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As a toddler, my Papa Mike would read Dr. Seuss books to me before bed. -
I remember looking though these giant books that I had as a child. They had classic nursery rhymes in them. The stories I remember was "Humpty Dumpty", "Jack and Jill", "Hickory Dickory Dock" etc. I couldn't read every word of these books but I can vividly remember the size of the books, the illustrations and the titles. -
I remember My first experience with a textbook used for homework and class assignments. This was the Nevada History Textbook from first grade. I can still recall a lot of what was covered in that textbook. It was one of my first responsibilities as a student since we were able to take the textbook home but were required to bring it back daily. -
Once I entered Elementary school I had access to my schools library. I had never been to a library before that so it was a new and exciting experience. I remember the librarian letting us check out books of our choice. I remember checking out " If you give a mouse a cookie" often during the first years. I also remember my first chapter book, in the later years, that I checked out " Blue Heron" by AVI.
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The Phantom Tollbooth is a book that forever changed my reading experience and my confidence. It was assigned to me in fifth grade as our book report reading assignment. A few other students and myself were given this book since we were the highest readers in my class. This book was the first one that actually became a "movie" in my head. I had never read independently and experienced that level of imagination. I remember getting excited to go home and read it in bed each night. -
After testing high in reading and comprehension in fifth grade, I was placed in an accelerated reading class in sixth grade. The teacher in that class felt that I was not the right fit for the complexity of the class. She informed me and my mother that I needed to go to the basic English and literature class instead. This was really defeating and demotivating. I was no longer interested in leisurely reading and loathed any reading assignments going forward. This lasted most of junior high. -
My eighth grade year was filled with overpriced teem magazines and foldout posters of Panic at the Disco. I read to fulfill my teen heartthrob desires. -
One unexpected shopping trip to Costco ended up reigniting my love for reading. I found the book Johnny Angel by Danielle Steel and fell in love with it. I think I felt drawn to it since the death of a few close family members. From that point forward I was reading leisurely. I tended to choose books that were stories about peoples struggles and how they overcame them. A few books I read during this time was "Precious" and "A thing called It". I remember feeling so good about finishing a book.
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After High-school Graduation I spent my years working, partying and sleeping during the day. There was no reading done during these years
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On October 23rd 2013 I had a spiritual awakening and turned my life over to Christ. I began reading the Bible on October 24th and it became a crucial part of my everyday life going forward. I read through the entire bible in a year and experienced many life lessons because of the words written on the pages. I feel that this was the most impact milestone in my reading journey since it was literally changing my life with each page read. -
I now have two daughters and all the professional advice tells me to read to them everyday. So I do my best, reading to them almost every night at bedtime. It is a special time of the day when I read to my girls. They always beg me to read their favorite stories. With each character I change my voice to enhance the experience. These moments remind me of when I was read to by my Papa Mike as a child and how much it meant to me. Now my daughter is reading 90% better than her peers.
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I began my college journey in 2016 where I took my first Early Childhood Development class. I fell in love with the theories and content that each class provided. I also took all of my core classes each with a textbook. I can honestly say that I read most of the required readings for each class. I often do not want to read these textbooks, they can be boring and uneventful but my desire to attain the knowledge required to succeed keeps me motivated to continue reading and learning.