshops, Warnock spent a lot of time in a recording studio so that her help can last despite her short stay in Shanghai.
“We’re trying to develop a more Western way of teaching,” she said. “Quite often it’s too rigid in their curriculum. Learning is fun, and when kids think so, they learn faster.”
Though Warnock is glad to be home with her family, she assured the Record that she would jump at the chance to go back to Shanghai.
“I’m just waiting to be invited!” she laughed. “It’s what I enjoy most, taking teaching in different directions and connecting with students using something new. I might even go back with the whole family. You never know!”