Becoming a successful reader is similar to baking a cake. In order to create a delicious and appetizing dessert, a number of ingredients are mixed together before the finish product is revealed. My development as a reader is a result of a variety of different individuals and experiences that have impacted me throughout the years. Consequently, just as a cake may collapse, not “rise” to the occasion, or simply just not taste good, I have also had my ups and downs as an evolving reader. For this reason, I strive to discuss my personal journey as a literacy learner with my students. It is my hope that they will take a piece of me with them as well as recall our many literacy adventures together as they continue to explore the endless world of reading.
From the day I was born, my parents read the same book to me every night at bedtime. It was called The Goodnight Book. The story was about a little girl and the routine she completes with her parents before she goes to bed. By the time I started talking, I had the entire book memorized. I even imitated the same facial expressions and gestures that my parents would do as they read the story to me. Although I could not actually identify any of the words on the page, in my eyes I was reading. Once my younger brother was born, I began reading him The Goodnight Book. I also enjoyed picking up other books around the house and acting out stories to my younger brother based on the illustrations. I don’t know if I was developing a love of reading or acting at this point!
When I was about four or five years old, I would always play school with my older cousin. Despite the fact that I would get upset because I was never allowed to be the teacher, I still admired the fact that she could actually read. She wasn’t “pretend” reading like I would do when I read to my younger brother, she knew where the words were, what they meant, and when to stop and turn the page. As a result of my amazement with her reading ability, I was encouraged to start reading independently, too. It wasn’t long before I developed an “obsession” with Dr. Seuss books. Once I felt the power of reading, I soon became the teacher and my younger brother became the student!
One of my most memorable reading moments took place in second grade. To this day my second grade teacher is still one of my favorite teachers. Every day after lunch she would sit in her rocking chair and we would curl up around her on the reading rug (P.S. This was the only reading rug I encountered until I started teaching!). Her favorite books to read were from the Amelia Bedelia series. Once she began reading these stories, she actually transformed herself into Amelia Bedelia. I remember sitting on that rug and feeling as if I were inside of the book, witnessing all of the bizarre situations that Amelia Bedelia managed to get herself into. She made reading seem magical. When she read stories to us I entered another world, a world where my imagination could take me anywhere.
Unfortunately, once I entered third grade we were treated like adults. There were no more thrilling reading experiences like we encountered in second grade. At this point, I became interested in reading series of books. Some of my favorites included The Babysitters Club, Little House on the Prairie, and Goosebumps books. Although now I realize that some of these books are not necessary “high-quality” literature, they were enjoyable to read. I also felt a sense of accomplishment when I would finish a series of books and have to wait for the newest one to arrive at the bookstore. Since I went to Catholic School, a large majority of my schooled literacy experiences were with basal readers. We would sit in straight, quiet rows and await our turn to be called upon to read the next paragraph. Afterwards, we would answer the questions at the end of the story and have a test each Friday. However, there was a glimmer of hope when I was in seventh grade. Once a month, a retired teacher would come in and teach us about poetry. For me, poetry was a way to express my feelings in a private and creative fashion. It provided me with a sense of empowerment, knowing that I could write about what I was thinking without having the pressure of specific guidelines. To this day, poetry is still one of my favorite genres. I often include poetry in my lessons and infuse it across multiple content areas. Aside from my glorious introduction to poetry, there was basically no variation to this dreadful routine until I entered high school.
My freshman and sophomore year of high school were full of extremely enriching literacy experiences. During freshman year, my teacher exposed us to the wonders of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, one of my most beloved books of all time, Robert Cormier’s I am the Cheese, and taught us the meaning of irony through Alanis Morissette’s song “Isn’t it Ironic”. We also became pen pals with students in Paris, France. This provided us with an amazing opportunity to practice our writing skills, while comparing and contrasting the teenage years in New Jersey to those in Paris. Sophomore year was full of acting and role-playing the classics such as Beowulf and Wuthering Heights. After reading Night by Elie Wiesel, I was deeply impacted and forever changed by the tragic and heroic events of the Holocaust. By the time I reached my junior and senior year, accelerated and AP English consisted of reading, reading, reading and more reading.
Throughout college and graduate school, I developed a deeper interest in reading books that were relevant to my future career as an educator. Wally’s Stories by Vivian Gussin Paley and 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny by Phillip Done are some of my favorites. During my Children’s Literature class, I also became exposed to and began reading many high-quality literacy children’s and young adult books. As an educator, I am constantly taking trips to Barnes and Noble reading and evaluating books for my students. Similar to the way many of these experiences shaped my view of literacy, it is my goal to instill a love of reading within each of my students. On a daily basis, I strive to engage them in the various aspects and genres of literacy by connecting reading to their real life and personal experiences. This year after reading Number the Stars by Lois Lowry my class wrote letters to a husband and wife who were actual survivors of the Holocaust. I will NEVER forget the wide-eyed faces of the children in my class when we received a letter back from the couple. They referred to our class as “everyday heroes” that have impacted their lives. It is through these life altering moments that make my journey as a literacy learner seem worthwhile!
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