The major problem with the new Common Core State Standards is that they further diminish something that is greatly undermined from the moment we enter school: our creativity.

School essentially limits innovation. The best way to succeed in school is to repeat exactly what the teacher says. But the most effective way to express one’s creativity in school has always been through the reading of fiction. Through fiction, we are able to let our imaginations run wild, assign meaning to complex passages and have a chance to attack certain situations and moral dilemmas without living them. Reading fiction is an active, involved process.

Also, nonfiction rarely has any appeal to teenagers. For example, take Executive Order 13423, one of the suggested readings. I doubt even the president of the United States could read that without falling asleep.

Karna Malaviya, McLean