Ben,
I just had to share a quick story from my class today. After reading your post about the “he talks too much” story that you used last week, I thought I would try to use a story to reach one of my students. I have a kid in one of my classes – bright, hard-worker, and very sweet, but lacking in self-esteem. I really felt like today was the day for him to be the superstar, literally. There ended up being two bad villains in our story and we needed a good superhero to save the day. So, I targeted in on my self-conscious 8th grade boy and made him shine! He was Aquachico with two cute mermaid sidekicks. The kids all thought it was great. He was the star. He was still beaming in the hall after class. It was amazing that a silly story in Spanish class could really change how a kid thought about himself. What a cool job we have. I guess this is what “naming” is all about – giving kids an identity that they are proud of.
Thanks,
Kelly