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Parental Guidance
As a small child both of my parents took turns each night to read me a bedtime story of my choice. This is something I will always remember because it was not only something I looked forward to but it was also a way for me to be exposed to vocabulary, the alphabet, and or pronunciations. -
1st Grade- Exposed to Reading
It was during this time where I began to learn how to read. I would say that I was an average reader as in I wasn't behind on my reading nor advanced. I personally did not love reading or read on my own time but I was starting to love the idea of reading. -
AR Testing
Throughout elementary we were required to participate in advanced reading (AR) test. Depending on the level of book you read along with the test score you received determined the amount of points earned. For me, I really struggled with AR because I felt that I would read the book but didn't really comprehend what I was actually reading therefore whenever I took the test I wouldn't do as well as I had hoped. Apart of me wished that my teachers recognized this to improve reading comprehension. -
Book Fair
It was not until about 3rd or 4th grade that I really started to enjoy reading and had more than enough practice at home and at school to overcome the small obstacles I had experienced before. The book fair was my favorite time of the year as I was fortunate enough to pick one book of my choice every time it came to my school. The idea of getting a new book brought more than joy to my day and I would say this is where my love for Junie B. Jones books came alive. -
Middle School Days
In middle school I had no desire to read at all. The only reading I ever did was in class. However, another interest arose as I got into journaling and writing stories of my own. I would journal each day about the events that occurred, write letters to my friends, and even write my own stories. During this time I was convinced that I wanted to be a writer and possibly create my own children's book with my own illustrations. -
Summer Reading
Each summer going into high school we were required to complete our summer reading book a long with a corresponding project or assignment. This is where I kind of started liking reading again but still wasn't as ecstatic to complete it over the summer. I was that student who waited a week before school started to read the book and complete the project. Looking back I wish I could re-read all the literature our educators chose for us to read each summer. -
English Dual Credit
Starting my junior year of high school I was enrolled in English dual credit to receive college credit for my classes. I think it was during this time that I really got to experience positive outcomes with reading and writing. Since this class was advanced and had a heavy work load I had no choice but to complete my work at my highest ability to ensure that I would receive credit. -
Psychology
My undergraduate degree is in Psychology and we had to read a lot of books and extensive research. I really did love what I was learning and was continuously intrigued each semester as new class and new topics arose that made me interested in what I was doing. My love for reading sparked during this time as I wanted to venture off and explore other genre's that I would possibly be interested in as well. -
Book Worm
From when I graduate college to now I feel that my love for reading had grown so much. I now want to read on my spare time and have enjoyed browsing through the different genre's so determine what I really like. It is interesting to say that my interest in books have also changed over time due to the fact that our interests change as we change. Last year I read over 10 books and this year I plan on reading more! -
APA
From my bachelor's degree that started in 2012 to now my reading comprehension and writing have drastically increased to where I actually love what I do. I love reading and I have grown so much as a writer it's starting to feel like second nature. Using the APA manual as a guide to reference, cite, and structure a well organized paper not only helped me as a college student but it also opened to the door by being familiar with what was expected for my graduate degree.
