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Reading Bedtime Stories
For Christmas my parents got each of my siblings and I fairy tales books. My mom would read to us everynight and we'd beg her for just one more story. I believe that is where my first exposure to reading began. -
Learning the letters
I remember when we first started Kindergarten and began to learn the letters, and that they created words I was fascinated by that. -
My first book
The first books that I read were the Sally, Dick and Jane books in 1st grade. I remember thinking I was so smart because I could read on my own, and I didn't have to wait for someone else to have time to read to me. -
2nd Grade
My 2nd grade teacher has a love for reading that spread to each student that entered her class. We had what left like hours to read in her class, both independently and as a group. We talked about what we read; we shared the things that we learned. At the end of the year I gave her a yellow rose bush for being such a great teacher. I now live back in that same small town and see her from time to time. She always tells me how beautiful her yellow Lisa rose bush is. -
Reading for fun
The summer of 1995 I found a series of books that captured my interest and made me want to never put them down. Each book had approximately 700 pages and there were 6 books at the time. I read each one and have since re-read them a number of times. These books also introduced me to my favorite genre, historical fiction. That was a lot of reading for summer break for a middle schooler. -
High School Reading Class
In high school I studied hard and continued my love of reading. I took a reading class to prepare for college. It taught me reading skills including reading speed and reading retention. I learned so much from that class that I still use today. It also helped me later in college when I found out how difficult real studying could be. -
Starting College
As a small town graduate I thought I was prepared for the big wide world of college. I was shocked by the complexity and requirements that college held. This is where I really learned to read for a purpose and it was hard. -
Learning to teach reading in college
In college I took a children's literature class that focused on teaching children to read by making connections to the books that they are reading. We did reviews on books and their reading level and the interests that might be addresssed in each book. This idea really resonated with me because I knew that my passion for reading was increased when I read a book that captured my interest. For this class the first book I reviewed was Bud, not Buddy. -
Teaching my son to read
One of the most difficult things I have tried to teach is reading to my son. There are so many basic things that are done automatically now that I have had to go back and think about in teaching him to read. This book is one of the tools that I have used with success in help him learn to read. The first time he put two sounds together to read the word am, we both celebrated and saw such a break through. -
Watching the next generation explore reading
Watching my son as he begins to dive into the world of books on his own has been an amazing and humbling experience. Together we have read several series like, Flat Stanley, Dinosaur Cove, and the Spiderwick chronicles. I am excited to see what his future selections will include.
