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Reading picture books with my mom, as a class, and by myself was something that I enjoyed - I loved seeing the beautiful illustrations in the wide array of books that were around me. -
I had quite the Junie B. Jones chapter book collection that I read ravenously throughout these years. It was fun to relate to a sassy character and was able to complete AR tests and reading logs with these books. -
This is where reading got more difficult for me. I tended to place into the lower level reading classes as I had very little interest and low comprehension skills. I think that definitely lowered my confidence, but in hindsight, I know it was for my benefit. At this point, books were harder to read and I rarely finished reading logs as required by my teachers. -
I don't quite remember this point in my life as a time that I was reading for pleasure, but reading for necessity. This was a more textbook heavy era in my schooling. This often looked like reading a chapter and then writing an essay or answering a worksheet based on what was read. Textbooks were hard to read, but throughout middle school, it did get easier as most textbooks follow similar formats. -
These years were a highlight of my reading journey. Learning how to read a novel and write an argumentative essay was actually really fun. Reading classics like Romeo & Juliet and the Giver could be boring, but I learned new words, new ways of writing, and how to have fun with writing an essay and coming up with a non-traditional argument. -
At this point, my teachers were focusing on garnering the skills to read a passage, quickly identify key components, and write an essay in a short amount of time. This was mainly for test prep, but I think this really served as college readiness for me. -
For my early time at community college, this consisted of attending lectures, writing book discussions based on assigned novels or passages, and engaging in semester-long research papers. I learned to enjoy the formula of researching, reading, and writing these essays as well as the peer review process. -
After deciding to pursue my degree in Elementary education, it was a fun transition from reading general studies books and textbooks to specialized information. I enjoyed reading my class materials and it didn't feel like I was doing it as a requirement. -
Being admitted into a teacher preparation program has exposed me to reading materials from pre-k to college levels. I have read so many novels so far this semester that I think I would have enjoyed as a young reader and wish I would have known there were multitudes of books out there. -
While I have never been a big 'read for pleasure' gal since I was a child, I have recently discovered audiobooks. I don't always have time to physically read, but I will listen to books for pleasure while cleaning, driving, doing schoolwork, working, etc. It's been a fun thing to rediscover. I am hoping during my off-school sessions between semesters, I can actually take the time to fall in love with physical books again.