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Sesame Street
When I was 4-5 years old, my parents made me watch Sesame Street. Sesame Street taught me the alphabet and helped me spell words. Although Sesame Street taught me a lot, I refused to watch it because Oscar the Grouch scared me. It didn't make learning fun for me. -
Bed Time Stories
My parents made sure they introduced me to their favorite books and stories they had growing up. They wanted me to know all the classics and be read to. My mom would take time to read her favorite stories when I was a kid and because of that I will for my children too. -
Book Fair
From elementary school to middle school, the library would always host a Scholastic Book Fair. The book fair always made me excited to read and buy books. The Scholastic Book Fair advertised it so well that even the kids that don't like to read got involved and bought books. -
Writing Prompt
In third grade, I had to describe my favorite cookie. It taught me to picture the cookie in my mind and describing it by using my sense of smell, sight, sounds, and touch. It helped me be more creative when writing. -
Play School
When I was 8 years old, in third grade, my teacher would always give me worksheets she didn't need anymore. Those worksheets would have math problems, story problems, reading assignments, and much more. I would take them home with me and I would use them to play school with my friends. By playing school and doing these worksheets, it gave me extra practice on reading, math, and problem solving. -
AIM (AOL Instant Messenger)
When I was 8 years old, my older siblings introduced AIM to me. AIM is an instant messaging computer program that was popular in the early 2000s. Instead of calling up my friends on the phone, I would just say I am online on AIM and message my friends on this program. We could send emoticons to other people, join chat rooms, and leave away messages. -
Diary
The only time you would ever catch me writing is in my diary when I was a child. I started keeping a diary around 4th grade (9 years old) when I developed crushes on cute boys. Those cute boys inspired me to write about my thoughts and feelings. I kept that diary for about three years until I got to middle school. -
Battle of the Books
When I was 8 years old, I participated in Battle of the Books at the library. It was a contest to see how many books you could read over the summer. For every certain amount of books you read, you win a prize and beat other kids. It made reading a competitive, fun game. -
Reading Ability Tests
From grades 3-5, all students were required to test their ability to read. The tests would happen once every quarter in order to compare results. I, along with all the other kids, dreaded the tests. If you didn't read a word right you would get marked down a point, so you had to be really good at reading to get a good grade on it. -
Passing Notes
Before phones and text messaging, we would pass notes in class to communicate with our friends. We would tell stories, share secrets, tell jokes, make plans, etc. It was a fun way of communicating with each other. -
Library
When I was in fifth grade, my parents got me a library card. I could go to the library and check out any books I want. I would always ask to go to the library because they had a lot of activities which made reading fun for me. -
Movies
I watched the Twilight Saga movies and I absolutely loved them. It was so good that it influenced me to read the books. It can go the other way around too. You read the book first and see the movie. -
Myspace and Facebook
I made a Myspace when I was only 9 years old. I saw my older siblings always on it so it made me want one too. I would type and post random things on my page. When I was in fifth grade, Facebook became the new big thing. I made a Facebook and that is where I communicated with my friends all the time. It helped my reading skills by reading posts and chatting with friends online. -
Texting
I've been texting since fifth grade. Texting has ruined my creative writing. Whenever I text, I use short cuts which can be a bad habit. It isn't as professional. -
School Musicals
I started participating in musicals my freshman year and continued throughout high school. I landed a few leads in different shows. By being a lead, you have to read the script and memorize your lines. I had to read all my lines out loud over and over while also acting them out. I had to memorize songs and lyrics on top of memorizing my lines. -
MLA
In 10th grade when I was 16 years old, I had to write my first research paper in MLA format. It was a long process and was very challenging. There are a lot of rules to follow and you have to do it correctly. It is usually a couple pages long, so you really have to research your topic and thoroughly write the paper. It prepared me for college. -
Spanish National Honor Society
I learned how to read, write, and speak in Spanish. I was involved in the Spanish National Honor Society. I had to do speeches in Spanish, help Spanish-speaking kids, write stories in Spanish, learn vocabulary, and a lot more. https://www.facebook.com/carly.olin/videos/590344914333876/?l=1962047691145197488 -
The Catcher in the Rye
In my English 12 class, I had to read The Catcher in the Rye. It was the only book in high school that I read all the way through and enjoyed. Every other book I had to read in high school, I started but never finished. This book I related to and I actually enjoyed reading and participating in. -
Book World
When I turned 16, I got a job at Book World. Book World is a book store in Janesville. Since I worked at a book store, I was able to buy books at a discounted price. I read a lot more when I worked at Book World than I usually would. I was introduced to a lot of good books and being around it all the time made me want to read more. -
Break Up
I went through a break up with a guy I was with for three years. I read a poetry book that hit home to me which opened me up to other books that would help. I also turned to journaling to let out my emotions and write how I feel.
