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Grade One
The personal literacy story, that I will be sharing about, began when I was 6 years old and has significantly impacted my views about reading and the learning process. As a grade one student, I was excited about sharing my report card with my parents but my excitement quickly turned to tears when I saw a “D” in the reading section. I was devastated. With two older siblings, who were high achievers, I knew a “D” was “bad”. -
Lack of Interest
Right then I decided I couldn’t read so I shouldn’t try. I had always been a child who enjoyed dramatic play and although I regularly listened to bedtime stories, I had very little interest in reading on my own.I was not able to find books that were “a good fit” for me in my classroom and as a result had a hard time staying engaged during reading time. I should have been reading independently but I had 3 different teachers that year and as a result had not established any real reading strategies -
New Books
My mom told me she was not concerned because she felt I was just not ready for reading yet. She was more concerned about my defeatist attitude about reading. She took me to chapters to find books about dolls and let me choose books I wanted including a few of my current favourites.Every night my dad read one of these books to me until I had memorized them. This helped me become more confident in my reading as I knew the words and I began to show an interest in reading other books on my own. -
Practice
Along with my bedtime story, my parents made a reading schedule for me and allowed me to pick out a few new books at the public library each week. My dad practiced sight words with me every morning before school and my mom read with me after school. With this practice and reading new books, every night, I began to love reading. As I got better, I started. -
Obstacles
I quickly became a competent grade one reader, achieving a solid B on my final report card but more importantly learned to “love reading”. This experience helped me to understand the importance of persevering and I soon realized that if I tried I was capable of achieving anything. -
Today: Teacher Candidate
As a current teacher candidate, I am aware of my own struggles and think that my setbacks in school have allowed me to recognize the importance of meeting each challenge with a growth mindset and recognize that we all learn differently. I know from my own experiences that it is important to provide students with many opportunities and different kinds of texts to spark their love for reading. -
Inspirational Books
Since I began my journey towards becoming a teacher, my mom has given me a new book that she thinks will be useful in my future classroom, every year. Two books that I have found very inspiring, in recent years, are Giraffes Can’t Dance and The Dot. The messages in these books about overcoming an obstacle even when it seems unachievable, have inspired me to reflect on my past education and work to become a better teacher myself. -
Development
My mom always says that my inability to read was a turning point for her as a primary teacher. She knew I was capable of reading and had all the basic skills but was just not ready. She often tells parents about this and encourages them to understand that all children develop differently. Every time I am reminded of this, I remember why I want to be a teacher - to help change students’ mindsets and encourage them to grow as individuals. -
My Literacy Story
