Honestly, I couldn’t tell you the
exact way I started reading. It probably had to go along the lines of my
teacher making us read for a program called Accelerated Reader, which all the
students called “AR”. My family has
never been the most active readers so reading was not enforced in my home. The
thing I remember the most about reading when I was little is when my mom would
sit down with me on the floor and read me Dr. Sues or “Clifford the Big Red
Dog”. And I actually remember enjoying that and wanting to read more until the
4th grade. That’s when everything changed.
In the 4th grade is when
my teachers started to enforce AR. When they told us that we had to read
because it was a part of our grade I died inside. I remember it like it was
yesterday, every day after lunch the teacher would sit down and make us read.
It was like taking the legs off of an Olympic runner. It is just something that
you shouldn’t do. As the days passed the reading got less and less dreadful and
I eventually got to the point to where I wanted to read. But then again, I got
older and I entered Junior High. At the junior high I went to we didn’t have to
read AR, but my teachers gave you detention if you didn’t read so you had
too. Reading has always been forced onto
me so I have never really enjoyed it. But just like the last time, there was
that one book that turned things around for me. That book was “The Light In The
Forrest”. I don’t remember who wrote it but it really got me more involved in
my readings.
I don’t want to sound like a recorder stuck on
replay but again; there was that one book that was just absolutely horrible.
Every time I hear that name I just tremble in its wretchedness. But then, it
hit me! I couldn’t just read one type of books and expect me to enjoy every single
one of them, I had to expand my resources. That was the year that I read “Great
Expectations” by Charles Dickens. It was a great book and I Immediately fell in
love with it. It was like right up my ally. Mystery with a bit of history is
one of my favorite types of stories. Man I can’t explain to you all how much I
love that book.
I don’t like the way I learned to
read to be honest. I would much rather have my mom or dad come to my bed and
night and read me a chapter or 2 of my book. It would be a lot more enjoyable
and it would also create some bonding time.
I think that people shouldn’t make
their kids/students read. Yes it expands your vocabulary and make you smarter
but they will get nothing out of it if you force it upon them. This is coming
from a person experience. Thanks for reading! Have a good day.
