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was extremely difficult to read and understand. I was confused because I was not familiar with the figurative language used: metaphor's, simile's, personification. In class, each of us played a character and read their lines. This ensured that everyone was following along. During the reading I felt lost, but I found the discussions after the reading to be helpful. Our teacher broke down the sentences and explained what they meant. I also heard my classmate's point of view and would also share my own.

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As I look back on my early and later years of learning how to read and write I realize that I have had great teachers along the way. I am thankful for each and every one of them, as well as, my mother and grandmother. Fortunately, I grew up with 4 siblings that I could read to for that extra practice. My one regret is not doing more reading during middle school, high school, and college. In my extra time, I would prefer physical activity or practicing one of the many sports that I played. In saying that, I will definitely take the time to pick up a book more often!

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BY LOUIS SACHAR
This is a novel of adventure and mystery. The reason why I enjoy this book is because it takes me away from reality. It is a chance for my mind to wander and imagine. There was a movie made from this novel. It is enjoyable to watch and read.

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BY TONY ROBBINS
Written by a motivational speaker. This book was a gift from someone when I was going through a tough time in my life. I still continue to reread it because this self-help book gives life-changing advice. After reading this book, I have a more positive outlook in life.

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BY CARLY LLOYD
Written by a successful soccer player. The reason why I love this book is because of how much I can relate. She talks about her journey and how she had to overcome a lot of adversity. I played professionally for a couple years after college and overcame many obstacles to get there. I enjoy hearing about other stories.

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Round robin reading was one of my worst memories. I felt uncomfortable having to read to everyone and paid more attention to how I sounded more than comprehension.

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When I checked in with my mother about memories of how I learned to read, the first thing she mentioned was my short attention span!

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I spent a lot of time tracing both print and cursive letters and really enjoyed practicing this skill at school and at home. I would spend hours practicing my writing and my signature. After plenty of practice, I started to receive compliments from other teachers in the school and my classmates about my neat handwriting.

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I was often sent to the computers for a read along. I like to follow along as someone reads to me because it was the perfect model of how I should sound when I read. The model reader was fluent and read with lots of expression.

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HAMLET

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SSR was a time that we could all go and pick the book that we wanted to read. I'm not proud to mention this, but I used to pretend to read and just look at pictures.

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MOST CHILDREN'S BOOKS PROMOTE POSITIVE MESSAGES

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MOST CHILDREN'S BOOKS PROMOTE POSITIVE MESSAGES

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I believe this is very important for our youth. They need these grace and courtesy lessons starting at a young age.

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My favorite literacy assignment from my elementary years was writing my own book. This assignment was a good way for students to be unique and creative while sharing their interests. At the time, this assignment seemed like a long and difficult task to complete. But I referred to other books to help me get started. I paid attention to how authors started their books and put my own twist on my own. My favorite part of the assignment was focusing on the illustrative part. I tried to draw the perfect picture to match the wording below.

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The first thing I would do was try to sound it out letter by letter. If the word still did not make sense, I would refer back to the picture and look for clues of what the word may be.

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This is how I learned my ABC's and letter sounds. I remember watching a video similar to the one below (couldn't find exact video) almost every single day. I had no difficulty learning my ABC's and letter sounds because of how often I watched videos similar to the one below.

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My favorite Teacher! Mr. Hatfield was a teacher who I really connected with right from the beginning because he had a great sense of humor and was extremely patient with our class. To have a teacher who can make you laugh while learning makes every day a memorable experience. Mr. Hatfield was also one of the very few male teachers that I've had growing up. I liked a little change every now and again.

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BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR, WHAT DO YOU SEE?

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BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR, WHAT DO YOU SEE?

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This was one of my favorite books to read, over, and over, and over again. This repeated reading helped me become a much more fluent reader. I enjoyed how predictable these books were. Anticipating how the story would end helped me to become more familiar and comfortable reading.

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My grandmother played a huge role in teaching me how to read by using flashcards. We would constantly go through the same flashcards such as: Celebration, Decoration, Halloween. We did this so often that I began to read the word without breaking it down and sounding it out. I started to use less and less mental energy and it became automatic. Once I learned that I can read a word without much effort, I gained more confidence. Praise from my grandmother was a big motivator too!