Most Corps Stories run between 3 and 5 minutes, but there is no set time. Your story can cover any theme or topic as long as it captures a unique moment from your experience in the corps.
Here are a few steps to help you prepare on your own, with a recording buddy, or in a small group:
Step 1:
Think about the moment or memory you'd like to covey and how to turn that into a compelling story. If you're not sure what to share, see our prompts below for ideas. If you've got a recording buddy or are recording in a group, it can be fun to pair up and interview each other to draw out your story.
- It may help to jot down a few details. Here are some tips:
- Give your story a structure: do you have a beginning, middle, and end? What is the transformative point? What lesson did you learn? Would you go back and do this again?
- Think about descriptive details: what did your classroom look like? What did the neighborhood look like, smell like? What did your rambunctious student wear to class every day? The more detailed, the better.
- Stick to a single theme or incident: This will help you stay focused on the moment you want to share and why.
- Be yourself: We want to see the story through your eyes and experience it with you. And remember, its okay to laugh, cry, shout. Keep an open mind and heart, the rest will follow.
Step 2:
Practice. It might be helpful to run through your story once with the recorder off. If you've got a recording buddy, have that person tell you what pieces hit the most emotional notes and which parts you might want to leave out.
Step 3:
Record your story. Here are a few technical tips:
- Find somewhere quiet to record!
- Speak clearly and find the right balance between being too loud and too soft spoken. Listen back to a test recording to make sure the audio is being captured properly.
- Read the instructions for recording on your device (Windows computer, Mac computer, or an iPhone.)
- Save your recording as a MP3 file. (You can use iTunes to convert other types of audio to MP3 following the instructions here.)
Step 4:
Listen to your story. Is it what you'd hoped to capture? If not, record it again.
Step 5:
Upload your story. Make sure to include a photo! We’ll let you know before your story is posted on the Corps Stories site.
Not Sure What to Share?
Here are a few prompts to get your thinking going:
- Share about an exciting/interesting/inspiring moment at institute or in the corps.
- Why do you choose to continue working to close the achievement gap?
- What student had the biggest impact on you? Why?
- Why is our work as corps members hard? Why did you persist?
- What are the most important lessons you’ve learned as a corps member?
- Some of our most challenging moments lead to exceptional outcomes and stay with us for a lifetime. Share about a challenge and exceptional outcome at institute.
- Do you have any favorite stories about your students?
- What was your best (or worst) memory from the corps?
- During your time at in the corps, can you remember times when you were exhausted? Excited beyond words? Do you have any regrets?
- What advice would you give to a new CM whose first day of teaching is tomorrow?
