Creative Writing in the Classroom

My district has been pushing Toulmin writing across all grades for two years now. Once students hit 6th grade, in most of our schools, that’s the majority, if not all of the writing they do. With the curriculum we have to do, it seems like we never have time for something a little more... creative? Don’t get me wrong! I was thoroughly impressed with the things my students were creating. My mentor and I both went to the same college and recalled that we didn’t have to write a Toulmin argument until we took a class with the head of the English department. The level of work we are expecting from our students is impressive. I think it is a great idea to have them introduced to this so early; however, does this mean that we don’t have time for more creative things?