Enter Here: Personal Narrative and Digital Storytelling

anging on the door of room 173 is a black-and-white photograph of the door to my grandmother’s house. Students regularly question its placement and content, as most of the doors down the hall are either covered with construction paper (so others cannot see in) or covered with flyers announcing school events. I simply reply, “It’s an invitation.” Sometimes I am prompted to share a story about that door, about why the photo shows it halfopen and how that makes me feel secure and welcome. Sometimes I ask students what they see in the door, asking them to consider how it might be a part of what they know. No matter what story I share, it is paired with an opening (much like that door), invoking and evoking students’ stories and welcoming them into our shared learning space.