Why Should I Bother Teaching Short Stories?

There seems to be a shift in the world of English education that has teachers removing things like short stories and poetry from the curriculum. With such a great emphasis on “college and career readiness” there just doesn’t seem to be time or space to fit these once standards of the subject matter into the already packed year.

Yes, you can throw in a novel and teach all the elements of literature like similes, allegory, and plot. Honestly, who needs to know anything about Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” unless you are going to make an appearance on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

But that’s not why short stories and poetry should be kept in the curriculum. Yes, it's fun to know about them just in case it becomes the million dollar question on a game show, but it is more than just that. We learn about these pieces to open up a dialogue with those around us. Short stories allow for a sense of common ground amongst those who have read it to communicate. And communication is the key of any English language arts program.

I think that sometimes we as teachers forget that important thing. That communication piece. It isn’t just about the state standardized test that the students will be required to take. It is about creating students who are able to communicate effectively in a variety of ways and in a variety of situations.

Short stories and poetry allow for that. Of course, novels do as well, but let me argue against them for just a brief moment. Novels are great. I love them. There are some classics that I think every student should read. However, not to burst your teaching bubble, but not every student is going to keep pace with the reading assignments, and there comes a point when you get so far behind, that it isn’t going to be worth their effort (at least in their mind) to catch up. At that point, you’ve lost that student. The only thing they will be able to effectively communicate to you is that they haven't read.

Short stories and poetry don’t have the long game effect in the classroom like novels do. Sure, you are going to have some students that aren’t going to read, but there isn’t that hopelessness of being unable to catch up if you get behind. You simply call it a loss for one short story, take your grade, and move on to the next.

But how can short stories improve communication? Obviously they can be used to improve written communication–Write an essay explaining the allegory Poe uses in “The Masque of the Red Death.” But the real worth in my opinion comes from verbal communication. Speaking, while part of the standards–at least here in Missouri–is often the neglected standard. Teacher blow it off with the attitude that students are meeting the requirements all the time when gabbing with their classmates. But having a true discourse with students about the themes and ideas of a piece is completely different.

I always make a point that when students speak on a piece, they are required to use evidence from the text–much the same as when they are writing. When I ask them what they believe the theme is for a particular piece, they need to back it up with support. This is effective communication. This shows me they’ve read. This shows me they were thinking about what they read. And honestly, this is a whole lot easier to assess than reading 24 papers.

So before you decide to just throw short stories and poetry out the window, consider this:

1.) They make wonderful tools to assess verbal communication.

2.) They allow you to quickly assess a student's reading comprehension.

3.) You are less likely to lose any student for an entire semester. More than likely, there is going to be at least one short story that they are going to find enjoyable.

And probably the most important of all:

4.) There are some pretty cool short stories and poems out there that just seem to speak to highschoolers. And you wouldn’t want to be responsible for them missing out on them. Would you?