Reading And Reading : The Importance Of Reading-Reading

Ever since I was younger I have always tried staying away from reading. The only person in my family that likes to read is my mom; however, she does not read often. Once she picks up a book, she cannot put it down. My dad on the other hand, never picks up a book. He and I are one in the same; we do not like reading because we have a hard time comprehending what we read. My brother also does not like to read. He does not like reading because he has a learning disability. My mom always had an extremely tough time getting him to read. Overall, my literacy experiences at home are few and far between.

There is nothing that has had a bigger impact on my life than learning to read and write. I remember being in elementary school and the teacher emphasizing that reading and writing is fundamental. I didn’t know what that meant or why she kept repeating that over again. As I started to grow older I slowly understood a part of it. It began by observing my father every morning, he would buy the Spanish newspaper and would read it. One day I asked him if I could read the newspaper, I knew I couldn’t read Spanish but I was curious. I recall breaking up the words and putting them together like I learned in school. To only realize that Spanish is phonetically written. From there I learned that there is an important connection in Spanish and English that is important just as reading and writing in my life. There are many types of outcomes that I gained from learning to read and write. Such as being able to expand my knowledge, observing how communication is interacted in reading and writing, and appreciating the creativity of it.

There are many important skills that students must learn in school. One important skill would be how to read and write and the other would be how to think critically. These two skills are very important in different ways. However, they are both important skills that will help individuals throughout different times in their lives. The skill of reading and writing can open a door into a new world, a world filled with words. Critical thinking can help with having to make life changing decisions or it can help find a solution to a difficult issue. The skills reading and writing and critical thinking are all important skills in their own way, and they are both important during many aspects of life.

If you couldn’t read or write, how would you tackle your daily life? Being literate is a crucial part of everyone’s life; reading and writing are essential for a person’s success. Every single day, it’s used, whether it’s for an Advanced Placement Language class or reading a billboard as you’re driving past. As a child, I grew up reading on a daily basis and I believe that I am as successful as I am on behalf of it. Countless memories have been created, thanks to the multiple books that have been read and the umpteen amount of papers that I’ve written. Throughout the numerous years of my education, my teachers and parents left a long lasting impact on my reading and writing skills.

Before I began elementary school, I enjoyed reading picture books, the touch and feel books and pop-up books. I loved the author Dr. Suess, because he was funny and because I loved the rhyming he did in his writing. I can remember before bed, my mom or dad would read to me until I got old enough to read myself. My mom has always enjoyed reading, if she is not reading a book, then she is reading a recipe or a magazine. My dad on the other hand, I have only seen him read one book, besides reading manuals for his tools. Reading was not a big deal in my house, all of us kids were told that we needed to read, but they did not force us to read. This brings me to Richard Rodriguez’s essay, in his household reading was not as important, but once he got to school, he realized that reading is one of the main activities. I can relate to Rodriguez because in either one of our households we weren’t told that we had to read before we did something else. Once I got to elementary school is when I realized that reading was not for me. Before school, I enjoyed reading, then once I began elementary school, I was forced to read, take tests over books, and read out loud in front of the class which made reading a chore.

When I was little, I loved to have my parents read to me all the time. At first, I didn’t learn to read because I didn’t want to read the “Learn to Read” books and preferred for my parents to read to me. I remember sitting with my Dad and following along while he read Harry Potter aloud to me and traced the words with his finger. Then we started to take turns reading aloud. I started to read more and more by myself after I was able to read the first chapter of Harry Potter (with a little bit of help). Then I worked my way through the rest of the book. I loved how reading let you explore new worlds and different points of view.

Growing up I was a very avid reader. I remember the first books I successfully read by myself. They were a series directed towards preschoolers called, “Where’s Spot?” written by Eric Hill. There are over twenty books in the Spot series and I’m damn sure I read every single one of them. I would come home ever day after preschool and kindergarten and read the Spot books aloud as I was walking around the house. If you can’t already tell, I was a very self-absorbed child. And although the books are extremely simple, with about one word on each page, and any human being older than ten can probably tell you the exact plot simply based off of the title, I always prided myself in being able to read them. However, soon after I found reading to be a lot less rewarding because as most self-centered children I sought recognition for all my actions, as a dog seeks a treat for being able to do a trick. It became something I was expected to be able to do instead of something I was special for doing.

Some of my favorite books, mostly Dr. Seuss, mostly got me going on my reading skills. It was easy. Word were easy to pronounce and they also had pic to help me with words I couldn’t even say. I felt important reading his books. Then, as I got older and my reading skills improved, chapter books came into play. Through my childhood I did not have it so easy. My brother passed and he mostly taught me how to correctly read. So when he left, I was stuck. I had other people in my family to help but once you get use to that favorite person helping you, you get attached. When it came to one of my other brother, it sucked. I usually get talked about constantly by him because he was older and always run his mouth when I came across a word that I didn’t know. Reading books became an easy escape at that age. It was something to do, and kept me occupied without having to talk to myself. It was also a way to read about other people and about their lives, which I think is a reason for my taste in books now. My parents and my favorite math teacher always told me that I'm a very bright individual and my accomplishments in other subjects prove that. I approached and passed science and surprisingly math. They both dealt with reading and understanding things that I needed to know. To me, writing equals to nothing more than stress and frustration. I thought was too stupid to waste effort

Ever since I was in elementary school, I was never able to grasp what I was reading. It was always a chore and I would speed through it or avoid it entirely. The extra help I received was meant to help me provoke, my eventual, love for reading, but at the time only made me feel as though I wasn't smart enough to read what everyone else my age could. While most kids would push themselves to read books like Harry Potter, I was the kid who was still reading the Magic Treehouse series. It was through the assistance of my parents encouraging me to read 30 minutes every night that caused me to love reading and become the reader I am today.

I’ve never put much thought into what defines reading or literacy. I know that they are life skills that are necessary for a person to have a functional place in the world. Growing up it was expected that you learned how to read, write, interpret, clarify, summarize, and question based on what is presented to you. It used to be based on textbooks, novels, and newsprint. As of now, I’ve lost count of the different ways that we can communicate.

My experience with reading started as most do. I was exposed to the easy-readers that every little tot has seen. Obviously, I learned to read and write in kindergarten and beyond; I owe some thanks to the teachers of my early years. I was never much of a reader when I was a younger child. I read from time to time but never constantly. If I regret one thing from my childhood, it will be that I never read enough. In a sense, I have taken it upon myself now to compensate for the lack of literature in my life when I was a boy.

I preferred listening to storied by others rather than do it on my own. At time of course I would do some reading on my own but I always found it extremely challenging. It wasn’t until about the second grade; whenever I was first exposed to brick and mortar schooling that my ability to read became the most challenging. This is about the time I started to notice that all the other kids were excelling with their reading abilities at a much faster rate than I was. I wasn’t fitting in with the normal standards for my age. I felt stupid. I was bumped down into reading lower level books than the majority of the class and this whole time I never understood why. The only thing I understood was that people looked at me differently. People judged me base on my ability to do what seemed like a very simple task to so many. But little did they know, I was

I can't help but laugh when going through my old IEP paperwork from grade school. Most of the teachers concerns were my reading skills, and handwriting. The school threw me into handwriting classes grades 1-5. I'd miss a 1/4th of my regular class just with that. Jokes on them my handwriting is still terrible. From reading all of their paperwork and the dates on them, the reading concerns came from right after my mom passed away. I was more than capable of doing well in that area. In fact, I really loved reading and still do. I just didn't want to be there. I didn't like my peers, and I didn't like them asking about my mom all the time. You know how kids are, they are vicious and sometimes said mean things kids say. The teachers didn't help

For as long as I can remember I have loved reading. When I was younger I would read just about anything I could get my hands on. Cereal boxes, shampoo bottles, just about anything. Reading was my favorite past time and no one was more thrilled than my parents, who took it upon themselves to brag to everyone that I loved to read. As I got older, however, I became less interested in reading. The books assigned to us in school were terribly boring and they successfully ruined reading for me. They made my once favorite pastime seem like a chore and I was convinced I would never love reading like I used to.

Reading and writing are both important; you can’t have one without the other. They are skills that are increased constantly due to little things that most times are not noticed. Whether it is from a book to a poem, there will always be a way that it helps out your school performance. Reading and writing in general only helps absorb information, and enhance leisure or school related writing tasks. It has also made life itself so much easier because reading and writing are so beneficial for school and for life. How much you read and write today, will somehow affect your future job, family, position, or even your salary.