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Personal Writing Life Map

How Exactly Did I Get From Here To There?

This is an attempt to look back at my own writing history, starting from my first literacy experiences up until my life today.

Early Childhood

- When I was small, before I even went to school, I would listen and follow along to books on record. My favorite one was The Three Little Pigs. It was a Disney storybook and the characters' voices were so animated and captivating that I listened to it over and over again.

- My father told the most wonderful bedtime stories at night. They were full of life and always had a strong message hidden within them. To this day I still remember his stories about Sally Hopslitter, that girl was always getting into trouble.

- I loved kindergarten! My teacher was so sweet and she sent home a phonics book on record that I listened to over and over. Of course, I had no idea that it was a phonics book, I just thought it was full of fun characters. Plus I think I enjoyed getting to use the record player on my dad's big stereo.

- My Kindergarten teacher also read us the funniest poems and songs from a huge flip chart at the front of the room. We had fun repeating after her and following along. Little did I know she was teaching us to read.

College and Beyond

Early Elementary School

- After high school I went on to college. I had to learn to really expand on my writing techniques in order to keep up with the higher expectations. One professor in particular really pushed me to my limits as far as reading and writing. I had never truly had to look deeply into classic literature for hidden meanings and we were expected to do so with no help whatsoever. He kind of had a way of making you feel like an idiot for not getting it. Trying to figure out what some of the great American poets were really getting at and then having to write essays about it was a real turning point in my writing! It really made me look at things in a whole new light.

- First grade was nothing special, my teacher was super boring and we sat at our desks the whole time. I do remember copying a short paragraph off of the board every single morning. I bet this helped us gain some insight into the structure of writing and how to form proper sentences.

- The internet had gained popularity by this time and everyone had email. So, not only was I writing more for academic purposes than I ever had in my life, but I was writing for personal reasons on a regular basis as well. They were two completely different worlds, one so formal and one so informal.

- I had the best reading teacher ever in second grade. Her room was full of these wonderful centers set up on huge science fair display boards. Each one had some activity on it that had to do with reading and writing. We could pick and choose from them freely and it was fun to try new things without limits.

- After graduating and entering the world of teaching, I was finally given the opportunity to teach 4th grade writing. It was during my third year of teaching and I had just entered a new school in a new school district. I LOVED it! I had no idea back then, but I was using a sort of writer's workshop technique. I had a huge pocket chart on the wall where they kept all their work and there were no time limits to what had to be accomplished on what day. As long as they were working on some phase of writing I was happy. The topics I gave them were broad and I always wrote a sample paper with them while talking not stop, sharing with them all of my thoughts to explain what I was doing. Then I would put more sample papers that I had written up on the overhead and pass out copies for them to keep. I provided them with word lists of all kinds and allowed them to seek help from each other if they chose to do so. In the beginning I didn't put any marks or grades on anything unless they asked me to, I wanted them to feel like they had full ownership over their work without judgment. At first their papers were similar to the ones I wrote, but I didn't care. They were learning and that's all that mattered! Eventually they didn't need all my guidance, and they were coming up with creative papers all on their own!

- My second grade teacher also had a huge listening station that you could use whenever you wanted. It had a huge assortment of books and tapes. I loved following along as I listened to each story. It was my favorite center by far!

- During second and third grades I was introduced to writing. We were given the opportunity to write stories without boundaries on paper that was cleverly shaped like the various topics of our stories. I also modeled this at home, writing my own stories and creating special covers and pages that fit each theme. I wish I could remember some of them, I know there were a lot!

- Since then my life has been very unpredictable. I have moved several times due to my husband's job, had children, taught off and on, even homeschooling my oldest for 2 years. Never in a million years did I ever think I would homeschool my child, but it turned out to be one of the coolest experiences ever. Getting to work with someone and help them without putting a grade on everything they do or worry about testing of any kind really made me wish that every child could experience learning in that way.

A more detailed look at some of the

literacy experiences that have had an impact

on who I am as a writer today

Late Elementary

Middle School and High School

- At night I started listening to Louis L'amour stories on audiotape at bedtime. My dad enjoyed them and eventually so did all his kiddos! They were not audiobooks, but instead they were called audio dramatizations. Such great stories that really drew me in and captivated my imagination. I loved them!

- These years were filled with a lot more structured writing and assigned reading. Essays, research papers, and journal entries are the things that I can actually remember.

- I received a UIL award for a play I wrote in the 6th grade. I am not sure how good it really was. I am wondering how many other students even entered anything in that same category, ha!

- My teachers began to introduce me to a much more controlled and structured form of writing. This always included a brainstorm session, a web, a rough draft, editing, and a final draft that was always expected to be a certain length. I took to the process very well and always stuck to the criteria we were given. It probably had a lot to do with my rule following personality.

- I remember having to type some of my papers up on an electric typewriter. I was so thankful it had that back erase ribbon, no more using messy whiteout!

We did however get our first computer when I was a junior in high school. The internet was just becoming popular in people's homes at that time. It sure was slow!

- At home I still enjoyed creating books on my own. I would use cardboard to make the covers and yarn to hold all the pages together. Each page included writing and an illustration. I also loved to set up a library in my room and make pretend library cards for all my family members. Then I would ask them all to visit my library and check out books. They were all good sports about it and played along!

- I remember always receiving academic recognition on the writing portion of the TAAS test. I think this was due to the fact that back then it was that 5 paragraph format that was so important, and I followed it religiously! Complete with topic sentences followed by two sentences to elaborate on each of course. In today's world of STAAR, those papers would be so boring. Sheesh! No wonder I had trouble adjusting to the freedom that came with writing in college!

A Quick look At

Some Important

Writing Phases

In My Life So Far

- The rest of elementary school is a bit of a blur. The classrooms were much more traditional and my teachers were older. Nice, but just older and set in their ways. I do remember having to complete a wide range of book reports though. The formats of these book reports ranged from colorful posters and creative projects to traditional written papers.

- I really didn't do much writing outside of school assignments during these years. I guess extracurricular activities and friends are the typical focus during these crazy years.

Middle School and High School Years

Post High School...

A.K.A.

Adulthood

Early Childhood

The Late Elementary Years

The Early Elementary Years

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