Monday, November 22, 2010

Day Four For Reading

Browsing in a book store this evening, I thought, "I am so thankful that I know how to read!"  Even in the Twenty-first Century, there are places on earth where little girls, big girls and women do not know how to read, are not encouraged to learn and are in fact discouraged from learning to read.  I love to read. And I'm thankful that I live in a place where and at a time when I can read what I want without fear of reprisal.

Because my mother loved to read books, I learned early to value reading.  I remember learning my words and simple sentences.  Isn't it funny how you never forget the words that did not come easily to your learning?  "Cookie" is the word I remember struggling to read.  By the time I was seven, I was a regular at the public library and carried home stacks of books to read every week.

Perhaps it is because of my love of reading that I eventually became a reading teacher, working with students who desperately wanted to read but were having difficulty reading even basic one or two syllable words.  I'm sure it was my love of words and books that brought me to my current position of teaching children to write- write stories for others to read.

Reading is a gift for which I am thankful every day!

5 comments:

Sue Krekorian said...

I remember reading age tests at primary school and the word that I came unstuck with was "orchestra" - didn't recognise that orch could be pronounced ork. I was so chuffed when I got it right and progressed past it :)

Dorothy said...

Me too, me too! I love, love, love to read!

roxie said...

In my line of work (placement testing at the local community college) often run across women, and men, who are functionally illiterate. They are often very smart, and have bluffed their way through life, but oh how much they have missed. Blessings on you for teaching people to read and write. What a gift you give them. Now they can fill out forms, read instruction manuals, take written driving tests, use the computer for something other than solitaire, and learn new things about the world they live in. You are right - reading is a cause for much gratitude!

ellen b. said...

I'm thankful for being able to read, too. Have a safe trip Willow!

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

Ah yes, reading has had a huge impact on our lives and I thank God for that. It seems we both discovered the library very early in life! Reading opens up countless worlds and certainly widens horizons far beyond the little physical space we occupy. It's wonderful!