Memories of Reading (Alex's Post)

Well lets see. I can remember that I was always excited about reading when I was little. This was when I was in kindergarden all the way to about third grade. I really enjoyed playing literature games and all of the books that i picked up were so colorful and vibrant. The pictures went along with the stories and I associated reading with fun. ( Dr. Seuss was the man...still is) Eventhough I may have been corrected of my reading errors by adults it was still fun. However, when I got to about 6th grade I can remeber that I felt alot of pressure about reading properly. I can remember how all of the class would listen intently at the students in honors programs and also how people would snicker under their breath about a person who mispronounced words. I was not the greatest reader but I did okay. When I reflect on this setting I don't remember joy but judgement. I notice how kids would look down on or exalt a child based on his/ her ablity to read. The teachers did this too!!! Almost all of the "bad" kids had terrible reading skills and when asked to read they would become defiant. Whereas the students who performed well were given more attention. I use to read every now and then when i was youger but I did not see the power of reading and literacy as I do now.