In the title piece of his compilation of essays Bulletproof Buddhists, American writer Frank Chin recalls his experience of telling stories to high school students, including gun-toting toughs hardened by war, poverty and life in the city. While reciting traditional tales such as Rumpelstiltskin or The Oath of the Peach Garden, Chin witnessed a transformation in his teen audience: "All these angry kids listened. They were kids again. Their childhoods had been on hold." Chin had discovered that folk tales have the power to mesmerize adult listeners into releasing, if only momentarily, the children bound within the folds of the subconscious. What follows in this article is one teacher's accidental discovery of this, as the author relates how a story telling activity built around a classic Chinese text resulted in his university students revealing various aspects of themselves that they would otherwise not have shared in a classroom setting. It is argued that these insights may contribute to the development of important intellectual skills, the growth of teacher-student affinity, and the achievement of a classroom environment that fosters learning and growth.
