Teaching Me How To Read

I was born in Vietnam, and moved to the United State when I was ten years old. The biggest obstacle that I have encountered is the ability of reading and writing . I could not speak, read, and write fluently in English like other people. I did not know why it took me so much time to read a few pages when other kids were almost done with a chapter. I did not know why other kids are doing their essays in the span of a few hours, when I needed to spend a couple days to finish my essays. I have spent eight years of my life of working on my English skills and I am not satisfied with the result. This causes me so much frustration. My earliest memory about reading, writing, and speaking in English was very unpleasant for me. In the many years of learning a second language, Mrs. B helped me start to learn a new language, Mrs. Jon helped me to read better, and Mrs. Remsburg showed me the basic progress that the beginning writers should have.

Explain the Simple View of Reading and its applications for teaching in relation to your SE1 context, with particular reference to strategies for teaching and assessing reading.

“I hate it, I hate it, I hate it” I used to tell my mom when she used to ask me to read or write. I remember at times when I had to go to school I used to cry and scream and just did not want to go. I used to get bad grades and couldn’t read and was not a fluent writer. I used to struggle and cry while I watched the other kids do it easily. While growing up reading and writing were my worst subjects and I used to hate them I struggled in them.

Last week we wrote a blog and one of the questions was “How did you learn to read and write?”  I found this question interesting because I never had really thought about the moment when I actually learned how to read and write. My mom was the first person to expose me to reading and writing. A popular tactic she did to make sure I was staying engaged was to read aloud stories and make me follow along with her. My mom would read me many different stories like Tarzan, Bambi, Aladdin, Peter Pan, Lion King, The Jungle Book, and Hercules. whatever I wanted to listen and follow along with, she would read with me. This really helped with my want to read. The books contained a lot of adventure, which made it easy as a kid to follow along with. I became to gain an imagination and then all of a sudden reading was easier.

I moved to the United States. I did not speak English well. When we went to our first year of school, I had really hard time understanding what the teachers said, homework and classwork assignments too. My first day at the American school, I will never forget. It was my biology class, the teacher called me to introduce myself. I stood up and started to think of all English words that I knew, which can help me introduce myself. Teacher and classmates ask questions to help me. But I could not answer them because I simply did not know how. Somehow I was able to say my name and quickly went back to my desk. My hands were shaking and heart beating so fast, at that time I saw how some students were laughing. I did not know why there were laughing, but it makes me feel worse about my English. When I came home, I cried so hard. Next days, weeks, and month were same. I hold my tears during classes because I did not want to cry in front of everyone. But at home, I cried all the time. To me, it was so hard physically and mentally. I had a bad headache after trying to translate everything that teachers trying to explain. My homework takes me 8 hours minimum. Every day I went to sleep at

Bible also. I became a Christian, and I was baptized at seven years old. My minister at the time, Charles

Most of what I can remember from my childhood is being read to by my mom and her teaching me how to read, alongside my older sister. During the day all that I wanted to do was have my mom read to me, so she would. And every night before I went to bed she would let me pick one book for her to read to me. It was my favorite part of everyday. It wasn’t just at home that people would read to me, my grandma would too whenever we went to her house. She had this book full of short stories that always had a good lesson at the end. I loved hearing my grandma’s soothing voice right before I fell asleep. My favorite book was “One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish” by Dr. Seuss. Since my mom read it to me at least once everyday, I began to memorize it. I wasn’t actually reading the words on the page, I just knew the story so well that I could recite it.

Now, at that time, I was only 12 years old, God had not endowed me with those gifts, but when I answered him no, he began to act differently towards me. It was from that interaction that I began to take notice of the different teachings in different denominations.

Sitting on a colorful blanket and listening to my mom read books from Disney was my first memory of learning how to read. She could read word by word, making those face expressions that used to make me feel excited and of course she would show off the pictures. She finished reading and then she gave me a little purple notebook, where I used to practice how to spell my name and practicing the alphabet. Those are the first memories I have about learning how to read and write.

I remember back in second grade my mom used to read books to me. I remember being all cuddled up in a bed with some hot chocolate by my side, just lying there listening to my mother read me chapters from the books that I was supposed to read. The only reason why she read them to me was because she knew that I was not going to read them myself. It’s not that I couldn’t actually read

When I was a kid, I learned how to read and write from my mother. My mother was really patient to teach me how to read and write. I was so excited to learn that from my mother. At first, I learned how to read and write, a, b, c, etc. Then I learned to spell alphabetic with a for apple, b for banana, c for crayon, etc. My mother never gave up to teach me and I tried my best to know what she said to me.

When I was two, my parents relocated us to Muskogee, Oklahoma. It is from these early days that literacy took control of my life. As a younger child, I do not remember a moment when books were not a crucial part of my existence. I eagerly awaited my father’s payday every week because that meant I could go to TG&Y and purchase a new Golden Book. Two of my favorite selections over the years were Little Brown Bear and Grover Takes Care of Baby. I may not have been able to read all the words, but through the pictures and my mother’s encouragement, the stories began to take me away. I did not understand the sacrifice my parents made for this opportunity until I was grown, but as an adult, I am extremely grateful for it. Without their support and encouragement of my literacy adventure, I would not be where I am today.

My first memory of ever being exposed to reading was when i was six years old and my mom started introducing books before bed. She came home one day with a bag full of books and a smile on her face, she had just received some of the books and stories dad would read to her when she was a kid. She told me that she would get tucked into bed and her dad would let her pick a different book every night until there were no new ones to choose from. They would then makeup tales and "write" their own stories that was a fond childhood memory she had and she wanted me to have as well. This tradition is something i really admire and look forward to sharing with my children one day. That is the first memory i have of ever being exposed to reading and i am

My first memory of reading or writing was being taught the alphabet at the daycare I attended in my childhood. I was in the “butterfly room” which was for children going into kindergarten the following year. I have a similar memory of my mother teaching me to write my name when I was around that same age. At some point in the years following I learned to read on my own and became more proficient in writing.

"Taylor why can't you read this. This is so easy," I remember my younger sister Ashley saying to me. My path to literacy started in Kindergarten when I struggled to learn how to read. We had just moved from Kennewick, WA to Denver, CO a couple weeks before my first day of kindergarten. I had always been into playing school with my two sisters and pretending I was the nerd that knew everything when it came to reading and math. The real shock came to me when I started Kindergarten and everyone could read but me. I felt stupid. I would come home and try and do my reading homework with my mom and my three year old sister could read things that I couldn’t. I tried my absolute hardest at school and I just couldn't read. I could do everything else such as adding and subtracting and could even writing my name 26 times in a minute but it felt impossible for me to be able to read.