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KINDERGARTEN
When I was in Kindergarten, I clearly remember learning my letters through phonics. My Kindergarten teacher had a large stuffed letter that sat on the carpet and each week we would review the letter and discuss it's sounds and all of the words that are associated with that letter. I can still see each letter. Every child in the class was proud to sit next to the stuffed letter that was the letter of their first name. Of course my favorite letter was the letter "E" for Eileen. -
City mouse and Country Mouse
By the time I was in second grade, I remember how the schools used to group students into various reading groups. I was in the red group, the group that was the lowest reading group. I was frustrated because my group was always looked down on and was made fun of by the other groups. The teachers also showed their frustration when in our small group. I remember reading a short story called "City Mouse and Country Mouse". I vowed from that day forward to get out of this reading group. -
Summers at University
My grandmother was a college professor of English. I remember going to her creative writing and English 101 classes in the summers where I would read the works of Shakespeare, Baldwin, Hughes, Thorton, Thoreau and many more. My grandmother was animated and excited about the literature. She would make the stories come to life. This became my first love of literature. I started writing my own short stories and poems and my grandmother would edit them. -
Book Club with My Mom
My mother was always an avid reader, oh and did I mention also a high school English teacher. She didn't go anywhere without a book in her hand. She finally convinced me to start reading. So we formed our own book club and took monthly trips to the library. The first novel I ever read for "enjoyment" was a Danielle Steel novel. I've been reading ever since. My mother and I went through hundreds of books together. Even though she has passed away, I still think of her whenever I read. -
High School English
The summers I spent reading various types of literature in my grandmother's university class came in handy in high school. I automatically knew most of the novels and stories that were taught. I was also a skilled writer at this point, thanks to my mom and grandmother, but also my sophomore English teacher who taught me step by step how to write a strong term paper. This process would follow me throughout the rest of my schooling. -
College days
By the time I was in college, I enjoyed my English classes as well as any other class that required me to write and read extensive information. I considered myself a skilled reader because it was like second nature to me at this point. I even had friends who asked for help in outlining their papers. And yes- being the nerd that I was, I joined a book club group. -
Graduate School
I went to graduate school where I received a master's degree in journalism and visual arts. I considered myself an excellent writer at this point and literacy was part of my everyday life. I worked for a local newspaper in Virginia Beach where I wrote human interest stories and told the local news. My thesis was actually a joy to write and was a labor of love for me. I made both my grandmother and mother proud of the skilled writer that I had become. -
First Teaching Job- Wait, you don't like to read?
My very first teaching job was in Baltimore City Public schools where I taught 6-8th grade English. It was the most depressing job of my life because I was not used to students who didn't possess the skills to read write or even care about literature. I set out on a mission to make the literature come alive. But it didn't work. I failed to realize that these students needed more. They needed the basics before they could enjoy the literature. This was no small task. -
My favorite teaching job
My second teaching position was at a magnet high school in Baltimore City where I taught creative writing and journalism. Allegedly the students chose this class as an elective, however they didn't always want to be there. I was skilled at incorporating the basics of reading and writing along with making the students enjoy the literature. I used my love of acting to come forth every day until the students "bought" it. It worked and to this day, this was my favorite teaching position. -
Today- Special Needs Teacher
I am now a special educator and yes, English is one of the subjects that I teach. I find myself having the greatest challenge of all because now I have to teach high school novels to students who are on an elementary reading level. There are days that are successful and days that are a struggle. I hope that this class will give me further insight on strategies that I can use with my current students. I'm still reading several books a month for enjoyment.
