Storytelling is having a cultural moment—from the meteoric rise of podcasting, to the personal stories of professional athletics in national media campaigns. If you were one of the millions who tuned in to the “Game of Thrones” finale and heard Tyrion Lannister praise the power of a good story, you know exactly what we’re talking about.

Stories have the power to connect us, move us, and challenge us. We’ve experienced this time and time again in our work at XQ.

In the three years since we started our community engagement work, we’ve traveled to 70 cities and connected with more than 50,000 people and 2,000 organizations. We’ve heard and been moved by countless stories from small student focus groups to community-wide conversations. We leave each conversation inspired and motivated.

But we’re also struck by the reluctance of many educators to acknowledge their own power as storytellers. Let’s change that—together.

Here are 10 reasons we believe teachers should step into their power as storytellers.

1. Seeing is believing. There are many efforts underway to transform our educational system, but not everyone believes this type of change is important or possible. Stories of educators who are leading this work in their own classrooms can prove that change is not only possible, but that teachers everywhere can take steps to “be the change” in their own schools.

2. One real example is worth a dozen studies. Sure, there’s a time and place for academic research and reports, but there’s no better way to authentically experience what is possible than by hearing real examples from inside real classrooms and communities.