Blog 1 - Literacy Profile

 

When I think of reading at a student in grade school, the first book and experience I specifically remember is Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. In sixth grade, we were presented with a table full of books and had to choose one in which we read and completed an assignment. As I read Bridge to Terabithia, I found that I did not want to put it down. It was the first book that I remember wanting to continually read whether it was during free time in class or at home before bed. While approaching the climax of the book, I sat on my floor in my room. When I finally figured out that Leslie had died, I started crying. It amazes me that I was so emotionally attached to the character that her death affected me and of course, my mom asked me what was wrong, and I had to tell her that I was crying because of my book. Before this, I hadn’t initially read on my own and I think this book sparked my curiosity in young adult literature. I remember wanting to go to the township library and sort through the books written by authors I had become familiar with. I try to remember the different novels, but I can only picture what the covers look like. I also remember that I started to listen to books on cassette and that I liked that I couldn’t really skip ahead because I would might miss out on important information related to the plot.

In school, I always pointed out how much I loved my eleventh grade English class with Mr. Shurtz. The way he presented short stories, song lyrics, poems, and novels amazed me. Specifically, I know I left the classroom after presented with the secrets from “A Rose from Emily” in awe. That a writer could mean so many different things and hide the actual actions, while do this all in different time segments – it was awesome to me. Now I read and I find myself underlining my favorite sentences.. and my roommates think I’m crazy. I want to inspire students and excite them in the classroom the way Mr. Shurtz did in his. That I wanted to read the stories because I knew what he would reveal and explain would be that much cooler because I actually knew what he was talking about and connecting his presentations to. I hope to motivate students to analyze outside the box and not take literature for the literal meaning every time, to use their imaginations.