My Literacy Life Map Brianna Lake
Early Years
I do not remember much from my very early years. I was a late bloomer when it came to talking. I did not start speaking until I was four years old and leading up to that my parents were convinced there was something wrong. It turns out my older brother liked to do all of my talking for me. My first words were a full blown sentence that I was forced to say because my brother was not around.
“Mommy, can I have a cookie please?”
Bed Time Stories
I have fond memories of reading bed time stories to my parents when I was 6 and 7 years old. I loved reading aloud especially when someone else was listening. Every night before bed I would choose a story to read to one of my parents. Some of my favourites included If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff, The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch, and The Complete Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne.
Elementary Years
In grade 3 I fell in love with The Diary of Anne Frank. Anne became the focus of many school projects following my reading of the book. The Diary of Anne Frank was a book I revisited later in my elementary years for an independent study unit. This began my fascination for war stories and movies – I loved imagining being in a different time and seeing how different my life would be.
Early Teen Years
Throughout my elementary years and into my early secondary school years my mother babysat. During this time I lunged at any opportunity to read stories aloud to my siblings and the children she babysat. I loved pretending to be a teacher while reading to the children and found reading stories aloud to be soothing. I enjoyed reading stories such as The Berenstain Bears series by Stan & Jan Berenstain, Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss, and Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein.
Secondary School
In secondary school I had no interest in any of the books I had to read. I began to find reading to be a chore and not as enjoyable because I was being forced to do it. I despised the books I read by Shakespeare as I found I did not understand what I was reading or why I was being forced to read it. I found the assignments relating to the books to be a waste of time and tried to get through them as quickly as possible.
Later Secondary School Years
Into my later years of secondary school I began writing journal entries after losing close family friends in a car accident. I found writing allowed me to pour my emotions out in a place where I felt safe and as though I would not be judged. I also found it to be a very good way to cope with the losses. I have continued this practice and find that journal writing helps me de-stress when I feel as though I am becoming overwhelmed.
Undergrad
During my undergrad I did not care much for reading or writing and was dreading the English class I had to take in my second year. This class turned out to be one of the most useful classes I took in my entire undergrad. The professor I had made writing make sense to me and I found the texts she selected interesting. I excelled in the course and found myself enjoying what I was learning even though I was trying not to. This professor sparked the love of reading in me that had been dimmed throughout secondary school.
Early Childhood Education
I did my undergrad in Early Childhood Education and found it to be very rewarding. During this time I returned to my love of reading aloud. I found myself so engaged in lesson planning because I was planning so many lessons around story books. I made weekly trips to Chapters to pick out new story books for my lessons. I loved picking out story books and sharing them with the children I was working with.
Recent Years
In the last few years I discovered the author Lisa Genova. The first novel I read by her was Still Alice. My late grandmother had recommended it to my mother and subsequently my mother recommended it to me. I absolutely loved the novel and finished it in 48 hours. I then went on to read Left Neglected, and have started Inside the O’Briens. I love Genova’s realistic approach to writing and I find her novels provide me with perspective.
Teaching
During my first practicum I was in a grade four classroom. I was not expecting to participate in any read alouds as I did not think read alouds still occurred in a grade four classroom. I was wrong. The class I was with was reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. I had a couple opportunities to read to the students and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also loved seeing how engaged in reading a lot of the students were. I hope that when I teach my own class I am able to encourage students to enjoy reading and make sure that students have positive interactions and experiences with Language Arts.