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Period: to
Literacy Events
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Age 1-2 years old
As a small child, maybe one or two years old, my mother would read me all kinds of children's stories. Dr. Seuss books in particular had a lasting impact on me as far as I can recall, and they were the first books I can remember being read to me in my literary history. These were my first experiences with literacy, and they instilled in me a sense that books were something that held value. -
Age 3
I can remember my mother beginning to not only read the books to me but also teach me the ABC song and practice what sounds the letters of the alphabet make. One thing she used that I remember vividly were magnets for each letter that I could use on the refrigerator to make words. I would consider these times to be the prep work for making me ready to enter preschool with a literacy skill set already in place. -
Age 4
This was the time when I started pre-school. Because of my mother's diligent work in teaching me the foundations of literacy, I already had a good grasp on reading and was fairly skilled upon entry. -
Age 5
This was when I began kindergarten and what I consider the first year of real schooling, where I would begin the actual academic process of learning to read outside of home, pre-school, or daycare. This is where the fundamentals were taught to children who may not have had much prior literacy experience, and where children like myself built on the preexisting literary knowledge we had already attained. I remember this as being a time where I felt I was finally in a real school setting. -
Age 6
This was when I began 1st grade and began to finally feel like what I was learning in terms of literacy was more than just for pleasure reading or fun and instead had greater depth in terms of its importance in life. We started to learn larger words, their meanings, and the different kinds of words that made up the parts of speech or building blocks for writing, such as nouns and verbs. -
Age 6 (halfway through 1st grade)
I have a core memory that has stuck with me for years of a student being asked how to spell "water", and the student replied "y", which I knew he said because of the way that the pronunciation of the letter 'Y' can sound like 'why' with a 'w'. This, however, was the first time I think I realized that not every student was on the same level as far as reading and spelling skills, as I had already known how to correctly spell water. -
Age 8
I was in third grade at this time, and this was when I had been given my first book report assignment. This was significant because it was the first time I had to read a chapter book of my own choosing and then create an essay or report on the material for a grade, which stressed the importance of truly interpreting and understanding the material that I read. If I remember correctly, the book I chose was Treasure Island. -
Age 12
I was in the sixth grade. This time was very significant for me in my literacy journey for a few reasons. I was now in middle school, which meant a whole new level of learning was about to begin as far as literacy went. Also, this was the first time in years that I picked up a book to read for sheer enjoyment. For so long, reading had become more of a chore to me than something to enjoy due to schoolwork. The book was called 'The Hobbit', and it made me fall in love with reading all over again. -
Age 16
By this point, I was in high school, and the importance of literacy had long been embedded in me as a way to increase knowledge, express oneself artistically, and simply navigate life and all of its joys and obstacles as best as one is able. Literacy was something that I truly appreciated at this point, and I think I finally began to see all of its qualities and uses in a way that I hadn't cared to think about in years prior. I then began to use my literacy skills to create things that I wanted. -
age 31
I have decided that I want to become a teacher. The importance of literacy is something that I cannot stress enough, especially when it comes to instilling its value into the children of tomorrow that I hope to teach someday. It can open doors, create beauty that is immortal for people to enjoy for all time, and is an essential part of life in the world we inhabit today. I long to begin teaching children all the wonders that literacy can bring to their lives when I begin my career.