Affective Dimensions of Reading

I see myself as an average reader. I definitely enjoy reading, but am not someone who is reading all of the time. Reading has always came fairly easy to me, however, I would not say I am a great reader because I still have to take a lot of extra time to understand difficult material. I also make a lot of mistakes when reading out loud. I like to read any kind of literature, especially books written by John Grisham. I really enjoy sports books with true stories and great morals in them; I love to be motivated to become a better person. I think that I have mostly really enjoyed reading in a couple of my literature classes, as well as in one of my physical education classes. We were assigned a couple books in each that I was hooked on immediately. I definitely enjoyed reading these books because it helped me to focus on areas in my life that I could work on. I have disliked reading a little bit in my Shakespeare and British Literary History classes. They are wonderful classes, but it is very difficult material to read; it takes me an awful long time to get through the texts required each day in class.
As a child, I think the main person that influenced me to read was my mom. She always had materials available and was willing to read to us at any time. I also read at church, and of course at school. I quickly developed a love for school when I was in elementary, and I still really enjoy it. I don't think there are any social networks that discouraged me from reading, I had a very positive environment while growing up.
 I think one of the main things I can do to foster a climate in class where my students are interested in reading texts about my discipline would be to find interesting books that are applicable to their age and culture. If students can relate to a text, they are more likely to read it. I think that there is all kinds of material out there, you just have to look for it. As a teacher, the options are endless when it comes to the availability of things online, in magazines, newspapers, etc.
 Lastly, the thing that I want to concentrate on more than anything to build up my students' self-perceptions of themselves as readers is to always focus on the positives. Even if they are readers that are struggling, I can find something positive that they are doing and that will encourage them to read even more. I can make sure I know the comforts and discomforts of each student, and not put them on the spot to read out loud if they are uncomfortable with it. Knowing your students as a teacher is they key to building confidence, and being kind and supportive in every situation is what I hope I can always do.