When I was little my mother and I had a tradition which I wouldn't miss for anything. Every night, before going to bed my mom would bring in a new picture book and read it to me. I loved hearing the story and I was always amazed with the illustrations that helped me understand. I can still recall the time when she read to me “The Kissing Hand”, a picture book about a baby racoon who was nervous of having to go to school without his mama raccoon. Hence, mama raccoon told him that every time he missed her he had to kiss his hand and remember that he was in her heart. The first day of classes, I showed up with a heart shaped sticker on my school jacket, and when I was about to cry I would kiss my hand. Every time my mother finished reading a book she would place it in my empty bookshelf. I think that the best feeling for me was when I read my first chapter book. It was mid may and I had exactly one month before my kindergarten graduation, I was very anxious because I had to deliver a speech and going into grade school seemed terrifying. My mom, handed me a copy of: “Junie B. Jones Is a Graduation Girl”. At the moment it looked like a bible to me, it was too long and there were no pictures. But I was taught that books where like treasures and you had to appreciate them. So every day I would read one chapter until graduation day. By then the book was done and dusted and just like Junie B jones, I was ready to be a graduation girl. Looking at my bookcase in my room, I can still see many of the books I worshiped as a little girl. The book that taught me that the monster that I was positive was hiding under my bed was just the shadow of my stuffed animal and the “ Ugly Duckling”, that taught me that being unique is actually something good. All the lessons that I was taught by reading! Looking at a single book title, I can tell you what I learned and why my mother chose to read it to me. I grew up learning with stories and characters that made me smile and laugh and love books. Remembering this makes me extremely frustrated because at least for me the idea behind grabbing a book and lying down to read for pleasure has changed. I no longer look forward to reading, nor I enjoy half of the book I choose to or I’m forced to read. I was a child who preferred to read rather than watch tv, and now I barely touch a book. When was reading ruined for me? When did I stop putting a new book in my shelf, and when did I lose that want, that need to enrich my knowledge by passing pages and bending book covers? When I started being forced to read books that were granted to teach me, when I was tested every single week to see if I had read the chapter, when I had tests that asked me what the character was eating in page # 102. THAT is when I started looking at books differently. Every time someone mentions a book my immediate reaction is to think of that boring book that I was forced to read and over analyze. When in school we would sit down for three months reading the same 50 page novel and when teachers cared more about if I understood the symbolism of the author putting “the blue walls” in the play “ A doll's house”. I am deeply sorry, but I can assure everybody that the author itself DOES NOT understand nor care about those types of details. All through middle school and high school, not ONCE has a teacher asked me if I actually enjoyed the book, nor have they actually asked us what we learned, or what you valued about it. Looking at the book covers of the hundreds of books I read as a little girl, makes me mad because I lost all the love for books because in school I was taught to hate them. I started to forget that there are actually books that aren't in my english curriculum. When I read the” Judy Moody” series, I didn’t do it because I knew I was going to have a test next thursday, I did because I wanted to grow. I believe that reading isn't hard, but loving to read is. I think that schools these days should focus more on encouraging their students to read books that they enjoy and instead of making books our worst enemies there should be more ways to make it our friend. I am ashamed to say that before I began Innovation, I hadn't finished a book in over three years. And no, its not because my teacher makes us read: “ No David No”, but because he encourages to enjoy our books. Were not quizzed nor forced to analyze wall colors, or remember the characters meals. So maybe now, I dont read books that teach me that carrot aren't only for bunnies, but rather books that not only fertilize my understanding of the unit were working on but books that will help me have a much more mature level of understanding for the future. I may not read like I did before but at least I am restoring my passion for reading, and maybe just maybe Naked Economics will win a spot in my shelf next to “ The Cat in the hat”.