Literacy Autobiography

      When I was a toddler, I wasn't allowed to watch much television. However, I was encouraged to watch Sesame Street. It became my favorite show (followed by Barney). I remember watching the colorful letters pop up on screen alongside a puppet and even accompanied by a song like"C is for Cookie..." This child's television show encouraged me to know my alphabet. I would walk around the house singing the songs and finding objects that started with different letters.
       My parents soon realized that I had a good understanding of language, so they registered me for a placement test of a advanced program in elementary school. I don't remember the actual test, but I'll never forget the results. I failed. My pre-school friends all passed and were off to their fancy programs in their schools. My parents were devastated, I felt like I let them down. That's when they began the more formal at-home education.
       Since I could read above my level my parents assumed my mathematical skills were below par. They also believed that males were better at mathematical skills and females were better at verbal skills. Everyday I was trained in math. By the time I was 7, I knew the 12 times tables. By the time I was in 4th grade and subject to state testing, my balance had completely shifted. My math scores were nearly perfect, however my verbal scores were just okay. I began to hate reading, since I thought I wasn't good at it. My dad had to bribe me to read books. Since I had became obsessed with popular music, we made a deal that for every book I read, he bought me one CD.
      The bribery worked well for a few years, but I never really appreciated literature until I was in high school. My first English teacher was able to show me works that I was actually interested in, like ancient mythology. I also began turning to the Internet to further research and read articles about subjects I was interested in, like music and mythology.
    I started reading books and magazines willingly. My dad signed me up for TIME and Rolling Stone magazines. I also began reading books like Go Ask Alice, that I could relate to. I also didn't feel any pressure attached to reading outside of school. I especially liked to read when I was traveling, it helped pass time even better than listening to my CD player. After a few college classes, I started to always carry a book with me.