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Endless Bedtime Stories
My mom told me that when I was around the ages of 3 to 5, I was absolutely obsessed with my bedtime stories. It was not unusual for her to read me 10+ books before going to sleep. This is probably when I was first introduced to my interest for stories. -
Starting School
My first year of school was 1st grade becasue I was homeschooled in kindergarten. Even though I loved learning and especially reading, I was a bit behind the learning curve due to being homeschooled. This started created a lack of confidence in my literacy skills. -
Being placed with the "slow readers
In second grade, I was not doing well in my reading comprehension and was placed with a group of struggling readers. When this happened, my mother decided to spend extra hours tutoring me in both reading and writing. I improved greatly in both fields and was moved with the advanced readers by the end of the year! -
6th Grade
In 6th grade I began attending a new middle school - a place where I knew hardly knew anyone. I remember feeling like an outcast that year more than any other time in my life. I know, I know, how sad; however, on the bright side, I began reading an astronomical amount just to give myself something to do. This new habbit truely sparked a passion for novels, a passion that I still have today. -
Getting praise from English teachers
Around 8th and 9th grade I began to gain a little bit of confidence in my writing. I was consisitently getting As on everything that I turned in to my English teachers. It felt good being proficient in a subject that I once struggled in. My interest for literature as expanded a lot during these years and I started thinking that teaching English could be a good job for me. -
Hip Hop and my literacy
Around 10th and 11th grade I started listening to a lot of underground hip hop - I've always been drawn to the intricate word play and rhyme schemes. As I researched some of theses artists, I learned that a few of them were also involved in slam poetry. This was very interesting to me becasue I was felt that I could connect my love for English with my love for Hip Hop. This is the time period when I began to read a lot of poetry. -
Corny Love Poems
In the end of high school I fell for a girl way out of my league. To whoo her, I tried my hand at crafting some love poems. These were some of my first poems and most of them were pretty corny but it must have worked because we are still together to this day. These poems also got me interested in creative writing and it prompted me to sign up for a creative writing class in my first year of college. -
Teaching Literacy Course
When I was attending Sacramento State I took a course that taught me specific methods to teaching literacy to middle and high school students. I took a lot away from this course and it refocused my passion to provide my future students with a quality education. -
Teaching Credential
My views of literacy changed a lot as I began my credential program. I began to realize that the way I communicate is going to impact a much greater group of people than it ever did before. I began to take my verbal communication, the way I dress, the way I speak, through a professional filter. I want to provide the best model that I can for my students, which involves my literacy.
