Fortunately I was born into a household where education was important. My mother being an educator read many books to me as a child, instilling a love a reading in me at an early age. Because we did not have cable I had to entertain myself through reading or art. No Dr. Seuss or the Bearinstine Bears book was safe from me. I read or attempted to read anything I could get my chubby little hands on.
One of the major negatives on my timeline is my home school experience. Due the nature of my fathers career we had to move frequently. It is because my mother placed more importance on math and art than on spelling and reading competence that I lacked the skills other children my age were receiving in public schools.
My literacy status did not improve much when finally placed in public school. I had several weak and/or mentally unstable English teachers that chose to "do their own thing." This changed by high school. I had one teacher for three years who was consistently improving each students' reading and writing skills. She even went out of her way to strengthen my writing proficiency and to prepare me for college level reading comprehension all during her summer break. I swear if I receive any big award she is going up there with God, my parents, and Lady Gaga on those I want to thank.
Throughout this Literacy Timeline great adventure or mystery books consistently had a positive impact on my personal perspective of reading. These books were also never assigned; I was the one who chose them. I was motivated to read them because I knew that investing my time and attention to the story-line and character development would, in the end , be well worth it. On the other hand having books selected for me like The Great Gatsby had a negative impact on my perspective of reading. When I was expected to read a certain book within a certain time frame reading in itself became a chore. 
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