Klemser 1

Thomas Klemser
Nancy Roche
Writing 1010-018
11 September 2014
Without foundations, where are we?
My elementary school background was traditional kindergarten through eighth
grade. The school system was very structured and traditional; my kindergarten class was
chosen to pilot a new reading, writing, and spelling program. The class that I was in was
the only class in the school system that used this pilot program. There was no emphasis
on spelling, grammar, and sentence structure. The reading program was a pilot program
too and I have been playing catch up ever since. I did not know at the time that my
background or lack of a good foundation to build upon was such a disadvantage.
Children tend to be visual learners when they are younger and developing. They
are attracted to pictures, colors, and abstract things. As they grow older they learn to read
and understand words from stories that are read to them. The most important part of
reading a book to a child is to emphasize each word and letter so the child grasps the
written language faster. Spelling, grammar and sentence structure are the most important
parts of the written English language. Without a solid foundation it is harder to move on
as topics and content increase in difficulty.
Moving forward in my academic path into middle school years, as well as the first
year of High School, writing and spelling became more important. Although my reading
skills were at a higher level, I found myself digressing in my writing skills because of my
spelling and grammar. I never had problems verbalizing but I was intimidated by writing

Klemser 2
assignments because of my spelling and grammar, which became increasingly important.
As a High School Freshman, weekly vocabulary was introduced. Every Monday
we were given words and definitions followed by an assessment on these words on
Friday, which would impact my overall English grade. I specifically remember sitting on
the couch with my Grandmother working on definitions and spelling. My grandmother
went to Catholic school where spelling, grammar, and writing were crucial in the
curriculum. In her day there was a great emphasis on the basics. I will never forget the
countless hours I spent with her and her old fashion ways of teaching and learning. She
helped me with word associations for the definitions and breaking words into parts to
sound out for spelling and pronunciation. If it wasn't for my grandmother applying what
she was taught and carried on as a middle school teacher, I would never have learned
how to write correctly and spell. The long, hard hours spent with my grandmother paid
off with the better base for my grammar and spelling.
After completing my high school requirements, while somewhat still struggling to
spell, I have through experience, concluded that without a solid foundation of grammar
and spelling it became more and more difficult to read at a fast pace while understanding
the material and learning to write at a higher level academically. My weakness became
evident to me when I had to write the essay for my college applications. Writing the first
draft emphasized my weakness and weak foundation. I found myself having to go back
and review and revise my paper too many times which proved my weakness. The many
lessons from my Grandmother helped me and finally paid with my final paper.

Klemser 3
This brings me to the conclusion that without a proper foundation of spelling,
grammar, and sentence structure, it is more difficult to progress onto more challenging
reading and writing assignments in my academic career.