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.