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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.
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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.
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Growing up, my parents always kept my library stocked with Dr. Suess books
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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.
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I kept a diary throughout my elementary years that I would write in every night.
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My little sister was born, and my favorite new hobby was reading books to her and trying to teach her new words.
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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.
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When I was in elementary grades (4th and 5th in particular) I really enjoyed the Junie B Jones books.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Participated in Young Author which is where I wrote my own short stories and submitted them for competition.
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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.
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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).
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Throughout elementary school and middle school, I took spanish.
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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.
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I always struggled with cursive writing growing up, which is why even now when I sign my signature, it is not in cursive.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
