Blog Assignment #1

My earliest experience of becoming literate was reading my Little Golden Book Classics, such as The Poky Little Puppy, Scuffy the Tugboat, The Little Red Caboose, and The Shy Little Kitten. I remember my older brother helping me; we often read under the coffee table wrapped in my ballerina fairy blanket. He definitely motivated me to read like a "big kid" because he was older than me and I had to make him proud! I was a bit discouraged at first, but soon found a natural talent for picking up the words. I was also very apt to put my finger under a difficult word and sound out each letter. I would say this technique significantly helped my development. When I felt disappointed or frustrated with a word or my skill, I knew to take a deep breath and slow down, breaking the word apart either letter by letter or by syllable. My mother first taught me this method very early, for she didn't want me to fall behind in my subjects at school. Eventually, I learned the technique with my classmates in school. I did not fully recognize and process my reading abilities until I picked up the first Harry Potter book. Quite prematurely, to say the least. I was in the third grade when I began reading the series. I remember wanting to read the book so bad because all of my older siblings had already gone through most of the books, if not the whole series, and I wanted to fit in, too! During my elementary education, I enjoyed keeping track of our reading levels throughout our years. I always felt so accomplished to know that I moved up reading levels! Something that frustrated me when I was a little kid was learning proper grammar. Now, I appreciate the correct placement of punctuation and word order. I cannot seem to understand how people are not able to form a simple sentence in the correct sequence. My parents were and still are role models to me in the education world. As a literate person today, I often feel discouraged by reading. I know my progression has not been a consistent climb upwards and my knowledge has plateaued quite a but. I do blame myself for the lack of books I have read since having assigned reading books in my upper education. Now, I have an even more difficult time trying to find a book I am interested in. The first couple of pages take a significant amount of time to digest and comprehend, and by the time I hit the 30 minute mark of reading, I give up. I have recently picked up reading again this summer and made my way through two, large sized books. They were both about dance, which made it easier to read because I was more interested, but I was proud that I had encouraged myself to pick up a book instead of someone requiring it to me. In current times, my Artistic Director at school continues to inspire me through her literacy. I love to hear her talk about all topics involving dance. The way she speaks is so eloquent and always manages to make me feel apart of something so much bigger than all of us. Her passion combined with her intensity is so enticing and elaborate in the most illustrative and creative ways possible. I love to listen to her tangents because they are so empowering and fulfilling.