The Role of Influence in Reading

Looking back on my childhood, I would say that my family played a significant role in my literacy development. While I do not particularly remember my parents teaching me how to read, books and imagination were very important things in my house. My dad would read to my two sisters and I every night, sometimes even making up stories.  Grammatically, I specifically remember a day in Kindergarten when I made the mistake of thinking ‘on’ was an ‘a’ sound because the spelling of my name, Anna (which is pronounced Ah-nah). As discussed in chapter three, my background information of this sound led me to incorrectly place it with a letter. After a gentle correction from my teacher, I quickly learned what sound was connected to what letter. This is a leading example that the majority of my learning to read was conducted at school by my teachers, however, my parents helped me continue to succeed at home through practice and assignments.

Similar to the Joneses, there were other primary influences in my life growing up beside my mother. My dad was really involved in daily activities, and while my grandparents did not live in Tennessee, every November, they would come rent a house for a month near us. I would also see them every summer, and periodically throughout the year. Even my grandparents have affected my literacy development, and in fact, a couple of years ago, I received a book series containing ten books for my birthday.

Just as in Pinesville, social factors and the time of events played a crucial role in my reading experience. Going into Kindergarten I do not remember having a complete understanding of sounds and letters, however, today children are expected to start the year with a complete understanding of how to read.  There was also a heavy influence because of the community I came from. In Farragut, my town growing up, the community was very involved, with many middle class to wealthy families who are very involved in their kid’s lives. This contributed to student’s entering into school with more practice. Just as in Farragut, the community of Pinesville played a crucial role in student’s literacy development. How can we as a community encourage students to read? How can we play a part? Here is a chart of questions to ask those young readers around you! Also, these questions can be modified to be more age appropriate for the reader! Enjoy!