Reflecting my literacy experiences is something that I have never done before. However, with each semester that passes in college I have begun to learn more and more of why I learned the things I did in grade school. Since my path is Elementary Education I am learning the standards that have to be met as a teacher, and the material that needs to be covered. I have also started to learn about the techniques of teaching that can be used in a classroom and why certain things happen in classrooms. Through these classes I have begun to look at my past school experiences differently. So when asked to write a paper reflecting on literary experiences in school, I became excited knowing that I would be discovering and learning even more.
The furthest back I can think of any language-related experiences was in Kindergarten or 1st grade. I remember looking at pictures and saying what they were out loud. For example, there would be a picture of a dog, and I would say "dog." We practiced a lot with pictures. However, the earliest experiences would be at home. My language developed at home, like most children. We learn so much at those early ages in our lives, language especially. It is amazing to think of how quickly our minds absorb all that information. It's easier for a child to learn two languages, rather then an adult. I was able to speak from just listening to my parents and those around me. Of coarse I did not understand the mechanics of what I was saying, but I learned so much in those first few years.
In school I was never much of a reader. I was always afraid that I would be called to read out loud. I had a fear of the kids making fun of me. Often I would try to just look through what we were reading in hopes to find the "big words." That way if I did get called on, I knew the words I would get stuck on in advance, so maybe I would have enough time to sound them out. So to say the least, I had some trouble reading from the start.