Blog Entry One

I don’t like blogs. That’s that so lets move on

I’m Brian Hempel and I’m a computer science major (currently) I really enjoy studying computers but math horrifies me. My main hobby right now is music, both in the enjoyment and creation of. I’m the Station Manager for KEOL our campus radio station, I’m also a DJ there. Though I have many other interests; school, work, radio, and music writing/playing alleviates me of all the hours alloted to me in a day.

I hated reading growing up, I hated it because I never understood what I was reading. Text was nothing more than a glob of words that made a confusing mesh of incomprehensible blots of black and white. When I saw my brothers copy of “The Sword of Shannara” by Terry Brooks I was determined I would read and understand that book. I started working on my goal via “The Restaurant at the End of the Universe” by Douglas Adams (my brother informed me that it was funny). I read half the book not understanding a single word, yet I kept at it, determined to know what it was about. Then as I read it dawned on me that the last line I had made sence, followed by the next line. Soon I had a paragraph together and I laughed, the book was funny. A moment of revelation hit me then when I realized books really do contain something inside them and I devoured the rest of the book. I then reread the first half to find out what I missed. I was a junior in High School at that point in my life with a 4th grade reading level. I read “The Sword of Shannara” and many other Terry Brooks books and in about a year and a half. When retested I was at a 12th grade reading level, right were I was suppose to be. I’m still a bit of a slow reader so I’m very picky on what I choose to read but I do enjoy reading  now.

Of the people I spoke with I found my experience was kind of unique. Most are accomplished readers and had been all their life. I asked if reading was a big part of their childhood, it was. Reading was not a part of my childhood, no story at bed time, or purchases from the scholastic quarterly book orders. I concluded that this supports the claims I’ve heard about reading at a young age to be essential for a child’s success.

I talk too much… I’m done