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Period: to
Life
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Early Childhood- before school (1992-1998)
From the time I was born, my mom spend countless hours reading to me and my 2 sisters. She would always read to us before naps or bedtime, but we could also frequently be found sitting amidst a pile of books in our room pretending to read as well. This is a picture of me when I was 3. -
Began Kindergarten
I began kindergarten in August of 1998. At my school, our teacher had a giant red bathtub filled with stuffed animals that was our "reading station". We weren't taught to read that year, but we were encouraged to go to the reading station whenever we wanted. That was always my favorite station. I would sit in that tub and pretend to read as long as I possibly could each day. This picture is of me and my sisters on my first day of school. -
Learning to Read
I officially learned to read when I was in the first grade. We were encouraged to read books that had AR points, where we would take a test after we finished the book and be awarded points based on how well we did on that test. As the year came to an end, I was the first student in my class to reach the goal of 100 points for the year. Image from http://heidiayarbe.blogspot.com/2013/02/accelerated-readers-ar-arbitrary.html -
Conquering Little Women
In 3rd grade, my class had a challenge against the 6th grade to see who could earn the most AR points during the 5th six week period. To help my class, I decided that I was going to read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. This book had over 600 pages and was worth over 35 AR points. In my mind, reading this book really fueled my passion for reading. To top that, our class became the first 3rd grade group to beat the 6th graders. Image from http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1934.Little_Women -
TAKS Writing Test
4th grade brought the TAKS writing test. My English teacher was Mrs. Roberts. She was a very tough teacher, who I though was mean at the time. I dreaded her class every day, which lead to a dislike for writing. This image came from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Assessment_of_Knowledge_and_Skills -
Texas History Class
When I entered 7th grade, I had a Texas History teacher named Coach Davis. He was ex-military who was very strict and particular about how he ran his class. One thing Coach Davis really taught me was how to write a clear and concise essay on a specific historical topic. We wrote what felt like hundreds of essays in that class. It was a this point that I began to feel more confident in my writing abilities. Image from http://theprometheusacademy.com/class_texas_history.html -
Dual Credit English
As a junior and senior in high school, I had the opportunity to take 4 semesters of dual credit English classes, so I could have those behind me when I went to college. During these 2 years, my confidence in writing soared. Mrs. Druesedow did a great job of pushing and teaching us while still encouraging and uplifting us. She expected college-level essays and papers, but would work with us to help us reach that goal. This picture was with some of my English classmates when we graduated. -
Began College at ASU
Starting college introduced me to a whole new level of reading and writing. As a college student, I didn't have as much time for recreational reading, as much of my time was spent reading and writing for school assignments. This change took me some time to adjust to. However, I still tried to make time to read just for the fun of it. This picture is one I took before I had to make a presentation during my first semester of college. -
Honors Research
During the fall of my senior year, I took a research class for Honors credit with Dr. Eoff. That semester I began to learn how to read a research article and write a review. I also learned to take the information I read throughout the semester and form my own opinions. This was a totally new style of writing, and I found that I really enjoyed this new technique. This picture is me with a couple of girls who were in Honors with me. They both also graduated with math teaching degrees. -
Graduation
I was blessed to be able to graduate with my undergraduate degree in 4 years. My degree was a BS in Mathematics with Teaching Certification. -
Began Teaching and Graduate School
I began my teaching career at Central High School at the same time as beginning my graduate degree program. These events taught me two very different types of reading and writing. Both have been a little difficult to learn, but I am very grateful for the opportunity to learn in these settings. This picture is me on the day that I got the key to my room at school.
