The purpose of this study was to find out San students' understandings of their learn­ing experiences in the Letsatsi Community Junior Secondary School [pseudonym], aRemote Area Dwellers (RAD) boarding school in Botswana, and how these experiencesimpacted students' identities based on their memories of primary and current atten­dance in junior secondary school. In addition, the researcher wanted to find out whatSan students valued and found meaningful in their home and school environments,and how these related to the possibilities for literacy learning through stories.The six participants in Grades 8 and 9 shared their stories with the researcher whichrevealed their understandings of literacy, both in and out of school. The narrativemethodology was adopted for a number of reasons. Firstly, San peoples are known to beexcellent storytellers and they also enjoy telling and sharing stories. The San also teachtheir children though stories (Pridmore, 1995). Through the shared stories, the re­searcher wanted the students to be free to tell their stories of their formal school experi­ences and those things that had value to them. Secondly, the researcher wanted to createa close working relationship with the participants so that they would open up and sharetheir stories. Thirdly, through the narrative, the researcher also shared her story withthe participants. Lastly, through the narrative, the Southern African philosophy ofUbuntu/Botho was adopted in the research process as a method and a theory to guidethe study. As a result, the researcher treated the participants with respect and as equalsin the research process. Two important findings from this study are: (1) although Sanstudents faced many problems in their formal education journey, they found solidarityin each other and in their rich culture by telling stories; and (2) the students expresseda wish for their ways of knowing to be included in formal classrooms in Botswanaschools, for the benefit of all. An important recommendation from this study is that sto­ries should be included as a teaching pedagogy in San students'formal education, notonly in Botswana but throughout Southern Africa.