Introduction

 

I learned to read and write in school. There wasn’t anything in particular that inspired me, it was just what you learn in class. My family is very serious about education so I always took it very seriously as well. My earliest memory of reading was being sorted in reading levels in the class. It was in the first grade and I was okay at reading in my head but I hated reading out loud because I would fumble and mess up the words or say the wrong words altogether. Since the only way to test your reading level was to read out loud; I was put into the lowest reading level despite having no problem reading smaller chapter books. My teacher saw the books I would read in my free time though and eventually put me into a different group. In my elementary school when you are in kindergarten you learn your ABCs then you start on vocabulary quizzes. You then start to read lines like “the cat sat on the mat” and throughout the summer I read more and more till I could read those small chapter books. I like reading if I find a book I am actually interested in. I have a nice book collection. I do not read as much as when I was younger. I also mean more reading for pleasure rather than reading for an assignment. Literature also plays a big part in theatre and as a thespian, I love theatre and have a deep respect for the art. There is a very big difference between reciting lines and reading aloud. More than anything reading out loud frustrated me: because I would want to do well but I fumble through most of the words. In the theatre world what we call cold reads is what I always dreaded in my theatre classes. That is when you try to perform the words on the page without having them memorized. That is why  I could never pursue theatre because I do not like cold reads. Writing I have a love-hate relationship with. Every time I had written something I was actually proud, everyone who had read it always said it was too confusing or just bad so I honestly do not want to write. My sister got me into books and theatre so she is the reason why I explore more literature. I think literacy is important because of how involved with the world and how powerful words are. It is not my favorite thing to do but it is in things I do enjoy and to better myself it is something I would like to improve on. I have been told how awful I can be with writing and so it is important to me to learn and better what I am not well at. I continue to read in my free time and I love to go see plays. Many of my friends also write their own comics and stories and like my input. I want to develop my skills for myself because of the times that people have said things about my writings.