Burch 1 Rachel Burch Miss Eaker ENGL 1101-062 30 September 2013 Personal Literacy Narrative: The Pieces to my Mini

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Reading and writing isnt everyones cup of tea, but eventually, with the right experiences and influences, we fully learn how to mature and improve upon these skills, as we grow older. In the past thirteen years, I have personally developed in reading and writing literacy immensely. I started off as a timid young girl who was afraid to open a book, or let the pencil fall to paper, but now Im confident because of the positive influences from my grandmother, Evie, my English teacher, Mrs. Holzer-Lane, and the community of my church. These people impacted me in a constructive way, showing me what it means to be vulnerable when reading and writing. Not only have I become well educated, but I have also learned to correct mistakes and that I can always improve in these areas with practice and optimism. One of the people who largely sculpted my reading and writing development was my grandmother, Evie. Around the age of twelve, every other day, I would sprint to her condo and heftily walk in, expecting a pot of her infamous ramen noodles on the stove, or a bowl of overnight chicken salad lying out for afternoon lunch. I peeked into the kitchen to see if she was around the corner, but she was never in there, rather propped up in her tacky floral chair next to a fresh cup of watered down Kava coffee and a macaroon dunker cookie. She sat there, ninety-five pounds and soaking wet, delved into one of her Nora Roberts sequels. I always anticipated a big

Burch 2 hug, and a denture-wide smile. I plopped down onto the soft couch, sinking into the middle and said, What are we reading today, Im still reading Nora Roberts, she replied. I spotted the pink lipstick on the tip of her two front teeth. I politely nodded and pretended I knew who Nora Roberts was and what her books were about. Whats on the agenda for today, I asked, Well, we can play a game of good old Kings Corner or Who Wants to be a Millionaire comes on at one she responded. Come into the kitchen, Ill fix you something to eat. We leisurely walked into the kitchen, pulling out the deck of cards and began to reminisce on the day. After a few games and lunch, she tirelessly picked up her book again and her eyes ran up and down the page. As I laid on the couch bored as ever, she took a short break from her book and said to me, Here, I cut out the mini page for you and your sisters today. Its a good one today. At first, I glanced at it and scoped out the crossword puzzle and Sudoku, but I didnt want to read because the authors words sounded so advanced and sophisticated, and I just wouldnt be able to understand. At this point, I felt like I had the reading comprehension like a six year old. Instead of reading the mini page, I wanted to rummage through her expensive modeling gowns and spray on her expensive perfumes. On another Saturday, my sisters, Sam, Carlen and I went over for grilled salami sandwiches and a rousing game of gin. When we arrived, the front cover of the mini page was laid out for us on a wooden table. Sam, my older sister, was the first

Burch 3 one to pick it up and begin reading instantly. It took her a total of 15 minutes to read the entire page. After she was done, she passed it along to me and said, This article is about the First Amendment, you should read it! I took a bite of my juicy salami sandwich, with extra mayonnaise, and grabbed the paper nonchalantly. With the bread sticking to the roof of my mouth, I looked at my sister and lisped, Whats so fascinating about the first amendment? Well read it and youll find out, she snapped. Okay, Miss Judy attitudi, I said. Looking at the first column all I saw wasBlah, blah blah. What does this even mean I asked myself. However, as I kept reading the article grew surprisingly intriguing. Yes, how could reading about the first amendment possibly be intriguing youre wondering. Did you know the first amendment has endured more than 200 years, without substantial alterations and negation? Thats a long time, I thought to myself. I couldnt believe it, but I could actually comprehend the writing. I sped through the whole article. When I finished, I passed it to my twin sister, Carlen, and she gave me the same look that I gave my sister Sam. Even though Carlen didnt want to read it, here I was telling her that she needed to. Ever since I read my first mini page, I became further interested in the daily subjects it offered. There were topics such as, Womens History month, Independence Day, Ice Cream flavor testing as a job, the United States Football League and so many more. I didnt know I could learn so much in just one single page. Reading the articles became habitual for me and eventually I didnt need the reminders from my grandmother. It turned out that the mini page was just a precursor to the actual newspaper and I eventually became interested in bigger issues surrounding the world. I was able to continue reading the mini page because I enjoyed the facts

Burch 4 and messages that it conveyed. It gave me the curiosity to explore more. But, this curiousness stemmed from my grandmother who showed me that reading can help people gain insight into the world even from a smaller portion of a larger newspaper and how it can broaden your whole perspective on life. Because my grandmother taught me the importance of reading, and was such a valuable, beloved person in my life, it was hard losing her mid-junior year of high school. This was the toughest period that my family and I endured. Her positive inspiration and influence led me to write my senior year church speech about her. Every year, the seniors at Westminster Presbyterian church have to present a speech to the congregation explaining his/her experiences within the church and mentors who have helped shaped them as an individual. Writing the paper was mentally tough, but with the support and encouragement from WPC members, I was able to finish the piece and it turned out to be one of the most significant writing experiences of my life. It was so significant because I learned that you must connect with it and basically pour your heart out. The level of difficulty for this paper was high because my grandmother was much more than what I explained in my paper. So, when the words didnt come I just had to speak from the heart. One specific mentor who helped me achieve this was Dave Pottenger. He helped me frame what I wanted to voice in a meaningful and powerful way, reminding me the importance of revealing my emotions when writing. On that day, I learned that personal writing isnt about trying to sound your best and doesnt only convey what you already know, rather, comes directly from the heart and is simply about the memories shaped by certain people and events. I reread the paper over and over to see if every sentence was written correctly, and I realized that my writing became so much stronger when I incorporated my feelings and

Burch 5 communicated a depth of meaning for what I was trying to say. I learned that this goes for all writing, whether its a literary piece about The Great Gatsby or an expository essay on Industrialization. As long as you are true to yourself and incorporate character and/or disposition, its evokes effectiveness. Earlier, I said that it was difficult for me to put pencil to paper and start writing, but, the only reason I have come to enjoy it is because of my own faith in reading and writing skills, and trusting my emotions. Ive learned to include the mini things and evolve them into bigger ideas. Dave Pottenger re instilled in me the idea that writing doesnt always have to sound pretty or have the perfect wording, as long as it comes from the heart, its significant. And thats why my growth of reading and writing literacy development has flourished within the past year because Ive learned to include more emotion into my writing pieces and try and empathize with the things Im reading. Senior year of high school English. A class that nobody wants to take, but has to in order to fulfill graduation requirements. Its either English 4 or AP Literature. Which one did I go with? Obviously the one with less reading and writing involved: English 4. Wrong decision. It turns out that English 4 was tough, if not more challenging than AP Lit. Despite the heavy workload of literacy analysis and writing papers, I had one of the best teachers, Mrs. HolzerLane. She towers over the students, and has bright orange-red hair, you cant miss her. Senior year is a time consuming period in ones life. Everyone is preparing for college and perfecting their college essays. While many students had to write their college essays out of class, the students in Mrs. Holzer-Lanes course had the opportunity to do this as an assignment in class. She explained to the class how the admission committees dont want to hear about how your mom is your biggest influence. They want to hear about a trip you took to Ecuador, what organization you volunteered with, and how that experience transformed you. She also taught us

Burch 6 techniques on ways to be persuasive with writing, and how to address certain topics. After reading assignments, we would discuss the issues in class and listen to everyones thoughts, rather than take a test or write a reflection. She made it interesting by showing the class funny videos or movies, and then relating it back to the subject. For example, when our class read the complex text, Beowulf, she opted to show us the movie on how to better understand the meaning behind such incomprehensive literature. The movie helped students understand the main idea clearly, whereas, a quiz would decimate grades because of rigorous questions. Mrs. Holzer-Lane illustrated how important it is to utilize different ways of learning, and showed us the importance of significance texts, main ideas, and concepts. Sometimes, we have to stretch further beyond our knowledge and thats the one of the ways I developed my reading and writing literacy. I didnt receive an A in Mrs. Holzer Lanes class by just getting by and doing the assignments. My grade benefited and I grew in knowledge because I applied myself and worked hard to understand the root of the concepts instructed passionately in class. Like a mini page, our lives are filled with little things that make up something bigger. Just as my grandmother introduced me to reading this small paper, she showed me that there are larger predicaments in the world and its crucial to know how to interpret those pressing issues, even if it is just about the First Amendment. The church members of WPC, specifically Dave Pottenger, empathized with my story of my beginnings in the church, the passing of my grandma, and the experiences I endured throughout, teaching me the effectiveness of writing with emotion. Lastly, my English teacher, Mrs. Holzer-Lane, advised me on the many different ways to understand intricate texts and how to use various techniques when writing. Techniques such as, persuading the reader and applying concepts learned in class to your writing. Now, I feel more confident when pursuing a book or a paper, because of my history with the people who

Burch 7 influenced my reading and writing. I can understand a text, pinpoint a main idea, provide supportive examples, write a structured paper, and empathize with emotions coming from an author. These people comprise my mini page, but they create a greater story, one that makes up the entirety of my reading and writing development. These are the pieces to my story- my mini page.