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First time I learned my ABC's
My parents said I learned my ABC's at age 3-4, this is a very big step for every child and it is when I started to recognize letters. -
Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
One of the first books I remember reading and one of my all time favorites. I would read it over and over again from ages like 4-6. This was when I enjoyed reading. -
Reading in Spanish
My parents do not speak much English and my siblings were all born in Honduras, so Spanish was spoken inside the house. Growing up I read a book from Honduras (can't remember the title) and I was exposed and learned to read and write Spanish from that one book. -
Book reports in elementary school
Our teachers gave us a sheet where we would record what book we read and we had to write a quick summary. These reports got tiring and at one point I would just copy a book from a year ago or just keep using the same book. The teachers only checked for your parents signature and my parents would sign anything I gave them, so this was a bad experience where I just lost interest in reading, I have never liked being forced to read. -
Biography report
In 3rd grade, I had my first major biography report. We had to read and write a report about someone and present it as if we were them, I was NFL player Terrell Davis. This was significant because it exposed me to a whole new world of writing. -
Learning to write cursive
I believe around 3rd grade we learned to write cursive, even though this is a skill no longer taught in a lot of schools, it was a very big step and made me feel cool back then. It of course also improved our motor skills. -
Being moved up to above grade level reading in 4th
At the start of 4th grade, my teacher Mrs. Winslow came up to me and asked me if I wanted to move up to above grade level reading. Up to this point in my life I did not have much confidence in my reading skills so being considered to move up was a confidence boost and something I will never forget. -
My 10 page essay
For my intro to world geography class I was assigned my largest essay to date, it was 10 pages long and my professor focused a lot on our sources and citations. It required a lot of research and had to have reliable information. It was great practice for future essays. -
First book I read for pleasure.
This summer, I read my first book for pleasure, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Díaz. My girlfriend inspired me to start reading and I am now on my third book since July. I plan to keep reading and make it a part of my life. -
Got my first library card
This summer I got my first library card, I have used it plenty of times now and have fallen in love with going to the library. Having access to a library and having the opportunity to check out books really is a blessing.