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Bedtime Stories
When I was young, my older sister loved to read. My mother would spend what seemed like hours reading stories to her before bed. I, on the other hand, had no interest in my mother's stories. My mother tried tirelessly to find books that excited me like they did with my sister, but nothing worked. -
Pizza Party
The first book I ever read on my own was called, "The Pizza Party." I remember being very proud of myself, and reading the book over and over to all of my family members. -
The Letter People
I learned how to phonetically read on my own in Kindergarten. My teacher used the "Letter People" to teach us the sounds of all the different letters, which we then applied to our reading. The Letter People each had their own song that I would sing constantly. It was always very exciting when we would "meet" a letter person each week. -
Ms. Zielinski
I loved my third grade teacher, Ms. Zielinski. She had a greater impact on my life and my career choices than anyone else I know. She used to read aloud to our class once a day, and it was always my favorite part of the day. We would sit in a circle on the rug, and she would read "chapter books" in different silly voices for all of the characters. She introduced me to some of my favorite children's books, like "Because of Winn-Dixie," and Roald Dahl's "The BFG." -
AIM
When I was in middle school, AOL Instant Messenger was the most popular way to connect with friends after school. I would spend hours crafting the perfect away message and selecting the perfect icon. This is where I learned "text speak," and also how I learned how to communicate online. -
The Clique
When I was in middle school I finally found books that excited me. I started reading The Clique series, which are young adult novels about a group of middle school friends. It was the first time I had ever found books that I actually looked forward to reading, and it taught me how to read for fun. -
Constitution Team
When I was a senior in high school, I was a member of Constitution Team, which was similar to a debate team that dealt with constitutional law and government. It was highly selective and competitive, and there was a lot of required reading associated with the team. I read a lot of heavy, governmental books that were very dense. At first, I struggled with them, but by the end of the year I found them enjoyable. I still read political books for fun now! -
Recommendations
Even though as a child I was not the biggest fan of reading, my love for reading has developed throughout my life and become an intense passion. Today, I am always in the middle of a book, and I have become the go-to for my friends and family members looking for book recommendations.
