Wally's Stories

by Paley

Teachers are often taught that young children are incapable of logical thought. Prone to fantasy and unruffled by inconsistency, preschool children are frequently baffled by the first lessons of early schooling. Trained to gently resist the child’s illogic, teachers sometimes create just the incomprehension and anxiety they mean to avoid. In Wally’s Stories , Vivian Paley shows that none of this need be so.

Wally’s Stories is itself a the story of the evolution of a kindergarten classroom in which Paley learned to stop fighting childish fantasy and instead make use of it to stimulate the very best brand of thinking her five-year-olds can muster. Stories also lie at the heart of her stories that are first told by one of the children, then transcribed by the teacher, and then acted out by the class in dramatic productions of their own design. Paley shows that in the course of creating their own dramatic world, five-year-olds are capable of thought and language far in advance of what they accomplish in traditional classroom exercises. The children’s stories also become a vehicle that they can use to explain themselves to their teacher and to one another. Together, teacher and children develop an unusual environment, one that is logical and literate, based on rules of fairness, friendship, and fantasy.

Vivian Paley’s book is as refreshing as her teaching method―a new kind of book about a new kind of classroom.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Anna Lacina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paley knows how to listen.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is like Axe Cop crossed with sociology.

We experience a year in the life of a kindergarten class as (15?) students make up stories about princesses, fairies, robbers, superheroes, and knights. The students' approach to stories are shown to be interchangeable with the students' problem-solving abilities.

Personally, I didn't think the explanation of the stories were useful enough. I don't understand how the author thinks adults should change their behavior in light of magical thinking.

I did want to know if we found out what happened to all these students, but it looks like the anonymity of the students has somehow been preserved.

[Carly Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a required read for one of my college education courses, and I didn't know what to expect.
However, here are my final thoughts...

I think if you are not interested in teaching/education, this might not be for you. However, if you are, this book can offer insight into the minds of young children as well as gut laughs and giggles every now and then!

I truly adore this book! I felt like I was a part of Mrs. Paley's class, yet was also able to receive her perspectives on the lenses through which we look at young children's utterances, actions, stories, and play. Vivian Paley is one of a kind!

[Rachel Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super sweet. Great insight to a kindergartener's thoughts and processes.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The one thing this book really needs is the explanation of how a full-time kindergarten teacher was able to transcribe a full tape's worth of recordings of class discussions on a daily basis.

[Ellie P · Rating 4 out of 5]

A neat little read for early childhood educators! A pretty funny one too.

[Austin Peters · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like kids I would suggest this book. If you don't, then I don't know why you'd consider reading it anyway. It's basically a bunch of stories told by kids, their interactions with each other, and views on life issues and lessons which is written much like a play. It gets very tedious trying to follow children's logic and you find yourself reading passages over two or three times simply to try to make sense of it and the language they use. Overall, it's not the worst book I've had to read for class.



Favorite part (when discussing how to get into a kids house who wouldn't let them in):



Wally: You should have gone down the chimney.

Wally: He could come down with a gun.

Eddie: Here's a great idea. Get bullets and put it in the gun and aim it at Jeffrey.

Teacher: That's a great idea?

Eddie: No, I mean it's a bad idea.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book by a Kindergarten teacher striving to listen to her students' thinking. Here's a quote, to give a sense of her perspective and appreciation:

"The five- or six- year-old is at a singular period. He is not a captive of his illusions and fantasies but can choose them for support or stimulation without self-consciousness. He has become aware of the thinking required by the adult world but is not committed to its burden of consistency." -pg. 80-81

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the thoughtful chronicle of a year in a kindergarten classroom, with novel insights into the workings of the five-year-old mind. The triumph of the book is as much the energy and thoughtfulness that went into the discussions as it is the analyses included by the author; the result is a clear and intelligent presentation of the child's mind. This book was a true treat, and I recommend it for anyone who likes children or is interested in improving education.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're interested in how young children create an understanding of complex issues and events that suits their contextual beliefs and personal levels of interpretations, this book is incredible. It is useful to parents, teachers, and anyone who associates with young children.