Reply to Why, oh why, do the schools still ask students to read so much fiction?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP here, I am a scientist, so is DH. I just think that fiction being a "model" of true life is crazy, why not just use real life? One Shakespeare play per year in HS should be adequate. The rest should be about history, industry, economics, medicine, law, finances and so on. These would make excellent topics for and "English" teacher to work with.
In the old days, they knew less about these topics and we did not include them in a classical education, but times have changed. A child can learn to be a great writer by reading history books instead of Greek Mythology.

BTW, we have tons of books in our house, but no fiction. [/quote]

I'm curious, do you actively discourage your kids from reading fiction?  Do they like reading?

I come from a family of avid readers (of fiction and non-fiction).  My brother is a biochemist, and devours fiction.  I believe having a well-rounded background and interests - which includes an interest in fiction - makes him a better communicator, provides him with a greater understanding of the world, and ultimately makes him a better scientist.

I can't imagine only reading non-fiction.  I love the stories in fiction.

And as someone with a history background, I have to point out that an understanding of Greek mythology is key to understanding history - it's not like there's this thing called "history" that existed independently of the beliefs and stories that helped guide it.[/quote]

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