About Me
I was born in Key West, Florida in 1987, although my family lived in Marathon, Florida. I spent my first few months there, and later moved to Naples, Florida, which is where I reside. I knew at a very young age I was meant to do something that involved children. I wanted to be a pediatrician, which later changed to a pediatric nurse. I decided that it wasn’t enough to help them get well, I wanted to make a difference in their life by educating them. I want students to know that they can do whatever they want to do with their life, and all they need is education.
Right now I am a junior pursuing a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. I have worked with children who are poor, children with disabilities, and “average” children, and I have also worked with children who don’t speak English. What I have come to conclude about most of these students is that they enjoy reading what they want to read. I had one student who loved to read comic books, and who doesn’t? As long as you put something in their hands that they are interested in, and give them choices, they will usually read.
I am very excited about what my future holds as a future teacher. I hope that I can be a great teacher, and I hope that I can help my students want to read. I know that for some students learning to read may be a little more difficult, but I think if I let them pick what they want, they are not going to sink to the bottom and not be able to get back up.
I was a terrible reader, and was timid to read in front of other students, because I thought they would laugh at me, rather they would help me with the words I did not know. There were times in my life when I would completely refuse to read out loud. I now love to read out loud, and one thing that really helped me was a little girl named Savannah, she was three and I was fifteen, and she loved to be read to, especially in English. She was bilingual, but knew more Spanish than English, and was very open and willing to know more English. Everyday that I saw her I would read a book to her out loud. She never corrected me and although she didn’t know it she gave me the confidence to read out loud to anyone.
Barbara Park
Barbara Park was born on April 27, 1947 in Mount Holly New Jersey. As a Child her favorite thing to do was spend time at the beach in Long Island.
She never really liked to read or write for that matter, as a child. When she was in high school she began to have an itch for books. She began reading and really loved to read. She said that she was very much the one to make everyone laugh with her. She thought she was pretty humorous.
After high school she attended Rider University and later transferred to the University of Alabama where she graduated with a degree in teaching. The first class she ever taught was a seventh grade class, which she claims drove her right out of the profession.
Not long after she graduated from college she married her husband Richard, and they had two children. (Which are both grown now.) When one of her sons brought home a book she decided that she should become a writer of children’s books.
Now she has written over forty children’s book to date, and even has some middle school aged books, and one picture book.
She has won many awards including some children’s choice awards and some parents choice awards.
I personally love this author because of her funny wit that she uses in her Junie B. Jones books, as well as all of her other books.
Helping children Read
I found a great website that could help your child with reading; it has phonics activities, and reading material that is gradual so that your child can learn to read easily and gradually. It also has grammar work, and also can be used with Spanish speakers as well.
Http://www.literactive.com/Home/index.asp
I also found another very informational article that tell you what a child needs to learn in order to succeed at learning to read. The website for that article is
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/nrp/findings.cfm
Some things you can do to help your
- Read with them
- Read to them
- Listen to them read to you
- Let them try to write at a young age
- You can visit a library
- You can do activities
- Use computer programs (like the one I have listed.)
The website I got this information from has some great examples of activities you can do with your child to help them read. So here’s the website address
http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/reader/index.html
Great Children's Books
Fancy Nancy
Written by Jane O’Connor and Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser
Nancy wants her family to be a little more fancy. She creates an add and puts it on her refrigerator Fancy Lessons.
Nancy is adorable and very likeable and children love her.
Cinderella
Retold by Michele Marineau and Illustrated by Mylene Pratt
This is the classic Cinderella with a few different elements.
I liked it because it was a little different from what I remember.
Little Tad Grows Up
Written and Illustrated by Giuliano Ferri
Tad does not want to grow up, because he likes how fast he can swim with his tail.
I liked this story because I think that at some point in our life we don’t want to grow up.
One Yak Called Jack
Written and Illustrated by Darcia Labrosse
Jack the Yak wants to go to the fair but all his friends seem too busy to go.
I liked this book because at the end they all ended up going.
One-Eye! Two Eyes! Three Eyes! A Very Grimm Fairy Tale
Written by Aaron Shepard and Illustrated by Gary Clement
This book is about three sisters and one of them is different, and they make her do everything. It is sort of like a spin off of Cinderella.
I liked this book because “normal” isn’t always normal, it is what you think it is and everyone has a different opinion of what normal is.
Home At Last
Written by Susan Middleton Elya and Illustrated by Felipe Davalos
This book is about a Mexican family who moved America and the mother thinks she can’t learn English, so she has a hard time going to the grocery store.
I liked this book because it was from a different point of view than my own.
Gulliver’s Travels
Adapted by James Riordan and Illustrated by Victor G Ambrus
Gulliver goes through different places where he meets many different people, big and small people.
I liked this book because I think the stories in it are great!
Claire and the Unicorn
Written by B.G. Hennessy and Illustrated by Susan Mitchell
Claire wants to know what makes a happy ending. Her and her stuffed Unicorn named Capricorn try to find out why.
I likeed this book because it had different fairy tale elements in it.
Cindy Ellen A Wild Western Cinderella
Written By Susan Lowell and Illustrated by Jane Manning
This is a Cinderella story about Cindy Ellen who is from the wind west and her father remarries. She goes to the rodeo and is the star of the show. The next day she goes to the Square Dance and she loses a spur.
I liked this story because it had horses in it and I never knew there was a wild western version of Cinderella.
A Story A Story An African Tale
Retold and Illustrated by Gail E. Haley
This book is about how some African stories came to be stories.
Works Cited
Barbara Park. (2007). Retrieved february 12, 2009, from Eduational Paperback Association: http://www.edupaperbacks.org/showauth.cfm?authid=38
Barbara Park. (2009, February 3). Retrieved February 3, 2009, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Park
House, R. (2004). Authors and Illustrators. Retrieved February 12, 2009, from Teachers at Random: http://randomhouse.com/teachers/authors/results.pperl?authorid=23194
Meet the Writers. (1997-2009). Retrieved february 12, 2009, from Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/writers/writerdetails.asp?cid=968076#interview
Park, B. (2003). Junie B. Jones. Retrieved January 31, 2009, from Random House Children's Books: http://ww.randomhouse.com/kids/junieb/author.html
Patricia M. Newman. (2005, October). Retrieved February 12, 2009, from Patricia M. Newman: http://www.patriciamnewman.com/parkb.htm
Sachs, A. (2005, October 20). U.S. Retrieved January 31, 2009, from Time: http://time.com/time/columnist/sachs/article/0,9565,1120742,00html
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