I have always known reading was very important because the first memories I have remembered as a child deal with books. There was not one night that I don't remember Mom reading me a storybook by my bedside. I was very inspired by the way the words sound.
I always wanted to know what my mom was reading. Hearing Mom say, "I can't believe what's in the newspaper this morning. " made me want to take it out of her hands and read it. I wanted to be like my mom and know all the things she knew. So I carried around a book, and each night, just to be like her, I would pretend to be reading.
This is how everyone learned to read. We would start with sentences, then paragraphs, and then stories. It seemed an unending journey, but even as a six-year-old girl I realized that knowing how to read could open many doors. When Mom said, "The C-A-N-D-Y is hidden on the top shelf, " I knew where the candy was. My progress in reading raised my curiosity, and I wanted to know everything. I often found myself telling my mom to drive more slowly so that I could read all the road signs we passed.
Most of my reading through primary, middle, and high school was factual reading. I read for knowledge, and to make A's on my tests. Sometimes, I would read a novel, but I didn't enjoy this type of reading. I like facts, things that are certain.
Yet, now that I'm growing and the world I once knew as being so simple is becoming more complex, I find myself needing a way to escape. By opening a novel, I can enter a wonderful world where I can leave behind my worries. I don't have to write down what happened or what skills the author was using.
Reading is an important part of my life. It meets my desire to keep learning. And I've found that the possibilities that lie within books are limitless.
