My Journey Through Literacy Essay - 1340 Words

My Journey through Literacy I remember being read to ever since I was young in Spanish by my mother before entering grade school. Despite my mother’s language barrier, she never hesitated to take my siblings and I to the Houston public library in downtown twice a week. I remember catching more than two buses to our destination. Once inside the library, I would run towards the aisle that had collections of Disney books. I don’t think I knew how to read during that time, therefore, I would grab the books just to look at the pictures, colors, and characters that were portrayed as evil and nice. I also believe I would pretend to read and retell a story that did not match the book. All I could do consisted of identifying the letter of the†¦show more content†¦When the poet walked into our class to facilitate this life changing event, I couldn’t help staring at how tall she was, bubbly, and comfortable she made me feel. Before we started writing our pieces, Mrs. Charlotte Kennedy met wit h us one by one and empathized with our ideas. She encouraged us to put our thoughts, words, and energy into poetry, stories, artwork, and acting. Despite my negative view towards reading and writing I decided to take on the challenge because for the first time it was something I wanted to do. Formulating my ideas was easy, putting them into paper was the hard task for me and time consuming. Through this event I discovered within myself the capacity of formulating sentences and understanding what is being asked to create. This piece of writing gave me the strength to speak up and ask for help when needed. I also understood that writing and reading are powerful skills that would allow me to create my anthology. If it wasn’t for the constant support from my parents, teachers, and mentors my level of reading and writing would of have never progressed, knowing that I could of have been an illiterate person. Reading is a skill that is developed in order to verbally communicate with one another, while writing consist of putting one’s thoughts into paper. When I entered high-school, reading and writing was implemented in every subject. Math, Science, Reading, and even extracurricular activities required these powerfulShow MoreRelatedFormal English Essay1311 Words   |  6 Pages Many writers share their experiences about literacy and language. The writer Helen Keller wrote The Day Language Came into My Life, an essay where she tells the reader her experience with how she learned how to speak, read and write even though she is blind and deaf. Amy Tan wrote Mother Tongue, an essay where she talks about the trouble of speaking English as an immigrant in a new country. Frederick Douglass wrote Learning to Read and Write, an essay where he talks about becoming literate duringRead MoreFrederick Douglass And Malcolm X Essay1237 Words   |  5 Pageslearning to read and write. 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