Ms, Jena's Literacy Vignette
As a small child my mother's cure to put me to sleep was to read to me each night. I believe it was these moments that prepared me to become the reader that I am. The Berenstain Bears, Little House on the Prairie and Amelia Bedelia are just some of the titles that I grew up with. Being read to as a child inspired me to want to read and soon reading became a very important part of my life. Many times my parents would take me to the public library for reading programs; in these reading programs I would do many activities to improve my reading and these activities also intrigued my interest in reading. While in elementary school I read many accelerated reader books for my school's reading program. Reading became a competition in elementary school, for the more points you got for reading the better or more prizes you got; this gave me an incentive to read. All of these activities shaped me into a good reader and a child who enjoyed reading.
Unfortunately in high school reading became a burden to me. Each year, freshman, sophomore, junior and senior, I was in honors English. In these English classes I was forced to read eight books a semester. Many of the books I had to read where chosen for me, therefore not giving me the freedom to read what was of interest to me. It was not only the fact that I was reading books that I disliked, but also I had to read at such a rapid pace there was no available time to enjoy the assigned reading material. I believe one should be able to take their time when reading a book and let the words sink in. I feel that when I read at a slow pace and enjoy the reading I am more apt to remember what I read, with the ability to record events in the book better. Once I had completed each book, I had to take an accelerated reader test on each. The majority of my class grade was based on my grades on the accelerated reader tests. Luckily I received an A in each class.
Once I graduated from high school I obtained a job that allowed me an abundance of down time. With nothing to do I decided to take up reading again. With the autonomy to choose what I wished to read I began to enjoy reading, much like I did while in elementary school. I discovered an author's books that I truly adore, Nicholas Sparks. Nicholas Sparks books interest me in a way that is like an addiction. Once I begin one of his books, it takes all I have to put it down. I feel as if I am a part of the book and the characters are personal friends. When I finish a Nicholas Sparks book, I feel a sense of sadness because I will not be a part of that book anymore. Now that I am into my third year of college and majoring in elementary education I have another obsession, childrens books. I feel as if I am going back to my roots, that time when I loved reading and couldn't get enough. I have made many trips to Barnes and Noble, Waldenbooks, book fairs and placed book orders through Scholastic, allowing me to regress back to my childhood and read the books that I truly enjoy. I allow my collection of childrens books to grow each opportunity I have. I want my classroom to have a plethora of books so reading can be just as important to my students as it has been for me; hopefully I will be able to inspire my students to make reading a key component of their lives.
