With rapid changes in the society and scientific advancement of human race over the decades, the necessity and importance of reading has increased remarkably. It has become a pivotal skill a person should learn to be successful. However, the cultivation of reading as a hobby is not a business that can be undertaken in a day or swiftly improvised by a mere command of the will. As far as I am concerned, the growth of mental interests for reading is a long process, but that is worthwhile because reading has been a vital aid to my emotional and spiritual growth.
Why could I say that it is a long process? Because I am such an example, to say at least. Like most children, I was filled with insatiable curiosity about the world at a young age. I always asked for bedtime stories before I went to sleep and raised some strange questions with my parents now and again. I have been in literacy and could reel off many poems of the Tang Dynasty at the age of three. Owing to my cleverness and curiosity for knowledge, my mother believed that her daughter has innate unique requirements of learning . So when I was just five years old, I already owned a bookshelf and various subjects on this bookshelf. However, it was a wonder that there were books related to philosophy, history and Chinese classical literature, without any fairy-tales for children on my bookshelf. My bookshelf, of course, was just like a decoration in my beautiful bedroom and I had no glimmer of interest to read those books on my bookshelf. My mother was very angry with regards to this, then she decided to get tough with me. She asked me to read books every day and to look up and remember not only the definitions but every detail in a book. She also gave vocabulary drills and quiz...
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...t carefully, then I realize that understanding my own desire, cherishing myself, respecting myself and dauntless pursuit for independence are the quality of being a woman. Meanwhile, the novel also helps me to fashion a positive matrimonial value orientation that without true love, the marriage will be a tragedy. Elisabeth's life attitude and spirit often affect my values and behaviours until today, just like a lamp to my feet, I never get lost with no direction.
Reading a good book, it is just as in a conversation with a scholar. By reading, I enrich my mind and polish my thinking. Up to now, reading is still my mentor, but it is much more different than before. Besides the expansion of knowledge and the depth of thinking, I expand to reading in English. Now I could say that reading is more difficult in comprehension and thinking. It is, nevertheless, worth doing.
Each year as I grow old, I tend to discover and learn new things about myself as a person as well as a reader, writer and a student as a whole. My educational journey so far has been pretty interesting and full of surprises. Back in Bangladesh where I studied until high school, my interest for learning, reading or writing was so very different compared to how it has become over the years. I could relate those learning days to Richard Rodriquez’s essay “The lonely Good Company of Books”. In the essay the author says, “Friends? Reading was, at best, only a chore.”(Rodriguez, page 294). During those days I sure did feel like reading was a chore for me and how I was unable to focus and I could never understand what all those jumbled up words ever meant. It was quite a struggle for me in class when the teachers used to assign us reading homework. I felt like reading a book was more difficult or painful than trying to move a mountain. Just like how moving a mountain is impossible, trying to find an interest in reading was
I began to read not out of entertainment but out of curiosity, for in each new book I discovered an element of real life. It is possible that I will learn more about society through literature than I ever will through personal experience. Having lived a safe, relatively sheltered life for only seventeen years, I don’t have much to offer in regards to worldly wisdom. Reading has opened doors to situations I will never encounter myself, giving me a better understanding of others and their situations. Through books, I’ve escaped from slavery, been tried for murder, and lived through the Cambodian genocide. I’ve been an immigrant, permanently disabled, and faced World War II death camps. Without books, I would be a significantly more close-minded person. My perception of the world has been more significantly impacted by the experiences I've gained through literature than those I've gained
Throughout my childhood I was never very good at reading. It was something I always struggled with and I grew to not like reading because of this. As a child my mom and dad would read books to me before I went to bed and I always enjoyed looking at the pictures and listening. Then, as I got older my mom would have me begin to read with her out loud. I did not like this because I was not a good reader and I would get so frustrated. During this time I would struggle greatly with reading the pages fluently, I also would mix up some of the letters at times. I also struggled with comprehension, as I got older. My mom would make me read the Junie B. Jones books by myself and then I would have to tell her what happened. Most
Cynthia mentions in her article that people don’t want to do the hard work reading requires. They’d rather avoid such a “daunting” and demanding task. However, Cynthia states, “Reading is worth the work it requires.” She compares reading to activities people want to do that are also hard, like learning to play an instrument and tennis. People do them, not because they’re hard, but because they want the satisfaction that comes from it. The power and knowledge that come from reading are worth the effort.
When children are taught to read at an earlier age, their emotional and mental development is positively impacted. The exposure of literature to young children helps them become smarter and allows them to understand more about the world. They learn simple yet valuable lessons that allow them to make wiser decisions and display better behavior around others. Psychologist Raymond Mar held a study in 2010 on children who read books when they are younger. Mar’s results showed that reading boosted their “theory of mind” and understanding of people’s feelings. This shows that children can benefit when properly taught to read books at a younger age. It also aids children in school and increases their intellectual engagement. Kids can develop the skills to question the emotional and mental aspects of books when they start reading at a younger age. Overall, children can be greatly influenced when they read at a younger age and their mental and emotional development is affected by the positive impact of
Reading is on the decline and our reading skills are declining right along with the amount of reading we do. This is happening right across the board through both genders, all age groups and education levels, people are busy and they just do not have time to read books that they are not required to read for school or work. There are serious consequences to this neglect of reading that will continue to worsen if ignored. We need to take notice of what is happening to our culture and stop this situation from continuing, we must act to correct these issues that we are faced with. These things are discussed in the essay “Staying Awake’’ by Ursula K. Le Guin who uses the NEA essays “To Read or Not to Read’’ and “Reading at Risk’’ to support her argument that there is a decline in the amount of time that we are spending on reading and our ability to understand what it is that we are reading.
What is literacy? Literacy is the ability to read and write. It is about a person’s ability to use these skills to shape their life. Being literate means to be able to write and read to talk effectively. Today being literate is to be able to write and read to be successful in the world. Literacy is vital to the advancement for people in their life. It also plays a huge part in the success in one's career endeavors. Years ago literacy just referred to the ability to write, read, and use the information.
Mason Cooley says about reading “Reading gives us some place to go when we have to stay where we are .” Reading is like a journey you can take when you want to go somewhere. Everyone always wants to imagine they are in the journey with the character in the book. When the story is over the person that is reading never wants to leave the journey. Everyone starts a new journey when they open a new book to read. Sometimes people who read don’t have a journey with the character; they just want to read because they don’t have anything else to do. For me reading is really fun to do.
In today’s society people truly take the ability to read for granted. Not many realize the true power the ability of reading holds; it allows for one’s mind to be set free and access to a plethora of knowledge that allows for a limitless amount of potential in life.
The possibilities are endless with the information available: encyclopedias, articles, books, magazines. Moreover, a reason I read, is for a source of enjoyment and entertainment. Every now and then I find a book that I can not take my eyes off of; freshman year I found a book that I loved so much, that I read all 300 pages in a matter of a day! Furthermore, reading may enhance vocabulary, advance writing skills, and improve analytical thinking. As author, Lana Winter-Hebert wrote, “should you ever find yourself in dire circumstances, remember that although you might lose everything else—your job, your possessions, your money, even your health—knowledge can never be taken from you” (Winter-Hebert). On the other hand, there are various of other thoughts about reading.
Reading provides and builds the reader’s imagination and empathy towards others. Tim Gillespie supports this argument with analysis and by saying that reading. “…is the cultivation
My struggle with literacy hasn’t been an easy one. I grew up in a poor school district, that barely met the requirements to keep their accreditation. I struggled with writing more than reading. My awful penmanship and slow typing skill, caused me to lose assurance in my literary ability. My loss in confidence caused me to lose interest in reading. Having lost all interest in reading and writing caused me many miserable school years. Over the years, I slowly gained my courage back. Due to one hard working professor who went above and beyond to boost my self-esteem. With proper guidance, you can achieve literacy success.
While I believe every child is a reader, I do not believe every child will be enthralled with reading all the time. All students have the capability to read and enjoy reading, but just like any other hobby, interest will vary from student to student. The students in my classroom will be encouraged in their reading, be provided with choice, taught how books can take you into another world but, my students will not be forced to read. This paper will illustrate my philosophy of reading through the theories I relate to, the way I want to implement reading and writing curriculum, and the methods I will use motivate my students to read and help them become literate.
I also remember as young girl learning how to read and my favorite book that I could quote word for word was “Green Eggs and Ham” by Dr.Suess. I loved that book so much I still have that today. As I got older my love for reading and books started to diminish, I went to a private school for my elementary years and their curriculum was very intense. It was required to read a book from their approved list and complete a book report each summer before the school year began. Not to mention the numerous books reports I would have to complete during the school. At an early age books and reading was something I had to do and not what I wanted to do.
Ever since I was a child, I've never liked reading. Every time I was told to read, I would just sleep or do something else instead. In "A Love Affair with Books" by Bernadete Piassa tells a story about her passion for reading books. Piassa demonstrates how reading books has influenced her life. Reading her story has given me a different perspective on books. It has showed me that not only are they words written on paper, they are also feelings and expressions.