Kendall Children's Lit. Spring discussion

2. What kind of reader would you consider yourself to be?

I would consider myself a mix between a dormant and an underground reader. I often times find myself only reading what is required of being when I am in classes. This held true through junior high, high school, and is still true for today. I believe I was more of an underground reader when I was given the time too. During summers I always read numerous books and read every single night. I slowly lost this drive when social life, homework, and activities began to take up more of my time. I still enjoy reading a lot but find little time to read a book of my own choice during school. I have a large collection of books that are both suited for my age and have also recently started a children's book collection which is approaching around two hundred. I find enjoyment in purchasing new books and getting to read each one for the first time.

My reading has changed over time since I have been in school so what I would classify myself as has also changed. In elementary and the early parts of middle school I would consider myself a dormant reader. I read what was asked of me and I was always reading at grade level. I was not very interested in reading and did not enjoy when we had to read. I could also have been called a reluctant reader. My view of reading changed in the middle to end parts of middle school when I went to the school book fair and found a book I liked. After that, I was hooked on reading. However, the books we had to read for school were never interesting to me. Since the end of middle school, I would classify myself as an underground reader. I read what was asked of me and then read my own books. Not only were the books for school uninteresting, but the pace we were to read was always too slow and we were not allowed to read ahead so I would sit there. Even now, I would still consider myself and underground reader.

I would consider myself to be a dormant reader. I have never really enjoyed reading that much except for magazines and fact books such as The Guinness Books of World Records. Throughout highschool I read just enough to get by in my work and most of the time did not even finish half of the books (such as Great Expectations or Animal Farm), I thought they were boring. Now I usually average about 3 books a year, I am slowly finding reading more enjoyable; although a lot of times I will start a book and never finish it or forget about it.

I would consider myself to be an undergroud reader. I have always loved books and reading. I grew up in a home that was always full of books of all kinds since my parents have very different tastes in reading materials. I attended a small 2 room country school from kindergarten to eigth grade where we were allowed the freedom to choose our own books to write book reports on, we were never confined to certain materials or made to wait for the rest of the class to finish before we started another book. By the time I was in high school I had read most of the books that were required in the Freshman and Sophmore classes I took. I am still an avid reader and have passed this on to all of my children who I now have book exchanges with as adults.

I would consider myself a dormant reader. I was never much of a reader throughout my school years. I was good at reading, actually i excelled at it but never really wanted to just sit down and read a book for fun. This is not to say that I didn't like the books I was forced to read in school. I lllooovvveeeddd animal farm, it was a great book and really made us kids think about how these animals were given human characteristics and played out human life. Thats probably one of my favorite books from school otherwise since then I still do not read much. i did really get into the twilight books, i read them all and loved them. Its actually hard for me to find a good book for me to get into, its got to hold my attention. Right now Ive been reading the grimms fairytales. They are a bunch of short stories which is nice because I can stop when I want and pick up whenever I want and not have gotten lost in where I was. Thats about the extent of my reading while im in college.

I would consider myself to a combination of a dormant reader and an underground reader. The reason I would say I am a dormant reader is because when reading is assigned I do everything I am assigned to, but usually not much more. I do not tend to go over and beyond of read ahead of the class. Once the weekend has begun or it is summer time I often do not pick up a book until I am told to again. However, every once in a while I will find a book or series and fall in love with it. In this case I would consider myself an underground reader because once I start I want to do nothing else. I feel that if my schedule allowed more time for me to read I would consider myself a strictly underground reader, but as of now the reading I do is not necessarily for joy but to accomplish an assigned task.

I would consider myself to be a mix between a dormant reader and an underground reader. I would absolutely say that my passion and desire for reading has changed since I have been out of junior high and high school. Now that I am in college, there is not very much required text, except textbooks. So my reading really depends on me. In high school I did not read very often at all. Even the requiring texts that I had for my classes I almost always spark noted it. Now a days, if I find a book that I enjoy, I LOVE it! It is hard for me to put down, but it has to be something that I enjoy.

I am definitely considered a dormant reader. Throughout middle school and high school, I never enjoyed reading. When I had to do any for class it was definitely like a chore. I always had difficulty comprehending the stories I read, and therefore never took the time to sit down and enjoy a book without trying to analyze every bit and piece of it. It also might be because if a story starts slow, then I get bored quickly and stop the book. Still to this day I don’t take the time to sit down and read a good book, because I never set the time aside. Every once in a while I would have been considered an underground reader. This is when I became addicted to a specific author or series. For example, in sixth grade I fell in love with the “Series of Unfortunate Events” books and read every one. This also happened in tenth grade when I breezed through all the Harry Potter books, and last summer when I flew through the Hunger Games Series. Once I find a book that I love or enjoy, I can’t take my mind off it, but it is definitely difficult to find that perfect book.

This is probably evident from how many books I've got up here on Goodreads, but I'm a reader--not even necessarily an underground reader. I've almost always purposefully read even class assignments. Sure, I've got my slums every once and a while. But I'm not ashamed to say sometimes I've never finished a book. And sometimes I skimmed more than I should have. I almost always have some small mountain of books in the living room or near my bed. Since high school, I've had less time for reading and it's a bit more difficult to make it to the library. But I'm still there at least once a week.

Interestingly enough, though, in my elementary school years you definitely wouldn't have thought me to be a good reader. From 2nd to 5th grade it was a struggle just to get a book in my hands. I was in accelerated programs and tagged as an honors student, but it wasn't until middle school and high school when the book's vocabulary finally seemed to catch up with my own that I really took ownership of my reading. And then I just couldn't stop!

During my younger years, books were the world to me. I could not wait to come home and read a book, or have my mom read one to me. As I got older, and the more activities I got involved in, books became less and less important to me, especially in high school. During my high school years, I would definitely have considered myself a dormant reader. I would read the books that were required giving little thought to what was going on. I would read enough to get good grades on the assignments and have enough information for discussions, but I could care less about the story. I would never ever ever pick up a book for ‘fun’ in high school, mostly because I was so caught up in every other aspect of my life that reading books seemed pointless. I would definitely say in college my opinion of books has definitely changed. Sometimes I find myself dreading required reading (except for Out of my Mind, that book was a good read), but one thing that has changed is I read for fun a lot more than in my teens. I love getting recommendations from my friends and family, and many times, I will read whatever is recommended to me, just to see if I will like it.

When I started to read, I was a developing reader. I didn’t understand what I was reading and often struggled. Later, once I became better at reading I was a dormant reader. I wasn’t interested in reading and therefore I didn’t. However, now I find myself to be more of an underground reader. I love reading and I try to read as much as possible. Lately I’ve been busy so haven’t been reading as much as I would like but when I dig into a good book it seems I can’t put it down. For example, a few semesters ago I read The Hunger Games as I was reading; I took the book to work and to class. Every break I got and every time something came up that I was not as interested in, I put my nose in my book. I still have my priorities of school then reading, but reading is my second life.

I would say that throughout most of my academic career, I would have been considered an “underground” reader. I remember reading Hamlet for the first time in the sixth grade, and I know that I had read A Midsummers Night Dream some time even early than that. I never remember being bored with a book, but I do remember reading the book faster than the other students and having to stop and wait a few days for the rest of my class to catch up to where I was. Now that I am in college I find I am still able to read advanced books rather quickly, but due to time constraints with my weekly schedule, I have much less time to read. I understand what Miller means when she talks about underground readers needing to be engaged in things that interest them. I was interested in acting and theater and so my elementary school librarian encouraged me to start reading plays. I did and quickly progressed to the point where I was able to read and understand Shakespeare. I definitely believe in what Miller proposes and will use her concepts when I have my own classroom.

I have always been the underground reader. For as long as I can remember. Even back in elementary school. I was taught to read by my grandmother when I was extremely young, and reading was always encouraged in my parents home. I was at a college reading level by 6th grade. Needless to say, I've always been a good reader. I breezed through every honors and/or AP English courses in junior high and high school, but I can honestly say that I have only truly enjoyed maybe 2 or 3 books that I was forced to read throughout all of those years. I did what I had to do, told the teacher everything I knew they wanted to hear about the books I read, and regurgitated every vocabulary word they wanted us to know, but I saw no point in doing any of it. I was always so angry in school because of the fact that I never got to choose what I wanted to read, and if we did get to choose, it was only from a short list of books. I understand now why my teachers did what they did, but I am still bitter to this day over some of the books that they forced us students to read. I think Miller hits the nail right on the head when she says that many students lose interest in reading when they are forced to read books and fill out worksheets and give book reports. Giving students the freedom to read about what they like to read is both encouraging and smart. You get the students to do what they are supposed to do, and they get to have some responsibility and fun with it. Win-win if you ask me.

2. I would consider myself to mostly be an underground reader. I have always been the type of reader that can sit and read a 300 page book in one night if I really find it interesting. I think there were times in school when I was reluctant to read what was assigned to me. This was only when I did not like the book, but I would still read it because I had to. I have always been interested in reading books if I can relate to them in some way, or if it does not follow an ordinary story line. As long as something can capture my thoughts and touch me emotionally, then I can read all day. I think someone becomes an underground reader, like me, for a number of reasons. I have always been intrigued by new words and reading books, so I had a lot of practice reading early on. I think because I developed such a strong foundation for reading in the beginning, it really helped me later in life. It was easy for me to read for school, then turn around and read about what I actually wanted to. I feel like if I didn't give reading the attention it needed from early on, then I would have never become the underground reader I am today.

My reading has definitely changed over the course of my lifetime. I have always had the ability to read and found reading quite easy. In grade school, I remember being extremely excited to attend book fairs at school, search the scholastic journals for interesting books, and to be introduced to good books that we were required to read. Some books I remember included "Superfudge", "Wayside Stories of Westside School", and a few others.

Although, I liked those books and enjoyed the anticipated of new books, I never found myself reading outside of school. I was easily a Dormant Reader. I only read when I had to, even if it was book I liked. My desire was to play outside, play video games, or watch television instead of reading.

Once I got to High School I read the "Odyssey" and really liked it. However, the book that captivated me and really opened my eyes to how reading could be fun was "The Count of Monte Cristo." It was that book where I found myself reading outside of class and on my own time. I was hooked! From there I read the entire "Left Behind" series, which was so awesome. "The Count of Monte Cristo" was required, but the "Left Behind" books were spontaneous, not required, and my choosing.

I think I am borderline between Dormant and Underground. I don't read nearly enough to be an Underground Reader. However, I do read books that I am interested in and are of my own choosing when I have time which is slightly above being a Dormant Reader.

My interest in reading has changed over time. When I was very young (around 3 years old) until high school started, I was an underground reader. I highly enjoyed reading, and always did it for fun, and nothing else. I loved the books we were required to read in class, and the books I chose outside of class. After high school started, and even now, I would consider myself to be a dormant reader. Reading is not a high priority of mine, and although if I find a book that really piques my interest, I will stick with it until the end, I don't always search for the next book to read. I mostly read what is assigned to me, and leave it at that.

I would consider myself to be an underground reader now. This wasn’t always so. Middle school I was a dormant reader. I hated the books we were required to read, so reading in general wasn’t a priority. Plus, I had so much required reading that I didn’t have time to read or enjoy the books I would have read for fun. In high school, I still didn’t have time for outside reading but I did enjoy a couple books that were required reading. I fell in love with “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “The Scarlet Letter.” Now, that I have some extra time off I’ve been reading book after book. This is how my summers are too when I take a break from school. Currently, I am reading Tina Fey's book "Bossypants."

I would consider myself mostly a dormant reader with a little bit of underground reader. For the most part, reading has never been an interest in my life. I always read what was assigned, but I've also struggled with reading comprehension for as long as I can remember. I can read a story multiple times, but information doesn't retain. Over time, it's become a little easier to remember certain parts of stories, but it hasn't improved that much. I think the dormant reader in me is one of the reasons that I have a hard time creating images in my mind. However, at the end of middle school, my teacher had us read a play, and I instantly realized that this is what I enjoy. Because all of the details were listed out, I didn't have to try and create a scene or imagine how someone/something would sound or look like. It inspired the underground reader in me. To this day, while I don't really enjoy reading, and read mostly for class, I have a couple books, mostly non-fiction, and a lot of plays that I truly enjoy reading, and read on my own, outside of class.

To describe what kind of reader I am is kind of hard for me. While growing up I never read, even if I was assigned to for a class. I would just skim through the first few chapters and then discuss it with other classmates. I never enjoyed it and I only read if I had to. Now though, I am a very underground reader. I love to sit and read a good book, but I also love getting recommendations from classes and other people. Ironically, I fell in love with the written word through Twilight. After that I found that I was looking for different series to read. I even found myself enjoying books that I couldn't stand when I was younger. I love the fact that now when I sit down to read I thoroughly get involved in the story. I find myself putting me in their place and trying to figure out their dilemma. I am glad that I am in college now because even if we read ahead we aren't being held back. Questions can still be answered and input can still be given. It is a wonderful thing. In high school I loathed reading, but now it is something that I make time for.

I have been all over the place when it come to the type of reader I have been and the type of reader I am. When I was in first grade I was so excited to learn to read. My big sister had been reading for about three years and I wanted to get in on the fun. The problem was that I was shy. So whenever I read out loud during class I sounded like I was struggling. My teacher ended up splitting us up into three groups. The awesome readers were in the Cardinals group, the average readers were the Bluejays, and the struggling readers were the Robins. I was in the Robins group and I had felt like I had failed. I felt like I was dumb and that I was never going to be able to learn to read so I gave up. For three year I told everyone that I hated reading and that I was bad at it. In second grade We were placed into groups by reading levels and I was placed in the struggling readers group again. This time we were called the "tigers". The cooler name made the experience no better than the year before. I believed I was dumb so I let myself be dumb.
My god-sent came in the third grade in the form of Mary Kate and Ashley books. My sister gave me one and told me I should just try and read it. I was scared at first but i got through the entire chapter book. I read more and more until finally I had read every single Mary Kate and Ashley book there was. that was when I learned that I truly loved to read. With my new found confidence I was able to prove to my third grade teacher that I was actually a good reader and that I could be tested on the harder material. By the sixth grade I was reading at a post high school reading level. In high school I took AP English classes and continued to read for enjoyment. Now that I am in college I still love to read but I find it much harder to find the time.
to wrap this all up I believe that I went from a developing reader labeled a struggling reader which turned me into a reluctant or dormant reader. I was introduced to Mary Kate and Ashley books and became a reader. I would not even say that I was an underground reader because I loved reading the books we read for school. I just became a reader.

I would consider myself a mix of two different types because during the school year, I get so busy with going to school full time and having a part-time job, I don’t have much time to read outside of homework. In the summer though, that is a different story. During the school year I would consider myself a reluctant reader. I getting all the reading done when it comes to homework but I do not read for enjoyment at all. When we have a long break such as summer break or Christmas break, I have the chance to actually pick up book that I want to read. So in the summer I become an underground reader. Also growing up, I was usually a reluctant reader because in middle school and high school I was involved with so many extra-curricular activities that there was no extra time to do anything except homework. Once I hit senior year in Senior English, we were told we had to read so many book by a certain date. We could pick any books that fit the criteria. We had the options to pick books that really interested ourselves instead of the class as a whole. I because an underground reader because I had the time in that class to just sit down and read whatever book I wanted to read. I hope that once I get out of school and get into my routine of a full time job, I want to become someone who is reading all the time and enjoying reading what I want to read.

I consider myself to be a mix of both dormant and underground reader. However, nowadays I find my reading type to be more dormant. I have always met and exceeded reading/comprehension standards in my elementary, middle, and high school days. But, I could never help but to think that the required reading material was terribly boring. I had a difficult time making connections to these books and therefore did not retain what the context of the stories were. I mentioned underground reader because when I do find the time to pick up a book, get started, and it keeps my interest, I am solely reading that book until it is complete! And if I really enjoy a particular book, I find myself looking on Amazon.com for more works by that same author! I must admit though, I haven’t had that experience in quite some time. Well, with being a full-time mama, college student, and employee! I will get back to reading one day, I’m sure.

I consider myself a dormant reader because I can read well and quickly, but I no longer read for fun in my free time. When I was younger, in elementary and middle school, I enjoyed reading outside of class. I always had a book with me, but throughout high school, I stopped reading for enjoyment and more for school requirements. I really liked a few books I had to read, but I got busy and stopped reading outside of class. I think now I would have a hard time finding books that do fit my interests.

I consider myself a underground reader. I make time in my life to sit down, relax and read a book. I have always been an underground reader throughout my life, I began reading in Kindergarten and haven't stopped since. I would join the summer reading clubs, ask librarians and teachers to suggest new books for me and always had the maximum limit checked out. When it comes to reading for school, I prefer classes that let you choose the material compared to those that have a set list of books. I'll read those as well, but a little more hesitantly.

I would consider myself an underground reader. I love to read, it is how I de-stress at the end of the day. I always make time to read. I have always been an avid reader, the more books I could get my hands on the happier I was. I never enjoyed being told what to read and how fast I was supposed to read it.