Will I Ever Enjoy Reading?

  Being told I was raised in the library I finally realized it was not true. I can remember as a toddler going to daycare on the daily basis. We would go through the same routine every day, before and after lunch we would learn three new words. After repeatedly going through this process I began reading complete sentences. I enjoyed learning to read as a child because every time I completed a sentence I would get a treat.
   As I got older I learned more words and began to read more. In my Sunday school class we would read the children’s version of the bible. There would be a lot of pictures and illustrations to help us understand what we were reading. This helped prepare me for grade school.
   In elementary we did AR reading. AR was accelerated reading. Every student had a goal and a certain amount of points to reach weekly. At this point I came to the realization that I did not like being forced to read. My teachers would get on to me because I did not want to read. I would always have to miss recess time to make up for reading time. This did not encourage me to want to read more.
   When I entered middle school I thought it was all over. Little did I know it was just beginning except now it was harder. This began my journey of reading chapter books. The first chapter book I read on my own was called Forever by Judy Blume. This book was just right for me. I could relate to it and it was a dramatic love story. In the midst of reading this book I became conscious of the fact that it was not that I did not like reading or being forced to read, but that I was reading the wrong genres. Therefore I was not engaged in my reading.
   After reading Forever I began searching for my next chapter book. The next chapter book I began reading was Do You Know the Monkey Man by Doris Butler. This was a great book. Reading these books made me began to enjoy reading once again. I would reach my goals every time in AR . Now since I know what genre I like to read, I read all the time.
   When I entered high school I began reading the Bluford high series. This series is classified as realistic fiction. I would read a new book every day. One of the book I read was so interesting that I felt like I was actually in the book. I was so engaged I began to feel as though I was playing the role of a victim. This book gave me the imagination that I thought I never had. My mom would have to tell me to stop reading so I could get other things accomplished.
   Reading became like second nature to me. I could find books instantly and just began reading and enter a whole other world. This is my story of how I learn to read and love it. What’s your story?