In school why are we not taught how to tell stories?

A good essay can be as well written as a good story- the two are not mutually exclusive. There are no rules against using style in essay writing. Good storytelling is a skill…there are many storytelling festivals around the country…search google or contact your library. I know that the John Campbell Folk School offers classes on storytelling as well.

Schools have become test preparation mills, designed to satisfy government standards. Everything has to be quantifiable now. You can establish “objective” measures for essays, but not (thank God) for stories.

i took a short story class. we were graded on our presentations of the stories. it was a lot different than the typical english class essay type crap.

I don’t know where you’re from or what kind of school you went to, but plenty of schools teach students how to tell stories, in a variety of ways.

At the very least most high schools have an English program with a short story class.

And you can most definitely establish objective measures for a story. Beginning, middle, end. Change, growth. Conflict. These are all essential elements of a story that must be there (although the interpretation of those terms is obviously varied)

@jballou
I hear what you’re saying. I agree that when you’re learning to appreciate stories, it’s helpful to look for the kinds of structural elements you describe. But, as in any art form, stories that are generated according to formulas are rarely the most interesting, I don’t think there’s really all that much that can, or should, be said about what “has” to be in a story.

its a secret, don’t ask hisssss. I DONT KNOW ANYTHING, and don’t think its because they do it so no one enjoys school BECOUSE THATS NOT IT

This is Hemingway’s famous six word story:

“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

It’s said that he considered it his finest work.

First point: if schools are not held accountable for students learning information that is measured by authentic assessments, how do we guage success?

Second point: good English/language arts teachers teach the art of story telling, not how to write stories. Good, gripping, engaging story writers have an innate ability that may be fostered through instruction and guidance, but I don’t believe one can be taught to tell/write stories. That’s not to say children can’t be taught to write, but the art of story telling is something different.

I guess it’s the same reason why we are not taught how to think for ourselves.