Community Time

"Peaks and Valleys"

My literacy history resembles a mountain road. From the time I entered kindergarten until last semester, the path was marked with steep hills and deep valleys. I experienced many periods of feeling joy at the thought of reading, but there were many more times that I felt tortured. Along this up-and-down road, there have been many people and experiences that have influenced my feelings. Some were really great, while others I choose to forget. However three people had the greatest influence on my reading habits. They were my parents, my tenth grade English teacher, and Dr. Daughenbaugh.

My parents taught me to read before I entered kindergarten. They always told me that I learned very fast. I can remember having an endless supply of books. Every time we went to the grocery store, Wal-Mart or even garage sales, I wanted my parents to buy me books. However, besides buying me the books, I was own my own. My parents felt that since I was such an independent child there was no reason to read to me. Instead, I would read to myself as they watched television. So, when I entered kindergarten I had a burning passion to read. However, it was not long after I started kindergarten that the television bug bit me. My parents were short on time and patience, so instead of reading with me, they sat me in front of the television. Soon after, my thoughts were consumed by Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock. Little did I know that this pattern of coming home after school and watching television would continue until I entered high school.

The rest of elementary and middle school was the same story. I never read, nor did my English teachers require me to read. Instead of not having to read in ninth grade, I chose not to. I was in high school, so playing and boys were much more important to me. A guidance counselor suggested that I take advanced placement courses because my reading and language arts scores were very high. I decided to give it a shot. So in tenth grade, I was placed in Mrs. Ryan’s advanced placement English class. On the first day of class, she handed us our book list and informed us that we would read every book on the list. The first book we were required to read was The Count of Monte Cristo. I cringed when she said she expected us to have read it by the next week. It was the first time in years that a teacher had required me to read a novel. However, the passion that I had once felt quickly reappeared. Mrs. Ryan kept the fire burning thanks to her dramatic reading style. She expected us to share her enthusiasm, and we soon learned that her enthusiasm was contagious. We enjoyed watching her reenact death scenes on top of her desk, or acting out seizures by convulsing on the floor. Everyday was a brand new experience that kept us begging for more. By the end of the year, I was going home and reading books rather than watching MTV! For the next couple of years, I read daily and enjoyed every minute of it. When I entered college, however, the fire quickly died.

My first two years at South Alabama were a breeze. Almost every professor I had handfed us the test. There was no reason to read, so television resurfaced as the source of entertainment. I spent at least 6 hours a day watching television during my first two years at South. Then one day, I entered the room of Dr. Daughenbaugh. Filled with horror stories of the workload and number of books we had to read, I already knew that I would hate her class. As I looked at the syllabus, I thought to myself, “There is no way that one teacher can expect so much out of us. She’s out of her mind!” I looked for any way possible around reading the books. When I could not find one, I accepted defeat and began to read. It did not have much impact on me at the time, besides causing me incredible amounts of stress. However, late one night during Christmas break I became very restless. I was exhausted, but I couldn’t sleep. So, I searched until I found a book to read. That night I spent two hours reading! The next morning I reflected on the experience. It was not until then that I made the connection. When I had to read for Dr. Daughenbaugh’s class, I always read right before I fell asleep. It had become a habit that was impossible for me to shake! Now, every night before I get in bed, I find a book. Whether it is a textbook or a magazine, I have to read before I can fall asleep. No matter how hard I try, I cannot fall asleep without reading and watching television is no substitute!

I have learned so much in reflecting on my own experiences. I have come to understand that my parents did the best they could. No one ever showed them research to support reading to young children. I know that if they had known, they would have read to me ten times a day. I also know that I am very fortunate to have encountered teachers like Mrs. Ryan and Dr. Daughenbaugh. The lessons that I learned from these two teachers have greatly influenced my feelings towards reading as well as they way that I will teach my children one day. I will strive to provide as many books as possible to my children. I will read to them daily from a variety of genres in the hopes of sparking an interest in each child. When I read, I will read with a passion that even Mrs. Ryan would be proud of! My classroom library will be as big as my room can hold, and my children will have multiple opportunities to read during the day. I will provide lessons that require children to think critically about what they have read, as well as ones that are fun and engaging! I will not make children write book reports and read them in front of the class. Instead, I will have them act out a favorite scene, illustrate their favorite part of a book, or write an alternate ending. My children will be surrounded by print. I will showcase different authors in order to open the children’s eyes to the amount and variety of books available to them! These activities barely scratch the surface of my plan! I believe that in doing these things, my children will share in my enthusiasm and that I will foster a love of reading that can withstand their not-so-great experiences and the not-so-great people who may not encourage them to read. It is my goal to be a teacher that has an incredible impact on my students, the same type of impact that my Mrs. Ryan and Dr. Daughenbaugh had on me.