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Larissa Macko Professor Leslie Wolcott ENC 1102 January 22, 2013

Literacy Narrative From the first day attending school in Pre-K till now, a freshman in college, my world has revolved around reading and writing. I first learned to read and write with the help of my teachers and their sponsors. Typically it starts with the help of parents, in my case it was different. My mother and father were both born in Jamaica, with very little wealth while growing up. They moved to the United States before having children and luckily, through improvement of literacy, both were able to have steady, well-paid jobs, but neither completed college. I also have three brothers, two older who were both helped much earlier in their life with their literacy by my parents, and one younger, who, like me, didnt have as much help. The presence of materials such as, paper, pencils, books, chairs, etc. have contributed towards my literacy growth as well. Throughout the years being exposed to such things influences what I read and write today. Literacy has also become on of the top indicators of my success. The presence and influence of reading and writing are inescapable. I have spent 19 years of my life surrounded by the two both directly and indirectly and still have more to come. As a child, before I first learned how to read and write, they were present and required someone else to use in order to teach me. My teachers from elementary to high school deserve the credit of teaching me how to read and write with the help of literacy sponsors, who provided the necessary materials. My literacy sponsors, or the ones I recognize, are my parents, aunts, and uncles, even the public school system. My family,

Macko 2 as well as the public school system, provided me with things deemed necessary to better my literacy. Material things from my family consisted of a home with my own room to focus in, tables and chairs to work on, paper and pencil to write with, a backpack and folders to hold my work, books to read, and later came a laptop, which I use to type and research. The public school systems sponsorship gives teachers who are hired and used to promote literacy, desks and chairs provided at school to work on, a library with books to read, computer labs used to type and research, and even a building to study in. I was given a lot more and a lot less than others around me but it was just enough for me to work with. Without any of these things it would be much more difficult and wouldve taken longer to learn how to read and write. Growing up I didnt enjoy reading as much as I did writing. In kindergarten through second grade I used to write my own stories and make them into books. I couldnt sit here and tell you exactly who influenced me to make my own books but I do remember adoring my kindergarten teacher, Ms. Surprise, my first grade teacher, Ms. Brecia, and my second grade teacher, Mr. St. Aubun the most before having to switch schools and that being a part of why I loved doing it. They each would read aloud to the class and when we all discussed the book afterwards, ideas popped into my head that made me anxious enough to want to write about them. I would show them my books all the time! Now, unfortunately, it is the complete opposite. I enjoy reading more than writing because from elementary through high school students, in Florida, were forced to take the F-CAT (Floridas Comprehensive Assessment Test). This influenced how and what teachers taught students. The curriculum revolved more around this test rather than

Macko 3 inspiring a students creativity. The five-paragraph essay rule is used for so many years but then in some high school and college, disregarded. Everything just becomes confusing after being so accustomed to a certain way of writing and thats what was so frustrating about it. I was a part of the gifted program and in fourth grade I took a creative writing class and that was the only time I actually enjoyed writing again. (Nothing compared to my previous storybooks). Fifth grade and up, including that two year gap in elementary school, I dreaded having to write. Every week of school up until F-CAT week we had gigantic practice packets and writing exercises that we had to complete. I remembered that the reading and writing we did would be about the most odd topics. Forced to plan for 15 minutes and then write the rest of the time was a routine all of my peers and I would agree was the most annoying. Wouldnt it be to you also if you were a kid in elementary school just wanting to learn and have fun at the same time in school? Reading on the other hand wasnt my favorite thing to do but at the time was better than having to write. The first book I completed on my own was Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli in the sixth grade. I bought this book at the book fair because baseball was one of my favorite sports and it was one the cover and it seemed cool at the time. My teacher at the time, Ms. Castillo, adored me, I guess you couldve called me a teachers pet. She loved to read and I wanted to read as well, she was perfect to me, I wanted to do everything like her. When I bought the book I came back into the classroom and it was a quiet day because of the book sale so I decided to actually read the book. Not being able to put it down, I told my teacher about it and how fascinating it was. She was proud because she knew reading wasnt my favorite and her congratulation was a gift, she gave me a bookmark that I would use for future readings.

Macko 4 In elementary school, I skimmed books and could answer questions very vaguely and still receive credit. (Those werent my best years). After that I only dealt with the required readings from classes. Through the assigned readings I began to develop an interest in certain types of novels that eventually led to what I enjoy reading about most today. I enjoy reading non-fictional stories, stories that are told by and about others. The ones that can trigger my curiosity and maybe touch me emotionally in some way are my favorite. It all began with a book I read in my seventh grade class, A Child Called It by David Peltzer. He shared his personal story about growing up with an abusive mother and I couldnt put the book down. I would run into people when switching classes, was consistently told to put it away and even got in trouble for knowing what happened because I finished it before the entire class did. I got lucky that year and had Ms. Castillo again for English and she knew how much I enjoyed reading after completing a book on my own. She was using this book as part of the class reading and assigned what pages we were supposed to read up until so that we could discuss what we thought would come next. I finished the book in three days and would blurt out exactly what happened because of finishing the book. She wasnt too happy with that but inside Im sure she was really proud that I enjoyed reading it that much. It became one of my favorites. Another book, Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, shared a story of one man who would influence the entire world up until this day. I finished it in two days. This also became one of my favorite books to read. I havent been exposed to too much reading, except in school. Education wasnt promoted too greatly in my household. The background that my family came from was mostly about survival by getting a job. Thats why they came to the states. At that time, most jobs didnt have the requirements they do

Macko 5 now which school is deemed necessary. So the most pushing to do well in school was from my teachers and my competiveness with peers. Elementary up to high school has had the biggest influence on my literacy. I grew up in a decent area and all of my schools were A schools with a good background. I switched schools twice, making it a total of five different schools I attended but they exposed me to a variety, which then allowed me to be selective with the reading and writing I adore. It has even determined when and how important reading and writing is. I consider myself to be very competitive, especially in school. Depending on how well you did, determined the grade you received. Other students were my competition and grades were the judge. Especially in high school, the competition became more serious because the last two years most students apply to colleges, which isnt just a district competition but a nation wide one. Knowing this when entering high school is when I considered both reading and writing to be most important because I knew it would play the greatest role in guiding where I spent the rest of my life. I began improving my writing skills and expanding vocabulary through reading to take the SAT, a major determinant for college acceptance. Then, that led to writing an essay that would hopefully be considered unique enough to stand out from the thousands of essays colleges look at. I wrote about my experiences growing up and being a first generation student and how that influenced why I wanted to attend UCF. I only applied here and knew that essay would be enough because the flame that burned while I was writing was unexplainable. I did it in my journal in my 12th grade English class. I refused to stop until the last second of that class. From then on I realized the true importance of literacy. Without it, I couldnt achieve what I have today and still wont be able to go further unless improved.

Macko 6 Literacy is knowledge and knowledge is power. People who know things or have worked their whole lives to learn things do so through reading and writing. It has become one of the greatest determinants of success in wealth, one of my main goals in life. Just looking around at what wealthy people do and how they have become so successful in life I realized that all that couldnt be achieved if it werent for their literacy. Many people who are looked up at have studied most of their life and are considered to be very important. Bill Gates didnt wake up one day deciding to be one of the wealthiest men alive, actress, Anne Hathaway didnt just become who she was by her looks alone, they, as well as the rest, had to study and read in order to be in that position. School was the beginning of mastering my literacy. My friends from school are my competition because their literacy is closest to mine whether a tad lower or greater. I took AP classes and honor classes to try and be the best. It is frustrating some times because of all the work but thats what drives me still. Being first generation American and first child in my household to attend college allows me to appreciate the luxury of schooling, despite the costs. I currently attend a four-year university and they pay for my tuition based on my literacy from a certain point in my life. I received scholarships because of my grades and scores. I knew that literacy was the only thing that would help me attend college even before getting here and that it would also allow me to get even further. UCF sponsors me and in return I must abide by their rules and keep my grades up and well. I know that in the long run this will help me achieve my dream of becoming a successful plastic surgeon. There is still so much reading and writing I will have to do but in order to stay on top of this game I must first be at the top. My literacy history allows me to learn where I

Macko 7 must improve and is a constant reminder of why. For instance, my parents are uneducated and know only what they do, my eldest brother decided to not go to college and live a life that wouldnt require much effort or expectations in his literacy, the second oldest is Autistic and cannot physically grasp concepts as fast as an undiagnosed mind, and the youngest is still training in high school, hopefully pushing twice as hard as I did to be successful. This is one of the major contributors to the motivation I have in order to have a different lifestyle. I want to be an example for my children and their future kids and show them just how important of role literacy plays in their life. I know that my literacy is sill very young, despite how long its been growing, but thats just the beauty of it, it will continue to grow and I am beyond excited to see what else is on store for me to work through.

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