Emily Paige Essick

UWRT 1103
Intawiwat
07 September 2014
Te Wealt !ein" #iteracy
Stricklan" $illilan% an &merican p'et (r'm te early twentiet cent)ry% is m'st (am')s
('r is p'em% *& Rea"ing +'ter,- In tis p'em% $illilan writes% *.') may a/e tangible wealt
)nt'l"0 caskets '( 1ewels an" c'((ers '( g'l"- Ricer tan I y') can ne/er be- I a" a m'ter w'
rea" t' me-, Witin t'se last (')r lines '( tat p'em% $illilan p'ints ')t te ab)n"ance '(
wealt bein" literacy-
Tr')g')t ist'ry% we a/e witnesse" te imp'rtance '( literacy- 2'r e3ample% sla/es
w')l" teac temsel/es t' rea" an" write in te 'pe '( 'ne "ay bec'ming (ree- !y 1456
appr'3imately nine percent '( sla/es knew 'w t' rea" an" write- 7)ring te In")strial
Re/'l)ti'n% literat)re became m're pre/alent ")e t' te in/enti'n '( te printing press-
8/ertime% s'ciety9s i"eas ab')t literacy a/e cange" "ramatically- It was n't l'ng ag'% tat
many pe'ple belie/e" tat literacy was sa/e" 'nly ('r te wealty- Te tr)t is t')g% tat
literacy is s' m)c m're tan 1)st kn'wing 'w t' rea" 'r write- #iteracy is being c'mpetent 'r
kn'wle"geable ab')t anyting-
&s )mans% we nat)rally learn (r'm ')r s)rr')n"ings- 2r'm te m'ment we are b'rn% we
are c'nstantly learning- &l'ng te way% we a/e parents% teacers% an" (rien"s% w' elp )s% w'
teac )s- We learn (r'm ')r en/ir'nment% ')r e3periences% an" (r'm te pe'ple ar')n" )s- T'se
pe'ple are ')r sp'ns'rs '( literacy- Sp'ns'rs '( literacy% acc'r"ing t' !ran"t% can be *any
agents% l'cal 'r "istant% c'ncrete 'r abstract% w' enable% s)pp'rt% teac% m'"el% as well as
recr)it% reg)late% s)ppress% 'r wit'l" literacy:an" gain a"/antage by it in s'me way-, I re(er
t' my sp'ns'rs '( literacy as my sp'ns'rs '( wealt% beca)se in my eyes% being literate is a
"i((erent kin" '( wealt-
In my 'wn li(e% I a/e (')r main sp'ns'rs I accre"it t' my literacy- Eac '( tese
sp'ns'rs% weter it be a single pers'n% a gr')p '( pe'ple% 'r an 'rgani;ati'n% a/e all playe" an
imp'rtant r'le in my literacy "e/el'pment- I "' n't 1)st mean my ability t' rea" an" write% b)t
ab')t my style '( writing an" my le/el '( rea"ing c'mpreensi'n% as well as my lea"ersip%
tecnical skill% an" s'cial literacy- +y (')r main sp'ns'rs '( literacy are my parents% my 'wn
c)ri'sity% my ig sc''l teacers% an" a st)"ent le" aca"emic an" pr'(essi'nal 'rgani;ati'n
calle" <8S& = 2)t)re <ealt Pr'(essi'nals- Eac '( tese sp'ns'rs '( wealt (alls int' a
partic)lar categ'ry base" '(( '( !ran"t9s article0 enc')ragement an" s)pp'rt% sel(>ambiti'n%
e")cati'n% an" 'pp'rt)nity-
&s a cil"% my parents were always str'ng s)pp'rter an" enc')ragers in my e")cati'n-
Tey w')l" b)y me b''ks 'r take me t' ')r l'cal library% an" ten tey w')l" sit "'wn an"
rea"% n't t' me% b)t wit me- S'me '( my (a/'rite mem'ries are sitting in my "a"9s lap in te
recliner cair% rea"ing% *Te ?ristmas +')se,% wit im- E/en t')g neiter '( my parents
atten"e" c'llege% b't '( tem )n"erstan" te wealt an" /al)e in a g''" e")cati'n- E/ery "ay
wen I w')l" get 'me (r'm sc''l% my parents w')l" make me sit "'wn an" "' my 'mew'rk
be('re I c')l" "' anyting else% an" wile as a cil" I pr'bably ate" tis% I see te a"/antages '(
it n'w- &s a y')ng st)"ent in c'llege% I see mysel( as a /ery mat)re% 'rgani;e"% an" well>r')n"e"
st)"ent% an" I 'we m)c '( tis t' te way I was raise"- Tanks t' te persistence an" "e"icati'n
'( my parents% I am able t' say tat I a/e ne/er really str)ggle" in sc''l an" I (eel m're
prepare" tan te a/erage c'llege st)"ent-
Wile I "' belie/e tat ')r (amilies play an imp'rtant r'le in ')r literacy% I als' belie/e it
takes a l't '( sel(>ambiti'n t''- &mbiti')s is a w'r" I )se t' "escribe mysel( '(ten% n't ')t '(
arr'gance b)t ')t '( pri"e- I pri"e mysel( 'n being ambiti')s- I am an" a/e always been a
c)ri')s pers'n- I en1'y researcing an" "isc'/ering new i"eas- I en1'y learning an" I )n"erstan"
te p'wer '( kn'wle"ge- Wile in ig sc''l% I was '(ten calle" an '/eracie/er% b)t ('r me
tat is a c'mpliment- Wen tinking ab')t my c)ri')s nat)re% 'ne @)'te by Aames +'rr'w
stan"s ')t t' me0 *?)ri'sity may a/e kille" te cat% b)t te lack '( c)ri'sity w')l" a/e kille"
t')san"s-, Wit')t c)ri'sity an" sel(>ambiti'n% s'me '( te greatest in/enti'ns w')l" a/e
ne/er been in/ente" an" "isc'/eries ne/er "isc'/ere"- 8)r sel(>ambiti'n c'ntrib)tes t' ')r
literacy as well as s'ciety-
Te years we spen" in pre>sc''l an" elementary sc''l b)il" te (')n"ati'n '( ')r
literacy% b)t I attrib)te my literacy style an" "ept t' my teacers (r'm ig sc''l- I belie/e
t'se (')r years in ig sc''l are cr)cial in te "e/el'pment '( ')r writing styles an" literacy-
7)ring t'se (')r cr)cial years we spen" a l't '( time "e/el'ping ')r writing style% ')r
/'cab)lary% an" e3pan"ing ')r rea"ing c'mpreensi'n- Tr')g')t ig sc''l% I a"
')tstan"ing Englis teacers- Eac '( tem ta)gt me s'meting new ab')t my 'wn literacy an"
e/ery year% I c')l" see an impr'/ement witin mysel(- E/ery year% we were re@)ire" t' write a
researc paper- Wile writing tese researc papers% I "e/el'pe" my 'wn literacy style 'r genre-
Wit te assistance '( my teacers% I "isc'/ere" 1)st 'w str'ng my writing literacy was an" my
en1'yment in researcing- +y teacers were always tere t' answer my @)esti'ns% pr''(>rea" my
papers% gi/e me s)ggesti'ns% an" '/erall elp me bec'me a better writer-
Te last gr')p I accre"it a large p'rti'n '( my literacy style t' is an 'rgani;ati'n calle"
<8S& = 2)t)re <ealt Pr'(essi'nals- <8S& = 2)t)re <ealt Pr'(essi'nals is a st)"ent le"
'rgani;ati'n "e/'te" t' assist st)"ents in te "e/el'pment '( lea"ersip an" tecnical <8S&
skill c'mpetencies tr')g a pr'gram '( m'ti/ati'n% awareness an" rec'gniti'n% wic is an
integral part '( te <ealt Science E")cati'n instr)cti'nal pr'gram- &s an acti/e member '(
<8S& ('r te past (')r years% I a/e ser/e" as te #e"('r" <8S&% Rep'rter an" Presi"ent% te
7istrict 2i/e Rep'rter an" Presi"ent% an" as a B'rt ?ar'lina <8S& State 8((icer- 7)ring my
many years in tese lea"ersip p'siti'ns% I a" t' write an" present many "i((erent speeces an"
w'rks'ps t' b't st)"ents an" a")lts all '/er te c')ntry- I e/en tra/ele" wit <8S& t'
Wasingt'n 7-?- t' meet wit te B'rt ?ar'lina <')se Representati/es t' "isc)ss ?areer an"
Tecnical E")cati'n ()n"ing- &ll '( tese /ari')s e/ents an" c'n(erences pr'/i"e" me wit an
'pp'rt)nity t' gr'w an" "e/el'p my literacy style e/en m're- I became n't 'nly a better write%
b)t a better speaker an" netw'rker as well- <8S& elpe" me e3pan" my lea"ersip ability% my
tecnical skills% as well as my s'cial literacy- +y l'cal an" state a"/is'rs spent many ')rs
training te '((icers 'n 'w t' speak in (r'nt '( 'ters% 'w t' netw'rk an" c'mm)nicate% an"
'w t' present ')rsel/es 'n stage- &ll '( tis in t)rn c'ntrib)tes t' my '/erall literacy-
In 'ne part '( !ran"t9s article% *Sp'ns'rs '( #iteracy,% we see tw' /ery "i((erent
/ariati'ns in literacy between tw' a")lts- Tese /ariati'ns in literacy were ca)se" by c)lt)ral%
s'cial% an" ec'n'mic "i((erences- Tis secti'n '( !ran"t9s article really st)ck ')t t' me an" ma"e
me reali;e tat I% )nlike s'me pe'ple my age% a/e been blesse" wit m're 'pp'rt)nities- I
belie/e tat my literacy can be attrib)te" largely t' my c)lt)ral% s'cial% an" ec'n'mic
backgr')n" an" te sp'ns'rs I a" ar')n" me- In my b''k timeline I starte" wit *Te
?ristmas +')se, an" en"e" wit *!link, by +alc'lm $la"well- Te literacy trans('rmati'n
tat as been ma"e between tese tw' b''ks is ast'nising i( y') tink ab')t it- T' tink tat as
a cil" we cann't rea" at all t' n'w being able t' rea" an" c'mpreen" a large ma1'rity '( wat
we are e3p'se" t' is @)ite in/ig'rating- <'we/er% we m)st keep in min" tat we 'we tis
ama;ing i"ea calle" literacy t' ')r sp'ns'rs- Tey are te 'nes w' )n"erst''" te wealt
bein" literacy an" "eci"e" t' elp )s al'ng te way-