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I’ve been hearing alarming rumors about where fiction in schools is headed. The first time I heard it, I shook it off. The second time I heard it, I gave it a short thought before shaking it off. Then I heard it again and again. Finally, on Friday, when it was mentioned yet another time, I gave it a bit more thought, and it unnerved me.
As you know, I’m a teacher. I teach 10-12 year old children to calculate, to read, to write, and to express themselves well orally and in writing. I do this through science, art, practice, games, and the mandated curriculum. I require my students to read 40 books a year, in a variety of genres, which works out to just over one book a week, because I believe excellent reading ability is the foundation of a meaningful education.
Think back to your own reading habits when you were a child. Did you read for information? Did you read for an escape from reality? Did you read to learn about faraway places? Did you read to learn how to solve problems and find justice and truth in the world?
All of those reasons are equally valid reasons for reading. Yet, rumor in educational circles has it, that after third grade students no longer need to focus on fiction, because as adults, the majority of their reading will be in the nonfiction areas.
Is Fiction Being Taken Out of Schools?
The current trend in education is to feed students morsels of facts, then have them regurgitate those morsels on a standardized test in the form of bubbles filled with graphite on paper. In rare cases, students are required to use the facts to come to a new conclusion, which would require digesting the information and using it in a new way.
The new common core standards have a focus on nonfiction more than fiction. This means that many of our textbooks will have less fiction selections, and more nonfiction articles. If this rumor turns out to be true, in my opinion, it will be a great loss to our culture. Not only have we lost the performing arts from many of our schools, now we might be losing a large part of our written art.
What Purpose Does Fiction Serve?
Nonfiction is absolutely essential to a child’s education. So is fiction. How else will a child be able to read a book that helps him to realize he’s not alone in his situation? Where else but fiction can a child escape a brutal reality into a fantasy world where dreams do come true? How else will children learn the nuances of language and shaded meanings of expressions they encounter in good literature?
I’m not blaming anyone for this, nor do I want to get into a political discussion about NCLB or CCSS. All I’m saying is that I see a trend that I find disturbing. The students in my classes love reading. Even though they may choose anything for their personal reading, most of them choose fiction. It serves a deep need for young people to make meaning of the world and experiences. How will they do that without fiction to help?
As a writer of both fiction and nonfiction, I’m still keeping the faith in fiction. Both types of writing are necessary, and both types of writing are important to readers. I’m asking this question of fiction writers because we’re the ones promoting fiction, and I’m asking readers, because you’re the ones doing the reading, obviously.
What do you think? Should more of an emphasis be put on nonfiction, leaving fiction for the primary grades? Or do you think fictional literature is an important part of a full education? Please leave a comment with your thoughts.
But before you answer, read and listen to this post about why biographies matter, from the Tempered Radical, to see the other side of the coin.
I can barely remember some of the nonfiction books I read when I was in school (up until college, anyway, but that’s another story); the ones that I remember, the ones that left the biggest impressions and the ones I still revisit and read today were all fiction. Both have so much value that it’s hard to imagine the one that sticks out the most for me being diminished. Humans have a natural longing for tales and stories; it’s a little worrisome thinking of a culture that attempts to squash that….
I think we read enough non-fiction on a daily basis that we need to have fiction to balance it out. At least, I do. I look forward to picking up where I left of in a story. I do not feel the same about news stories or other non-fiction. Non-fiction has its purpose but overall, so does fiction. Non-fiction can be used recreationally but eh, that’s a reader’s perspective when they chose to read non-fiction for recreation. Most of us like fiction for recreation. I don’t see that changing. I’d be more worried about the younger generation liking to read vs playing computer/console/internet games than them choosing non-fiction over fiction. You know?
As a mother of a child who is getting closer and closer to the going-to-school age, I sincerely hope fiction isn’t taken out of the school system. That was my favorite part about learning when I was younger. It helped inspire my love of reading and writing. I definitely want that to continue for my daughter. Homeschooling has always been an option I’ve considered for her. If they really did take fiction out of the school system, I think I would lean toward that option even more.
Today, I sat through an entire training on the “Reading” strand of the Common Core Standards at the HS level. The focus? Informational Texts. Apparently we already know how to teach literature and need more help on how to teach actual reading skills through informational texts. It was a long day. I agree with you that both have their place but I sincerely hope we don’t get too far away from great literature.
THanks for the post.
Hi L.S., I too, remember the fiction books. I honestly can’t remember one nonfiction book I read in school, although I do remember some I’ve read as an adult.
Ryan, I agree with you about the video games. My 5th graders seem to think they can count the little blurbs on their games as part of their reading time. NOT!
Ashley, I guess if we get non-fiction heavy in schools, we’ll have to spend that much more time reading great stories with our kids at home. Some of my best memories are cuddling with my kids before bedtime, reading books.
Amy, Common Core Standards are where this is coming from. True, most adults are focused more on non-fiction, but there is so much to learn from great literature. What would we do without Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird? If we’re totally focused on informational texts, we won’t have time to teach literature. It’s already a big squeeze. But I’m still glad to see us going to a common set of standards. I think that’s a good thing.
Suzanne, I’ve heard these rumors too, but I homeschool so I hoped they were exaggerations. Like Bill Ferriter, I absolutely love nonfiction. As a child, I gravitated to biographies and non-textbook history reading, so I understand how much learning can be done through a well-crafted non-fiction book. Yet, what a loss if our education doesn’t offer our children a nudge to cry with Billy over the deaths of Old Dan and Little Ann in Where the Red Ferns Grow or empathize with Mary Call and her poverty Where the Lilies Bloom. I think we – humans – are made for stories, so it would seem counterintuitive not to teach with fiction.
Now to satisfy my practical curiosity: in your opinion would such a decision eliminate teaching Shakespeare or The Iliad or difficult texts like that? If a child has a gap of instruction from the 3rd to 9th, how will they have developed the skills for these books that link us to our past? Or would they be considered history?
Bridgette, I agree that it’s human nature to tell stories. That’s how our history was handed down to us for eons. Definitely, if a child has an instructional gap they won’t be able to access the classics such as Shakespeare or The Iliad. But a skillful teacher can lead to the place where they will be able to read them. I can’t imagine a high school education without those texts. But the current trends point toward effectively and efficiently teaching skills that translate to the job market or research. The emphasis is all about informational texts, but I think all educators know the value of great literature. I hope it will still have a solid place in our teaching in the future.
Even though I write fiction, and adore reading fiction, I do understand the practical application of non-fiction. We belong to a Literature Club which is a hybrid of a book club and classroom in that we (parents & children) read books for a discussion and project. The discussion follows the Socrates method of Q&A (including elements of fiction) and the projects are fun and creative with a focus on group socialization. The high school level group tackles difficult books and each year we focus on a specific time in history. (Ancients, Medieval, etc.) Most of the boys enter the group disliking fiction but become avid readers by the 2nd or 3rd book. If fiction is de-emphasized in the school system, I wonder if such groups will find their way out of the homeschool community and more into mainstream? As you said, too many educators know the value of literature to let it be dropped. On the upside, it will be interesting to see the creative ideas from parents and educators and librarians if a vacuum develops.
Fiction made the world of difference to me. I have a BBA in Finance and a minor in English. Time and time again my business professors complimented me on my ability to write. So many students in business were great speakers or could solve formulas, but they couldn’t write a business letter or paper to save their butts.
Fiction can open up so many parts of our brains, and make us better writers and communicators. An important component in any career. Sure, nonfiction teaches. But what I remember most about high school and college… fiction.
Plus, a lot of fiction leads us to learning (as it developed from learning). So many historical events have been fictionalized, life breathed into it by real events and then interpreted by an author.
I could, clearly, go on and on. My kids are always buried in a book. And I’m so proud!
It’s so good to hear your kids are buried in a book. One of my main goals each year is to instill a love for reading in my 5th grade students. Most of them develop that love, and yes, they do learn from it. In my opinion, they become better citizens and more understanding people, just by being exposed to different outlooks, settings, and problems through fiction. My best readers usually become my best writers, in fiction and non-fiction. They develop a clarity in thinking and writing through their reading.
Fiction can tell us just as much about the world and life as nonfiction, just not as directly. It requires more, you know, comprehension of what you’re actually reading. Fiction is essential.
I absolutely agree with you Sarah. I’ll fight to keep fiction in my classroom, but I may be wading against the tide. Thanks for adding your thoughts to the conversation.