Reading!!!

I started reading when I was about 4. Once I started I never stopped. One of my friends in my kindergarten class remembers that while he and all the other kids were sounding out words I brought my chapter books (usually the Bobsy Twins) and read feverishly. My mom tells me that I would constantly ask her for books and I read anything we had. I was fortunate enough to have an English teacher for a mom who collected books as well as a smart dad who made us enough money to live in a house with a huge library. Two walls were floor to ceiling shelves and held the many books we owned. To teach me how to read, my mom taught me letters and their sounds. She would read out loud to me, even when I was too young to understand what was going on. I loved to sit close to people and be held so reading was one of my favorites because I got to sit on my mom’s lap and cuddle up to her while we read together. Before I could read she’d show me the pictures and I would make up a story. I would read any chance I got, even if it was just a page or two at a time. I learned to read fast so that I could get more reading in a short amount of time. Every car ride I had a book to keep me company. I soaked in everything I read. If my mom asked me about what I was reading, I could give here almost verbatim what the book said. I liked to pretend like I was the main characters in the books I was reading. I remember in 2^nd grade I tried to read Little Women. I had the idea to write down every word I didn’t know the meaning of. When the list got to be an entire page I decided it was probably above my reading level. 
     Being an avid reading and writer helped me greatly in school. I was the 4^th child in a very academic family. My dad has more degrees than I can count and since my mom was a teacher she thinks school is the best thing in the world. I grew up with very positive experiences at school and a very supportive family. Because my reading level was so much above my grade level, I easily understood directions and never struggled in elementary school. However once I reached middle school I went to a new school with kids a lot smarter than I was. I quickly lost confidence in myself. There was finally someone who was a better reader than I was and the whole school knew Bryce Young’s homeroom would win the book challenge because he read over 40 books a quarter. I associated my self worth with my reading ability so much that to not be the best anymore was a serious blow to my ego. I transferred that to all areas of my life and I suddenly felt as though I was the dumb one in class.
     I think reading in the classroom is imperative and I hope that help students love to to read again. Too often students get turned off to reading because it is their "punishment" in school. When it's assigned it's not nearly as fun as choosing it yourself. I plan on having a bookshelf full of books and magazines regarding my content that students can peruse as they please without feeling forced. This is a lot of fun in my content because that means fashion and design magazines! There is also good literature out there regarding clothing, textiles, and child development. I hope that my students will enjoy the reading in my classroom!