Reading Autobiography

Reading Autobiography

I do not remember a time when I struggled with reading or writing. I have always loved reading. Some of my earliest memories of reading are of my father sitting at the table engrossed in a newspaper, while my mother read a book over her morning coffee. As a child, books were always around me and were a part of my daily routine. Whether I was being read a bedtime story, watching my father write reports for work, or helping my mother bake cookies by reading a recipe together, I was surrounded by literacy. I do not remember exactly how or when I learned to read, and it is possible that I was able to read before I started school. However, I do remember the value of being a “good reader.” I recall many times being selected to read aloud in class. I remember being selected to read a passage at church during my first holy communion and I remember how proud my family was to see me standing at the podium in front of the whole congregation.
My “success” with literacy was celebrated not only in the classroom, but in my home life as well. In fact, my interactions with literacy at home were very similar to those I experienced at school; a connection already existed between my home world and school world. I never understood how reading could be hard for someone, how some of my friends were never asked to read “out loud” or share their stories. I didn’t understand why some students needed “help” with reading and spent so much time with the teacher, while I completed my work independently.
When I entered high school, although I still enjoyed reading, I did less and less of it. My reading outside of school was always related to school in some way. I remember not really enjoying any of the books I was required to read. However, I do remember how poorly prepared I was for the volume of reading my college coursework required. I remember spending hours in the library desperately trying to study material, and not really knowing how to study.
As a Political Science major, I remember reading books on theory, law, and history, although I do not remember specific titles and authors. It was the reading that I did for my Education minor that really made an impression on me. I remember reading the works of Jonathon Kozol and being so shocked and saddened by the conditions he described in urban schools. The great disparities that exist in our public education system inspired me to write my college thesis on school financing in the state of New Jersey, and I examined how the Abbott decision evolved and changed the educational landscape of the state. It was this research that led me to my first teaching job at a charter school in Jersey City. I wanted to see how, or if, the charter school movement could address the challenges facing urban districts.
During my first year of teaching, I remember reading several books by Katie Wood Ray, Donald Graves, Lucy Calkins, and others, as part of a book study group founded by the teachers at my school. Although no money was budgeted for professional development, the teachers that I worked with decided to create their own professional development opportunities, and their dedication continues to inspire me today. Although I no longer work in a charter school, or even in an urban district, the conversations I had with teachers that first year, and the reading we did together, continues to inform my daily practice.
Lucy Calkins dedicates her book, The Art of Teaching Reading to her son Evan, “…who knows that reading, writing, listening, and talking are ways to build a better world” (Calkins, 2001). My own reading inspires me to question the world around me, and it has led me to answers. My own writing has made me a better listener, able to hear the messages hidden between the lines. Reading and writing have allowed me to speak my mind, and given me the knowledge upon which to base my ideas. Most of all, reading has inspired me to teach, and in doing so, I am able to share the gift of reading with others, and play a role in building a better world.

References

Calkins, L. (2001). The art of teaching reading. New York: Longman.