The Beginnings of My Literacy Filled Life

Throughout my early childhood, I’ve always been around literature. I was not necessarily the one that was doing the reading and writing all the time, but I was able to witness the activities everyday. My mother has owned and maintained a preschool since before I was even born and thus, I began preschool at a very early age (at just a few months old). 

Everyday at preschool, there would be “circle time” when one of the teachers would gather all the children to sit in a circle as the adult would read a story to us. I did not participate in “circle time” at just a few months old, but once I was able to move around on my own, I definitely engaged in the activity often. Through this experience, I listened to a lot of books starting at a very young age. It was very peaceful listening to the stories and I enjoyed most of them very much. After “circle time” was over each day, the three and four year olds would go to the table to work on their writing and learn the letters of the alphabet. Although I was not yet three, I would also go to the table and participate in the learning. I learned my alphabet at a very young age and wrote my own stories all the time, although I did not learn how to read until almost first grade! I found pleasure in writing my own stories; I was able to express myself through words.

I entered kindergarten at only the age of four and I found myself to be very advanced at the time. I already knew all my letters and my numbers; I was more knowledgeable than others in the class. I was at the top of my class in kindergarten and received great grades. My teacher was a very laid back, and relaxed teacher and she did not teach any of her students how to read the entire year. We wrote our own stories and drew pictures to go with our writing but we were not taught how to decipher the words in any books.

By the time that I reached first grade, I wasn’t quite at the top of my class anymore because other students had already begun to read and I had not yet learned. My teacher taught me, along with the other unfortunate students that could not read and I caught on very quickly. Since I knew all my letters so very well and I was able to make some words, reading came very easily to me. Before I knew it, I was almost at the top of the class again. I was able to read and write stories on my own! 

As I continued to excel in the topic of literature, I became very fond of the subject and I enjoyed doing the work. I was introduced to literacy at such a young age that I was able to grow and blossom into a young girl that enjoyed reading and writing in school.