language: reading

I used to believe…

My kindergarden teacher used to read to us, and someone asked, "Why can't we read by ourselves?" I wondered the same thing. She said that we wouldn't be able to do that until we were older because we couldn't 'hear the words in our head'. I thought that you'd have to read outloud for a long time, like 5 years!

I used to believe that I could only borrow books from the library that had a 'P' on the spine, because that was my first initial. My mum thought I was a slow learner, since I brought home the same series of books about a monkey every time we had library class. I don't know why I thought this.

I used to believe…

From the time I first learned to read until perhaps the fourth grade I thought if you parked your car illegally it would be blown up, because that's what the sign said:

Vehicles Exploded

I used to believe…

When my mom and I drove to a local Wal-Mart she said if I went in with her I would get a free lolly-pop. She had to make a deposit to the bank in there and they usually gave littler kids lolly-pops. I was in fact a little kind and I was just learning to read. On the outside ity said "Low Prices." For the longest time I thought it said lolly-pops, but they didn't know how to spell. I never did get my lolly in the end.

I used to believe…

As a little girl I had a favorite book about a dog who was left alone in a house while his family was away for vacation. In the story the dog is sad and cries because he has been left behind. I would cry everytime my Great Grandpa read the book to me. I would have him read it every day hoping the dog would get to go with his family and then when the book didnt change I would cry.

I used to believe…

since i was about eight or nine, whenever i'd look at the door entering the parking lot of my apartment, i read ELETRIC CAUTION DOOR( it was a circle shaped sticker that was glued onto that door, and it said those words in that exact order)
i didn't realize that it was CAUTION ELECTRIC DOOR, until my dad pointed that out

I used to believe…

Whenever we travelled to the States, I thought that "Exxon" (like on the gas station signs) was how Americans spelled "Esso," which made me believe that Americans spoke a different language than Canadians.

I once was at a friend's house and we were going to go to the grocery store. So we were perusing the ads and reading the big deals on food for the day. It was that day when I first realized that meat was not sold in units known as "libs", as my friend's father calmly explained to me. In fact, "lbs." was short for pounds (and I still don't understand why).

I used to believe…

Every day my Grandma would sit down with the Bible and my Mom, Grandpa and I would sit around her on the floor. She was older and when she looked down to read it looked like she would close her eyes, so I always thought you had to close your eyes when you read.

I used to believe…

When I was first learning how to read, those Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo commercials used to be on all the time. At the end of it where it says, "No more tears!" I used to read it and think it was "No more tears!" like the tear you get in a piece of paper.

I used to believe…

When I was in kindergarden when I just learned how to read, I always stared at the Union bank trucks.I believed that union was pronounced 'onion.' When I asked my mother why they had a bank where they used onions for money, she told me it was pronounces YOUn-ee-un, and I learned a lesson in language. =)

I used to believe…

My dad is in the Navy and my family goes to the Navel Base a lot. When I just learned how to read, I always thought to myself that we were going to the 'belly-button' base, =)

I used to believe that when an author's name on a book cover was in bigger letters than the title of the book itself, it was meant for adults. If the title was bigger than the author, it was a children's book. I got this belief by comparing my parents' books to my own.

I used to believe…

When I was 4 or 5, I learned how to read. But when you learn how to read, you always speak out loud so that your teacher or parent can help you along. I thought it was a group activity. So one evening at home, I was on the floor reading some children's book aloud, and my older sister got annoyed with me and said, "Andrew, be quiet and read in your head!"

I tried a page not saying anything but still taking in the words, and was amazed when I could do it! It suddenly dawned on me that I could enjoy the imaginary worlds in books in private, and this was an amazingly powerful ability.

I used to believe that words had faces

I began reading the Harry Potter series when I was 10 and, according to the books, you get your letter to Hogwarts on your 11th birthday. I was completely convinced these books were real and cried for hours on my 11th birthday when no letter of acceptence to this magical school came.