I am a lifelong reader.
As a child, I don't think my mom read to me much (although she did sing to me often 😃). Reading was not something that was modeled for me at home. Nevertheless, I developed a fondness for it.
In elementary school, I remember looking forward to independent reading time. I enjoyed the little books that I got to choose from out of the blue bucket. I would finish the book and answer some questions about it, then move on to the next one.
Whenever I would visit my grandma in the summertime, she would take me to the public library where I would spend hours walking around and looking at books. I like the library. People are quiet there and generally friendly. It's cool on a hot summer day. I even like the way libraries smell of old paper.
There are so many choices at the library! Fiction, non-fiction, magazines, newspapers... Just about any topic I could think of could be found in some reading material at the library. I would check out a bunch of books and take them home. Sometimes I would read them; sometimes I would just look at them. I liked having them around.
In high school, I did not read as diligently as my teachers would have liked. We were assigned some great novels to read, but I had other interests. I would generally read the Cliffs Notes instead so I had just enough information to join in the conversation or take the test. Of course, I don't advise that anyone do this because they miss out on the richness of the text, but I am aware that some people want the shortcut. These days, I would use Shmoop.
Throughout my life, reading has served many purposes for me. I have used reading to learn about a subject or read to escape into another place and time. I read to get to know characters and feel empowered or sad with them. I read to find out what is happening in the world. I read to stay in touch with my friends and family. I read recipes so I can make good food. I read comics to laugh. I read directions. I read a variety of texts to be inspired. All the time, I read about countries and cultures I want to visit because my family is always planning our next travel adventure!
This week, I am reading several things.
- I am reading It Won't Be Easy. It's light and funny. I chose it because I follow the author on Twitter. I like his positions on social justice. He speaks in a voice I can hear and identify with. Teaching is hard and wonderful. It is definitely not easy, but I wouldn't want to do anything else.
- I also receive a weekly subscription of "The New Yorker" magazine. It is dense reading; I generally skip around and don't read it cover to cover. It contains current event news articles and fictional stories, comics and poems, movie reviews and interviews. There is a comic caption contest every week that my daughter and I participate in sometimes.
- I read BBC news on an app just about every morning. It contains news from places all around the world. I like being informed about other countries as well as our own. It's also interesting to read their news about the U.S. (from another country's perspective).
- I am also busy reading on social media every day. I have a personal Facebook account where I read the things my friends and family members post. I also read a lot of teacher blogs and participate in professional development on Twitter. I post about my travels and (as of today) my auto-immune disorder on Instagram. (That last one is more about writing, but reading and writing really go hand in hand.)
- Finally, I have been reading travel blogs about Iceland. That is our next destination.
What are you reading?
