Davis Ray

Mrs. Marcum
UWRT 1103
February 16th, 2016
My Life in Literacy
Literacy is an important part of our knowledge and understanding. The elements
of literacy that surround us ultimately shape who we have become and our sponsors
encourage us to apply what we have learned. Literacy can be shared and experienced
through people, everyday objects, or a variety of discourse communities that teach us
new forms of literacy and different ways to learn from it. I have been affected by literacy
ever since grade school and that has only increased since I have gone into higher
education. Ever since I was a child, my life has been riddled with opportunities of
literacy, taking form in sponsors like my parents, my schoolwork, and my own personal
experiences. With this support, and the growing of my literacy through books, teachers,
and experiences, I can expand my knowledge and have a brighter future. I just have to
look back on past events from my life and learn from them.
One of the most significant literacy sponsors in my life would have to be the
teachings of reading and writing I achieved during school. My feelings about writing
have changed dramatically as I have continued on into my school career. During the
early years of my schooling, I enjoyed sharing my ideas in the form of writing. I thought
of writing as a way to express my thoughts to myself and make an understanding of
them. I remember writing stories for childrens books or your favorite family vacation

and that gave me something to write about. As I entered into high school, writing
became much more intensive and annotating became a huge part of writing essays.
Instead of writing about whatever I wanted to, I had to stick to a strict prompt, normally
based around a book or idea that I found little to no interest in. This completely
changed the way I felt about writing and made it much more difficult for me to express
my ideas that way I wanted to. This slow transition is what turned me away from the
pleasures of writing.
The higher standards of the high school English teachers also took some of the
fun out of writing and reading. We would talk about a book in class for weeks, taking
every idea out of the text and supporting it with evidence in our writing. Writing had
changed, from a helpful way to express your ideas, to thesis building and annotating
text. The use of extensive standardized tests also played an important role in the way
teachers taught writing to their students. This new development of critical analysis that
we were introduced to turned me away from creative writing. I remember dreading
English class and getting tired of writing about the ideas behind poetry and
Shakespeare. I found much more interest into the practical uses of science and math
rather than expressing my writing skills. Entering into college, I retain the same mindset
of writing that I had in high school, but hopefully this experience will bring me back to
my roots.
Another important aspect of my school literacy experience would be the use of
my writing. My writing process is a tool that I dont always use efficiently. I was taught
in school that writers should have a list of their ideas before they begin writing, but I
always liked to break the rules. Instead of planning ahead and outlining my paper, I

focus on the main ideas and the introduction in order to grab the readers interest. I
have never been much of a planner, but rather, a spur-of-the-moment kind of writer.
After I write the intro and construct a thesis, I base all my writing around the thoughts
that pop out in my head. As Im writing down my ideas, I go back and read my
sentences to make sure it has good structure and word flow. This process of writing
can sometimes harm my paper because I repeat something I had previously said. This
may be the reason why my writing isnt always up to standard with teachers. I dont
completely structure my paper the way I should, which can sometimes make the ideas
of my paper confusing to the reader.
My writing process does vary a little for different areas of study and use. When I
write for English class, I dont plan or outline my papers ahead of time, but come up with
evidence and structure as I write. For classes that are history or science based, I have
a different routine. With these papers, I often gather all the information I can and read it
over several times to get a grasp on the subject. Then, I state my side of the argument
in the introduction of the paper and fill the following paragraphs with data and evidence
to support my theory. More often than not, I have to use a dictionary or better diction
with English writings, whereas with logical writings, I can stick to facts and evidence.
This makes it easier for me to write a paper on the Civil War rather than my thoughts
about To Kill a Mockingbird.
During my high school years, I came across a complete new system of literacy
sponsors. I began reading and writing much more in-depth and focusing on supporting
my papers with evidence rather than generalizing. One book I read during this time
completely changed the way I thought about reading. This reading experience would

have to be my most memorable and completely changed my style of learning for my

high school career. Lord of the Flies by William Golding completely changed my attitude
towards reading and writing in school. This was one of the only novels assigned in high
school that I actually enjoyed discussing in class. I found this piece particularly
interesting because it involves the classic cast-away scenario but with a twist of using
children instead of adults. The children in this story represent the different personalities
of people in our society and puts them in a situation of survival and instinct. I enjoyed
the imagery and odd structure of the novel, as well as its deeper meaning to society,
and I often read the book on the bus ride to school. It gave me a little escape from
reality everyday as I wondered what would happen next on this trivial island.
During the time I was reading this book, we often had class discussions about
the ideas and characters in the text. We would have writing assignments in class and
share our thoughts about the story in groups. This activity in the class gave me an even
greater interest into the book as it opened my eyes to new ideas. We spent the first few
weeks of school focusing on this book and had a project and test on the material. Near
the end of the period, I was getting a little tired of text, but I chose this to write about
because it gave me a new perspective on reading. I finally didnt hate a book that was
assigned to us and I felt like I could connect to the books writing and ideas. Since that
experience, I have found much more joy in reading for recreation rather than for
schoolwork.
Going into high school and college, my initial thoughts about reading are very
conflicted. When it comes to school-assigned novels and short stories, I often dont
enjoy the actual reading of the text. I share my opinions on books with the ideas of

Gerald Graff from Disliking Books. I only enjoy reading if I can find some interest or
relation to the text and its ideas. I would say I dont enjoy most of the books Ive read
because Ive been required or forced to read them for an assignment. Out of school, I
dont really read many novels, but I do enjoy reading about discoveries in science and
the use of technology. I believe these opinions of what I like to read come from my
interest in the science and math fields. I prefer books in the science fiction category as
they benefit my interests much more than narrative stories. This could also be an
influence to my literacy, by writing papers about scientific discoveries that I can find
passion in.
I used to enjoy reading a lot more before I got introduced into the world of
advanced literature. This dragged-out process of annotating and evaluating the text
turned me away from the pleasures of reading. I didnt get back into the reading game
for a while, until I found a book I could relate to. Once I found a book, I would binge
read the entire novel in a short period and then have no further reading interest. This
would lead me to read articles and short stories online that I find practical and useful to
my knowledge. The information and ideology presented in the text is far more
interesting to me than the authors experience and reason for writing the piece. Overall,
I would say I enjoy the skills and ideas you can gather from reading, but I dont enjoy
the extensive and tedious breakdown of the text. Although I didnt enjoy the teachings
and techniques that were given to me, I understand how it has expanded my literacy for
future experiences.
Besides the influence of school and my parents, my living environment also
inspired me to better my literacy skills. One literacy space in particular that has greatly

shaped my literacy is my room because it offers me a variety of literacy artifacts. When

I look around my room, the literacy artifacts I see are my books, computer, comics,
posters, trophies and a dictionary. These literacy artifacts all give me a different
perspective on the use of literacy and how it can benefit my knowledge. I spend most of
my reading and writing on my computer, looking up science articles or events taking
place in the news. I often use my dictionary as a literacy artifact to strengthen my
diction use in essays and widen my vocabulary. These artifacts found in my room are
there to help me with my literacy and give me a reason to read and write recreationally.
They remind me of my literacy experiences and give me the motivation I need to
succeed.
When I moved to Charlotte last August, I wasnt sure what to take with me to
college. The pieces I ended up bringing were the ones I found the most interest in and
the ones that would benefit me the most. I brought some of my favorite books with me
in order to encourage myself to continue reading and expanding my literacy. The
comics I brought were significant to me because they were some of the first readings I
ever felt attached to. The trophies and awards I received from band furthered my
literacy in the field music and gave me a sense of accomplishment. Ultimately, the
books and other literacy materials I have in my room shaped the person I am today and
the styles of my literacy learning.
One of my most important literacy experiences was my involvement with the
Grays Creek marching band. This major discourse community has been part of my life
all throughout my four years in high school. I was very close to the members of this
community and it became almost like a second family for my school life. I learned a lot

about music literacy during my experiences and it has opened my mind into the world of
music. Learning to march and move swiftly in uniform also gave me experience
towards proper stature and working as a team. The words and communication we used
reflected mostly on the aspects of musical language or marching styles. Our conductor
would use words like crescendo and staccato to describe the power and style of the
musical note we were trying to play. Words like left flank and set were used to give
us direction or call us to attention. Most of our time in the band was spent using our
knowledge of music to practice and perfect our playing and sound, as well as, taking
that technique onto the field. We communicated through our group by using a leader,
called a drum major, to give us vocal orders and keep the tempo of the music under
control. Normally, only the sections leaders and the drum major speak out to give
orders, while the rest of the members follow instruction and get told what they could
improve on.
Another important aspect of this discourse community was the use and
understanding of written music. In order to be a participating member of the band, the
person should be able to read and write music fluently, as well as, being able to keep
tempo. Members who lagged behind or struggled to keep up were taken aside to better
their skills. If a member wasnt fully committed to the band program or skipped
practices, then they would be asked to quit, as the band only takes dedicated students.
I learned much about musical literacy and teamwork during my years with the band and
all that practice and dedication has shaped me into the hard-working student I am today.
Without the knowledge I received from this experience, I may not have been as driven
as I was during my high school career.

In conclusion, literacy has affected my life in more ways than just reading and
writing. My parents, schoolwork, teachers, and extracurricular activities have all shaped
my knowledge of literacy and the learning process I use achieve my goals. Literacy had
been a major influence in my life and I would not be who I am today without the
dedication of my literacy sponsors. As I continue on into my educational career, I hope
that new literacy sponsors arise to help me expand my knowledge and understanding of
the world around us. With the help of literacy sponsors and a dedicated mind, anything
is possible to achieve and learn from, it just depends if Im willing to gain the knowledge
from my experiences.

References:

1. Brandt, Deborah. "The Sponsors of Literacy." IFLA Journal 22.3 (1996): 256.
Web. 01 Feb. 2016
2. Graff, Gerald. Disliking Books. By Gerald Graff Web. 01 Feb. 2016
3. Tan, Amy. Mother Tongue. By Amy Tan Web. 01 Feb. 2016
4. X, Malcolm. ""Learning to Read" by Malcolm X." "Learning to Read" by Malcolm
X. N.P., N.D. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.