FEEDBACK

Thank you for a very interesting and inspiring day ! Was one of the best P D courses I’ve done in my 9 years in early childhood ! I loved it ! As I can say we all did at Kids Corner. Thank you again Evelyn

Hi thank you so much for your wonderfully inspiring motivating and edge of my seat sitting, grasping your every word talk today. I loved your ideas and energy and can’t wait to gather some storytelling resources from op shops. Please could I have the loose parts quote you referred to today?“….”Had to share with you, I tried my first storytelling experience with our children at our kindy today. I was so nervous but I LOVED it!! And got a lively round of applause too. Once again thank you for inspiring me on Saturday……I chose a familiar story- Jack and the Beanstalk sort of, lots of child participation;they drew Jack and his mother; they helped me with the story and I made Robin’s paper tree for the beanstalk. I elaborated the story heaps so it had many layers to it. Can’t wait for the next story! I loved that feeling of anticipation I had when you were telling us the story on saturday. That a pin could drop… silence that’s golden!” (Lynette Watkins. Kaurilands Community Kindergarten

We have recently had the pleasure of Evelyn in our pre-school room for a week block. Her passion, enthusiasm and knowledge with regards to not only storytelling but literacy and imagination have inspired our teaching team. The art of storytelling is a skill that Evelyn shared with our team, giving them various scenarios, props and pathways. She used traditional stories and characters as well as asking the listener to engage in decision making about new characters and journeys. Evelyn engaged the children and teachers in various experiences and investigations that stemmed from oral storytelling sessions with the whole group. She offered practical hands on experiences that developed and grew with each retelling of the story and each day offered a next step or further development in ideas. The feedback I have received from the team is of excitement and anticipation of how they will continue their own learning and develop their practice from the seeds that Evelyn has planted.

Recently I attended a magical story telling course by Evelyn Davis. I had been looking for something to inspire me, and get me back into real storytelling, as I had lost my confidence and imagination. As soon as I stepped into the room Evelyn had obviously taken hours to prepare, I knew I was in the right place. There in front of me was a room of wonder, filled with treasures and beauty I just had to touch and explore. I could hear myself gasping with amazement as I was drawn into the magic of each scene, and I could feel the inspiration growing inside me. That was even before I met Evelyn! Thank you Evelyn for sharing your passion with us, and helping to make the art of storytelling achievable for all of us. Personally I gained so much from spending a few hours with you and I am already putting it into practice.

“Thank you, Evelyn, for putting the heartbeat back into our learning stories. Your lively workshop really made the teachers think about the purpose of documentation and how we can put authentic life back into our learning stories. You managed to pack so much into just two hours”

Dear Evelyn, Thank you very much for making our Annual Parent Evening such a special evening. Your enthusiastic and collaborative approach created a fun and inclusive atmosphere, encouraging parents to join in and contribute.

Your extremely interesting topic of the value of play, along with your fun presentation meant that you made a real connection with the parents. You made the connection between play, fun and life-skills so tangible: I am certain that you have made a difference to the futures of many of our children and families, for which we send you our heart-felt thanks.

“Thank you for a magical, practical and motivating workshop on storytelling. You offered so many ideas, strategies, and tools to enrich our practice. Our teachers are already confidently exploring new ways to extend the learning and literacy of our children. Thank you for the fun as well”.

“Evelyn led a highly enjoyable, thought-provoking and empowering workshop on narrative assessment. The teachers are eager to put their new skills and insights into practice. We can’t wait to learn more at Evelyn’s next workshop on what it means to be a learner!”

The workshop on praise vs encouragement made me pick up on so much of what I do simply from force of habit. Our team are playing with options and supporting each other to explore new ways to give encouraging feedback to the children.

I found the presentation on praise to be very thought-provoking. I am looking forward to modifying my practice over time, as I try different things out. It has certainly made me rethink the whole sticker/reward thing.