Why Storytelling Belongs in Every School
Before she ever wrote a line of brand copy, Johanna told stories to preschoolers and kindergartners.
It was not only part of the curriculum, but part of the culture. At Waldorf schools, storytelling runs through everything, from how teachers speak to how students learn. And even though Johanna eventually left teaching, she never forgot how powerful it was to witness a room go quiet while the story took on a life of its own. Whether it was an early childhood classroom or that of the grades or high school students.
Because what happens in that moment isn’t just engagement: it’s trust.
When someone shares a story that feels lived, the room shifts. People lean in a little. They stop trying to figure out what you want from them and start noticing what the story stirs in them.
That’s the moment when connection begins. Not because the story is perfect, but because it feels real. It offers something solid to hold onto, and suddenly the listener is no longer outside the frame. They can see where they fit inside it.
That’s not just useful in a classroom. It’s essential anywhere you’re trying to build a sense of belonging.
Which is why we’ve been thinking a lot about schools lately, especially the smaller ones where the walls are covered in student work, and where the tone of the school matters just as much as the rich curriculum.
These schools often run on instinct and intimacy. But when it comes time to describe themselves to parents or prospective students, they fall back on language that sounds like everyone else: “excellence,” “community,” “a well-rounded education.”
None of that gets at the quiet rituals or relationships that actually make the school what it is.
We’ve seen this in our own lives. Johanna’s two children went to Waldorf schools, and those years shaped the way they learned and thought and saw the world. But if you hadn’t already experienced it, you wouldn’t know what made it special, because the brochures and websites never quite encompassed the entire journey with conviction.
Storytelling changes that.
It gives you a way to name the values that might otherwise go unspoken. It helps parents understand what kind of culture their child will grow up in. And it turns the school from a list of offerings into a living, breathing place with history, texture, and heart.
We’re not saying every school needs a rebrand. But every school already has a story. You see it in the hallway art, in the questions students ask, and in the way a teacher pauses before giving feedback. You feel it in the culture. And if that story never gets shaped into language, it stays invisible to the people who haven’t arrived yet.
That’s where we come in.
We help small schools find their story and put it into words that others can connect to. The goal isn’t to impress, it’s to invite. We want the right families to find the right environments, and we believe that starts with clarity and voice.
So if you’re part of a school that’s grounded in strong values but hard to describe, let’s talk.
We’d love to help you shape the story you’ve already been living.
