Blog #1: Literacy Profile

              As I look back and reflect on my own literary practices that I’ve used as a student and reader in general, I have discovered a lot not only about myself as a student in general, but also some of the reasons as to why being a teacher of Language Arts/Reading is the right career pathway for me! If one would have asked me during my elementary school days if I considered myself a reader or enjoyed reading, I would have exclaimed of course I am! Fast forward a few years to  middle school days to ask me the same question, and I’m sure the answer you would get from myself is no. As a young student, I always enjoyed read aloud time and being able to choose any book I wanted from the huge library to read. Once I got into middle school however, it seemed like that wasn’t the “cool” thing anymore. I think this type of attitude that many of my peers had rubbed off on me. Also, my mom would also try and insist I read some more since I rarely did, and at that age I think I enjoyed being so stubborn. Once I got into high school however, I had a few really excellent teachers that got me interested in literature once again. I think the biggest thing that drew me back into reading, was hearing stories that I could relate to and being able to form connections and discuss how everyday life could tie into the story. This personal aspect got me interested and made me realize that reading isn’t just about being able to answer comprehension questions, like what I learned in middle school, but that literature can actually be fun!

            Nowadays, I would surely consider myself a reader. There are many things that I love about reading. One thing is that I love the feeling of being able to connect with another person and know that they have felt things similar to what I have. I also love when a book is able to draw me into the story and I feel as if I’m a part of it and I would love to be able to motivate students to feel that at least once when they read a story. When I first began reading, it was such an exciting time for me! I remember as a young child going around the house and reading all the stories that I could find. It seemed to find it relaxing. My parents strongly pushed me to read and as a child they constantly read stories to me which I enjoyed and it also brought us closer together which I really enjoyed. This is something that I think is lacking in a lot of households today and one of my biggest goals as a teacher is to motivate parents to read with their children because not only will this help with their children’s literacy skills but also I want students to be able to feel that excitement and happiness that I did when I was reading with my parents.

            I don’t remember exact titles of what I read as an adolescent but I know I enjoyed reading all different types. Mysteries and mostly fiction novels were the genres that I was generally drawn too. I really enjoyed reading stories about characters going through hard times and growing up, because I really felt like I could connect with them and enjoyed that aspect. In regards to the literature taught in my middle school classrooms, I found much of it boring. Many of my teachers at this grade level only taught what they had to out of the book and never motivated the students. I felt as if we just read stories to answer questions, meet the curriculum and then we would move on. In my high school, it seemed as if some of my teachers would choose books based on our interest levels instead and this is what helped me gain a love of reading. In middle school, reading felt like boring assignments and not a fun adventure, which is the way I feel reading should be for students. I believe that they should feel as if they are immersed in the story line!!

            I would consider myself today somewhere between being a motivated reader and a reluctant one. I think often times I am not motivated to pick up a book myself and start it unless I hear that is very good or have too, but once I find a story I really enjoy or an author I really like, I will go out on my own to find other stories similar to them because I can’t get enough! I hope to inspire my students to value reading and literacy by being able to show them that they can relate to others and that others go through the same types of things in life that they do and that they are not alone. I hope to inspire students by doing read alouds and incorporating literature in every aspect of my classroom that I can. I also hope that my love of reading and excitement for different stories will inspire many students to find the same enjoyment. I want them to view literature as a fun, relaxing thing to do and not look at it as always just reading for an assignment. I know this will be tough but I hope that through my love of reading, my students will get to that level someday as well.

            Lastly, I do believe that literacy extends beyond traditional reading practices. I think that traditional reading practices help to build up a person’s literacy. Also, the more reading that is done will help literacy become stronger, which will lead to further enjoyment of novels for students. In the end, I hope to inspire, be a strong motivator and role model for my students and that they will ultimately learn to have a love for Language Arts and reading as I do!