Chandra Davis

Intellectual Autobiography

“I love this house, I love this nest, in all the world my nest is best.” (taken from P.D. Eastman’s The Best Nest) This is where it all began for me. As just a small tot (only two years old), I would climb up in my mother’s lap for the nightly reading routine. I might choose other stories too, but would never go to bed without hearing my favorite – The Best Nest. I soon had this whole book memorized. Yes I was reading! I loved to perform my rendition of this piece for anyone who would listen. For a book this long, I must have had a pretty good memory. Somewhere in all those thousands of times reading and reciting this book, I am sure those words were being etched into my memory.

When talking with my mom, I reaffirmed what I already thought to be true. The three other most important influences on my learning to read were: Childcraft – The Nursery Rhyme volume, Sesame Street, and the Bible stories each night before bed. I never really remember a time that I couldn’t read. I mean after all I could recite The Best Nest and any of the Mother Goose Rhymes, and that was reading to me. I guess I just assumed that you were born knowing how to read. With both of my parents being teachers, I was doomed or is it blessed? They probably had me filling up workbooks when I was three. My mother was a Kindergarten and first grade teacher. I loved for her to play school with me. She had loads of old books, worksheets, and all that awesome “school” stuff.

I also loved for my mother to read to me. I am certain that all those endless stories must have paid off. I remember the shape books as a part of my reading journey too. I was actually just reminded of those this week, as my three-year-old son pulled one out to “read” to me. I am so fortunate to have my now retired mother as my babysitter two days a week. I see her doing the same wonders with my children as she didwith me. Already she has taught my daughter to read. She does not begin Kindergarten until next year, but she is greatly prepared.

In school, I do remember having reading groups and word cards in my first grade class. I never remember it being hard, or not knowing any of the words. I do not think that reading was challenging for me at any point. However, I do not think I learned through phonics. When I first began teaching phonics, I was lost! The funny thing is, I now teach in that same school where I spent my first valuable learning years. I am in the room beside of my first grade class, and MY first grade teacher is right next door. I have good memories of reading throughout school, but I never really loved reading. I would say that my weakest area of reading was vocabulary.

My lifelong goal was to become a teacher. I wanted to be just like my mother. I would say that she was the most influential person on my decision to become a teacher. I do not EVER remember a time when I had the desire to investigate any other profession. I played school practically everyday of my life. My poor brother, I never let him play “boy stuff”. He always had to play school. We had loads of neat things to play with living with two teachers. Teacher workdays were my favorite because I got to attend school with my mother. How awesome to get to play school in a real classroom! My mother always said it takes a special, natural talent to become a teacher. I totally agree with her now. Some people were born to teach, and others just do not have that “touch”. Still today I believe that watching my mother instilled in me that love and desire to become a teacher.

I now teach in a first grade classroom. What a tremendous load of responsibility I carry for teaching young children to read. I do not feel that I entered the teaching profession with the skills I needed to really teach reading. I was wondering, where were all those professors when I really needed some help? Having my mother and other good teachers as role models and mentors truly helped me become an effective teacher. I have learned so much about reading and teaching reading over this past year of my graduate school experience.

How have these experiences effected my beliefs on teaching reading? First, I believe that learning to read begins way before a child ever enters the doors of a school. Parent involvement is crucial to the success of a child learning to read. Without all of my exposure to printed text, I would not have entered school with the skills to read. Even after a child learns to read, there still MUST be that positive reinforcement from parents. Teachers are not the only reading teachers. Most of my students that come to first grade reading were read to at home.

Second, I believe that every child can learn to read. However, each child does not learn at the same pace or in the same ways. As a first grade teacher, I believe that we must present a balanced literacy program to meet the needs of all students in our classroom. Some children just do not get phonics, while others rely heavily on decoding skills for reading. I believe that we must use different approaches to reading in our classroom. I use both whole group and small group instruction to accommodate the different learning styles and ability levels in my classroom.

Third, I believe that there must be a love for reading. A child must feel that he/she is a success when learning to read. If a child feels that he/she is a failure, then he/she will quickly become “tuned out” to reading. I believe that we must always strive to make sure children are not asked to perform at a level that is unrealistic for them. Becoming frustrated at learning to read can turn a child against reading for the rest of his/her life. I want to create that love for reading in my classroom. I want even that struggling reader to feel that he/she CAN read. With this power, each child can become a success. For some it may take longer than their peers, but with work it can happen.

Finally, I believe that reading is much more than just reading words. There are so many other things that go hand in hand with reading. If a child cannot read, all other subjects become impossible. Reading unlocks the doors to the whole world. As a parent told me at the end of last year, “you have given my child the greatest gift – you taught him to read. With this he can now do ANYTHING.” I believe that a child must become more than a good word caller. He/she must have fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary skills. I have many Hispanic students who learn to “read” the words, but have no idea what they are reading. In order to have the skills necessary to survive in our world, children must go beyond the task of word recognition. From my own experience, I know that vocabulary was the weakest area for me. I still struggle in this area as an adult.

We as teachers have an awesome responsibility to make sure that every child learns to read. I think this is why I love first grade. Most kids come to my class not knowing how to read. By the end of the year I can see such growth. Usually all my children are reading. Of course some are much farther along than others are, but all have made progress. It is so rewarding to watch these children in the first few months of school. For most of them, it is the first time that they truly realize that they can read! It’s not because I am a great teacher, but because they finally begin to fit all those words and sounds together. Watching young children learn to read is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. Just to think that I had a small part in the skill that will forever change their life makes all those frustrating days worthwhile. It also leaves me wondering sometimes, what else can I do better to make sure that every child is reading at his/her highest level? I have already learned a lot, and continue to learn new ideas each day to help my students. I want ALL my children to be a success in reading. These are my beliefs, now what can I do to improve my classroom instruction to ensure success for EVERY student in my classroom?