Hi, my name is Stacy Durham. I have taught first grade in Davidson County for five years. It is such a joy to teach students who are eager and willing to learn. The students are a large part of my motivation to continue learning. The master’s program is benefiting not only me, but also my students.
I have always had a love of reading. Some of my fondest childhood memories consist of listening to my parents read bedtime stories. I could not wait to hear the stories and I was always aware if they skipped a page. As I grew older, I enjoyed reading all the time and even to my little brother. It was one of the only times that I recall him sitting still! As a child, I also loved to write poetry. I would write a poem and place it inside a family member’s birthday card every year. Looking back at those poems, it is interesting to see that I used familiar language from some of my favorite books. This shows me that reading plays a role in the writing process, whether you are aware of it or not.
My favorite part of reading as a child was finding new vocabulary words. I remember getting so excited when I read a new word and understood it’s meaning through the context. The book, Serendipity was difficult for me to understand. First, I remember getting help with the correct pronunciation. I practiced saying it over and over until I could say it correctly. Whenever I was uncertain of a word’s meaning, I would run with my book straight to my dad and ask. He would turn my simple question into a history lesson every time, full of facts and analogies. I learned a lot from these talks but I remember tuning him out after a while. This was only because I was so eager to get back to my book!
Reading aloud to my students is a cherished time of day. Every time I begin a read aloud, I am aware that for many, this is the only time they will be read to today. This gives me the motivation (even on a rough day) to put all I’ve got into my read aloud. I want students to see the magic in reading, to feel that they can escape to another time and place for a brief period of time. I really try to play up my excitement about reading and want my students to see that it can be a fun and rewarding experience. It makes me so happy for my students to see them reading on their own and sharing pieces of the story with their classmates. Observing a student truly enjoying and understanding a book is a wonderful sight to see!
Stacy Durham