Reading

When I was a little girl, I loved to read. I was able to read at a very young age. My parents read to me every night before I went to bed. They usually read to me Disney books (books that I still love). Over some time, I was able to memorize these words verbatim, and tried to pass it off as "reading". I was a clever one, I tell you. I was able to extend this knowledge of recognizing words and phrases into actual reading eventually, and was always far ahead of my class. This may be why it was so hard for me to complete the phonics class I took last semester- it has always come so easily to me, I never had to do that!

Throughout elementary school, I always wanted to read the "hardest" book that I could, and read more than anyone else. My favorite was the Babysitters Club. Gosh, I wanted to put together my own club and be old enough to babysit SO BAD! There was obviously the Ramona and Beezus books, and Judy Bloom, who taught me everything I ever needed to know about being a teenage girl. I could not wait to get my first kiss after that, and spent many nights practicing with my arm or pillow! Cause you know, Judy Bloom says that is the way to get the best at it. I loved reading, and would spend every night before I went to bed reading as much as I could.

Then high school happened. Those books that I had been reading before were so "juvenile", and as a teenage girl, I was much more sophisticated than that. I remember the first real adult book that I read. It was called Swan Song. I read it freshman year because my good friends Patrick and Eric had both read it and loved it. It was almost 1000 pages long, and I felt cool even saying I was reading it! It was about how after the Earth ended, people were surviving. It was way over my head with some sexual comments and political issues, but I pretended like I could understand all of it. I finished the whole book! I re-read it later and realized that it was much better than I remembered it being, probably because I could understand what actually happened. That was the last "for fun" book that I read in high school. I was an AP English student, so that meant my curriculum consisted of books such as Hamlet, Grapes of Wrath, A Tale of Two Cities, The Great Gatsby, Lord of the Flies, The Odyssey, To Kill a Mockingbird, Animal Farm, to just name a few. Some were decent, some were dreadful. What made them bad was the fact that we were beating a dead horse with it. I felt like we talked about those books in such depth, that it really lost its meaning. I was no longer excited to read for fun. I really did not have a lot of time either. If I had time to read, it was the reading for the class.

I thought high school was bad... oh college. I started out my career at ASU as a pre-law major. Since that is not an actual "major", I quickly became a philosophy and political science major. I have never had to do so many pointless readings in my life. I can honestly tell you that I have absolutely no idea what I read. Homework would be read pages 1-700 before next week. For one class. Multiply that by 5. Oh lanta! I could not even think about reading for pleasure! After 4 years of trudging through awful classes, I changed my major and opened the doors to the colorful world of elementary education.

Being an elementary major opened my eyes to a world that I had forgotten existed. A world before homework and papers and hard life. A world where reading is fun! Where books contain pictures. Where some books have no words at all. Since starting the program to be a teacher, I have read more books than I did throughout the last eight years total. Not only have I been reading kid books over, but I have re-developed my passion for reading everything. My goal this summer is to read all of the kid books I have collected over the past year that I will be implementing in my future classroom. I want to make sure that I know what my students are reading! Along with that, I want to be reading for my own as well.

Over the last month, I have read Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and The Help for myself. I want to make a recommendation for you: read The Help. It is hands down the best book that I have ever read in my life. They are actually making a movie out of it too that hits theatres in August. Hoping that it does the book justice! I want to read it over and over and over again. Everything about it was fantastic.

I want to give you a challenge, whoever you are reading this: read a book this summer for yourself. It can be about anything you want or like. Just do not have it be something for school or work. Immerse yourself into a world that is not your own, allow yourself to enjoy it, channel your inner child that at one time loved to read. It is such a rewarding thing to read. It gives you a moment away from any life troubles or problems. In a world where everything is shown to you, you get to use your imagination. Not only this, but it helps make you more educated. I love reading and will make it my own personal goal to try to always be reading something for myself. I will find the time, no matter how busy life will be.

There is no greater gift than an imagination and the joy of a good book.

Me time

I am fully aware of the fact that I am that person who has complained about the fact that I want "someone", to be in a relationship, to have a partner. I had a come to moment the other day and looked at the whole picture.

I relish my "me time". I enjoy sitting around in my apartment, relaxing, watching whatever show I want, sleeping in as late as I want, dancing around to music. Anything! I have been an independent person for such a long time, I may take for granted how great it really is! I like making my own rules, not answering to anyone.

I know that once my life continues forward, and I do find someone, start a family, all of those fun things in life, I am going to miss this time in my life so much! So I have decided to just make the best of it. Enjoy my life, enjoy my freedom, enjoy my youth! There is no need to grow up so quickly. Age is just a number. You are as young as you want to be. I am in the prime of my life and am going to make the most out of it.