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Literacy History
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Homework before school: My mom
While my sister was already in school, I wasn't. I would see her bringing home books and doing worksheets and various other homework assignments, and I thought it looked fun. My mom started to make up worksheets to give to me of basic things. The difficulty of the worksheets of course increased with age. She continued to make them for me even when I was in school, because in the earlier grades of school I didn't think I had enough homework to keep me entertained. -
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
At this time, the first Harry Potter book was published. Though I did not read Harry Potter when it first came out, my later discovery of the series was huge. I probably picked up the first book in fourth grade, and fell in love immediately. I lend much of my love for reading and creative writing to the Harry Potter series. Much of what I liked to read and write revolved around concepts and writing styles I saw in Harry Potter. -
PBS Kids Network
PBS Kids Network was established in 1999 and continued to run for seven years. In these years, I spent a lot of time in the morning before school watching Clifford The Big Red Dog and Dragontales. -
Start of Schooling Education
I started my first year of school when I went to Kindergarten this year. It was an entirely different experience for me, for I hadn't gone to pre-school like many of the other classmates. -
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Library in School: Mrs. Nally
From grades K-5, once a week our small class would go to the library. The librarian of my grade school, Mrs. Nally, would read us a short story every time. In addition, she would help us all find books to read according to our likes and dislikes. She also helped with several book-related projects throughout the years that involved learning more about authors and writing. -
Dean Martin with Dad
As a child, I remember dancing in the basement with my dad, singing along to Dean Martin blaring through the surround sound. I didn't have much exposure to music at the time, but I started to like the type of music my dad listened to. Though I don't listen to it frequently anymore, I can still sing along to nearly any Dean Martin song. -
Reading Quizzes
Starting in 3th grade and going until 6th, each quarter we were required to have a certain amount of points in reading. These points were gained by taking reading quizzes on books that we chose to read over the course of the quarter. These reading quizzes prompted me to continuously be reading, and also to read more difficult books which rewarded more points. -
Dad and his Computers
My dad always had several computers around the house and even more computer parts. I owe all of my 12+ hours a day in the summer doing nothing but being online and playing on the computer to my dad. Being around such technology starting at such a young age morphed me into a very computer savvy person. When I was younger, I usually knew how to fix most computer problems. I could navigate around a computer better than anyone. I also eventually taught myself how to code websites and graphics. -
5th Grade teacher: Mrs. Kiernan
In 5th grade, I thought my teacher was so cool. She listened to interesting music I liked and incorporated it into the classroom. She was also very into creative writing and english, two things that I excelled in. Because I liked her as a teacher and enjoyed her teaching methods, my slight obsesion with grammar and my love for writing slowly grew. Writing so much in her class really helped me later with Power of the Pen. -
My Sister's Room
For years I would sneak into my sister's room, read her writings, and flip through her sketchbooks. Her creativity resonated with me and unknowingly influenced my own creativity and love of writing and art. -
Neopets
For years, I played Neopets. In about fifth grade, I joined a "guild" that was Harry Potter themed. We were prompted to speak with proper spelling and grammar (most people online don't usually practice that much). I also participated in roleplaying -- creating characters and writing about them -- with other members of the guild. This was a huge influence on my writing and a big part of what I wrote for a large part of my life. This roleplaying really lasted from 2005-2011. -
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Power of the Pen
In 6th and 7th grade, I was a member of the Power of the Pen, a competitive creative writing group at my school. Both years, I was on the small team that competed and made it faily far in competition. Power of the Pen really helped my writing grow because I had to write stories on the spot without preparation. This aided my thinking process and freewriting abilities. It also helped me better discover my love for creating characters and stories. -
Border's Bookstore with Dad
My dad used to take me to the nearby Border's Bookstore with him, usually on Saturday nights. He would go find a chair and read computer books, while I would sit in the children's section and read the beginning of as many books as possible. There was also live music playing that we would sit and listen to. My dad would also take me to midnight releases of the Harry Potter books when I got older. -
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High School: NDCL
Though it was only four years, high school was a big chunk of my life in which I was finding myself and making friendships. Obviously, school played a huge role in my literacy of many types, from social to academics. -
Freshman Art Class
Freshman year of high school, I took an introductory art class. I really loved the teacher, but doing art for a grade and for a due date really began to deteriorate my passion. However, I did get a painting submitted into a local art show and won an award for it. -
New relationships: Joe
As a freshman in high school, I became friends with and shortly dated someone named Joe, who in that short time introduced me to a lot of music that shaped my music tastes today. Later in 2011, we became friends again and have been dating since. Joe isn't just my boyfriend, but my best friend who has had a huge influence on shaping me without even knowing it. Without this friendship, music, video games, and snowboarding would not be as prominent in my life as they are. -
Friendships: Lillian
In high school, I found my best friend. Lillian and I had so much in common, and we understood each other in ways that nobody else could. Practically every second of our time was spent together being goofballs and acting like crazy teenagers. She brought out the creative and artistic side of me that, at this point, was starting to fade. Although we stopped being friends in 2012, she still greatly influenced me.
