The ways that narratives are currently taught do not fully engage students, thus resulting in overall lower student performance and increased apprehension toward writing. The problem with requiring students to write narratives in first year composition is that the narrative may become too personal, revealing too much, and as a result, the students regret what they wrote.  Parents become concerned, raising political issues about rights to privacy.  On the other hand, students who do not want to reveal anything personal may end up not meeting the paper's requirements and or not telling a story at all, and may suffer the consequences of a poor or failing grade.  When this occurs students lose interests in writing, stop coming to class, and become fearful about enrolling in writing courses. 

Try to imagine yourself as the student in this situation :

Now try to imagine yourself as the teacher:

So often the narrative is associated with one’s feelings and emotions.  A student’s visual frustration may be shown through disruptive behavior as well as low or no attendance. Teachers who experience these sorts of problems also struggle with the issue of evaluating narratives. As one teacher states,“How can I correct the life-stories of my students, if they are told by them, in their own language?  In a contemporary composition classroom, all papers are evaluated according to grammar, content, and style.  I can honestly say that I cannot grade a narrative the same way” (Gulyas 190).  The ways in which narratives and other papers are graded should be according to a standard rubric and could differ according to an instructor’s teaching style, course goals, and learning objectives (Pagnucci 55).  Although the evaluating of narratives is a relevant issue, for the purposes of this essay, evaluating the narrative will not be discussed.