The big question of this assignment is am I a reader? Personally, I would have to say yes. However, I was not always a reader. I use to hate English class because it was one of the hardest things for me to understand what I was reading. I eventually out grew this and found that books can be a gateway to escape. It is one of my favorite things to do when I have free time. This being said, I want to talk about 5 different situations that made me enjoy reading.
- Library Time!
Image Credit: KIPP NYC
When I was in elementary school, we could have a specific time everyday when the entire class would walk to the library and pick out a book to read for the week. I was always attracted to the pretty covers and kids having fun. After about 10 minutes of looking for books, the librarian would call us to grab a book so we could go check it out. The best part was after checkout. Mrs. L would sit us in the “reading corner” and read us picture stories every week. I use to love this because she would play the characters so well! She would change her voice, move around, and even involve us in the story (if possible). It really showed me that books actually have a great story if you read them correctly!
2. Read 180.
Sadly, around 6th grade I began to hate books and reading. Starting in middle school, we would have to do different reading tests to see if we were reading fast enough for our grade level. Spoiler: I was not. After a couple different tests, I was put into a program called Read 180. This program was suppose to help my reading and make me better but I would get so frustrated with myself, I eventually stopped trying. It also didn’t help that I had a rude teacher. My main English teacher (not the rude teacher) told me if I try than I could get out of Read 180 by the next semester. I wanted to get out of there so much I just put my head down and read as fast as I could and eventually escaped. This program did more harm to me than good but something I did learn is that reading is suppose to be an enjoyable thing. It isn’t like we were reading textbooks but we were reading stories that are meant for entertainment. Eventually, I learned that the hard way.
3. Edgar Allan Poe.
When I was starting high school I was still on the verge of enjoying reading. Thankfully, my sister was still at home and showed me this amazing poet by the name of Edgar Allan Poe. I was already excited because I have never heard of someone being names Edgar. I thought it was unique and strange at the same time. Then I saw the cover of what she was reading. It was this creepy book that looked like a children’s book. I then asked “Why are you reading a kid’s book?” She then explained to me what it was, an illustration book of some famous short stories by Edgar Allan Poe. She read me a couple but one that stuck out was “The Black Cat”. To this day, it is still one of my favorite stories.
4. The Hunger Game Series.
Reading the Hunger Games was something that I will never regret. To this day, I think it is one of the best series. This series was the first series I ever completed reading then. I soon realized that I could be a reader and I could do what was asked of me. To this day, I still hate reading series but at least I know I can.
5. Getting into a College English class in high school.
This doesn’t sound like a huge deal because so many high school’s offer college courses but it overjoyed me that I was able to get into it. For enrollment, you needed a current ACT score to even be considered. Thankfully the teacher liked me well enough to let me join her class. That class was probably the best class I have ever taken because I felt like I knew what I was doing. Since middle school, I was always on the verge of reading and English classes but once I completed that course with an “A”, I knew I would be fine at Chadron.
These are just 5 major experiences that influences my reading/ English life dramatically.
Until next time,
-Rachel
Rachel's Mind 