Welcome to My Blog!

Hello everyone!

Welcome to my blog. Here you will read about my personal literacy story and how I, Miss Gill, became a literate being and how I have grown over the years. My literacy story is mainly about my dad and how he has taught me how to read and supported me throughout my many years of schooling. As I reflected on my past, I have learned a lot about myself and how these experiences and events have shaped who I am as a person, but also who I am and what I value as a future teacher.

I hope you enjoy reading my blog and think about your own literacy story and how it is of value and importance to you!

- Miss Gill

Early Years and Home Environment

I grew up in a bilingual home on a farm with my parents, siblings, and grandparents. My grandparents and mom spoke very little to no English because they grew up in India and did not attend school for long. It was for this very reason that I was fortunate enough to have a family who highly valued literacy. At home, we mostly spoke in Punjabi, especially because while my parents were working, it was my grandparents who looked after us. However, my dad came to Canada at a young age and was fluent in the English language. From an early age, long before I started school, my dad would spend time with me after work and read me stories, help me learn the alphabet and how to spell my name, and teach me the basics of reading, writing, and speaking in English. 

My dad and I when I was a little baby!

 Our home was filled with books of all kinds; some of my favourites were The Cat in the Hat, The Giving Tree, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, The Lion and the Mouse, and The Kissing Hand. Even while my parents were at work, my grandparents would take over and we would flip through the pages of the books and try to figure out the story for ourselves. Initially, we would point out the objects or animals in the book and name them in Punjabi, but as I learned more English with my dad, I was soon able to recite and teach my grandparents the English words for these objects and animals.

Me holding a picture book I really liked!

I believe storytelling in my household also had a huge impact on my journey to becoming literate. I remember both my parents and grandparents telling us stories and they would always stop in between to allow me to make predictions or ask questions. Both reading and storytelling with my family members really helped me acquire my vocabulary, critical thinking, and questioning skills from a young age.

Reading a book with my grandma!

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

My first day of Kindergarten was terrible. I did not know that school involved leaving your parents behind so I cried and screamed and clung to my dad’s leg. My Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Pilgrim, was very kind and caring. She held my hand and said it would all be okay. Unfortunately, I did not believe her and continued to hold onto my dad. It got to the point where he was going to be late for work, so Mrs. Pilgrim picked me up and carried me into her classroom as if I was her own child. 

My Kindergarten Class Photo with my teacher, Mrs. Pilgrim. (Hint: I am the fourth person from the right in the back row!)

I remember coming home and saying that I hated school and never wanted to go back; that I could learn everything I needed to at home with my dad. My dad knew from the incident in the morning that I would probably have a rough day, so he got me a new book after work, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss. We read it together that night and I absolutely loved it. After reading the book, my dad talked to me about my experience at school and told me that even though I did not have a good first day, I must go into it with a positive attitude and try my best, and that is what was most important.

A quote from the "Oh, the Places You'll Go" book by Dr. Seuss

I was really shy and quiet outside of my home environment, so one of the main reasons I did not like school was because I did not know how to make new friends or want to put myself in that position. To overcome this shyness of mine, my dad would take me to the playground after work to learn how to socialize with others my age. My dad was always there to prompt me, to guide, encourage and support me through every step of the way. He would always refer back to “Oh, The Places You’ll Go” whenever I would come across a challenge or difficulty and remind me that I already had everything I needed to succeed within me. My dad would stress the importance of making mistakes and how they can help us learn what we did wrong so that we can try something different and aim to be better the next time around. So whether I was trying to learn a new word, read a sentence out loud, or spell a word correctly – I always knew that the only thing that mattered was that I try my best and never give up.

"Hangin' out" at the playground with my dad

Building Motivation and A Love of Learning

As I became more comfortable with attending school and started to enjoy it, my dad continued to support my learning at home so that I would not lose this positive attitude and interest towards learning, especially learning to read. My dad implemented many motivational strategies from storytelling, to computer games, or implementing a reward system. During my younger years, I remember him telling me a bedtime story every night about the importance of education in our lives. He would use examples from when he was a child in India and what life was like there, and what it might be like for other children around the world who cannot go to school. He would then share his own experiences of attending school in Canada (he went to the same elementary school I went to) and something about this story always inspired me to try my best in school and that one day I too would have my own career and a family of my own. On nights where we read a story instead, I would still request that story to be told because it always made me see potential in myself. 

Below is a home video of me practicing my 123's with my dad!

My dad also made tons of home videos of us as toddlers and he would teach me certain words or how to count to 10, and knowing that I would be able to perform what I know on film after was always something that got me interested in whatever learning activity we were going to focus on for the day. Another strategy my dad used to motivate me to learn to read and write was to make learning fun through games! We would play games to learn how to spell and used flashcards to learn new words and apply our knowledge in a sentence or by doing an action. Computer software games were a huge part of my childhood and the best part about them was that they were educational. I absolutely loved playing Reader Rabbit and Jumpstart Reading for 1^st Grade. These games not only helped me learn how to read and write, but they were engaging tools that also allowed me to think in new ways and express creativity. 

Opening my birthday presents; one of my gifts was the computer software game Jumpstart Reading for 1st Grade!

Drawing my dad a picture on the computer

 Additionally, my dad implemented a reward strategy for us, I remember having sticker books, collecting sea shells, or being able to choose our next adventure as rewards for demonstrating what I have learned throughout the week or for accomplishing a goal. The great thing about being able to choose an adventure to go on as a reward or just simply having my dad expose us to a variety of different experiences was that it allowed me to practice my writing skills after. In school we were required to keep a journal, so I would write my stories in there, but I also wrote a lot at home and drew pictures to accompany my stories. 

One of our adventures: horse back riding!

Throughout the my years of schooling, I have continued to enjoy learning new things and have developed a strong work ethic which allowed me to support my younger siblings in their literacy skills as well. Having such a rich home environment where I was surrounded by literacy in multiple forms (storytelling, books, flashcards, games, and computer software) and the support of my dad/ rest of my family has been the greatest influence to me growing as a person and also being the literate individual I am today.

Reading to my parents and two younger siblings

Reflection: How My Literacy Story Will Influence My Future Practice

By reflecting on this story and how it has shaped my own literacy experiences, I have learned that it is extremely important for students to have someone they can go to for support, whether it be a parent, teacher or friend. Even though I had many individuals around me who cared for me, my dad was the one person who made me believe in myself and all that I am capable of doing. To this day, the only thing brighter than the happiness and sense of accomplishment I feel when achieving a goal or overcoming a challenge, is to see the smile and pride on my dad’s face. 

A big hug from dad at the airport when I arrived home for Christmas after my first semester at Brock University.

As individuals, we all have different experiences, strengths and weaknesses, or a hard time learning something and having someone who recognizes these things and puts in the time and effort to support your learning and motivate you to be the best you can be is incredibly important not only to be successful in school, but in all aspects of our lives. 

My literacy story also taught me how powerful books can be and the influence they can have on your experiences and views on life. For example, as mentioned before, I was extremely shy and quiet as a child, but the book “Oh, The Places You’ll Go” was one of my favourites and one of the messages I got from that book was to put yourself out there, explore the world around you, and learn from different experiences. So, when I was 9 years old, I decided I would travel to Toronto (from British Columbia) on my own to meet my mom’s side of the family, all of whom I had never met before. And I did, I flew on an airplane all by myself and visited them for a week. I had a great time and learned so much from all my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. Had I still been as shy and quiet as I was in kindergarten, I would never have travelled that far away from my parents all on my own. But the experiences and support my dad provided me was evidence that I had grown so much in just 4 years. 

Me at age 9: getting ready to fly for the first time all by myself!

 Fast forward another 10 years, after completing a year of university in general studies, I decided I wanted to attend a post-secondary school far away from home so I can experience living alone and growing even more as an individual. And here I am today, a teacher candidate at Brock University who has completed her undergraduate with honours in Child and Youth Studies and is working towards completing her Bachelor of Education. So much has changed since my first day of Kindergarten when I claimed I hated school, and even though I may not have actively thought “I’m going to visit Toronto because I read this inspiring book” or “I am going to attend school in Ontario because of everything my dad did to support my learning,” these books and experiences definitely had an influence on my life and have collectively shaped the individual I have grown up to be and the things I value most in life.

My Brock University acceptance letter and confetti for celebrating all my success thus far!