How I learned to read....

Learning to read was a disappointing event in my life. My mother worked with me before I started school on reading through the phonics method. Before I ever started kindergarten I was reading. Then when I got to school my teacher used a different method of learning how to read that I did not adjust to. I am not sure if the method my teacher used would be considered whole language, but I do not that it involved a lot of reading through pictures. Since I did not adjust to the new method, I was placed in reading pull-outs at the request of my kindergarten teacher. The remedial teacher said that I did not need remedial reading, but my teacher would not allow me to stay in the class with everyone else. During pull-out reading time the remedial teacher often had me helping her with other students because I did not need the extra help. My time spent in pull-out remedial was wasted, and I was embarrassed in front of my classmates on a regular basis because I was mocked for being the “slow” kid. This bad experience in return caused me to be turned off from any language art experiences. For the longest time I hated reading and writing because of my kindergarten experiences. As a teacher I know that I should believe in my students because my lack of encouragement can have a lasting affect on them.

What surprised you about the 6 language arts?

I do feel that we should include the "viewing" and "visually representing" as part of the six language arts. I feel that visual representation of language has become a very influential part of our society. Viewing includes the internet, T.V and advertisements; the purpose is to communicate a message through visual aid. Though sign-language may not fit into these categories exactly, it is a great example of visual aid assisting in communication, so yes I do feel that these two should be included in the language arts. As for condoning the digital and media influences on children's lives, I feel that education is already doing that but at a much larger scale. Recently there has a been a push for technology in the classroom. Teachers have also branched out and are beginning to use more internet source to assist while teaching, so I do not feel that accepting viewing and visually representing as part of the six language arts is condoning the digital influences on children's lives any more than what we already are.

I am a visual learner, so I guess you could say viewing is important to me. I also learn through asking lots of questions (this has annoyed my mom at times). Academically I would say that talking has a lot of influence on me. I often find myself talking through difficult problems to myself, or having to talk an issue out before being able to solve it. I don't see this changing anytime soon because I have found what works for me, and I am a firm believer in "if it's not broken don't fix it."

What do I think about blogging?

My opinion of blogging is in-between. I don’t exactly dislike blogging, but at the same time I don’t care for it either. I feel on one side blogging serves as an electronic diary and thus some things are better left private. On the other hand I understand that blogging can inspire individuals to make changes in their own lives, while also providing the author recognition for his/her thoughts. I recognize the intelligent and influential potential that blogs can offer, but I am well aware that many individuals actively blog and should not. I appreciate the electronic convenience offered through blogging for those individuals that need to record their thoughts, but I would prefer that some thoughts not be recorded. I hope that through my experiences with blogging this semester my ambivalence for blogging can be made into a firm opinion.