Why Stories Matter in Education?

Why do we read stories?

Maybe we read them to find traces of ourselves in other times and places? Maybe to see how people before us dreamed, failed, and imagined?

Or, maybe we read stories to remember that there is still mystery in the world—to remind ourselves what it feels like to wonder.

When I taught both fiction and nonfiction stories to my high school students last year, they appreciated both. But time and again, their favorite readings were the folktales and legends. Their feedback was simple, yet telling:

“I like reading stories.”

“I want to know how people thought before.”

“It feels like traveling to another world.”

What I suspect, and what a few of them even confirmed, is that what they liked most about those readings was the wonder—the curiosity that stories awaken in us. Those moments of “Really?” “Wow!” “Did that actually happen?” That spark of questioning, of imagining, of connecting dots between the known and the unknown.

Some students told me that, for them, folktales and legends felt like an escape—almost the same way they play video games to unwind or not think about things that weigh on them. Except here, instead of entering a virtual world, they stepped into one built through stories—told and retold by people, shaped by collective human imagination. And in that sense, these stories connect at a much deeper level. 

There’s something deeply human about that connection. It’s as if, through stories, we meet the shared part of ourselves that transcends time and place—the part that still wants to ask, Who were we? What did we believe? How did we dream?

In schools, we often talk about raising change-makers. And rightfully so. We want young people to solve problems, lead communities, and think critically about the world. Every lesson, project, and research topic seems to prepare students to tackle challenges such as climate change, water scarcity, mental health, and justice.

We ask our teens to show that they’re responsible citizens—even before they turn eighteen!

And that’s wonderful. It’s purposeful. These are important ways to help them think critically, apply learning to life, and build empathy for others. But sometimes, I question—how much of their learning has space for wonder itself?

And we don't need to make drastic changes to their learning—we can integrate wonder smoothly through stories, folktales, and legends that remind them (and us) that learning isn’t just about fixing the world; it’s also about seeing it with awe.

So, why read stories?

Because stories—especially the old ones—carry a kind of quiet wisdom. They also let us travel to places we’ve never been, see life through other eyes, and, for a moment, simply wonder.

Notes from the Margins

Sometimes, the smallest spark—a story, a question, a moment of wonder—is enough to remind us why we began learning in the first place.