Reading as a Childhood Experience
Reading as a Childhood Experience As a teacher, I have come to greatly value the importance of reading storybooks to children. It is a rich source of values and it can enhance the vocabulary of a child. I see great improvement among my pupils when I started creating literature-based lessons. At the back of my mind, I really wish that I had the same experience as a child but I can’t tell for sure. The earliest memory that I have of reading a book was with my elder sister and my mom in our room. I can’t recall the title of the book, but I remember that it had a little girl kneeling down, eyes closed, and with a teddy bear by her side. My main source of stories was not a person but an oversized goose (Mother Goose) that play cassette tapes of popular children’s stories. I barely have memory of being read to by a real person at home, but I do recall having a storytelling corner in the school. This corner is where we would gather around to hear the story of the teacher. During my preschool and early grade school years, I think my favourite books were the ones that showcased works of the Grimm brothers. I also became very fond of Disney stories that I have come to love because of the movies the franchise produced. Then later on came the popular series by Francine Pascal called Sweet Valley High. I remember getting overly engrossed with the storyline, having collected almost all editions of the series. There would also be times that I would bring a Sweet Valley High book to school and read it during recess or lunch time just to get a better feel of the (school-set) story. I must say that reading at home is quite different from reading in school. I believe that reading at home provides a more intimate relationship between the story and the reader, perhaps because of the comfort of being at home brings. Reading in school, in my opinion, is a totally different experience. There would always be room for external opinion that can reinforce personal biases, but at