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