Caysunset

In the Beginning

MY FIRST TEACHER

I have a passion for literacy. It all began in a screened in porch in South Central Los Angeles when I was almost 5 years old. My mother’s first language was Spanish. She told me how hard it was for her to learn English. She grew up in a large Mexican family whose language was Spanish and there were very few books. She only went to the 8th grade, married at 15 and I came along a few years later. My father was an Englishman who drank too much, and was seldom home. Back to the porch: my mother taped white butcher paper at my eye level all around the porch. She wrote out the ABCs with a picture clue for each letter. I loved practicing the alphabet with her, and watching her learn along with me, but more importantly, I loved the attention I received during that special time. I became an avid reader and the first person to graduate college in my family, earn two teaching credentials and a Masters Degree. I love journaling and encouraging student teachers both online and in my position as a University Supervisor. Check out my posts on early literacy, children’s book recommendations, and journal entries. I add to them all the time. Good things are meant to be shared. Thanks, Mom. Yo te quero, mama.

Quote from my mother: “Muéstrales sus alas, luego míralos volar.” Translation: Show them their wings, then watch them fly.