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Phonics Disaster
I entered Kindergarten able to read fluently, but my teacher insisted that I rely on phonics. She was trying to help me build skills to address challenging words, but I struggled because English is not a phonetic language to the same degree that most others are. -
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Significant Literary Moments K-12
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Caterpillar
In 1st grade I was sent to the office for obnoxiously telling my teacher that caterpillar was spelled with two l's and not one. I had the feeling that reading was a huge status symbol, if a mistake like that could become such a big deal. -
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
In 2nd grade, I was obsessed with Harry Potter. We had a copy of the first book, but I had to borrow the second book from our school library. When I went to check the book out, the librarian refused to let me rent it and told me that Harry Potter was for big kids only. Eventually she gave me a "reading test," and let me check it out after I read the first page. I remember being incredibly upset that she had thought I was a liar and assumed I could not read. -
Home Schooling
In 2002, my mother pulled us out of the public school system. I loved being homeschooled, because I could read as much as I wanted. I learned most of my work from the text book, and this suited me. I am not an auditory learner at all. Without readings, I have trouble retaining information. -
Public Middle School
When I returned to the public school system, I was constantly in trouble for reading under the table or doing homework instead of listening to the lesson. I remember being chronically baffled that students were not allowed to work at their own pace. -
"Challenge Reading Class"
Middle school reading class made no sense to me. The majority of our work was unstructured. Read X minutes or pages per week, and then write a summary. I do not feel that this model really prepared me to complete complex analysis later on. Unstructured reading seems to have minimal value. I believe that all class readings would be more productive if they were goal oriented and had reading guides designed to keep us engaged, rather than mindlessly skimming. -
GT English
I did not finish a single book in my GT English class, but I still got an A each semester. It strikes me that there must have been something wrong with this system if I could succeed without doing the work. I am not sure what needs to change in order to foster genuine engagement but something should. -
9th Grade GT LA
9th Grade English class finally presented the idea of reading with a purpose-- to create a five paragraph persuasive essay; build an idea/argument; and illustrate it with "evidence." -
Cry the Beloved Country
My 10th grade English class is the only course that I ever read the entire book for in the history of my public school career. They were also the first set of books that had characters who reminded me of my family and heritage, but didn't have only horrible things happen to them. I think teachers have underestimated how damaging it can be to constantly see characters that share your background denigrated and abused. -
AP English Literature
I walked out of this course with the understanding that English class was primarily the study of "old, white men." I felt disconnected and alienated, not only from the subject matter but from the discipline as a whole. That experience has taught me that we can't underestimate the sheer power of relevance when we are trying to encourage reading. Students are more likely to value reading and written word when it seems like it applies to their lived experience.