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Being read to as a baby
one of my earliest memories was being read to as a baby. My mom would tuck us in at night read one of our favorite picture books, "Barbie, Little Sisters Keep Out." I still have these books and read them to my niece when I watch her. -
Ordering catalog books through mail
In an effort to get us interested in reading on our own, my grandma subscribed to Disney catalogs and would order books from our favorite movies through the mail. -
writing/reading books to grandma
In elementary school, I found I preferred to write rather than read, and would write small stories for my grandma. Despite how excited she was, she would never read them but would make me read them to her instead. -
Reading logs in elementary school
I viewed reading as a chore when I was younger and avoided it at all costs, causing me to read below grade level. The use of reading logs helped me to expand my horizons and explore genres that piqued my interest. I was also dedicating an ample amount of time to increase my reading level. -
Reading to Kindergartners in fifth grade
This experience is what made me contemplate becoming a teacher. I received the highest reading CRT score which meant I was able to leave class for 30mins and read to kindergartners. Watching their faces light up inspired me to increase my skill as a reader as I had a first-hand look at the effect stories had on people. -
Reading projects fifth grade
One of the reasons I hated reading was because I struggled to picture what it was I was reading. The black and white words on the pages never transcribed to anything colorful or vivid and made reading immensely boring. Creating projects based on details of books such as building cabins, or making poster board presentations on plot, helped me to visulize what I was reading and make it entertining. -
Readers Theater- Middle School
Similar to the reading projects, readers theater brought books to life and gave them meaning. This activity allowed me to analyze how I interpret a text and showcase my perspective to others who had one different from my own. I feel that it was this activity that strengthened my inner reading voice. -
Introduction to analyzing poetry- 12th grade
As mentioned before, I preferred writing over reading. My introduction to analyzing poetry helped me to level the two as I was entranced by the different writing styles of different poets. I found it amazing to see how they could write such profound messages in such a short amount of words. Once I analyzed and compared poetry, I could hardly stop reading it. -
Tutoring student in reading comprehension
Growing up as a slow reader, I always felt that I was alone and tried to conceal myself from the rest of my peers. That was until I realized that there were many others like me. Once I had developed an above-average reading skill, I decided to help others who were struggling with reading find ways to succeed and feel confident in their reading abilities. -
Learning how to help Spanish speakers read English
The most recent event in my reading journey is learning different ways to assist ESLs with reading and writing in English. Being thrown into a new culture is terrifying especially in academic settings. As a future educator who understands the feeling of struggling with reading, I have to make sure I am providing my kids with the tools and skills they will need to be successful in their lifetime.
