Final answer:
Reading stories in school serves to enrich students by offering insights and knowledge about human experiences, improve vocabulary, and develop critical and analytical thinking skills that are essential for lifelong learning and understanding.
Step-by-step explanation:
The real purpose of reading stories in school goes beyond mere escapism or vocabulary building. When students ask, What are you actually supposed to be learning from reading stories?, they're tapping into a central pillar of education. Reading literary works enriches us, providing profound insights and knowledge that shape our understanding of the human experience. It's neither about wasting time (A) nor solely about escaping reality (B), although stories can provide a pleasant reprieve from the everyday.
Instead, reading narratives in a scholastic setting is meant to improve vocabulary (C) and foster critical thinking. This activity ties closely to the manifest function of schools, which includes learning to read and write (b), but it's also about honing a student's interpretative and analytical skills, leading them to gain insights and understanding about diverse perspectives and cultures.
Literature encourages students to consider complex moral questions, recognize universal themes, and develop empathy. It connects with larger questions of philosophy and humanity, and it offers a way for students to reflect on their own ideas and their place in the world. Ultimately, the aim is to create a foundation of knowledge that students can carry into their lives beyond school—this is the essence of learning for life.