Literacy Autobiography for Renee Barkley
RE 5040-Teacher as Researcher
Fall, 2004
Throughout life there are moments in time that leave a lasting impression. These impressions are permanent marks that direct the path you chose to follow in life. As I pondered the beginning of my literacy experience, I found I had fond memories of reading. Moments such as these in our lives can be termed “defining moments”. I believe a “defining moment” in my life was when my mother and I read our first chapter book together. I was so proud and my mother was equally as proud. It is a feeling I can still experience today with the students in my classroom. My mother’s love of reading and her willingness to share her reading experiences with me made me want to read more. Her patience and understanding while I muddled through a story has caused or helped me to understand the patience I need in the classroom when working with my students.
Not to be outdone, my father’s efforts were instrumental in my literacy development as well. I remember my father sitting in his chair pouring over mounds of paperwork to be read for work. Talk about setting an example. He seemed to always find time to read the book, Hop on Pop, by Dr. Seuss. I enjoyed the rhyming in the story and the fact that my dad was always picking me up and throwing me in the air or rough housing with me. We spent hours mimicking the story and just having fun. Hop on Pop had lasting memories that continue to bring a smile to my face.
My mother was an avid reader and encouraged me to read whenever possible. She constantly had some reading material with her and would read small excerpts from the magazine or story she was reading aloud to me. At night, she would read books to my brother and me before bedtime. She would read a story each of us had chosen and then one of her favorites. My brother and I usually chose one of the Dr. Seuss books because we liked the rhyming in the stories. A memory that sticks with me is repeating the story my mother was reading because I had memorized the words in numerous stories. Traveling in the car was always an interesting time for my parents because I used to repeat the stories that had been read to me when we were going places.
Sunday afternoons are among my favorite literacy memories due to the time my mother and I were able to spend together. My mother and I would sit on our patio and read on Sunday afternoons. Many times we would read magazines and novels together sharing the story and the ways the stories made us feel. It was a time that she and I were able to spend together with no interruptions. We would make up stories and pretend we were the characters.
Being raised in Florida in a Southern Baptist Church, I had many opportunities to become familiar with Bible verses. You know what they say about Southern Baptist, no one knows the Bible better. Due to the structure of my Sunday school classes, it seemed I was always memorizing Bible verses. Each week it was a different verse. I can still remember sitting in a circle reciting those verses and singing those favored Christian songs, even though I cannot carry a tune. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son,…” John 3:16. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Lord except through me.” John 14:6. My daughter has gone through similar instruction with many of the same verses I had to memorize. She found it funny that I could recite the verses with her. These versus have afforded my daughter and I a special closeness.
Flashcards, flashcards, flashcards seemed to be all I knew in Kindergarten. My teacher used flashcards to teach the Dolch words, the colors, numbers and anything else we needed to memorize. Was there any other way? I can remember working with her as a class and one-on-one. My teacher would read stories aloud to the class and we would discuss the characters and the events that had occurred in the story. We would read choral read with the teacher and read aloud for those of us that were able. She worked with us individually and we had parents in the room working with us a fair amount of time. My Kindergarten teacher had a strong influence on my literacy development as well as on the way a handle my students in the classroom. She was a strong disciplinarian, but enjoyed teaching and being with the students. You felt an excitement when you entered her classroom. She made learning fun and you many times where not sure what to expect. She made you feel as though you could accomplish whatever she was asking you to do. She had a soothing way of encouraging you to try. Literacy was demonstrated in many different arenas in her class. We used drama and plays to act out scenes from a story. She is one whose influence my own classroom students benefit from. She did not conform and work with each child individually. As I look at the structure of my classroom, I see many of the same qualities. My children enjoy acting out a story or play and it still amazes me how much more they understand and comprehend from a story by putting it into motion. The students are able to problem-solve and begin to consider the what if questions.
As I began fifth grade, my teacher had several novel series that were personal favorites of hers. I was the child that wanted to please my teachers, so I began reading the books she had recommended. I became very interested in the stories and understood her passion for the two series. The series were The Nancy Drew series and The Trixie Bolden series. My teacher thought I would like these books because many of the books she saw me reading were mysteries or books dealing with nature. With these two series being mysteries, I enjoyed trying to figure the “who done it”. I was so absorbed by these books that I read the whole series for both sets. It was a conversation piece between my teacher and me. I would rush in the room in a tizzy so excited to tell her about what I had read the night before. I felt so proud when we were able to discuss the events from the stories and could not wait to get my hands on another book. I remember when they made the television series based from The Nancy Drew books and The Hardy Boys book series. I was disappointed at times because the story line did not match the book or so much of the detail was left out that I felt cheated. Today, I do enjoy reading books that are being made into movies to compare the two. The book is always so much better than the movie, but I enjoy seeing if the movie touches me the same way the book usually does. These series are books that I continually encourage my students to read. At my age I am amazed I can still remember many of the storylines. This has allowed me the opportunity to experience a special relationship with many children. They come into school the same way I did wanting to discuss the events they had just read about. I am constantly checking on my students and former students as to books they have read and we talk about our favorites and why we enjoyed them. This is the part of teaching that gets me through each day. The relationships being built through literacy are ones I carry close to my heart.
When I began middle school and high school, my English teacher’s had me read The Outsider’s, The Great Gatsby, Lord of the Flies, and The Odyssey, to name a few. I could not put most of them down. I was consumed by the story lines and wanted to read more. I remember begging my mother to take me to the library to find more books. I was pleased to find out some of these books are currently being used in some of the middle schools my friends work at. We are able to share our fondness and experiences with reading these stories and the way they made us feel. This carries over into the classroom and the excitement is contagious. These books were ones I could relate to because I went to an inner city school that was divided by the “haves” and the “have nots”.
My daughter developed a fondness for Dr. Seuss as well. From the time she was little I would read to her each night. She followed in my footsteps in the books she chose to read. Her favorite story is Daisy Head Maisy. We read the book so much she learned the ending words for each line. I would read the sentence except for the last word and she would fill in the word for me. Some of the greatest memories I have of my daughter falling asleep while I read to her. I will always remember the first time she read a chapter book with me. We had a feeling of excitement that seemed to consume our evening. I was so proud of her and the excitement she felt and demonstrated when she realized she could read. She could not wait to call my mom and dad and tell them she had finished her first chapter book. The thought of this still consumes me and brings tears to my eyes. Each Christmas I buy my daughter a book that I think will touch her in a special way. These are the books we continue to read time after time.
For those that have had a less than perfect literacy experience, I am truly sorry. For the experience I had and continue to have with literacy is remarkable. I have acquired so many lasting memories from the experiences I have had involving literacy. The students I teach today are a challenge, but they feed off my excitement. I hope that my students feel the same and that I encourage and develop a love for literacy in them. What better gift can given to any child, but the gift of expression and emotion as they open the book and get lost in the pages.