Instilling a love of Reading!

My favorite show as a child was Sesame Street.  My sister would tease me and say, “That show is for babies,” but I didn't care.  I loved it, and watched it every chance I got.  Little did I know that this was a foundational step on my path to a love of reading and becoming a reading teacher.  I learned letters and letter sounds, as well as songs and rhymes on a weekly basis. By the time I started Kindergarten, I was well on my way to becoming a reading rock star.  I knew my letters and sounds and was able to put those together to read CVC words followed by short sentences.  By first grade I was reading basal readers and picture books.  I would sound out unfamiliar words, and I was not afraid to ask when I got stuck.

All of this led to my greatest memory of my early schooling days.  In 2nd grade, I’m sure after some type of early reading assessment, I was placed in the Star Reading Group.  I felt as if I was at the top of the reading mountain.  There was a feeling of pride inside of me that shined through when I would read with my group.  We would sit at a rectangular table and take turns reading a page at a time.  We were in awe of the fact that we were such fantastic readers that the teacher didn't even have to sit with us!  I loved reading at school and at home and nothing was in my way! To top it all off, my mom went back to college and got her Master’s Degree in Library Science.  She became the K-12 librarian for Buffalo ISD in the little town of Buffalo, Texas where we lived.  My mom….a librarian!  I could spend all of the time I wanted after school surrounded by books, magazines, and more.

This may sound like the perfect scenario.  A young child set up for early reading success.   Oh, how I wish the majority of my sweet students could have even a small part of the exposure I had to literacy at such an early age.  Due to home life, poverty, or whatever the case may be, many of them simply do not.  Do I just shrug my shoulders and complain about the unfairness of it all, or do I look at this problem exactly for what it is?  A chance to share early literacy with them as soon as possible.  I have the privilege in my position of watching my students grow from kindergarten darlings to fourth grade pre-teens.  I must look at the time given to me as a chance to instill the love of reading into their lives, and pray that they carry it with them far beyond their time here at Watkins.