Early Memories

Reading was never easy for me. I remember struggling in elementary grades and always having to get extra help from teachers. My parents were very helpful and I remember how my teachers sent home extra books for me to read with my parents. I remember being excited that my dad was taking time from his busy schedule to sit down and let me read to him for 15 minutes at a time. This was a very important developmental stage that set the foundation for the long years of learning that I had ahead of me. 

While I was not always excited to read, I was very excited to write my own stories. My early attempts included lots of misspellings. Even using tips like "sound the word out" or "stretch the word out to hear all the letters" was not always enough to be able to be able to successfully spell a word. Thankfully my teachers were still able to understand what I was writing!

Teachers always used methods such as guided reading and independent reading. I remember sitting at a table with the teacher and a few other students and we would all work together to read a story. In middle grades I remember independent reading methods being used through time set aside for the entire school and it was called "Silent Reading." During Silent Reading time the entire school would stop what they were doing and pick up a book and read for 15 minutes. I did not always enjoy this time because I have never been an avid reader. I would read in order to get by but it was never something where I was reading just for fun.

In regards to the way I learned how to read and write, I will do my best as a teacher to make sure that all children learn to love reading and writing. Even as an adult I am not overly fond of reading material that I am not interested in and I will be able to relate to children who do not share the same love for reading as other students do. Reading was hard for me and I struggled for years while my older sister loved to read and it came easy to her. Reading and writing are the foundations in which everything else comes from so it is important to communicate to students how important these skills are.