Reading standard changes....

I was just listening to an NPR story about people who are changing the reading standards for education in high school. It may sound fantastic but let me warn you, it is NOT all it sounds to be.

They have decided somewhere in their research that fiction is not developing the intelligence that non-fiction does and that by cutting that out and focusing on non-fiction, kids are smarter....I say PHOOEY! and I have decided to do my own research on this just to ease my mind and see how stupid they are. In case you don't understand, that means they are taking out the classics....Of Mice and Men, To Kill a Mocking Bird, Catcher in the Rye, Great Expectations...oh they say they are going to balance it, yet then say they are going to focus mainly on non-fiction? Make up your mind.

I couldn't tell you when General Lee's birthday is and what his fathers occupation was but I can still tell you about the actions of Boo Radley and Scout were along with George and Lennie's story!

In my mind, using creative fiction as a lesson is imperative. Kids have to use their imagination to see the story, to feel the words and what they are trying to say; using your imagination that way allows the brain to develop. AND, with creative writing, there is more vocabulary choices, expanding the words which kids are exposed to. You can't use a lot of words to talk about Civil Rights movement unless someone creates new texts embellishing the environment around the situation at the time...see what I am saying.

Oh, but they ARE keeping in some Shakespeare (though not all of it and they only read some acts)and poetry. I actually can't stand Shakespeare or poetry...who decided that that is what our kids need to get smarter. Ok, to be fair, that is what all school curriculum focuses on but really, I HATE poetry. I can't understand it, get lost in the rhyme and metaphors and focus to much on the logistics to understand the point they are trying to make. I can't read it, I don't enjoy it and if that was ALL we were allowed and given to read in school I would be SO behind. I am not the only one. The only one I like is Poe because it is not really poetry in the normal sense and I can understand what he is trying to say.

By limiting what we expose our children too, we limit their ability to flourish. Teenagers don't want to focus on school and reading anyway, by taking about interesting stories and replacing most of that with boring non-fiction, you are going to lose a lot of kids.

Here, listen, you decide. This has GREAT points on my side of the argument hahaha while telling you why they are deciding to do this

NPR.org New Reading standards