My name is Jamie Brackett. This is my 8th year teaching first grade. I teach at Costner Elementary School in Gaston County. I grew up in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, but currently live in Dallas. I have been married for almost four years to Michael Brackett. I do not have any children, but I do have a dog named Spunky. I am getting close to the end of my graduate studies (I have three classes left) and should graduate in December 2010. When I am not teaching or going to classes, I enjoy shopping, reading, hiking, and going out to eat. I believe that literacy is an important part of every person’s life, and I believe literacy begins in the womb.
I believe literacy begins in the womb when a mother reads or sings to the child. I think this begins a child’s first experience with language and words. Of course, we do not remember if our mothers read or sang to us before we were born. Therefore, I will begin my description of literacy where I begin to remember it.
When I was about two years old, my mama would read to me almost every day. She would start out by asking me about the pictures and telling me what things were. She might point to a picture of a duck and tell me “duck.” Eventually, I began to recognize the pictures my mama would show me, and I began to say the words back to her. This helped me to develop my first experiences with books and language. My mama would also read the story to me by telling me what the words said and talking about the pictures. I began to develop a love for books because it was “special” time for me to spend with my mama. These early experiences with books helped introduce me to the things in our world.
My mama would also sing to me at a very young age. She sang nursery rhyme songs to me which helped develop my sense of rhyming words. She would also sing the Alphabet Song to me which helped me learn about my letters. One of my toys was a chalk board with magnetic letters. At age 2, my mama could scatter the letters all over the floor and say, “Jamie, hand me the A.” In a short time, I could sing my ABCs and recognize the letters.
Flash cards and books helped me begin to learn my letter sounds around age 3 or 4. My parents also read the same books to me over and over, which helped me to develop the “flow” of books. My favorite book was called What do Smurfs do All Day?, and I could recite it to my parents at age four. Of course, I had it memorized and could not really point to the words (I had yet to develop concept of word). Reciting books to my parents (even if from memory) gave me a great satisfaction of thinking I could read, and it helped me to build my self-esteem.
Once I started kindergarten, I began to read small books with short sentences. My teachers would break our class up into small groups (much like teachers do today), and I would practice my reading skills. By the end of kindergarten, I had mastered my letter sounds and could successfully read easy sentences.
As I grew older, I practiced reading quite often. I read to my teachers at school, my parents, and anyone else who would listen. My sentences on a page gradually got longer and more difficult. Eventually, I began to read easy chapter books. My teachers also focused on phonics and writing instruction to help me with my literacy learning.
Around third grade, I developed an interest in series books. My friend and I would exchange series books such as The Box Car Children and The Babysitter’s Club. These type books were easy reads, but helped me to foster a love for reading. I spent many days of my summer reading these series books and could often finish one in a few days.
As I progressed through my school years, I always loved to read books I got to pick out. I enjoyed books that were scary, funny, and science related. I did not do as well with books that teachers forced me to read. I would rather choose my own book. I ended up enjoying some books that were required, while hating others. This is true of me even today in my master’s program.
I believe reading is a main part of literacy learning, however, I also believe that writing is a huge part of literacy. I practiced writing almost every day in school. I found I enjoyed writing more when I was younger than I did when I was older. I seemed to make better grades in writing in the younger grades than I did as I got in high school. I think this was due to what I was writing about. In elementary school, I felt like my writing had more of a purpose. I once wrote a poem that got published in the local newspaper. In fifth grade, I wrote an essay about the Bill of Rights that won first place in a contest. It seemed as if writing in the younger grades had more freedom than in middle and high school where I was forced to write many essays and reports.
I never really thought about what literacy really meant until I began my studies in the reading graduate program. After taking the Politics of Literacy class, I began to think about literacy in a different way. Through that class, I learned that literacy is not just reading and writing. It is about how you communicate with the people around you. I believe you can be literate in different areas. People can be literate in computers, cell phones, and church (just to name a few). I believe that literacy is your ability to understand various things and share that understanding with others.
After developing a greater understanding of literacy, I began to incorporate it more into my teaching. I know that some students may not be very literate at reading, but may have excellent computer literacy. I try to remember that all people are different and every student will be literate in some areas while not being as literate in others. While I try to improve what each student lacks in literacy, I also try to build on what they are really good at. For example, I have a student who can hardly read at all, but he can do almost anything on the computer. I try to increase his reading skills through my teaching, but also reward and brag on him for his excellent computer skills to help build his self-esteem. I believe that every child can be literate in some area, and it is a teacher’s job to discover what that area may be.