Learning to Read and Reading to Learn

I love to read. Now this wasn't always the case though. Somewhere in my later elementary or early middle school years I had a life changing experience/punishment. My parents were concerned with how much TV my sister and I watched every day. While we were both active in sports it seems like that was all we did, sports or TV or sometimes TV with friends. Well my mom decided enough was enough and took the TV out of our house. I thought I was going to die! At this point I was a good student and an above average reader but I rarely picked up a book for fun. All that changed when the TV left. I found myself bored a lot. Shortly thereafter, I somehow I ended up turning to books for my entertainment. It was like a revelation when I discovered the "shows" in my head were way better than anything on the TV. I started reading so much that my mom ended up yelling at me multiple times because I wasn't going to bed and just staying up all night reading. A little over a year later when we got the TV back I wasn't nearly as interested in it and really only used it to play video games based on the books I was reading. I will be forever grateful to my parents who forced reading on me by banishing the TV.
However, I must add that I am a very picky reader. Growing up I was enthralled by Science-Fiction and especially Star Wars books. I read every Star Wars book my library had and even requested ones from other libraries. I still enjoy those books but not as obsessively as when I was younger. I feel that the Science-Fiction genre of literature really helped push me toward mathematics. Everything in those books is advanced. Even simple things that you wouldn't think of needing technology for are improved upon in those books. I wanted to have all those things from an early age. I don't remember any specific light bulb moment or anything like that but at some point in my middle school years it dawned on me that mathematics was the key to creating the world that I loved to read about. I didn't know how exactly math could do this but I knew that math allowed us to improve technology and that especially computers where powered by math. This has been a huge driving force behind my love of mathematics; it's potential for creation of new advanced technology. And I feel it stemmed from my love of Science-Fiction
Sadly, my public education math classes never really lived up to my dreams. I struggled to see the connections because all I was given to read was text book. Now I love math but despise text books. They're not written to be read, only referenced, in my opinion. It wasn't until 11th grade in AP Calculus did a teacher give me small bits of what I had hoped to discover. Still, there was no reading to back it up.

It wasn't until college that I was exposed to math reading material that I actually enjoyed. In college I was introduced to trade books on math that read like a conversation with a well versed mathematician rather than a stuffy old lecturer. I love those books because they expose me to the capabilities of math without bogging me down with extreme details of how to do every step. If my interest is peaked enough, I can always go back to the text books and look the steps up. I've also discovered in college that reading my peers' thoughts and ideas through online forums is very useful. They often explain things in ways that I actually understand rather than in a prescribed manner that the teacher has been using for years. My final discovery of mathematical texts has come from the use of applets that illustrate mathematical ideas. These creations are wonderful at conveying powerful ideas with little or no text to get bogged down in. This in turn allows me to write my own texts in my head in a language that makes perfect sense to me.

I think my experience with reading mathematical and mathematically themes texts will help me with my future students. I've experience the drive that can be created in someone when they truly have an interest in something. Math applies to just about everything in life and all I need to do is identify my students' interests and then open their eyes as to how math applies to it. That is much easier said than done but I know it can work. I plan on using trade books to further my students' understanding of the math they are interested in. I know the common perception is that these books are too advanced for secondary education students but I beg to differ. The students may not understand the details but just like my Star Wars books, even completely foreign or new words can be learned over repeated exposure and with time things become clearer. My love of technology is also a benefit I will bring to my classroom. The youth of today are always striving to have the latest technology. Then why not use it in my class? I love it, they love it and all I need to do is introduce it and I think my students will just run with it. Before they know it they will be reading texts they never dreamed of reading before and possibly even enjoying it. And heaven forbid any student actually enjoy math :)