Hi, my name is Andrea Lehman and I teach 4th grade at Central Elementary in Eden, NC. I graduated from ASU in 2004 with a degree in elementary education. It was there that I became very interested in children's literature. I had a professor (Janet Bloodgood) that shared her love of children's books every meeting time and it somehow sparked something inside of me. Since then, I cannot resist the urge to purchase almost every book I see! I think it's this love of children's books that inspired me to get my Master's degree in reading. I've seen 10 year old kids struggle with reading all three years that I've taught and it saddens me. Somehow, the system is failing these kids. I finally made up my mind to do something about it, so here I am.
My first reading memory is of my first grade year, sitting in the blubirds reading group and getting to move up to the rockers. I remember reading the "I can" books, and being so proud of myself. I definitely don't remember the process, but it seems like I just picked up a book one day and read it. I have an older sister and I wanted to be just like her. I remember wanting to learn to read because of seeing her do it, and it overjoyed me when it finally happened. The next memory I have is not one of my best moments. We had to get a reading log signed every night saying that we had read to our parents, and our teacher checked it and gave us a star the next day. I had forgotten to read one night and so I signed the log myself (keep in mind that I was a first grader, trying to sign my mom's signature). My teacher gave me a star anyway (there was absolutely no way she was fooled however) and I still feel guilty to this day!!
I also loved to sing when I was little, and i really loved the "Wee-Sing" tapes. My sister and I sang our hearts out in the car. I even read along with the songbook. We made up songs constantly and my mom taught us a song to remember our address and phone number. I still remember it! I think music is a powerful tool to use in the classroom. I try to teach my students little songs or poems to remember math concepts all of the time. They look at me like I'm crazy half of the time, but they remember the information!
I am most comfortable when I'm sitting on the couch reading a good book. I actually enjoy juvenille literature more than adult novels; yes, Harry Potter became my friend in college. I am least comfortable speaking in front of my student's parents. I try to avoid conferences and confrontations whenever possible. I especially am terrified of Open House night, when I have to address all of the parents at once. I was in Drama class in high school and did ok on stage then, but there's just something about those parents. I think it might be because I feel so young and like they think I don't know what I'm talking about. I do though! That is why I'm really enjoying my Master's classes. I'm learning more and more about my profession and I can speak more knowledgably on the matter. I'm looking forward to thinking about literacy in different ways this semester.