LITERACY VIGNETTE

        Reading is one of my favorite activities but I cannot remember exactly when I learned to read.  My earliest memory of reading is when I was in the second grade at Immaculate Conception school in Hawesville, Kentucky.  My teacher, Sister Laurita, was a firm believer of round robin reading and she always went by rows.  I still remember the panic I would feel when it was my row’s turn to read. Sister Laurita would assign a paragraph to each person in the row.  I would count down to my paragraph and practice as the other students read.  The ultimate horror would occur if I miss counted the paragraphs or I was called on first.  My reading would go along at a very slow pace, with halting speech, and the fear that I would incur the wrath of Sister Laurita.  She was a firm believer of discipline as well as round robin reading.  I managed to survive round robin reading, the second grade, and Sister Laurita.
        Despite my experiences in the second grade, I developed a love of reading and books.  I remember being snuggled in bed reading the Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, and the Little House On The Prairie books.  I have discovered that excellent books can transport me to the setting of the novel.  They draw me in and allow me to be a bystander in the story.  As I read, I can often hear the birds singing, smell the blooming flowers, and hear the clip-clop of the horse as it goes by.  To me reading is all about the plot, the characters, the setting, and their interaction with each other.  The way the book makes me feel as I read it is an added bonus.
        I cannot imagine my life without books because reading has became an integral part of me. I’m  always a little sad when I reach the end of a book because it means that I have to move onto a new story.  However, the thrill of beginning a new book and finding out what excitement awaits me between the covers is an enchanting feeling and one that I don’t care to live without. So I tell myself that it is okay to finish the story and move on because there is always another book to be read and a story to be told.