When I reflect on my literary memories, I recollect the strong emphasis my fourth-grade

teacher, Mrs. Vessels, placed on quick and efficient reading. I have enjoyed reading ever since I
was young. My earliest memories include racing to the back wall in the kids section at the
library to pick out new Amelia Bedelia books. Once I entered the second and third grade, I
broadened my horizons to books with a little more bulk, such as the Magic Tree House and Junie
B. Jones. I always read at a leisurely pace, and I never saw what was wrong with that; my
outlook on reading drastically changed once I entered Mrs. Vessels fourth grade class.

Fourth grade was the beginning of the thirty-minute reading assignments which consisted
of a student silently reading a book of their choice at home for thirty minutes each night. At first,
I was excited because reading was never given to me as an actual homework assignment before.
Mrs. Vessels, however, decided to change the rules slightly. Instead of each student selecting a
novel they wanted to read, she chose to assign a different novel to each of us at the beginning of
each week. On top of that, she also expected us all to have finished reading these books by the
Friday of that week. I had no problem with those rules until Mrs. Vessels decided to pick books
ranging from 200-300 words, like A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Sisters Grimm. In
comparison, the books I read in my previous grades were nowhere near as long.

The Monday I was assigned my book I immediately went to the library with my mom
except this time, instead of grabbing a short Magic Tree House book, I found myself in the more
mature kids section. The book I was assigned was the first book in The Sisters Grimm series,
The Fairytale Detectives, and it was well over 200 pages. Once I checked out the book and
returned home, the timer on my kitchen oven was set, and I began reading. As I read the first few
pages of the novel, I noticed how the font was much smaller, and the spacing between lines was
compact compared to the other books I had be accustomed to reading. Before I knew it, the timer
was going off, signaling the end of my thirty-minute reading. Much to my dismay, I was not as
far along as I had expected to be. I disappointedly placed the book down on my kitchen table and
started to complete my other homework, but it was hard to focus. I was thinking about how I
barely made a dent into my assigned text; I never saw myself as a slow reader, but now I was not
so sure.

By the end of the week, not only had I not finished the novel, but I still had at least fifty
pages left unread. I begged my mom to not make me go to school, but inevitably, I got on the
school bus that morning, dreading the day that awaited me. As I walked down the hall towards
Mrs. Vessels room, a small wave of anxiety hit me. Throughout the day, Mrs. Vessels met with
each student from my class individually to discuss our books. I was worried because I never left
an assignment unfinished; this would be the first time I had failed to complete my homework.
Mrs. Vessels called me over to her desk, and I tightly gripped the book in my clammy hands.
When she asked me about the book, I told her I enjoyed it, but I was not able to finish the book
in its entirety. She gave me a cold stare that felt like eternity before responding, telling me to
meet her after class. Butterflies instantly began to fill my stomach, and I felt the lump in my
throat form, signaling the possibility of bursting into tears in front of all my classmates; I was
embarrassed as it seemed I was the only one who did not complete the assignment. When the
final bell rang, everyone left the classroom leaving Mrs. Vessels and I alone in her room. She
arrived at my desk and sat herself beside me, expressing that she wanted to set up a parent-
teacher conference; it was unlike me to not complete my homework assignments on time.
 The following day, I joined my parents for a parent-teacher conference with Mrs. Vessels
who explained the issue to my parents. After much discussion, we came to a consensus that I was
indeed a slower reader compared to those around me. In order to fix this problem, she wanted me
to begin reading more often and aloud to my parents. She suggested for me to continue to read
the story she assigned me this weekend and practice scanning with my eyes more as I read
instead of reading steadily into every word. That weekend not only was I determined to finish the
assigned book, but I went back to the library and picked up a new book to practice scanning the
lines more.

I adhered to Mrs. Vessels suggestions and continued to read aloud to my parents

throughout fourth grade which- in the end- improved my reading a great deal. While it was an
issue I faced at a young age, it taught me that when you read, you must learn to scan the text with
a continuous, steady speed while still being able to grasp and comprehend the information. This
has aided me throughout grade school and eventually into my life now as a college student. Now,
instead of one small text to read for one class, I must keep up with multiple novels and online
textbooks on a regular basis in order to continue to succeed in my academics.