For as long as I can remember, I have always had a love-hate relationship with reading. In my early years, I struggled with reading and writing. Listening to my mother and father read stories to my brothers and I was one of my favorite memories as a child. However, out of frustration and in fear of embarrassment, I avoided every opportunity to read a passage in class and for enjoyment. After barely scraping by in English and reading class, my mother collaborated with my first grade teacher and other parents to ensure that I, along with the other children in my class, grew as readers that are more confident. They decided to correlate our class readings with a weekly “Family Fun Night”, where parent volunteers dressed up and performed the few stories we read, during the week. After listening to the story read-aloud by Mrs. Boothe, studying the themes of the story ourselves, and then having the opportunity to watch our parents dress up in silly costumes and act out the stories we read, truly brought the units full circle. During “Family Fun Night”, we would also eat snacks and play various book-themed games, puzzles and other activities. “Family Fun Night”, above all, inspired me to read. I looked forward to watching my mother and father play characters in the stories I studied. Reflecting back as an adult, the involvement and support from my family, friends and educators gave me the confidence and passion I needed to become a forever-growing reader. Mrs. Boothe provided me with many opportunities to become a better reader. I struggled so greatly during first grade that she made a deal with me. If I could pass every reading test and bring my grade up by the end of the year, she would take me out for ice cream. Everyday before school, she picked me up, took me out to breakfast, and we studied. Between flash cards, previewing stories we would read in class that day, and reading more challenging stories together for enjoyment, Mrs. Boothe influenced more than just my reading development. She shaped me to the person I am today and inspired me to become a great teacher, just as she was to me.

Learning to Read In my early-elementary years, I struggled with reading, but later excelled thanks to the help of my family, friends and a very special teacher.

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Stephanie Kiebach

“The more you read, the more things you will know. The more than you learn, the more place’s you’ll go.”

-Dr. Seuss, “I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!”

ReadingMemoir

August 23, 2012

Inside

Reflecting on My Growth as a Reader

Learning to Read

Parenting with Books & Love

How Parenting Shaped Me as a Reader

Stephanie Kiebach :: Reading Memoir

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“There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the best of all.”  - Jacqueline Kennedy

On December 29, 2010, I gave birth to my wonderful daughter, Evelyn Michelle. Although I read “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel, cover-to-cover, numerous times, along with many many other parenting guides, no book could truly prepare me for bearing my first child. Like my mother always told me to me, “Children never come with an instructions manual!” For whatever reason, I hoped God would have made an exception for me. I dreamt that God would send me a nicely wrapped envelope with specific written instructions for her father and I to prepare her for the best, well-lived, error-free life, but to my despair, He did not. Twenty months have now come and gone, since that day. Like all parents, I am sure I have made my fair share of

Parenting with Books and Lovemistakes with her; however, the one decision, I have made without fault, in raising my daughter is that I read to her every night. I have watched her learn to speak her first words – months before “What to Expect in the First Year” by Arlene Eisenberg, Heidi Murkoff, Sandee Hathaway, expected. Every day she is learning a new word and a new phrase. Because her father and I read to her every night, at twenty months of age, she is able to count to ten, sing her ABC’s and has a surprisingly advanced vocabulary. Reading to children, not only exposes them to new vocabulary, but also teaches them new ideas in a way that you may not have been able to. For instance, one of Evelyn’s favorite stories is “How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food?” by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague tells how to behave while eating. I have noticed a significant change in

Stephanie Kiebach :: Reading Memoir

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“Piggie Pie” By Margie Palatini “Piggie Pie” is a funny tale about a witch, named Gritch, who wants to make some piggie pie, but does not have any pigs for the recipe. So she goes to Old McDonald’s farm to find some but to her surprise, there are no pigs to be found. Because of “Family Fun Night” and my mom playing the lead role, Gritch the Witch, in “Piggie Pie” makes number one on my list!

Reading has an innumerable amount of benefits to children, as we all know. Although, I may not have personally experienced my eyes widen through reading; I have watched my daughters face light up at the sight of a new story to be told. Her love for books is not something that I taught her, but rather she taught me. How Parenting has Shaped Me as a Reader:Reading TodayAfter first grade, my enjoyment for reading peaked around fourth grade, and slowly declined ever since. I only read stories required in school and dreaded nearly every selection they made in the curriculum. My passion and love for reading and children’s literature returned ten-fold after the birth of my child, after her love for reading shed on me. Although I do not read adult texts very often, in the past year I have read, “Heaven is For Real” by Todd Burpo, a magnificent, true story about a young boy’s experience in Heaven, and various sections in the Bible. My true passions at this point in my life are children’s books. I have found myself looking to purchase books anywhere and everywhere to bring home to my daughter, to watch her face light up, with joy. Another enjoyment I experience from children’s books is my new perspective that I have gained from being a mother. Many concepts and illustrations in the children’s books that I read growing up, that I now read to my child, I did not fully understand or recognize at the time, that I do now. To have the, “AH-HA” moment, years later, over a children’s book is something truly exhilarating to me.

“The Three Little Pigs”“How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food?”“How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon?”- Jane Yolen & Mark Teague“Go, Dogs, Go”

- Dr. Seuss“Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?”

- Bill Martin Jr/ Eric Carle“No, David!”-David Shannon

Evelyn’s Favorite Stories

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Favorite Picks

“The True Story of the Three Little Pigs”By Jon ScieszkaApparently, the “big, bad wolf” has a different story to tell on the day that he supposedly “huffed and puffed” and blew three innocent pigs houses down. Read the wolf’s side of the story for yourself!

“The Cat in the Hat”By Dr. SeussThis classic imagination-driven tale is about an exotic, lively cat that visits two children one rainy day while their mother is gone. The cat amuses the children with crazy antics and chaos, whiles their mother is away. He nearly destroys the house! Will they be able to clean the mess before Mom gets home? You’ll have to read it yourself to find out!

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