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Learning Words
My mom heard a radio ad for a preschool bragging that their children were learning to read at 4 years old. She decided that if other children could do it, so could we, and starting teaching my brother and me letters and words -
Satisfying Curiosity
I asked my grandma so many questions about...well, everything...that she got me a series of children's books, 5 in total, labeled How, What, Why, Where, and When. Each book answered questions that children commonly ask. -
Dr. Seuss and Captain Underpants
My parents took us to the library to pick out books. They chose Dr. Seuss for me but Captain Underpants for my brother. I read both and fell in love with both. I learned that language can have rhyme, and also that comics can create compelling stories. -
The World Opens Up
A friend of my parents gave my brother and I hundreds of National Geographic magazines dating back to the 70's. I had always wanted to see the world, and those magazines were the perfect way for my young self to do that. -
My First Library Card
At thirteen, my parents decided I was old enough to have my own library card. I remember how proud I was to have that card because my parents told me that it was a big responsibility; that it would now be on me to take care of the books I chose to borrow. I started reading the Goosebumps series, which taught me about the emotions that words can elicit, and the Animorphs series, which made me think about caring for our planet. -
Reading as an Empathetic Experience
In 10th grade, my English teacher gave us a list of 100 books that everyone should read. The book that affected me the strongest was "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya. While the boy in the story was from a completely different background than me (lots of siblings, parents were immigrants), I realized that we were more similar than we were different. -
Reading for Deeper Meaning
I read "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee for my 11th grade AP English class. While I did not particularly enjoy the book, I became engaged when my teacher told us we would have to write a paper on what we thought the book was about. My teacher told me I had a well-argued and unique take on the meaning of the novel, and it taught me the excitement of delving deeper into the meaning of literary works -
My First Unfinished Book
In 12th grade, I had to read Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" for an AP English class. I hated that book, and it is only one of two that I have never finished (the other being Dostoevsky's "Notes from the Underground). While i never finished reading the novel, I learned that it is possible to dislike a book but still respect it. It also taught me that I need to think about what my students will enjoy reading, as I was already thinking about teaching high school. -
Enjoyment Meets Philosophy
In my senior year of high school I discovered "The Wheel of Time" series by Robert Jordan. I could not put the books down. I realized that a series can be both enjoyable to read and also have a deep and extensive philosophical theme as well. -
Enjoying Textbooks
I took Educational Psychology my second year of college. While I always read my textbooks, I have never taken any particular enjoyment out of them. When I read the textbook for this class, however, I enjoyed reading the concepts and ideas. I realized that, while textbooks can be dry sometimes, they are not necessarily boring.
