Literacy Narrative Final Draft

My History of Literacy

When I was posed with the assignment of writing about my history of literacy, I thought it would be interesting to inspect my history of reading and writing and try to form connections to my current reading and writing habits. After digging deep into my memory and examining my writing, I found the difference between my beginning writing and my current writing; my current writing has detail and flow that did not grace my earlier writing. When I think back to my writing, I know I have improved tremendously due to experience and unrelenting English classes.

My parents exposed me to reading and writing at an early age. My mother was an avid reader and always carried a book with her. Although my father did not pursue reading as vigorously as she did, he understood the importance of being literate. As a baby, they would constantly surround me with tales of obscure cartoon characters and cute, fluffy animals. Reading seemed to be a benefit not only for me, but for my parents also. Reading to them was a way to relax and let the mind float into a different world after a long day.  Another thing my parents commonly did was lay out newspaper over the floor and set me in the middle of it. I loved looking around and seeing lots of pictures and articles around me. I would hit the paper with my hands and crawl around on it because I liked the pictures, but my parents thought it was due to my interest in the articles. What caught my attention the most was the interesting pictures strewn across the pages. I loved looking at pictures when I was young, but drawing was what I truly enjoyed.

I always enjoyed drawing because I could create any unique objects I could think of. As soon as I would grasp a marker, a grin would burst across my face. My love of drawing was very helpful when I learned how to write. I got used to markers and other writing utensils which made handwriting easy for me as I grew up. My parents possessed interesting placemats that had traceable letters and numbers and symbols on it. They would set a different placemat out for me every day so I could sit and trace the entire mat during lunch. To my disappointment, I was only trusted with markers or pens on a placemat. I had a habit of doodling on the walls, which my parents were determined to end. Around the house, I would use pencils to scribble illegible letters that looked more like pictographs than anything else. It was not until preschool that I was able to write legible letters and numbers.

Preschool was an exciting time in my life. I went to preschool for two years because my parents wanted to start my schooling early. In preschool, I was always busy doing some sort of activity, whether it was academic or not. Commonly, my class would write for a little bit and then go play. The preschool was very good at teaching academics while still keeping a fun atmosphere. I was well prepared leaving preschool and going elementary school. I went to a small school where everybody knew each other and the classes were rarely over twenty students. This was a great environment for learning because there was a lot of close interaction between the teachers and I. Reading and writing in kindergarten through second grade was very rudimentary. Teachers were worried about students learning the basics of reading and writing and were not worried about little errors. Commonly, there were vocabulary words that I would have to memorize for class. Teachers would constantly drill new vocabulary into my mind every day I went to school. I did not like learning vocabulary, but I did like seeing all of the new technology that I had never been exposed to. It was very common to listen to tapes of books in class and try to read along. There were large numbers of books and their immense stacks were visible everywhere. Blackboards and overhead projectors were integral parts of teachers’ rooms. The boards were always covered with chalk from overuse by teachers and students. The overhead projectors were not used as much as the boards, but they played a major role in learning how to read and write.

By fifth grade, I could write descriptive essays and read books. I could tell that science and math were my strengths and English was my foe, but I still dealt with it as best I could. My writing told a lot about my strengths and weaknesses. I had a good vocabulary and great ideas, but my pencil could not portray them as they unfolded in my mind. My grammar was the weakest point of my English. I could write in fluent cursive, but my grammar skills still lagged behind everything else. I was exposed to whiteboards and projectors during this time. They were helpful tools in the classroom because they helped me pay attention more. I would always get excited when I was able to use new technology because it would fascinate me.

The next three summers after fifth grade, my parents decided to make me complete workbooks over the summer that included math, science, English, art, and geography problems. I despised those workbooks with a passion unlike anything else at the time. It was the worst punishment I could think of, yet I was being forced to complete daily assignments before my dad would get home from work. I would whine and complain about the workbooks, but they were a large help in my education. Over the summers, I would start to learn things covered in the upcoming school year rather than lose some of my education I got the past year. Writing letters and e-mails also helped with my lacking English skills. I would write the letters and then have a parent check it for correctness. These letters and e-mails not only helped my grammar, but they kept my relatives in touch with me.

By eighth grade, reading and writing assignments were becoming challenging. The writing was expected to be proper MLA format and the papers were about more challenging topics and labs. The writing started to apply to real life situations where proper looking papers were necessary. Reading was done mostly out of textbooks. The reading was challenging and held many unknown words, but I managed to pick my way through the reading. Technology took another leap forward with smart boards and video projectors. These tools were a nice way to spice up learning in the classroom. High school flew by for me, but I did learn a lot to prepare myself for college and the real world. In high school, I was independent with almost all of my work. Most reading and writing assignments are not aimed at teaching English anymore. They are focused around other topics such as science, history, and social studies. In high school, English students learn techniques, tools, and rules to write good, professional papers. These skills are designed to prepare students for college level writing.

Now that I am in college looking back at my history of literacy, I can see all of the phases of writing I have been through. All of my previous education led up to this point in my life: college. My writing now is proper, but by the end of my college degree, my writing will have become even more professional. Good writing, I have found, flows together well and paints a scene in the reader’s head. The vocabulary is varied and the sentence structures are never the exact same. I think the toughest part of writing is figuring out what not to write. It is easy to write long, descriptive paragraphs, but it is a challenge to describe the same object with a single, well organized sentence. When I write a paper, I start with an outline to guide my writing so my writing is more guided. With an outline, I can see the basic layout and balance of my paper. I tend to write more precise when I have an outline to follow. Once I have an outline to follow, I sit down and get a rough draft of the paper. I try to have music playing softly in the background. If it is completely silent around me, my brain roams around and I get distracted. With music, I am more relaxed and can write easier. With my rough draft done, I start to edit and revise it until I am happy with the final product. I follow this procedure for papers because it is how I get the best product.

When I look back on my literacy history, there is a long chain of events that led me to where I am now. Every reading and writing assignment has helped me become the reader and writer that I am today. My current writing has flow and character unlike anyone else. My writing, I have found, has an identity that nobody else can replicate. My reading and writing skills are unique due to my reading and writing history.