When I ask, “what’s your story?” I don’t mean the plot. I mean, what’s your teaching about?
A novel is full of plot points, characters, scenes and dialogue. But a great novel also has overarching themes, messages, and ideas that permeate the entire novel. These themes are bigger than any one scene or character or plot point, and they might never be spoken outright – rather, they are received by the reader through subtle construction work by the author.
A choir teacher can rehearse countless pieces, conduct hundreds of concerts, spend an immense number of minutes warming up her choirs. But that’s not the story. That’s the dialogue.
The story, the theme, of your teaching comes through over time. Or it doesn’t; plenty of novels have no overarching themes. It’s only through intentional, subtle work over time that your story becomes apparent and gets imparted to your students.