Russ 1 Jordan Russ Mr.

Borrero English 1101-017 September 23, 2011 My Personal Experiences With Literacy and Composition One of the most amazing and arguably the most important journey in my lifetime was, and still is, the progression and growth of my expertise in the ability to master literacy and composition. This journey consists of a myriad of stories depicting personal success, hardships and struggles, and much more. Throughout each individuals life they are challenged with many obstacles and are forced to overcome them, or become a failure. While failure in a particular single aspect of ones life does not make that person any less of a human being than the next, failure does have its own way of stripping another from their honor and self-esteem. My life has had its fair share of ups and downs, and bountiful events of breakthroughs and iron curtains that hindered my ability to read and write. This is the story of my progression through the world of literacy and composition. As a young child I was brought up by a very kind and successful family, my mothers side of the family especially. I was always instructed, even before the age that reading was even a plausible idea, that reading and writing was one of the most important skills that a person could have. My grandfather once told me that if he had never learned to read, he never would have met his first wife, and therefore I would not exist in the same dimensions of reality. I was brought up believing that one of lifes greatest successes was the ability to read and to write. Each of my grandparents families was brought up as farming families and they had not been given the best opportunities to read and write. They had not been brought up on the same values as some of the

Russ 2 lucky ones. During their childhood they did not have the option of learning to read and write, as they had to work on their farmland. I believe this compelled them to motivate me and to push me as hard towards my successes in reading and writing as strictly and as aggressively as they did. My parents always brought me up thinking that success in my literary life was the only option; there was no alternative but to be brilliant and knowledgeable in the literary world. At the time I did not see the immense pressure that was on my shoulders because it was all that I had ever known. Soon after starting grade school, and starting the reading curriculum at my elementary school, I learned that I was much farther ahead than any of the students in my grade level. This came to a great surprise to me and I began to question why I had to work so hard at reading outside of school if Im ahead of my peers in the first place. Even through questioning my reading habits, I could not put the books down. Reading was an integral part of my life that I wouldnt give up for the world. Reading opened up a variety of doors for me as a person. Being able to read sparked my imagination in the wildest of ways. Being able to read better than my peers always pushed me to stay one step ahead of the game as a child and even throughout the rest of grade school. Although I was competitive, my true competitive side did not fully emerge until my next door neighbor, Cody, moved in during the summer of my 2nd grade year. One of the amazing and somewhat strange things about Cody and I were, we had the same birthday. We were born in the same hospital, on the same day. In our minds (and in the minds of our also competitive mothers) having a next door neighbor who is the exact same age as you, going to the exact same classes and having the exact same assignments opened up the real door for competition. We began to battle each other for who could read faster, who could read longer books. Our parents also gained bragging rights when one of us did better than the other.

Russ 3 The competition with Cody and I was very short lived however; due to my family moving out of the school district during my fifth grade year. This was an extremely difficult change, and through the hectic time of moving, and getting used to the new environment, there wasnt much time for reading. Books, and my writing ability took the back burner for the next few months, it became less and less important in the following year when my grandmother died from lung cancer. It seemed as if there were more much more important things in life at the time than reading a book. I lost interest in school and I fell behind in my writing skills. My sixth grade year was one of the toughest years of my educational career. It became more and more difficult to read, and I just wasnt sure why. I could only see clearly enough to read when something was as close to me as maybe less than half a foot away from my eyes, and even then, if I held a book that close I could almost lick the book from that distance. I thought this was normal in a kid my age and I would eventually grow out of it, I knew no better. Reading as I knew it in elementary school ceased to exist. I did not have the passion to read or write due to the fact that it was almost impossible for me to read in the first place. After going a few months thinking I was normal for not being able to see, I realized that I was far from normal. I needed glasses! I knew my eyes wouldnt get better, but I was ashamed to admit to anyone, especially my own parents that something was wrong with me. The feeling of needing glasses devastated my literary life. I completely shunned books from my realm of existence; they no longer belonged in my life. Reluctantly, I finally gave in near the end of my seventh grade year and received my first pair of glasses, and magically I could see again. Reading then began to be a fun activity I would do in my leisure time.

Russ 4 Progressing through eighth grade and my high school career, reading and writing became one of the biggest parts of my life. My newfound sparked interest for women and my desire to write endearing letters of love sparked my interest in writing even more. I was somewhat of a sappy romantic in the ways of my writing, but I didnt get that way overnight. I had to continue reading. Shakespeare became a prevalent part of my life and I learned to broaden my vocabulary accordingly. Reading gave me the edge I needed to have the poetic vibe required to be a public speaker at many of my schools community service events as well as having to compose a speech dedicated to my head football coach my senior year in high school. My ability to compose my thoughts onto paper and portray the ideas in my head in a colorful and exciting way to catch the readers eye has always been a goal of mine. I have always attempted to take great care and pride into every document I have ever written. I solemnly believe that if anything is worth doing, it is worth doing right (the first time). My expertise and my aspirations to become a better writer proceeded to grow as I entered high school, and although I wasted much valuable time in middle school in a standstill, not learning much of anything in the aspect of reading and writing, I believed that I well made up for it in the last few years of my high school career. Although I pride myself in the progression I have made over the years in literacy and composition, I know that the mastery of these skills is never finished, and one cannot possibly learn all there is to learn about these skills. Being completely literate is impossible due to the infinite types of literacy one can learn. One can improved their composition skills but one can never completely perfect the skill, because one individuals perception of anothers composition and the way they comprehend the writers words could be entirely different from the way another pieces the literary puzzle together within their brain. Literacy and composition are two of

Russ 5 the most important skills one person could ever have in their life, and I will continue to progress in these two areas of my educational life as long as I have the opportunity.