Thinking back from when I was in elementary school, It's hard to remember exactly when, where, and how I began to read. I went to a private school, Greenville Christian Academy, during kindergarten which included K-4 twice and K-5 once. The reason I was held back was because I just wasn't where I needed to be, to move on to K-5. I always remember struggling with reading and spelling, especially reading. The most specific thing I remember is not being able pronounce words and make my sentences flow. I would always think about how natural it sounded for some people, and how choppy it sounded for me. Nevertheless, I think this was just a stage for me. Although I'm still not a very good speller, my reading skills have developed extremely since being in elementary school. I believe my literacy history included both invented spelling and paired reading. I look back on some of the letters I wrote, specifically in fourth grade, and I can not believe how bad my spelling and grammar was. Nevertheless, I could still read it. My teacher last semester said spelling is a talent, something you're born with not something you can acquire. I believe this strongly. I still til this day, am a horrible speller. Don't get me wrong, I believe students can memorize words but it's not easy for them, to say the least.
During elementary school, we did a lot of reading and writing. I would love writing, only because I had good penmanship, but would hate when it was my turn to read. I would hate sounding out words in front of everyone, just because I didn't know how to pronounce it. Although reading wasn't fun for me, my teachers and parents, were extremely helpful during this process. I think that's what helps students the most; having that support and encouragement. I realize my literacy history is not something to be a ashamed or concerned about, but something that equalizes myself to others abilities and disadvantages. Also, this will help me relate and have compassion for students who also have these same struggles. As a future teacher, I hope I have patience and consideration for all my students. Each child will be different and succeed and fail at different things; it's up to me to influence them in a positive manner and remember to love and cherish each of their uniqueness's.
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