The day after he got into a big fight with a friend, second-grader Noman in Teach For Bangladesh Alumna Mousumee Mosharraf Mou’s class asked to read aloud a short story he had written about his friend with whom he fought. Mou was touched by his earnest request and allowed him to share his story. She realized storytelling could effectively help her marginalized students with self-expression, socio-emotional skills, and literacy. This inspired Mou to bring more age-appropriate stories from Bengali literature to her classroom and encouraged her students to write and share their own stories with peers.
During the Covid-19 lockdown, children were trapped at home, disconnected from friends and schooling, and experienced stress and uncertainty. Mou thought it was even more critical to continue the storytelling practice for her students during school closure. She believed that listening to and telling stories can help children experience joy, find courage, and learn values like empathy and friendship. She recorded a series of classics from Bengali literature where she acted as her storytelling character named “Bubun” (a word children traditionally use to refer to one’s eldest sister).
Mou made these videos available free of charge on Teach For Bangladesh’s YouTube channel for her students and children everywhere. When Mou checked in with one of her students, Muntaha, she told her she wanted to see Bubun in real life when school reopens. “I want to be a storyteller like Bubun when I grow up,” Muntaha said.