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Beginning Reader-Mat Sat & Eric Carle
When I think about my first experiences reading, I always think about the "Mat Sat" books and Eric Carle's book Brown Bear Brown Bear. My mom bought books for beginning readers, and we would read together (or she would teach me to read) in the afternoons sitting on the swing on our screen porch. -
Kindergarten
In Kindergarten, I remember that everyone was learning to read, and we would sit in a circle and read a book together. I'm pretty sure my teacher was still reading to us at this point, but I may have been reading already. If I wasn't, I already knew that I enjoyed reading and the exciting places I could go inside the world of books. -
Harry Potter with my Dad
Many people in our generation have stories about their first experience with Harry Potter! My dad brought the books home and started reading them aloud to my sister and I at night before we went to bed. Sometimes my dad would do all the reading, and other times my sister and I would take turns, but I loved them! I had never read something so captivating! -
School Book Fairs
I knew I was a reader by how much I absolutely loved school book fairs! Once a year, they would set up the book fair in our school library, and I wanted to buy all the glossy, new books. I found it so exciting to make my selections and take them home to begin reading! -
School Library
When I started middle school, I remember feeling excited by the size of my new school's library. I always had a book on my nightstand and would stay up too late reading. My mom would see my light on, but most of the time, she would ignore it and let me keep reading because she knows that I am like her--once I start reading a book that I like, I have a hard time putting it down! -
8th Grade English
I was always reading and had multiple adult reader role models in my family and at school, but in the eighth grade, I really began to fall in love with the study of literature. I realized that I enjoyed discussing books and analyzing them. I had an amazing English teacher who was always recommending books for me to read and asking my opinion about them afterwards. I especially remember reading To Kill a Mockingbird and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn this year. -
High School English
WIth every English class in high school, I realized how much I enjoyed not only reading literature but having the opportunity to discuss it with others and write about it myself. I was fortunate to have teachers who were incredibly passionate about their work. They helped me realize the value of studying literature as a means for understanding not only myself but other people and the world. I began to see that the study of literature could be a kind of lens to view and understand the world. -
AP English
By the time I started AP English, I already knew that I loved literature, but this class was another turning point for me because it required me to read more advanced literature and write about it on a more complex level. I loved reading challenging texts and enjoyed being in class with other students who enjoyed discussing literature!