As for reading more nf in high school, I would hazard a guess that the main reason this hasn’t happened is time. Watching my two kids in 11th grade last year, I was astounded by the amount of homework they had every night, including weekends. (If adults brought this much work home from the office every night over the same period of time, they’d be considered workoholics and we would be concerned about their psychological health because their lives lack balance.) Even if you replace textbooks–of which I’m not a big fan, but they get the content job done…and, hmm…perhaps “process” and “skill” need more focus, instead?–with other nonfiction, it would mean a whole lot more reading to get the full meal deal, and as much as I’d love to see that happen, I’m afraid the extra workload wouldn’t be a tradeoff I’d like to see…unless, of course, homework pressure could be relieved in some other area, but I doubt the math or English folks would see that as a viable option.

Speaking as a nonfiction lover, I really don’t see it as a dutiful veggie, I just find it the most thrilling reading — because it explains the world to me. What could possibly be more interesting?

But, as a homeschooler, I try very hard not to let my habits and interests dictate the content of my children’s education; therefore, this post served to remind me that I need to add some other veggies to our reading salad. I want my kids to get use to eating what is good for them so that they develop a taste for it early on. So today’s I am going to look through our library and pick out a few nonfiction books to read with the girls.