Childhood literacy

Growing up in a household with a mother who is a teacher and has a specialty in reading, I was eager to read and learn more. This enthusiasm lasted for years; I would have my mother bring home books from school for me. My favorite book was You Naughty Kitty. It was flap book with a intriguing plot about a kitten who was always getting into trouble with the owners. I found it fascinating and would ask my parents to read this book over and over again.

In preschool I distinctly remember learning each letter in sign language. My class put on a performance for our families. For the performance, each student was given two letters to share with our families. My letters were “G” and “H”. I had to come up with words that began with “G” and “H” and learn the correct sign language motion for each letter. When the time came to perform, the presentation went without a hitch. Each child presented his or her letters perfectly and it was clear to the families of my peers that we had accomplished a lot in our preschool careers.

Once my reading skills had developed a little, I began to read “Bob” book series. There were probably not more than a total of five one syllable words on each page. Each page contained a picture with rhyming words that described the illustration. As I began to learn the words, my mom would give me more challenging books to read. It was no time before I was reading short chapter books. Going to the library for story hour was a huge treat. I would join other children of about the same age and listen as the librarian read aloud to us. Afterwards, my mom let me browse the shelves for some interesting books to check out. The ones that had corresponding cassettes were the most enjoyable. Being read aloud to was very appealing to me.

After school I would spend hours playing school in my family room. I would line up all of my dolls and stuffed animals; I also enjoyed having a live student so I would force my younger brother, Jack, to play with me. I would make up tests and read aloud to my students. I would also assess my students’ work and would never give my brother a perfect grade. I liked to think I helped him learn to read, but he was only a couple years old so I highly doubt I had much of an influence. I loved watching Barney after school and Gullah Gullah Island. These shows stressed the importance of reading and really made kids become enthusiastic. They would come up with new and interesting ways to stress the importance of literacy.

For years, I loved reading. Having my mom help me and encourage me to learn how to read was very important to my literacy. As I grew up my family had a big impact on my literacy. My brother began to read and I loved reading aloud to him; although, he was not very patient when I struggled with a word. He expected me to know each and every word on every page. Throughout the first couple of years in elementary school, I loved to read with my family and teachers. As long as I had positive support and encouragement, I had all the confidence I needed to be a strong and enthusiastic reader.