Autobiographical Essay #1

Thinking as far back as possible, I remember times in my kindergarten class where we began to keep journals and records of different events in our (short) lives. Each day we were stationed at different tables and were given a particular amount of time to complete our assignment that was set specifically for that station. At one table, we were asked to brainstorm and think about what we wanted to write in our journals for that day, and to decide how we would word it. The next station was there for us to actually sit down with our blank piece of paper and pencils and begin writing on our journal entries. And lastly, the third table was set with crayons where we were to spend the remainder of the time illustrating our journal entries and expand our minds from letters to drawings. These daily journals began expanding our minds not only through the use of language and literacy, but also caused us to begin to think in a creative manner. We began sharing our journals with each other and reading different entries, which then led to our freedom to choose a book that seemed interesting to us as young individuals. School was one of the biggest influences on my language and literacy development as far as memory goes, however my grandmother was one prominent figure outside of school who played an important role when it came to reading. She kept a small, but very significant library at her house that was my very own. Having ownership over a selection of books helped me to begin understanding self-knowledge and the importance of "exercising the brain".