Why don't our schools embrace creative writing more consistently?
Last week, at the suggestion of a mom, I offered a three-day creative writing workshop for middle schoolers. The seven kids who came to my studio with notebooks and pencils were on fire. The quality of the writing and critiquing was thrilling.
After the class, a mom told me what I feared: During her daughter’s sixth gradeyear there was only one opportunity to write a short story. Why? Is it because it's hard to "grade" creative writing? Is it because making people laugh or cry through your writing isn't on a standardized test? What do you think? And what kind of support can I, as a writer, offer to teachers out there who want to do more? Any ideas?
As a mom and a teacher, I have a few answers to why there is not a lot of creative writing. I'm not saying these are good answers, but they are some of the reasons...
ReplyDeleteOne, time. Many schools now (probably most) have huge loads of what HAS to be taught, more than can possibly be taught. And so the "non-essentials" are no longer taught. This can be very sad, but it is true. And in many state curriculums, creative writing plays a small role.
Second, many "programs" do not include much (or any) creative writing in them. So if the teacher/school is required to follow a set basal or set program, teachers are not given the flexibility to incorporate creative writing.
Third, many workshops/inservices talk about the importance of kids writing about what they know. For many kids, creative writing is not what they know. So it's not stressed.
Fourth, writing is hard (as well you know!) and teaching writing is hard. And so many teachers stick with writing that is comfortable for them, and do not teach creative writing because it is not comfortable for them.
Fifth, creative writing is not tested. Sad, but we are in many ways slaves to what is tested, thanks to No Child Left Behind.
I do try to incorporate some creative writing into my third grade classroom, and I also try to expose my students to a wide variety of children's books in a multitude of genres.
As an author, I think you should keep doing what you are doing! Write amazing books that kids love (you saw my blog ...Chicken of the Family is one of my kids' favorites right now... and I read the Word Eater to my 5th graders for several years in a row. I love your books).