RE_5539

I am Lisa Outland, kindergarten teacher at South Fork Elementary in Winston-Salem. I have taught grades K, 1st, and 2nd grades with kindergarten being my favorite. My school is a Title 1 and Equity+ school that is full of many cultures and diversity.
I do not remember learning to read. Both of my parents were teachers. I was taught to read before I entered Kindergarten. I was placed in a K/1 combination class and was quickly moved to the first grade side of the room because I could read and write as well as the first graders. I do not remember learning to write either. However, I do remember copying texts out of books for fun. Of course, these were books I could read on my own. I remember trying to tackle copying the Bible, I didn’t get very far. When I was seven my family got a computer. It was an Apple //e. My life changed with the computer’s arrival. Now I could type things in and have what I was writing appear on the screen. I was completely fascinated by this whole idea. I quickly learned some of the basics for programming in BASIC so I could have my words appear on the screen in color or with some design. I was never much of an artist, so being able to do basic programming allowed my artist side to shine through a wee bit as a child. I was acutely aware as a child that I did not have any drawing abilities. My drawings never turned out exactly like I wanted them to, or resembled what I was trying to draw. I loved singing in class when I was small. I still remember many of the songs that I learned in my early elementary years and sometimes share them with my students.
Coming into school as an advanced reader opened many doors for me. I was my own private reading group in kindergarten and first grade. I remember reading full out chapter books as I started second grade. I stayed lost in the world of others through my books. Now as an adult, when I know I have a break from work, I always find a few good books to try to read while I am off. I would definitely classify myself as a bookworm. There is nothing better than a good book, except I hate for them to end. I usually want to know what would happen next with the characters and I feel like I’ve lost a friend when the book is over. As a teacher, I love nothing more than sharing a good book with my students. I have my own personal library of children’s books that I draw from for my daily lessons. I want to instill in my students the love for a good book. However, I do not like being active with a story. I do not want to act out what I have read, or be in a play. I want my interpretation of the story to stay inside of my head, without influence of others.
I cannot imagine how different my life would be without my reading abilities or love for reading. I see my husband try to make himself like reading and how frustrating it can be for him. I cannot imagine a world where I could not get lost in a book.

I am a full time second grade teacher who teaches a self-contained class of twenty second graders at an elementary school in the piedmont triad area. Thankfully at this time, I am fifteen units away from completing the App. State reading masters program, which has been an enligtening experience that has improved the quality of the instruction I give to my students.

Regarding my own literacy learning experiences, what I remember most is my strong desire in the primary grades to improve my reading skills in order to get placed in a higher reading group. I just didn't want to improve in reading, but in everything including writing and math. Beginning in first grade, I didn't like being in the lowest reading group because I sensed that being in the low group was not a good thing. Students in the higher reading groups seemed to receive more positive recognition from the teacher, something I got very little of in first grade. Now I have to admit that my excessive talking and clownish ways didn't make me the easiest child to manage, but I wanted to experience success just as much as the so called "smart" kids.

The instruction I received in first grade did little to improve my reading skills. Thankfully, my aunt started taking me to the public library on a regular basis to check out books. I loved the smell, the architecture, and the way the library was decorated and arranged inside. It was a cozy place where I not only liked spending time to read, but I also have good memories of watching movies like JT and eating lunch there on a few occassions. When I checked out books, I was always thrilled when I found books that contained lots of familiar words I could read and never got tired of reading these books over and over. Mastering the words in a book was an accomplishment that made me feel successful and that gave me hope that I was just as capable of achieving as anybody else.

At home, we had a special room that was called "the library" because it had low built in shelves filled with books along two of its walls, with large glass windows that extended from the top of the shelves to the ceiling, providing lots of natural light in this room and making it the perfect place to read. I spent lots of time in this room practicing reading either to myself or aloud to my cousins when we played school. My three cousins were a couple of years younger than me, so I was always the teacher. Helping my younger cousins read when we played school helped reinforce my own reading skills.

Something else that helped to boost my confidence in my ability as a student was the opportunity to attend summer school for four summers starting the summer after first grade until the summer after fourth grade. I looked forward to summer school because it was always fun and I always finished summer school smarter than I was when I started since it helped me master skills that I failed to master during the regular school year. The summer school teachers were fun, caring, and used teaching methods that made sense to me, enabling me to experience lots of success with learning. We even had a singing principal who played the guitar and frequently lead the whole school in camp songs in the auditorium. We would sing songs like "She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain", "There Was a Crooked Man", and "Hidee Ho". In my opinion, summer school was not torture, but was as fun as attending a summer camp. In addition to summer school, good instruction from teachers during the regular school year beginning in second grade and lasting throughout my education in public schools along with support and encouragement from my family all worked together to gradually improve my reading skills and grades, boost my confidence, and improve my overall classroom behavior. Though I still did clownish things for attention at times, I was rarely disruptive in class.

Currently, I mainly read for informational purposes and rarely take time to read a fiction book of my choosing for pleasure. Any fiction books I read are usually read for a graduate class or for teaching purposes at work. Though I enjoy reading the Bible and other books about biblical topics, books about historical events and periods in time, and crocheting books; I am not a bookworm. I have other interests besides sitting down reading all of the time such as going places with my family, running at the track, working out at the YMCA, playing my chromoharp and singing gospel songs, and writing prayers in a journal. Writing is the form of literacy expression with which I feel most comfortable, and I feel least comfortable with speaking publicly. I don't mind speaking to a group of children, but often feel very insecure when I have to speak to a group of adults, especially if I don't know them very well. However on the other hand, I don't feel insecure singing in front of a large group of people regardless of whether I know them or not. Isn't that strange?

Vickie Howell

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to this online course -- I hope that you will find the readings and our discussions provocative and useful in your professional lives.

To give you some insight into who I am:

I have PhD in Language Education from the University of Georgia. I've been at ASU for four years, and I previously taught middle grades language arts and reading for 7 years in the suburbs of Atlanta, GA.

I have some experience with literacy and language/racial minorities, but lots of experience with the intersections of gender, class, and literacy. I have studied widely in my PhD regarding issues of language and racial minorities and their literacy learning, and I have worked with teachers in the public schools with these topics. My passion is to foster fresh conversations about race, class, and gender and literacy among inservice teachers. Therefore, here we are!!!

My own literacy learning took place in various sites. I remember articulating my version of family in a drawing while I was in kindergarten. I drew my mom, my dad, my gradmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, and great grandmother. We all lived together in one house because of poverty. My kindergarten teacher told my mom that I obviously didn't understand the "definition" of family because of my drawing -- it included too many people who were not my so-called immediate family. This is not a story that my mom told me but one I **remember** vividly, on my own! This was one of my first experiences with literacy that tried to keep me in my working-class "place."

Another strong impression of my literacy learning occurred with music. I can remember learning to read music before I could read words. This happened mostly in church, but also at home with my dad at his guitar. One of the first songs I learned was Chicago's "25 or 6 to 4." I learned to sing the song with perfect pitch without really understanding the words. This experience led to my most profound literacy expression --- that of music, and the conveyance of meaning through that form of literacy.

I am most comfortable with writing, reading, and musicality in my literacy expression. From my experiences, I have little confidence in my ability to express myself through the visual arts -- or even interpreting visual art. It is my belief that teachers have the single most profound impact on how students view themselves as literacy learners. Of course, that learning and expression takes place in various sites, such as family, church, community, and so on. However, one negative experience in school can shape perception in all other sites. The research bears this out, and it is something that teachers need to examine closely and critique.

I hope that this course will offer each of you an opportunity to explore these issues and will help you to think about your professional work in literacy.

I look forward to learning more about you and learning with you this semester.

Alecia Jackson

I am a Special Education Teacher at Cone Elementary in Greensboro, NC. This is my tenth year as a resource teacher at the same school. Early into my career, I worked with kindergarten through 5th grade students. For the last seven years, I have worked mainly with fourth and fifth grade students with various disabilities. Cone is a Title-1 school in an urban area. We have children and families with many needs. I enjoy the children I work with and feel every child deserves a teacher who will do their best to help them succeed. I became NB certified and then decided to continue my education at ASU.

After reading the assignment, I sat back and tried to remember my early experiences with literacy learning and I must say I do not remember much. I was a child with many needs. Early in my schooling, I was identified and placed in Special Education as Speech Impaired. I also received remedial help, as I think it was called, to help me with my reading. I disliked school, was very shy, and did not have much confidence because of my difficulties reading. I am sure I was in the low reading groups until everything turned around in the fourth grade. My mother had to work with my brother and me to help us to read and achieve what came so naturally for my two sisters. They were avid readers just like my father and could read a one hundred-page book in one sitting. To me reading became a chore that I did not do well. I was able to recall words and read fluently; however, I could not comprehend most of what I read especially on the first try. Reading that took the average child five minutes to read and comprehend took much longer. I can remember reading a section of a book repeatedly to try to comprehend it.

At home, I received much support from my mother who made us read religiously. Not only did we have to read the Bible, but also we had to read other books that she would pick up from wherever she could. We had a built-in bookshelf in the laundry room. I am sure they were storage shelves, but my mother turned it into our own personally library and it is still there today. We did read magazines such as Highlights. We would read those books and magazines and learn many things. We also made weekly trips to the library with my father to check out books.

I was able to draw and loved to write stories and illustrate them. I was not a great writer, but enjoyed making up stories. I do remember a story I wrote and illustrated about an Indian. I remember thinking I had written so much I may be able to make it into a book. We did not have access to much technology in my home. We did watch Sesame Street, Reading Rainbow and Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood daily. Outside of those educational shows, we did not watch much television. My parents believed in children playing outside and exploring which helped us to develop our imagination and creative thinking skills which most children lack today.

I am not comfortable performing in plays or expressing myself orally. This is partially due to early speech impediments. Although, I must say I have grown and have come out of my shell thanks in part to my pastor who started making me read in bible study a few years ago. This plus my previous professors convincing me to speak at conferences has given me more confidence in my speaking and reading abilities. I am not a bookworm. It is not often that I pick up a book to read except for the books I have read for graduate school, which I must say I have enjoyed most of them. I think the reason I have not been a lover of books is the challenges I had as a child, but I am gradually changing all of that. Being in graduate school has opened me up to many new authors of children’s books and adult books that I plan to continue reading. I do share my experiences with my students in hopes that they will never give up and they to may enjoy reading. I let them know that still today I have to read some information more than once to remember what I have read and it is okay. Many times children think we as teachers cannot sympathize with what they are going through. I want my students to have a positive experience with literacy that will continue into adulthood.

Danielle Griffin

Hello Everyone! My name is Kelly Mabe and I teach at Walnut Cove Elementary in Stokes County. At this time, I am teaching the 4th grade and I have seventeen students in my classroom. I have been teaching for six years at the same elementary school. During my time at Walnut Cove, I have taught 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades.
When thinking about my early reading experiences, I first think about my mom. As a young child, my mom constantly read and sang to me. My mom was constantly buying me knew books that I would place in my own personal library. My mom was very instrumental in my learning to read and write the alphabet before I entered Kindergarten. My mother instilled within me an early interest in books and their importance.
As I began Kindergarten, I remember enjoying the first year because I already knew most of what I was being taught. I do not remember having any difficulties mastering the reading/phonics strategies that were placed before me. I absolutely loved the songs and poems that we would sing together at the beginning/ending of the day. I remember driving my parents crazy with all of the fun little riddles and rhymes that I would learn.
As I moved into the early primary years, I began to become very bored. Due to the fact that I was somewhat advanced, I was placed in combinations every year of my elementary schooling. As far as reading goes, all I truly remember is sitting in a circle with a basal textbook completing "round robin" reading. I remember feeling completely and utterly bored to death. It amazes me now to think that I was in a classroom of advanced learners and we were all bored to death. It makes one wonder why we were not "challenged"!
My interest in reading was rekindled in the 5th grade when my teacher read the books The Cay and Uncle Tom's Cabin aloud. These two books opened my eyes to the fact that books can make you think, feel, and question the world around you. In that 5th grade classroom, I learned to express myself through journaling and dramatizing what I had read. That one teacher in 5th grade made me a life long reader.
When I think about literacy expression, I must say that I am very open to anything. I love to dramatize and even tell stories orally. One of my favorite memories of this school year, is telling "Jack Tales" to the students in my school on Heritage Day. I would have to say that I am not a bookworm. If I find a book that captivates my interest, I normally read it very quickly. However, if the book does not capture my attention, I may take weeks or months to read it. To be quite honest, I do not get to read nearly as much as I would like to due to my graduate course load.
I can't wait to read about each person in our class! I look forward to getting to know all of you over the next few weeks.

Kelly Mabe

Dear Class members,

I would like to introduce myself to each of you. I am not part of this cohort, but I was granted permission to take this course as part of my eighteen hour reading requirement. I am a Developmental Studies major with a concentration in reading. I work at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute at the Watauga Campus. My official title is Coordinator, Supplemental Instruction, but being a small campus I wear many hats. As part of my job, I teach one course of developmental reading. There are two levels of developmental reading. The first course is an Introduction to College Level Reading, and the second course is Improved College Level Reading. Students are placed into these courses based on college entrance exams.

I have two main goals for my students in my reading courses. My first goal is to find reading material that will spark my students’ interest in reading, and give them a greater desire to want to read more. Many students convey that the book they read for my class is the first book they have read from cover to cover. My second goal is to help students gain real skills that will help them when reading their textbooks. This type of reading is seldom addressed and is a real problem for many college students.

My first experience with literacy was when my mother read books to me. I remember memorizing the words on each page. This was a special time for me as I am the youngest of three girls and my older sisters were at school, so it was the time I had my mom to myself. When I started elementary school, I was very shy and sensitive. I wanted to please my teachers. I think sometimes my shyness sensitivity held me back. I remember one time I was being tested to be in the highest reading group. The teacher sat me next to her and told me to ask her if I needed help. I remember distinctly asking her for help with words I did not need help with so she would feel needed. She did not pick-up on this and I remained in the middle reading group. A six year old does not understand about reading levels. Most six year olds just want to please. In upper elementary, I loved to read and write short stories. Mysteries were a favorite of mine at that time.

Now, I love reading books with depth that leave me feeling moved. The books I have read most recently that fit this description are Kite Runner and The Color of Water. Both of these books also deal with cultural issues which are of great interest to me.

Unfortunately, I did not inherit my mother’s beautiful singing voice, and I have always felt a little self-conscience about my singing. Now, I love to sing in groups (for fun), in the shower or in my car. I do sing to my daughter all the time, but she is only twenty months old and does not mind that I can not carry a tune. I love all kinds of music, but since moving to this area I have become especially fond of folk music. The lyrics often tell a compelling story while the music moves me to want to dance.

I hope this gives you a little insight into me. I look forward to reading about all of you.

Best,

Laura Wollpert

My name is Beth Rigsbee and I am a second grade teacher at General Greene Elementary in Greensboro. I have taught first, second and third grade, but most of my 14 years of experience have been in second grade. I am Nationally Board Certified and am about half way through the ASU mater’s program. I am currently on maternity leave and am planning to return to work in August. I have 12 week old baby boy at home an am enjoying being a new parent.

I visit my class often and even go on field trips with them. Our school is a magnet school, which means students from all over Guilford County attend and are chosen by a lottery system. Our focus is on science and technology, but we teach the entire NCSCOS curriculum. Each grade goes on approximately 15 field trips per year that center around the science curriculum. My students are taught thematically based on the science curriculum and literature. We incorporate technology through weekly lessons in the lab and small group lessons in the classroom.

My literacy learning was very cut and dry. My class was divided into reading groups and the teachers had us sit in circles and we read out of our designated reading book. Once you were in a group, it was unlikely that you would change. I never enjoyed reading, but seemed to read fairly well. I never remember a teacher reading a book out loud to me or even encouraging a particular book to read. My mom was an avid reader and read many books to me as a child. I read when I had to for school or homework, but never read a book just for the joy of reading. That continues today in my reading. I read adult books when necessary for work or school, but rarely for pleasure. I do love children's literature and enjoy reading new children's books.

Writing was an area that I seemed to enjoy as a child. I had a fourth grade teacher who really made writing fun. We shared stories with our class and even read stories to other classes. All fifth graders in my elementary school participated in May Day activities that involved singing and performing plays. I can remember singing and dancing around the May Pole, but I have very few memories of being in plays although I do have pictures of me dressed as various book characters. Acting was never my cup of tea, but I enjoyed singing and dancing and continued it through high school in a song and dance group.

My strengths seem to be in organization and planning. I do not see myself as an actor in a play or having the spotlight on myself. I don’t have a fear of performing, but it is not a comfortable area for me. Writing seems to also be an area of strength in displaying my literacy learning. I hope that my students benefit from the joy of children’s literature that has become apparent in my adult life. Each year I try to take time to just share good books with students to encourage them in an area that I was not encouraged as a child – to just read for the pleasure of reading, not just for a school assignment.

I am probably like many other people, in that I do not remember many specific details about literacy and language and how I learned them growing up. I grew up in a very education-centered home. Both of my parents are educators and have always provided a very supportive academic environment. This probably explains much of the reason why I have always been an avid reader. As a child, from the moment I learned to read in elementary school, I had my head in a book everywhere we went. I read so much, my parents actually used taking my book away as punishment for not paying attention to what was going on around me! Because of this love for reading, I am never at a loss for imagination. I tend to be a very creative person, which may be due to all of the places I’ve visited and people I’ve been through books that I have read. I have a little brother who is eight years younger than I am, so until second grade, I was an only child. We had very few children in our neighborhood my age (most were older and didn’t want to play with skinny, scrawny ol’ me) so I often found myself having adventures through the texts that I read. This isn’t to say that I was stuck inside everyday reading in the corner. I am a very active person and love being outdoors, so my books often traveled with me around the backyard and to the farm next door.
I am also a music lover and music has been a vital part of my “internal language” since childhood. I was raised in church and found the songs that we sang very easy to memorize. Being in the choir was one of my favorite opportunities as a child to experience music and help others do so, too. I also learned, growing up, to play the guitar and the piano, although I didn’t play either all that well. However, I have always loved the organization and often predictable pattern that music provides. Even today, I always have a song playing in my head throughout the day.
My passion and love for reading and music are part of my reason for becoming a teacher. I have a deep desire to help children appreciate and, hopefully, also love literature. I currently work at Bolton Elementary School as a fifth grade teacher and it is my first year of teaching. In fact, I just graduated from my bachelor’s program this past December. Yes, that’s right, I’ve only been a teacher for 5 months. However, I love the challenges that teaching at a Title 1 school provides. I hope to instill in my students a chance for them to “escape” from their everyday life and go to places they will probably never go and be people they will never get the opportunity to be. My goal in going to graduate school, and in this course, is to not learn how to teach reading, but rather to learn to teach it so well, that my students do not merely participate, but rather that they experience literature. ~Allison Reese

Hi, my name is Sarah McMillan and I teach 7th grade social studies at East Forsyth Middle School in Kernersville. I am happy to be completing my third year of teaching. My certification area is LA/SS, and I teach my social studies class as a secondary language arts class. I have found that my students who are struggling at this level are suffering from a lack of basic reading skills. This, in addition to my desire to continue to be an advocate for adolescent students led me pursue the graduate program in reading at Appalachain State.

I remember very little about learning to read and write, but I have always absolutely loved reading. There is little I would rather do besides read a good book.I was and still am a bookworm. My mother is a teacher, so the emphasis on school was always very present in our home. At the same time, I always had help with my schoolwork whenever I needed it. I do remember when I was young my mother or father would read to me before bed at night. I also spent a lot of time wiht my grandmother and great grandmother and they also read to me all the time. My father can still recite the book, "I'll teach my dog 100 tricks", he read it to me so much. My family frequented the library, and I would always check out books. It was always kind of a goal of mine to see how many I could read.I loved going to bookstores, and often my gifts at birthdays and holidays would be a book or gift certificates to the bookstores. To this day, a book store is one of my favorite places on earth.

Since I do not remember a lot from the learning to read phase of my life, I asked my mother what she remembers me doing as a reader. She reminded me my day care center had older women volunteers come in to help us with reading. They would have us dictate stories and they would write them down and have us read them back to them. In elementary school, I used the program "writing to read" on the computer where we learned to spell phonetically. I remember being in the computer lab with the large headsets on, listening to a voice read aloud words.

Growing up, I would read a lot on famliy vacations. I can remember really loving to read historical fiction books. I also remember the rush of wanting to finish a book, to see want happened, then the disappointment that I would have when I realized it was over. I guess I would my compare myself reading a book like some of my students watch tv...I am totally "in the zone" when I read. Reading and writing was by far my strength in school. Interestingly enough, I remember that my kindegarten teacher told my mother I would always struggle in school and never be succesful because I had such poor handwriting. This is my first memory of writing as a form of literacy. I am proud to say today I have pretty neat handwriting. I also remember wanting to write my own stories and books. I never minded writing, and I thought I wanted to be an author when I grew up.

As far as other modes of literacy, I am very comfortable speaking in front of groups. I spoke at my high school graduation, in front of my church congregation, it was really where I felt in my element. I felt confident and proud. I sang in the choir at church growing up, where in that case I was more comortable in a group. My most dreaded class in college was a class where I had to perform and act out poems. It was absolutely, my worst nightmare. I don't mind speaking in front of a group, but if I have to perform, I hate it.

I love to read. I still read a lot on my own, outside of graduate work. I also go to the public libary or the bookstore about once a week.It is hard for me to resist the urge to buy a book. I think they are absolutely beautiful. I cannot imagine what it must be like to struggle to read, or to not be able to comprehend what is put in front of you. I only wish students could find at least some type of reading they enjoy.

Sarah McMillan

My name is Heather Holland. I am a second grade teach in Burke County Public Schools. I have taught for four years. My career, as an elementary teacher, has literally shaped my life. I was job searching in Ohio, my home state, where I quickly found that Ohio had a surplus of elementary education teachers. In my first three years of college, I was told that I would have no problems finding a job. It wasn’t until my senior year that my school began to divulge that finding a job could be difficult. I was at a teacher job fair in Pennsylvania when I met a recruiter from Burke County Public Schools. I was intrigued by the presentation of the school district, their values, and commitment to education. I was asked to come to North Carolina and not long after, I visited twice, and then accepted my position at George Hildebrand Elementary in Burke County Public School District. And that is where my life began in North Carolina. I was in a very serious head-on car accident in February 2006. I was in rehabilitation for over one year and had to put my teaching career and graduate work on hold. I am now, walking, teaching, and back in school! I feel great and am so thankful for everyday. My graduate work is in Reading Instruction (K-12). I hope to have my master’s degree by the end of my fall 2007 courses.

I first remember learning to write my name at age 3. This seems early but I am almost certain that’s what my mom told me. I was so proud that I could do this. I showed everyone. I began reading in Kindergarten. I remember the little black and white books that we had to cut out, fold, and use to practice reading. In first grade, I remember my teacher, Mrs. Little. She would write words on the chalkboard for us to decode. She called us individually to the board to sound out a word. I recall her being upset with me when I could not sound out “circus”. She actually turned out the lights out on me and the other kids proceeded to lunch. I stood there not knowing how to sound out this soft “c” and “r” controlled word. In second grade, I was put in “Remedial Reading” because I had trouble with reading comprehension. I was so embarrassed to have to go to this class because I knew that I was not doing well. My beginnings in reading did not predict my future because I was Valedictorian of my graduating class and received a full-academic scholarship to college. I like to tell parents of children who are struggling in reading my story—to offer them hope.

Because of this difficult beginning in reading, I have chosen Reading Instruction as my master’s work. I want to be sure that what happened to me, as a child, does not happen to more children. My goal is to get kids excited about reading, let them know that we all learn at different rates, and that reading is the key that unlocks their future. Reading can be fun and I want to be the avenue that makes that makes reading fun for kids.

I began playing the piano at age 7. My dad bought me my first piano. It was an old piano that he had restored to perfection for me. I loved it. The first piano selection that I remember playing over and over and over… was the theme song to Beauty and the Beast. I had an amazing piano teacher in middle school and high school. She only allowed me to play classical music. I entered piano competitions and was so shocked that I could perform in front of audiences. I am not comfortable speaking in front of adults or other professionals. My gift is ‘performing’ and speaking in my classroom in front of children, not adults. I ‘sweat bullets’ at parent-teacher night. I am not sure why, but I’m just not comfortable—no matter how prepared I am.

In my personal life, I love to read. I mostly read ‘self-help’/ personal growth type books. I do not read much fiction. My friends tease me about this. They say that I cannot read anything unless it is teaching me something. Yes, they are right. I have an insatiable desire to learn.

Hello everyone. My name is Sara Joyce and I am a first grade teacher at Walnut Cove Elementary School in Stokes County. I graduated from Lees-McRae College and am currently doing graduate work for a Masters in Reading.
My earliest memories of literacy learning are my Kindergarten years. I remember learning the alphabet, songs and rhymes. I learned to read along with most first graders of that time through the Dick and Jane series. I do not remember being interested in reading until fourth grade. That year I was introduced to biographies. I couldn't get enough of them and read every one in our school library. I was most interested in famous women. That summer I received my first library card from the public l ibrary and my mother carted me back and forth so that I could read more.
Later in my middle and high school years became enamoured with words and drama. The meaning of words and where they orignated was very interesting to me. My parents were very supportive of my interests and took me to many of the Little Theatre productions in Winston-Salem.
During my high school years I developed a love for the arts and participated in our high school musical through chorus and drama in both my junior and senior years. I learned alot about different accents and language through this experience.
I am still an avid reader and read constantly although I do not have as much time to read my choice of material since returning to school. I enjoy books that provoke thinking. I also enjoy an occasional mindless or what I call vacation read.
As a first grade teacher I have noticed that many of my students have very little conversation skills. I assume this is due to lack of communication in the home. They also have very little life experiences to pull from when we discuss topics in our class. Because of this mine is not a quiet classroom but is usually buzzing with talk between myself and the students or student to student. I feel that this benefits them as they glean knowledge about different areas from each other.
I look forward to this class and the discussions that will result from our reading. I look forward to learning from all of you.

Hello, everyone. My name is Jeanna McIntyre. I teach first grade at Walkertown Elementary n Forsyth County. This is my fifth year in the classroom with first grade being the only grade I've ever taught. I just received my National Board Certification. (Yay!) My brain will be a bit exhausted for several years to come, I believe.

My earliest memories of literacy learning are based in kindergarten. I remember reading from the basal reader various Dick and Jane stories. I remember thinking that the children in the illustrations looked very much like my mom in pictures from when she was a little girl. "Round robin reading" was the practice used in all of my classes from kindergarten through elementary school. Reading, in the early years, was more like a job. I remember being very intimidated by the process and worrying that I would never learn to read. My love of reading came in third grade when my teacher read "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" and "Fudge," both by Judy Blume, to our class. Until those books I never realized that reading could be fun. She is responsible for igniting my love of reading.

To be honest, I don't remember HOW I learned to write. Isn't that strange? Writing is one of the things I love the most in the classroom, but I couldn't tell you how I learned the process if writing. I recall participating in journal writing, which I LOVED, when I was in fourth grade. And I remember learning how to do research and write a term paper in junior high, but that is the only time I can recall being taught HOW to write.

I am a total bookworm. I would rather read a good book than watch a movie. Historical fiction is my favorite genre. I love to get lost in the story and feel like I'm watching it unfold. firsthand. (Right now I'm really interested in Tudor England. This is a total shock to me because English history has never really interested me. It's all in how the author weaves the story.) I've taken part in a few plays as an adult. I enjoyed participating, but felt a bit self-conscious trying to "get into character."

I'm most conformtable in my literacy expression through writing. I've always enjoyed writing. It's my favorite subject to teach to my first graders. This presents a challenge with young learners because I find myself wanting to take them so far in the writing process. This works really well with children who are performing on and above grade level, but presents a challenge to those who are struggling with grasping the writing process.

I look forward to reading about each of you. This class looks like it will be challenging, yet fun.

Hello everybody, My name is Linda Younts and I am a Kindergarten teacher at Oak Hill Elementary in High Point. I have been working on my masters degree in reading education for a while, but I am almost there now since I only have one more class left after this one. I have been a teacher for 15 years. I have taught third grade for two years, second grade for three years, first grade for nine years, and finally this is my first year in Kindergarten. I have truly found my nitch in Kindergarten and love it! I find Kindergarten to be a great place for someone who loves to teach reading since this is where literacy starts to take root in a child.
So how did I become literate and what do I believe about literacy and learning? As I reflect upon how I came to my own methodology about literacy, I find my childhood to be the foundation for where I am and how I came to my own beliefs.
As early as I can remember, I loved school and learning. I always wanted to please my teachers and parents and always followed the rules. I was always a good student and made good grades.
My earliest memories of literacy and learning began with remembering my mom reading to me quite often. I loved Dr. Seuss books and ended up with an entire collection of them. I read the Dr. Seuss books over and over, learned rhyming words and even memorized some of the pages. I also loved reading Pippi Longstocking books. I recall reading the Humpty Dumpty magazines and enjoyed completing the activities in them. Nursery rhymes were also a favorite of mine, and I knew a lot of them by heart. Reading seemed to come easily for me and it became a love of mine.
Next to my mom, the library became one of my best friends. Every Saturday, my mom used to take me to the library where I listened to the storyteller. I believe this along with my mom reading to me, helped spark my love of reading and storytelling.
I recall going to a neighbor’s yard sale and purchasing The Dick and Jane Elementary School Reader. I loved to play school with this book. Playing school was one of my favorite things to do as a child. At home, I had a chalkboard that was on a stand. I would put math problems on the chalkboard and test my sister and friends. We would also complete workbook problems and I would grade them as if I were the teacher. I also remember loving going to school as much as I loved playing school. I enjoyed learning and being exposed to new things.
I can never remember a time when I couldn’t read, but I do remember some of the times when I was learning to read. I remember sitting in my first grade teacher’s classroom and her flashing cards to see if I knew the sight words. One of the most vivid memories I have about reading was when my teacher told me that if I didn’t stop to pause after the period, she would take me out of the top reading group. Needless to say, I never forgot to pause after the period again. Most importantly, I learned a valuable lesson from this experience, what I say as a teacher can have a lasting effect on my students.
Little did I know that when I began second grade it would be the key to guiding me into my future career. My second grade teacher became my inspiration to becoming a teacher. I loved Mrs. Williams and her pleasant nature. I remember that I wanted to please her and once called her mother. I have heard it said that when a child calls you mother, you can consider it a compliment. She was so sweet, patient and she made learning fun. After being in her class, I always said I wanted to be a teacher. I guess what they say about our influences as a teacher is true. We do make a lasting impression on our students!
As I reflect upon my literacy experiences, it makes me appreciate what my parents did for me by reading to me and exposing me to literature. By reading out loud my mom was modeling fluent reading and increasing my knowledge of the world, my vocabulary and my familiarity with written language. A child’s literacy seems to reach a higher level when learning takes place both at home and at school. Reading skills are developed in the classroom and in some homes. When a child takes the time to read at home, it helps develop their reading fluency. More than anything, I feel that my mom sparked my interest in reading. In turn today, I use read aloud to build fluent readers and expose my students to new vocabulary and knowledge of the world around them.
This brought me to my literacy beliefs today and what I know about it. I am still constantly searching for answers as I struggle with my at-risk readers. I know that I was fortunate as a child to have parents that immersed me in literacy experiences. Unfortunately, many of the students in my classroom have not been as fortunate as I was. Therefore, I know it is my job to expose them to literacy through a well balanced literacy program. My hope is that by using a variety of methods, I will promote individual development and a foundation to meaningful literacy learning within my classroom.
I am not a singer, but my students don't seem to mind my made up tunes to various familiar songs. I did play the piano for about nine years and used to go to yearly piano competitions. Today I use my ability to read music, by playing the hand chimes at my church.
I can perform in front of others, but it does make me nervous. I have noticed as I have gotten older that performing in front of others does not shake me up nearly as much as it used to. I wouldn't consider myself a bookworm because I don't have much time to read, but I do enjoy reading when I get a chance. I also enjoy scrapbooking, excercising, and skiiing. My favorite places to visit are the beach and the lake. These are the places I find I can enjoy a book!
I am looking forward to getting to know each of you and learning more about literacy from this class!
Linda Younts

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.

Salutations! Yes, Charlotte’s Web is one of my favorite books to read to my students and they can read it too! My name is Shirley Mathis. I am a second grade teacher in the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools system. I have been teaching for fifteen years. I taught for three years in South Carolina and twelve years in North Carolina. I am a little leery and reluctant about this on-line course. I guess I am from the era that the necessity of the physical structure of a classroom and a teacher is something I am accustom to and most definitely prefer. Do not worry Dr. Jackson, I will conform. I am really looking forward to my first experience of an on-line class.

This is my first year as a second grade teacher and it has been wonderful. I have taught students in the grades of Kindergarten to sixth grade. Basically, my heart lies with the Kindergarten children. Who wouldn’t love their innocence and honesty?

At my advanced age, I really do not remember much about my literacy learning. I can recall the Dick and Jane series and the repetition readings of, “see Spot run.” I remember the groupings of the red robin and blue birds. I do not recall the group in which I was placed.

During that era and more than likely the geographical location of my elementary school, writing was considered the formation of letters. I cannot recall writing paragraphs and/or stories of any sort until I attended middle school. Wow! Its very interesting that certain things in your life you really and truly cannot recall. I know I must have written something before that time. It just didn’t have an impact at that time. However, I do remember the love I had for Hank Williams and his music. When I was in the second grade, I received a guitar for Christmas. I tried my best to imitate him whenever I pulled out my guitar. At that time, Hank Williams was better than biscuits and molasses. I would sit on our front porch, play my guitar, and sing like I him. I would also sing the oldies and goodies as we call them now, Sitting on the Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding, When A Man Loves A Woman by Percy Sledge, and Splish, Splash by Bobby Darin. However, my guitar was reserved and would be played for my number one person, Hank Williams. My favorite songs I would play that were by Hank Williams were, “Your Cheating Heart and I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” Too much reminiscing and I do not have my guitar anymore.

As an educator, I have had the pleasure of working as a Title 1 Reading Teacher, which is the reason I enrolled in the Reading Program at ASU. I felt as though, if I am going to be a Reading Specialist, then I must have the credentials to go along with the title. I have thoroughly enjoyed this program and have learned a lot under the tutelage of well-knowledge and professional professors. I particularly discovered a lot about tutoring by taking the assessment and practicum course under the guidance of Dr. Darrell Morris. Sarah Borders was very instrumental in expanding my love for literacy and literature in the classes I took under her leadership. I learned more about literacy expression when I took Dr. Koppenhaver’s Class. I have been a benefactor of every class I have taken at Appalachian State University. I really and truly believe…. Appalachian State University has an awesome Reading Program.

I am very comfortable when I am with my children modeling and performing for them as I am encouraging them to do the same. I am more so very uncomfortable when I must perform or making a presentation in front of my colleagues and peers, in which I prefer not to do.

My love is teaching children to learn and believe in themselves that they can do anything they want to do. I love reading to my children and I love for them to read to me.

Shirley Mathis

Dawn Thomas

My name is Dawn Thomas. I teach kindergarten at Southwood Elementary in Lexington with Davidson County Schools. I have been with Davidson County for four years and have taught a total of 13 1/2 years. I have had twenty-two kindergartners in my class this year. It has been a challenging year but we have made it through.

In my professional life, besides teaching, I enjoy attending workshops. I attended the NC Kindergarten workshop this year. It was wonderful! I brought back many ideas that can be used in my classroom. I took my first graduate course, Teacher as Researcher, last semester. When I have the time, I try to plan and collaborate with other teachers.

I don't remember when I actually started reading. I'm thinking I may have started reading some time in first grade. I remember in the half-day kindergarten I attended that we wrote our alphabet so I guess at that time I could read the letters. My mother always read books to me. I wasn't the child who always wanted to read or wanted a book but she encouraged me and continued to read to me. She was a role model because I would also watch her and my dad pick up a book and read. I learned to read quickly. I did well in spelling and I believe it helped me in the area of reading. As a third grader, my family moved to a new area. I remember going to a new school and the first couple of days I was there, I had to read one-on-one with the teacher. I knew I was doing a good job because I read every word correctly and I thought it sounded great. The teacher asked me questions after I read it. I realized at that time I didn't know anything that I had read. I couldn't answer the questions and I realized as a third grader I was just calling words and not comprehending.

In the area of writing, I remember scribble scrabbling when I was a preschooler at home. I don't remember being taught writing like I teach my kindergartners. I may have drawn a picture but not have written a sentence about it. I always had the opportunity to write and was exposed to writing. My mom would write grocery lists and thank you notes. I had friends that I wrote letters to when I was young. I always had access to writing materials in my home.

I enjoyed music. My mother was an influence on me. She played the piano and I sang along with her. I learned nursery rhymes with music. I learned Bible stories in church through music. While in elementary school, I took lessons on the recorder, piano and trumpet. In the area of media, I remember learning to use a record player, tape player and television.

I feel most comfortable in the area of reading children's literature with my students and teaching them writing. I enjoy reading material that is of interest to me, especially, books on elementary education topics, self-improvement topics and children's literature. I feel least comfortable in the area of performing a play. I don't feel comfortable when I have to do a skit, for example, at a faculty meeting. That is definitely out of my comfort zone.

Overall, I've had a positive literacy experience. There were things that could have been done differently as I was learning as a young child but I can look back and grow from those experiences. I can look at the way I teach today and have a positive effect.

My name is Renee Pagoota. I am completing my twelfth year of teaching. My school is located in a small community called Sherrills Ford in Catawba County. I have taught in diverse settings including a rural school in Statesville, a lakeside school in Mooresville, and a Title One school in Hickory. I have experience teaching fourth, fifth, first and Kindergarten which is my current grade level. I have found Kindergarten to be the most exciting grade level that I have taught. I am certainly content and hope to remain in this grade level teaching emergent readers.
I am seven weeks away from completing my Master’s degree in Reading. It has been a positive learning experience in my career and I am certain that is has provided me with the means to improve my effectiveness and confidence in teaching reading.
As a child I remember that reading and writing were my favorite subjects. I was a natural reader. In Kindergarten I recall learning letter sounds through songs and videos. It seems like very shortly after that I was discovering chapter books. I liked the classic authors like Blume and Cleary. Creative writing was enjoyable and I feel that I had a great imagination. Later I became the editor on my high school newspaper. My original goal was to become a journalist. Life changes, and now I proudly teach.
I would not say that reading is my favorite hobby, however I always take books on vacation or to the pool. I also enjoy reading in peace and quiet before bed. So for me reading is most enjoyed in solitude. I feel very differently when I am in teacher mode. Children’s books are meant to be read aloud, shared, and enjoyed with the class. I am always ready to share stories and new books with my students. When I am reading aloud to my class I feel certain that I was destined to be a reading teacher.

Although I am intriqued by the questions already posed us on the syllabus and in the readings, I am unsure how to respond to the term, "literacy learning." Literacy seems, to me, to refer to the ability to read, write and converse in a meaningful way. Learning encompasses such a broad spectrum of life, for me,that I cannot begin to wrap myself around an adequate definition except to say that ongoing life-long experiences are a big part of learning. If my statements have made you wonder at my orientation, then you begin to understand who I am and how I operate.
I would surmise that I am one of the more "experienced" (older) students which places me in the group that vaguely recalls Spot, Dick and Jane, "bluebirds" and "redbirds," and the air raid drills surrounding the Cuban missile crisis! I really do not remember much about learning to read except that my mother loved to read, read to me often, and introduced me to the public library early. Even my father liked to read and always seemed to inquire into my latest reading interests. Writing referred to forming letters until junior high/middle school, at which time I began to compose poems, stories, arguments,and term papers for various classes.
I have taught several different elementary and middle school grades as I moved around the United States. After settling back in North Carolina, I taught preschool readiness to four-year-olds for about 6 years. Then I taught 4th grade and 2nd grade with a brief stint as a computer lab teacher. This year I moved to the 4th grade in a school of poverty and my education as a teacher began anew! I had worked with students from other races and other segments of the population before but I had never taught in an environment in which all the students hailed from one specific (impoverished) community and where I WAS the MINORITY. I cannot, in this forum, begin to describe for you my frustrations, anger, despair and amazement relating to my teaching experience this year. It is ironic that I am compelled to analyze "literacy learning" this week, the very week I watch my students struggle with a compulsory standardized test that supposedly magically rates their success or failure at "literacy" (the NC EOG).
If you detect some cynicism you are not far from the truth about me and my developing beliefs. Because my experiences have led me to question my own "literacy leanings," I eagerly anticipate the opportunity in this course to question, challenge and re-invent the definition of "literacy learning." Isn't that what "learning" should entail, the opportunity to reassess, to re-invent, and to rethink?

Hello, my name is Kristen Billings and I teach in Wilkes County where I was also born and raised. I am currently a Special Education teacher and I am getting my Master of Arts in Reading Education. I honestly do not remember learning to read however, I do remember hating to read during elementary school. The part I hated most was when the teacher would assign a reading and just because I had to do it, I hated it. I was one that probably judged a book by it's cover. But now the table has turned and you usually can not get me out of a book long enough to have a conversation with you. But that is me and reading in a nutshell. I can't wait to get started because this is my first online class ever and I am really excited to see how it goes. I will talk with you all soon!