Reader in Me Danielle Beauchamp RED 6116

Reflection of Reading Personality Omnivorous Reader  I will read anything and everything all of the time. Also a “Trendy” Reader  Always try new authors or a series if someone suggests it.

Literacy Strengths & Weaknesses As a learner, I am more of an intra-personal and inter-personal learner. (Which is quite ironic to be both)  Self motivated, driven by own personal goals.  Communicate well with people, and I strive to help others. I am also a visual learner, which I have always known– I can see something and recall details easily. As for my weaknesses, I am not much of an auditory learner, and I work better in groups discussing and proving different concepts. My lack of auditory learning skills have proved to be a disadvantage, especially with online classes. When I teach, I’m always sure to include all areas of learning in each and every one of my lessons, for my students are all unique in their own ways.

Criteria for Reading Choices Since the moment I learned to read, I have made sure I have always had a book with me. (I’ve even been caught reading at a stoplight ) Books with mystery, romance, humor and twisted endings always catch my attention. I’m always looking for new and intriguing books to read, but I seem to stray towards multiple books by the same author, or within a series. I fall in love with their writing style and always am hungry for more. Though, I have realized that I fall into the trap of reading the “popular” books—at least I have people to discuss the books with!  Janet Evanovich  Jane Green  Jodi Picoult  Charlotte Hughes  E.L James  Nicholas Sparks  Suzanne Collins

Strategies to “Fix” my Reading I have to admit, as embarrassing as it was, that I was part of the “Twilight Craze”. As I read the series, the main character seemed to refer to the historical novel, Wuthering Heights quite a lot. I have heard amazing comments and reviews about this book, and decided that I would begin reading it. Wow—was I in for a surprise. I struggled immensely on each and every page--& I thought that I could consider myself a good reader! I found myself using strategies that I taught my students: summarizing, connecting and rereading—a lot of rereading. After about a month, and using many strategies and discussing, I finally finished Wuthering Heights, and enjoyed every second of it.

“Aha” Moment Teaching has always been within my life to-do list, I’ve never even considered any other career. I’ve always known that I wanted to make a difference in children’s lives…(as corny as it may sound). Last year I had a student that was severely ADHD, on medication for it, but frequently forgot to take it regularly. Over the course of the year, and through many trials and tribulations, this student quickly became my highest achieving student within all areas, especially reading. Winning all of the awards not only in my class but school-wide as well. I had a very close relationship with his mother, and she came up to me at our Spring Fling and told me how proud she was of her son and such a change she saw in him. She then proceeded to tell me that she thanks me for this, and that she will be forever grateful, and they both will always thank and remember me. Best “aha” moment I could ever ask for. THAT is why I teach.