My initial memory was first grade but it was related to a favorite book because the character had the same name as my first grade teacher! My actual memory relating to me as a reader has to do with a biography study we did. I'm sure I created a diorama! I think I was in fourth grade but the material seems very hard for a fourth grader so I'm unsure. I chose Louisa May Alcott and wanted so badly to be her! I read the biography and then read Little Women, and I believe Jo's Boys. I was determined to grow up to be a writer and independent. I know I read a lot of biographies and was fascinated by the lives of these strong people. I also remembering choosing biographies of women and my teacher helping me. This is why I'm pretty sure it was fourth grade because Miss Salan was my teacher and she was a single, independent woman who flew a Cessna on weekends and even took me flying a few times. Her influence definitely had an affect on my reading and my aspirations. I recently read Little Women again and the language is very hard. I'm surprised I read it as a fourth grader.
In reading this I realize how important the influence of my teachers was on my reading. Mrs. Otto and Otto the fish. Miss Salan and strong, independent women. Thank you to my great teachers.
I thought the same thing about Little Women when you mentioned being surprised that you read it as a fourth grader! I think I read Little Women for the first time in middle school, if not high school. Pretty impressive for a 9/10 year old! What a neat connection to your fourth grade teacher as well. She seems like she was pretty remarkable!
ReplyDeleteLindy, when you said, "I know I read a lot of biographies and was fascinated by the lives of these strong people. I also remembering choosing biographies of women and my teacher helping me," it made me think of my 12th grade senior project. We were required to do a project that involved learning something new and having a product of that learning, as well as writing a long (10-12 page) paper related to our project. I learned how to play tennis and wrote my paper about Title IX, which was the law passed long before I was around that allowed females to participate and have the same equipment and training as men in sports. I read many biographies about strong, independent, athletic women. My mom (a teacher) was a huge resource to me because she was an athlete in college when Title IX was passed. She herself had many stories to tell of strong, independent women. I got hooked on biographies at that point.
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