WELCOME TO MY JOURNEY JORDAN MCCALLISTER Literacy Narrative

Welcome to Preschool Preschool held years of success for me. I was ahead in class, well-liked, and hard-working. I loved preschool so much that I didn’t want to move on! Moving on from Preschool to Kindergarten did not thrill me. In fact, I remained in Preschool for another year just because I liked it so much. And maybe because I was the first baby in the family and worked that sad face well.

Journeying to Elementary School Being so successful in preschool, I figured all academic life would be that way. Elementary school proved itself to be somewhat challenging for me, specifically when it came to reading. I struggled to read words and to tell time, but my mom may tell you otherwise. This being the case, my mom and I would spend hours after school reading on the couch. She told me that that would be the first thing I would want after school. So I would come home, set down my things, and have her read with me for hours. She was a good mom like that.

“Mom and I”

From Frustration Station to Love Being the determined girl that I was, time after school with mom could be somewhat frustrating. If there was a word that I couldn’t figure out, I would not move forward until I could sound it out correctly. Once I mastered the fine art of sounding out words and distinguishing between the little hand and big hand (which, might I add, is still difficult for me to do to this day), I began to LOVE reading! Here are some of the book series’ that I enjoyed:

Just Ask Books! More favorite books! I was such a curious little girl always asking “Why?” or “How?” or “What’s that?” so my mom and dad bought me this series that answered almost every question I could ever think of! Some of my favorite titles included: What is a Rainbow? and Why is the Sky Blue?

Words Please, No Numbers All that “sounding out” in my early years proved to be successful, as elementary school, than junior high, and then high school swiftly rounded the corner. “Language Arts and Reading” (as they called it) became my favorite and most confident subject. Solving equations? What are numbers?

Growing up... As I continued reading on my own I enjoyed books like the Harry Potter Series, Gossip Girl, Mysteries of any kind, the author Karen Kingsbury, The Babysitter’s Club (briefly), and I kept many, many, journals (or as some may call it, “diaries”).

Let Me Explain... Harry Potter was my first fantasy series. I became so engrossed in the plot and the character’s lives. Not only that, but it was one of the few books that my dad bought for me. However, it would take me very little time to read one of the books, and when I finished, the next book of the series wasn’t likely to come out until months later. Because of that, I became disengaged in the series and never got into the movies. Gossip Girl was so captivating, even before the T.V. show was created. The lifestyle was completely different from that of my own. The main characters were rich, living in big cities, independent, experiencing serious relationships, gossiping, and dealing with different hardships than I. I stopped reading this series because of it’s negativity. It’s not necessarily the most uplifting book series and so I felt that I would be better without it.

Let Me Explain... Karen Kingsbury is my favorite author to this day. She’s a Christian Fiction novelist, with everyday stories to tell. She writes stories of love and loss, stories about war, cancer, disability, celebrity, marriage, widowhood, fatherhood, motherhood, the list could continue. I really connect with the plot and characters. The books are filled with stories of hope and leave me feeling so encouraged and inspired. Journals, have been my outlet for years. I remember I had my first journal in third grade, would bring it to school and keep it hidden in my “secret” pocket (which I considered the inside of my jacket). I wrote about my elementary school crushes and even wrote songs there. I’m still an active journal-er, it’s where I process my emotions, conflicts, big life events, etc. It’s a private space I consider mine.

Future Plans I dream of writing books, becoming a famous blogger, and joining community book clubs. My future plans are to be determined. I don’t like planning too much, but grad school is always an option (Where I assume much reading and writing for school will consume my time.) Without school, I hope that reading and writing is a lasting hobby, something I enjoy, something that will always sharpen my mind.

Family Me, my mom, and sister. Life is no longer like it was in preschool and often times I spend a lot of time reading and writing for classes I don’t really care about. However, I love learning and growing. My sister and I spend our summer’s laying in the sun reading books, writing in our journals, and sharing our hearts. Now that she’s away at school we write letters, Skype, Facebook chat, and really, when aren’t we texting? Literacy has become an everyday part of my life!

IT DOESN’T END HERE. HERE’S TO CONTINUING THE JOURNEY! Thanks