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First Day of JK
My first real memories of becoming literate was when I began kindergarten at Vern Ames Elementary School, where we worked on letter recognition, letter sounds and basic reading. The teacher also read us many stories. -
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My Pesonal Literacy History
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The Library
My mom and I would go to the public library on a weekly basis where I would check out books like the Berstein Bears series, Critters, Rainbow Fish, among many others. My mom fostered the importance of literacy in my life from a young age and encouraged me to read. She also frequently read to me. -
My Books of Choice
When I was in primary grades I did enjoy reading and I read fluently. Some of the books I enjoyed at this time that I would take out at my school library were Goosebumps, Sweet Valley High, The Babysitters Club, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch books. This was around the time we started to read chapter books in school. Being able to take out books that interested me was something I really enjoyed and is something I know my future students will also appreciate. -
Disinterest
By the time I reached middle school, reading books wasn't an activity I'd typically pick to do in my spare time. One reason I lost interest in books may have been because this is when I first started to use the internet. MSN messenger became popular around this time so I started having conversations online with my friends which is still considered text. Through instant messaging, I still gained literacy skills. -
Literacy Through Song Lyrics
In grade 7, I became heavily influenced by the music I listened to. If I found myself relating to a song, I would look up the song lyrics on the internet and interpret their meaning. This is a form of critical literacy, as well as 21st century literacy. This is something I would allow in my classroom because music and popular culture has a huge influence on students lives and I think it's important for them to understand lyrics and what message or hidden messages the artist is trying to convey. -
Biographies
By grade 8, when I did find time to read I was drawn to biographies of musicians I liked, since music was a big interest of mine. Some of these books included Heavier Than Heaven (The biography of Kurt Cobain) and Scar Tissue (The biography of Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers). I would like to offer biographies as an option for my students because non-fictional books may be an interest of theirs. -
Online Journal
In highschool, I kept an online journal which I wrote my thoughts, feelings, and daily events in. Updating my journal gave me the opportunity to improve my writing skills. Keeping a daily journal on a classroom blog may be something I will promote in my classroom because it is a great way to encourage students to write since they generally are on their computers anyway. It may be more appealing than writing in a paper and pen journal. -
Facebook
In grade 11, I created my first facebook page. Facebook became and still is a big part of my online life. Much of my reading online consists of reading my friends posts, reading statuses of causes, bands, or other pages I've liked, as well as reading articles people have posted to facebook. It helps me to keep informed and updated on current events. Again, Facebook can be used as a form of 21st century literacy for students if used properly -
Reading Just Isn't For Me
Throughout my high school career, I found that I really hated to read. Anytime I read was in school, which involved reading plays by Shakespeare and novels such as To Kill a Mockingbird, The Lord of the Flies, A Tale of Two Cities, and The Sweet Hereafter. Completing these books was mandatory and there were no other options. Feeling like I didn't have a choice deterred me from reading for pleasure, therefore I will offer choices to my students so that they won't be discouraged or unengaged. -
Reading Revival?
In the summer of 2010, I worked an office job where I had a lot of free time. I worked across the street from the Hamilton Public Library, so I decided I would start reading again for pleasure (if possible). It was very overwhelming trying to find a genre and author that might suit me. I decided to read "The Gum Thief" by Douglas Coupland. From there on, I read a few more of his novels as well as novels by Chuck Palahniuk. Through reading their novels, I knew I was drawn dark humour. -
The Present
At 23, I still find myself straying away from reading because I do not know where to start when picking out a book. Even though I do not read books often, I do read a lot of online articles, academic articles for school, blogs, song lyrics, watch movies/TV series, read sheet music, and use social networking sites. All of these formats still promote literacy, both in terms of reading capabilities and the ability to be critically literate when reading "text". -
My Future Practice
First and foremost, I believe students deserve to have a choice when it comes to reading and writing. Students should be given options when choosing books to read so that they are given a sense of autonomy. I would also like to give students choice in their writing. Being able to write about a topic you love makes the world of a difference. Lastly, I will allow my students to use different modalities including websites, music, and film to analyze and promote critical literacy in my classroom.
