My parents were avid readers and multi-modal thinkers (and sometimes, nappers). They inspired me to investigate media.

My earliest memories of reading were at the Wheaton Regional Library in the children's book section. My dog once followed me there in a snowstorm. If it weren't for his black eyes and nose we might not have found him.

As an elementary student I read comic books, Dr. Seuss, and fairy tales. By upper elementary school, I read Judy Bloom, Mark Twain, and Daniel Defoe. One of my favorite books was Island of the Blue Dolphins.

I enjoyed writing and illustrating rhyming poems on wide lined paper my teacher provided.

My parents, siblings, and aunts all encouraged me to read. My brother and sister had vinyl records with lyrics and cover artwork that I loved to study. My aunts gave me books for my birthday and holidays--a favorite was The Phantom Tollbooth that inspired my love of paperback fiction.

I felt like a writer from the 4th grade on. I enjoyed sitting by the window with the encyclopedia studying about animals and writing reports about nature.

Art literacy played a formative role in my intellectual growth.

The paintings of Paul Gauguin, Eastern philosophy, and the writings of Emerson inspired me to explore painting and nature writing.

Attending graduate school altered my reading habits. My graduate degree in journalism required learning about the field of communications, multiple sign systems, and practical field experience as a reporter. On my nightstand currently are books by Matthew Walker, Toni Morrison, Neil Gaiman, and Malcolm Gladwell.

I am able to teach literacy as a result of being a lifelong reader of books and media, as a writer and an educator, and as a parent who has shared my love of literature for more than two decades.