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First Influential Book
My most cherished gift at age 5 was a big book of Grimm's fairytales. I attempted to read those stories repeatedly and pored over the elaborate illustrations. This book undoubtedly sparked my imagination, and my passion for reading. -
"The Cat Sat on the Mat"
Reading in Kindergarten was a disappointment. The simple repetitive books and round robin style of reading was boring, so I shut down and daydreamed. The texts we read were way below my reading level. -
Bookworm
I discovered a treasure trove of yellowed and dusty romance novels of my mothers, stored in boxes in the garage, and spent hours there reading them. At age 6 I could decode and comprehend enough of the text to follow the plots. Mom observed my hunger for books and got me a library card. I rode my bike to the library daily and stayed all day, reading from the grown-ups section of the library. Mom called me her "little bookworm". -
IQ Test
My parents were called to my school and told that I scored at "genius level" on my first IQ test. But nothing came of it. I was fast losing interest in school. During instruction I talked or daydreamed and was constantly punished through corporal punishment (caning). I have no memories at all of reading in school or at home. I was starting to hate school. -
Letter from Freddy
My first High school boyfriend, Frederic, wrote me a lengthy and eloquent love letter in fountain pen. His use of descriptive language and advanced vocabulary surprised, inspired, and intimidated me. My respect and admiration for him still endures till today. -
Daydreamer
Despite English class being my favorite class in high school I began to shut down due to lack of challenge and a burned out teacher who bullied me. She labelled me as a daydreamer because I turned my head to stare out of the window to hide my frequent tears. Most recesses I spent my time in the library enjoying precious books while avoiding bullies. -
Computers are TERRIFYING!
Computers were fairly new and intimidating when I started college for the first time. For my first semester I stubbornly drafted and redrafted all my written assignments on an electric typewriter. Eventually practicality triumphed over my fear and I proudly became computer literate. -
Wow, I'm an Author!
I joined the college newspaper and wrote my first article and saw it published. This was one of my proudest achievements of my life up till that point. -
Teaching Reading
My first year of teaching was a classroom of 33 Kindergartners from backgrounds with poverty and a very low level of literacy. I devoted myself to every student in my class and immersed them in my love of literature and writing. It was a proud achievement that every student reached a high level of literacy by the end of the school year. -
Busy Moms Don't Read
I read to my three children from when they were in utero but never made time to read books myself. When I finally picked up a book and reignited my love for reading I was frustrated at myself for waiting so long. I devoured books for weeks, usually reading each regular fiction book within two days. It was noteworthy how quickly my spoken vocabulary increased and how my writing skills were sharpened.
