Literacy

Don't get triggered, life's LIT!

There are a number of views on what separates humans from the rest of the animal kingdom.

For some time, it was believed that humans were the only species to use tools. But studies have shown that many species use tools in their day-to-day lives; some species of ravens use sticks to lure ants from their nests, apes use rocks to crack shells. The list goes on.

Then it was thought that only humans had language. But this too has been proven wrong – chimpanzees can learn sign-language, whales have unique songs that can be learned by other whales, bees can communicate (through dance) their locations of flowers.

So, what is special about us? What do we do that sets us apart from other animals?

Stories.

Only humans tell stories.

To quote our current Prime Minister, “How good is that?” Only we, in all the world, can understand the importance of a start, middle and end to a story. Only we can identify the heroes and villains.

Stories are what make us, us. From the stories we tell about ourselves to the stories we watch and read. Stories that begin with ‘Once Upon a Time…’ or ‘Anything interesting happen today?’ are what we base our lives around. In short, we are the stories we tell. We are the heroes of our own stories.

So, this holiday season, make your story a happy one and try to be a hero in as many stories as possible. Listen to the stories of others, share yours and stay safe so your story will be a long and happy one.

A Boomer and Claire Hanley

Literacy Learning Specialist