-
My mom read me bedtime stories
My mother would read my brother and I stories from her Richard Scarry books, giving different voices to all the characters, making the stories so exciting. -
Weekly trips to the Library
My parents would take my brother and I to the library almost every week to check out books and grow our reading skills. -
Taught myself to read and write in spanish
After learning to speak, read, and write (early education) in English, I began to pick up picture books in Spanish and my love for reading deepened more, knowing how to read fluently in two languages. -
Read my first chapter book
Towards the end of second grade I started getting interested in chapter books and lost all interest in picture books. I picked up a book from the Magic Treehouse collection by Mary Pope Osborne about the Titanic and instantly became hooked. -
I read my first Harry Potter book
I picked up my first Harry Potter in the third grade and was fascinated. Magic Treehouse were still my favorite but I definitely enjoyed the magic in Harry Potter. -
Took a school test to determine reading level
Sometime in the fifth grade, everyone was tested to determine reading level and I tested at 9th grade reading level. Once a week we would move to the designated classroom for our reading levels and work on books that were at our level. These results only encouraged me to read more challenging books. -
Invited to participate in spelling bee
I attended a private Catholic School and was invited by my Reading/English teacher to participate in the diocesan spelling bee. The first place prize was a paid semester at Bishop Gorman High School. I think my love for and active reading helped contribute to my ability to spell and write well. -
High School English Honors
English Honors in high school was much different from middle school. There was a big focus on literature and not so much grammar work. We read "The Odyssey," "Romeo and Juliet," "Lord of the Flies," "Of Mice and Men," and "Death Be Not Proud." I loved every single work. So much that I have reread every work in my adult life. -
Deeper Dive into Shakespeare
I auditioned for the school production of "The Taming of the Shrew." During practices, we broke down the script so thoroughly, I developed a love for Shakespeare's works and would spend much of my time at Borders book store reading his works. I continued auditioning and participating in Shakespearean plays at school and attended the Shakespearean festival at Southern Utah University from sophmore-senior year. -
College World Literature
My second year of college, I took World Literature I and World Literature II. I loved the connections among stories and cultures, specifically how the Christian Bible stories are very similar to some of the earliest civilization's stories, many many years before Christianity. At this point I changed my major from Journalism to Secondary education with an emphasis on English/Literature. -
My relationship with reading today
I still maintain a positive relationship with reading and usually squeeze a few books in during summer break. I take my children to the library every week and try to make time every week to let them read to me. My son is in kindergarten and is an early reader. He was non-verbal until almost 3 years old. I read to him daily. My daughter started speaking at 2, we read daily and now in first grade she tested at a fourth grade reading level. I believe reading is so important for children.