Story of Being Literate

  

The first memories I have about reading is when at an early age, even before I began my school years, my mom and dad read to me every night before bed.  Listening to the different stories that they read to me opened my curiosity for reading and learning.  Literacy was a subject that played a key role in my family life.  Learning how to become literate at the age of five years old was an experience that I will never forget.  Being the short and adorable kindergartner that I was long ago, the teacher wanted to expose the class to literacy for it was keen for a student to start reading at such an early age. Trying to scan the text from left to right, I tried to grasp what I was reading, as well as, enjoy what I was reading. It was like a baby taking his or her first steps, quite exciting. My interest continuously broadened as I relentlessly picked up one book after another. Also, my teachers acknowledged my curiosity and they began to feed my addiction for reading. They aided me in the best of their abilities for me to grasp and keep the information I would be reading. From there on, I became inspired to read all and this is thanks to a select few individuals, which includes my teachers, parents and fellow peers. Many could say that my teachers were the ones who truly inspired me.  However, the person who inspired me the most was my father. Being the youngest of five kids, my father recognized potential in me, thus leading him to push me to read. Out of all the adults that I have interacted with, my dad was the one who was the most encouraging. With his support, I gained the desire to read and attain an extensive vocabulary. My father strongly encouraged me to practice whenever I had an opportunity, no matter where. At home and all around my community, being literate was crucial because it helped me communicate with others.

   

Shortly, my first experience as a learner was when I was in the first grade. Because communication was imperative, I was shown various words and phrases, as well as, how to use these words or phrases in everyday writing. Many activities took place to reinforce my literacy skills. These activities included reading in groups, writing sentences with the words provided, peer editing, and spelling tests. Most of these activities were proven to be quite effective considering that my skills were enhanced. Although I began to feel more literate, many frustrations followed, as I continuously found myself lacking a little in sentence structure. In addition, I was not able to say certain words that I saw in public signs. Despite these setbacks, I improved and enhanced my skills. Simultaneously, I met a fellow peer, Nick who had extraordinary sentences structure, as well as good pronunciation.  Soon, he became my friend and he was a role model since I aspired to be just like him.  I have continued to practice sharpening my skills. Soon after, I began to become more literate to the point it was clear whenever I spoke in school, at home or in the public.

Today, I consider that my skills have drastically changed from the time I first picked up a book and from the first sentence I ever wrote. My literacy skills have undoubtedly changed in ways that I did not expect. Literacy is a subject that I feel is one of the most important and I should excel. In my life, literacy is constantly used because it is essential to communicate with others. Writing has been a huge part of my life since I was in the first grade. Today, I am continuously reading and writing, taking into consideration that I am a college student and a Criminal Justice major. There are many things that inspire me to keep thriving which is being part of the Honors Program. Given this extraordinary opportunity, I strive to make my literacy skills the best they can be.