-
Reading from the Start
In the spring of 1992, my mother found out she was pregnant with me. Throughout that nine-month period, each time my parents went into a store, they bought a book for me. By the time I was born, my nursery had a full shelf of "Little Golden Books." -
Period: to
My Reading Timeline
-
Planting the Seeds of Reading
My mom was a full-time student studying Middle School Education with the hopes of becoming a Language Arts teacher. While many aspects of teacher preparation courses have changed in the last two decades, one key principle remains constant— the belief that students who read often, will frequently experience higher levels of success. In the weeks before I was born, I made sleep impossible. As a result, she would often stay up late reading whatever she had been assigned in class, out loud to me. -
Bedtime Stories
Every night, before I would go to sleep, one of my parents would read aloud to me. My most favorite story that I insisted upon most nights was Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. That particular book was at least thirty pages of full text—so bedtime was not a quick process. I loved the book so much and had it read to me so often) that I had it almost memorized . I would catch my parents each time if they tried to skip over a few pages with the hopes of putting me to bed faster. -
Reading Frequently
By the time I was three, I had broadened my horizons and branched out into the world of Dr. Seuss and thanks to my parents’ habit of buying me books regularly; I had quite the expansive collection. -
A Whole New World
My first sister was born and my world was forever changed. I now had to share my parents with the smelly funny-looking creature who cried all the time. As a result, I started my favorite childhood pastime, playing teacher. Although, I still was not able to read on my own yet, I would line my stuffed animals in a row and read book after book to my “students.” I was mostly reciting from memory or making my own stories up, but the act of reading was still taking place. -
Reading Independently
The first book that I ever independently read was "Go, Dog Go" and it is all history from that point. I started school and the library was my constant friend. I went through books on a daily basis and was always eager to get to the next story, the next place in time and imagination -
An Independent Reader
When I was in the first grade, my youngest sister was born. I decided that I was going to teach her everything. Although I still played teacher on a daily basis, reading to baby Grace was my most favorite task. Reading out loud became a social act and a way that I could show my reading skills off to anyone that would listen. -
Late Night Reading
The years passed and I entered the world of chapter books. My early favorites included the classic authors: Beverly Clearly, Judy Blume, and Paula Danzinger. I would stay up late reading long after I was sent to bed. A book-light was one of my favorite Christmas presents. -
The Greatest Books of them All
In the third grade, I discovered the Little House on the Prairie books. I read them over and over again and developed an intense fascination with pioneer life in America. Once again, my family supported my literary love and my grandmother and I would have “Laura Ingalls Weekends” in which her and I would go out out on her farm and attempt to live without modern comforts. Historical fiction became my genre of choice. I loved to read anything that was set in a different era. -
Competitive Reading
Reading became a sport for me as I competed for the most Accelerated Reader points in my class. My fourth grade year, I earned over five hundred AR points, largely in thanks to my reading "Little Women", which was a whopping sixty points. I read because I wanted to learn more about different times and characters. I read because it made me happy. I read because it impressed people when they found out how much I had read. -
The Middle Years
In middle school, I read what everybody else was reading in order to fit in and have something to talk about with my peers. I read The Giver, Number the Stars, The Twilight Books, and most of Meg Cabot’s series of young adult fiction. I discovered the joys of a romance novel as I daydreamed about my own future love story. In my early adolescent years, reading was a social habit and it allowed me to escape from my own feelings of awkwardness and desire to fit in. -
The Era of Required Reading
High school changed the face of reading for me. I cannot even think of a significant book that I chose to read and enjoyed during those four years. I read a lot, but only because I had to. I was introduced to the classics—Great Expectations, Pride and Prejudice, The Invisible Man, Their Eyes Were Watching God (and dozens more that I cannot remember because I was a rebellious student at times and did not read everything.) Gone were my days of late night pleasure reading. -
The Library Delinquent
The summer I graduated from high school, I visited the local library and checked out multiple Ernest Hemingway novels. I felt like I needed to read the classics in order to prepare myself for college. My attempts failed and I forgot about the novels and just did other things. I ignored reading so much that I even forgot to return those books to the library. I received a notice from tthe library that stated that I would be charged with a misdemeanor if I did not return the borrowed goods. -
College Life
Reading leisurely while trying to complete my college coursework successfully is proving to be a balancing act—and I am not a very coordinated person. I always seem to get lost in books right around the time when I should be focusing solely on schoolwork. That is the beauty of the world books; it offers a world of escape, a world of reprieve from the stresses of everyday life. I’ve rekindled my habit of reading. I carry my Kindle with me wherever I go and read to fill my desire to learn more. -
Learning to Love Reading Again
Recently, I have discovered a love for Stephen King, John Jakes, and random books about historical events. I am not overly picky. Reading is something that I always want to make time for, no matter my schedule. I make it a goal to read for myself for at least fifteen minutes a day. Whether it is a Time magazine article before bed or a brief snippet from a Titanic survivor’s diary on the bus going to class, reading is a priority. I'm currenty capitivated in John Jakes' "North and South Trilogy."
