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What Would Dave Do At Your School?
We would have fun with strings and stories. We would
meet in small groups and I would teach each group different
things. I would work with six to seven groups a day. Then they are
empowered to teach others and within a couple of days everyone in the
school knows a number of figures.
We would also talk about where these figures come
from. You know that many are Native American don’t you? As we talk about
the ones from around the world, I give anecdotal information from my
travels collecting and studying these figures and stories.
Lower elementary look at these as a great game and
get very involved and want to learn them all.
Upper elementary and middle school students are the
most receptive, especially boys.
High School students will surprise you with their
interest. They see the great challenge in them and attack them as a
problem to be solved. Small High Schools become obsessed with them. It
is so much fun to see them get so involved in the discovery and learning
process and not even realize they are there. This is "Geometric
Topology", you know?
This type of experience is especially great for your
alternative students. It is tactile, a great "fidget" activity, gives
immediate feedback, is repetitive, and fun. It also builds self
confidenc e.
FEES - STIPEND - PRICES - HONORARIUM
Booking:
My basic fee is
$400 per day. If extra planning is necessary or additional time such as
an evening program is included, the fees will necessarily be adjusted.
Strings:
You will need to provide a string for each participant. Strings are sold
in bags of 110 for $33. Many schools buy in bulk, 1000 strings in a bag
for $250, and then sell any extras through their PTA or library.
Sales: Promoting and allowing me to sell
my books and DVD's at your school helps keep my booking fees
down and spreads out the costs involved. I do a very low key
sales promotion with the kids and it does allow the students and
teachers to have an "Authorgraphed" book at the very reasonable
cost of $5.00 each.
Travel:
All travel is
round trip from Lawton, OK, USA at .48 cents per mile, if driving. Click
on
www.Mapquest.com and put in your city to find out how many miles it
is. Or you can check air travel costs. Of course, if I am in the region
doing other programs etc., that cost can be shared. If a booking
involves a day or more of travel, then adjustments will be included.
In Alaska, the fee is $600 plus travel from
Anchorage, Fairbanks or Juneau. This fee would include lodging,
travel to those cities and car rental.
Overnight accommodations:
In the immediate
area, if a booking is more than two hours away and I am starting in the
morning, then overnight accommodations for the previous night should be
included. As you know, I travel to many out of the way places. I am more
than happy to stay in someone’s home instead of paid accommodations.
If I am in an area for a few days, such as Alaska, I would be happy
to trade a "String Figure Intensive" training for lodging.
Meals:
We all have to
eat; therefore ... I have no diet requirements and am even known to eat
cafeteria meals on occasion. I do pass on boiled porcupine and creamed
tripe on toast.
D ave
Titus is the author of three World Culture Series books, "Native
American String Figures", "African String Figures" and "Native Alaskan
String Figures." You might like to consider Dave for an author visit.
These books are available at selected bookstores or on the web at
www.StringFigureStore.com.
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