I often think about the first time I realized I could read. That moment when time stops for a split second as I realize that I can understand the little squiggles written on a piece of paper. That magical moment that happens only once in a lifetime. Although I cannot recall the exact moment, I can remember the feeling of pure ecstasy that filled me up and completely overwhelming me. After seeming eternities of “See Dick run. See Jack jump. See May eat,” and so on and so forth, I was finally able to read on my own. I have discovered many purposes for which reading both practical and for enjoyment. In the past, I despised reading for several reasons: it was difficult and very often tedious work. The ability to decipher the meaning of these
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
As a child, I have always been fond of reading books. My mother would read to me every single night before I went to bed and sometimes throughout the day. It was the most exciting time of the day when she would open the cabinet, with what seemed to be hundreds of feet tall, of endless books to choose from. When she read to me, I wanted nothing more than to read just like her. Together, we worked on reading every chance we had. Eventually I got better at reading alone and could not put a book down. Instead of playing outside with my brothers during the Summer, I would stay inside in complete silence and just read. I remember going to the library with my mom on Saturdays, and staying the entire day. I looked forward to it each and every week.
... accepting things that it couldn’t before. Also reading is fun and it can take up some of your spare time after school or during school. Half the battle when it comes to reading is picking which kind of book that you want to read but if you read a certain genre each month the battle is already half way over. ‘Genre of the Month’ is a skill I picked up when I was in the 5th Grade. You don’t have to be in 5th grade to know that there is nothing not to like about reading. Reading is a relaxing and effective way to have fun, relax, calm down, get away from all the problems that are going on in your life. You get into someone else's skin for a while leaving yourself behind. You learn about new things, improve your vocabulary subconsciously and form new opinions. It can be informative, fun, exciting, scary, funny anything you want it to be. It's a very stirring experience.
It was not until I found My Spark Like most people, my literacy skills began to develop when I was a young child. My first memories of learning literacy skills started with the typical bedtime stories by my parents. The growth continued to expand even more when I got to school and teachers molded my style and shape literacy skills of reading and writing. I believe that the reason I developed my literacy skills was that of need and not of want. Anyone who wants to be successful needs to know how to write and read. I became aware of this at a very early age, but my procrastination and my drive were lacking. I learned that it was necessitated write, even when it felt like a punishment. I passed my classes and graduated high school. It was evident that I am compelled
My neighbor Brandon and I were both barely fifteen when we took drivers education. We were both nervous and excited about learning how to drive, and we had purchased the book for the class early. We began studying to take the exam for our learner’s permit since we would be eligible after the third class. We were the first few students to schedule drive time at the school, which left me with butterflies in the pit of my stomach. However, Brandon was cocky. I just remember having all kinds of mixed emotions.
When I was younger, I didn’t like reading much at all. I always questioned my teachers what was the purpose of reading; I never got an answer from either teacher until I was in the seventh grade. Starting junior high school was different from elementary. In seventh grade, we were in our reading class for two hours a day. I asked the teachers why didn’t we have the privilege to stay in our other classes for two hours; I never received an answer from my teachers.
Once in elementary school, I saw other children know how to read a lot faster and better than I did. I remember going to the library and students be on a higher level books than I was. We always had to read aloud in class, I soon became embarrassed when trying to pronounce a word and students giggled, stared, and corrected me. Entering middle school, I become more interested in daunting novels such as Wait till Helen Comes, the Doll in the Garden, and Michigan Thrillers. I loved reading to myself because I felt comfortable, but I remember being made fun of in junior high because I stuttered while trying to read audibly. I lost all my interest in reading and since then I could never get hooked on book in order to read it all the way through.
“A person who won’t read has no advantage over a person who can’t read.” -Mark Twain. Reading is an absolute gift, but many people don’t view it that way. What people don’t understand is that reading is the key to opening doors to imagination and intelligence, but one thing that presents even more benefits than reading in their heads, is reading out loud. Reading out loud allows people to expand imagination, vocabulary, and develop intelligence, particularly in younger children, but even in teens and young adults. Reading out loud presents numerous benefits for people of all ages, giving them a jump-start on their mental development, and giving them the ability and opportunity to express themselves.
But what reading does for us is one area that has seemed to see a little neglected lately is what reading does for us. “As we make our way through the world of print, we develop criteria of value and questions that equip us to read critically and open heartedly, receptively and resistantly” (McEntyre, 65). Reading does something to our minds, allowing us to be open to new ideas and concepts, while still holding on to what we believe true. A good piece of writing allows for the reader to ask questions of themselves and those around them and yet still find answers. One area of what reading does for us that I had never thought about, was brought up by McEntyre. She says, “As we read a text aloud, we literally breathe life into it” (85). We breathe life into the text that we read. How phenomenal is that? We have the ability to make what we read something that will live in the hearts of those who hear and read what is written in
Depending on what I am reading, I may read and annotate using stick notes, or writing in the book. When I am reading something for school I take my time and reread things that I do not understand. I read on my bed leaning against the wall with a pillow behind my back. Sometimes I have music, or nature sounds, playing in the background. When I read I try to tune out my surroundings.
Interesting fact, “One in five adults around the world cannot read or write, with the highest rates in South and West Asia and sub-Saharan Africa” (Devashish Patil). As undergrad student Patil explains, reading is a very crucial part of life; on the contrary, a large part of the world cannot do so. Whether one out-weights the other or not, my positives and negatives on reading are for the most part equal with one another. Although I have had bad experiences to combat those good ones in reading, overall it is still important and has changed the way I perceive life to this day. Reading has impacted my life in many positive ways, such as reading with my mom; however, in negative ways as well, such as embarrassing class moments.
For the majority of my life I hated reading and writing. The hatred for reading and writing all started when I was in elementary school. In first grade, when we were learning how to read more complatied and complex books, we would be paired up with a partner in our class. The way it worked it was that you picked a number from a jar and whoever also had the same number would be your partner.
To me, learning is like a bee pollinating. I am the bee, and learning is the pollen which gets picked up from a flower and then gets dropped off to another flower. I used to think that everyone would learn in a different way than how I learned. I have always had trouble learning; lessons and anything that anybody told me, would somehow not stay inside my brain. I believe that one of the very first ways that we begin to learn is in a section that Temple Grandin discusses in her article. Doing community service was an experience that has shaped my outlook on life. Anything that I do has taken time a lot of effort, but it has paid off with the knowledge that I gained.
Reading leave me a lot of good things, such as learning what is going on around the
Literacy, what is it? When this question was asked, my immediate thought was being able to read and write, duh. But as I sat back in my chair and tried to come up with something to say to the class, I realized literacy is not truly defined by that short definition provided when looked up in the dictionary. Literacy has been an important part every civilization, enabling the recording and sharing of history, thoughts, and ideas. It has a place in every aspect of society. From cooking, to science, to religion, literacy knows no bounds. Although literacy is often thought of as the ability to read and write in an academic setting, to me literacy is more beneficial when used outside of an educational context. Literacy in its most significant form is being able to decipher emotions and feelings, finding productive solutions to the problems, and sharing with others.