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Introduction
My life began in an abrupt way, as my parents got divorced when I was two years old. I was then juggled from house to house, enduring very different parenting styles. My mom was very involved with my early literacy, taking me to the library, doing weekly devotions, and reading to me every night, whereas my dad focused on my athleticism and enrolled me in numerous sports. Through these experiences, I was able to develop a love for literacy, but I still had my challenges and downfalls to overcome. -
Step Grandma Is Japanese
My step grandma was japanese, and wrote every one of my birthday cards in japanese. She was difficult to communicate with, so I would have to use body language. When we went to eat with her, I had to eat with chopsticks. -
Large Library of Dr. Suess
Growing up, my parents always kept my library stocked with Dr. Suess books -
Mom read to me every night
At night, my mom would read to me. In particular, she would read the book "I love you this much" and sing along to the CD. -
Diary
I kept a diary throughout my elementary years that I would write in every night. -
Little Sister Was Born
My little sister was born, and my favorite new hobby was reading books to her and trying to teach her new words. -
Bible Devotions
Weekly, we would have family devotions. When I got old enough to be able to read and understand, my mom would pass the bible around and have my siblings and I take turns reading. -
Favorite Books
When I was in elementary grades (4th and 5th in particular) I really enjoyed the Junie B Jones books. -
Closet Chalkboard
My closet door was a chalk board, which I used to write on frequently. I would make menus for my play kitchen, practice my cursive letters, and write random messages. -
Library
Mom took me to the library once a week to sit in on a guest reader. She would allow me to check out different books and puppets to take home with me. -
Mr. Joachimsthaler
My fourth grade teacher had an extremely long last name, and would make us attempt to spell it every week on the spelling tests. Eventually, his last name was hammered into my brain, which taught me new techniques in memorizing spellings to long words. -
Young Author
Participated in Young Author which is where I wrote my own short stories and submitted them for competition. -
Slow Reader
Started to realize I was slower at reading than my peers, which discouraged me from reading out loud and would keep me from reading thoroughly because I would try to rush through to catch up with peers, which would effect my school work. -
AIM
I began using AIM to communicate with friends, which caused me to start using more "slang" and abbreviations. My username was hotbeetle96...LOL! (Yes I said LOL on purpose to go with the post). -
Spanish Class
Throughout elementary school and middle school, I took spanish. -
Star Reader
I hated the star reader tests. I was slow at reading, so I would normally score low. I also wouldn't pay attention to them and would guess the majority of the time trying to just pass for the points. -
Cursive
I always struggled with cursive writing growing up, which is why even now when I sign my signature, it is not in cursive. -
Sports
I was involved in multiple different sports (dance, soccer, softball, baseball, and track) which kept me extremely busy and moving, but also allowed me to widen my vocabulary. -
Grandma Passed Away
My grandmother, who was also my best friend, passed away from breast cancer. This was devastating, and took a toll on me in my schooling for multiple weeks. -
Favorite Books/Author
In middle school, I became obsessed with Ellen Hopkins, who I now name as my favorite author. I was hooked on her books, and read the majority of them in 7th and 8th grade. I could not put her books down. -
Evicted From Home
My family and I were evicted from our home because we were unable to pay after my step dad suffered a pay cut. It was difficult on me and my siblings having to move into the basement of someone else's home. -
Reflection
Overall, I have had an enriching road in my development of literacy. I have hit bumps that affected my learning, but was able to overcome them to achieve my potential. Though I still have drawbacks such as being a slower reader and not excelling in cursive, I still work on these area's frequently to better myself. Knowing that it is easy to feel intimidated with your fluency, I will make sure to focus on this area with my future students to create a positive and comfortable learning environment.
