My Literacy Journey Essay

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My literacy journey commenced at a young age. My story begins with the typical bed time stories and slowly progresses into complex novels. Some points in my literacy journey have made me admire the written word but other times literacy frustrated me. These ups and downs within my story have made me the person I am today. My parents noticed that my reading was not up to par with other children in kindergarten and I was diagnosed with mild dyslexia at the age of five. My parents provided me a reading mentor named Mrs. Mandeville who has shaped my literacy journey in many ways. Events in my childhood have shaped my literacy in various ways.
My story begins with my mom playing an audio book version of “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” by Bill Martin as …show more content…

Mandeville reassured me that I was not dumb and she guided me to where I am today. I thought of her as intelligent and she genuinely cared about me and my condition. As the years progressed she taught me how to overcome the condition and how to not let the disorder affect my everyday life. She embarked in me a desire to read and learn as I began to overcome the condition. Novelist, Deborah Brandt describes a literacy sponsor as a person who enables, supports and models literacy. This description perfectly resembles Mrs. Mandeville. She guided me along my literacy path with grace and supported my journey. John Swales, the author of “The Concept of Discourse Community” states that a discourse group is a type of literacy within a group. Mrs. Mandeville and I developed a discourse community and made up distinct lexis between ourselves. Every time I would see her she would ask me “how are your a’s and e’s doing” as a way to examine my reading status. Educator, Mike Rose, underwent similar experiences in his literacy journey. Mike Rose’s literacy sponsor was his English professor named Mr. MacFarland. His teacher also guided him along his literacy process and pushed him to achieve his goals attending a …show more content…

Just like Rose, I did not bother switching classes and I continued with the enrollment. Rose and I both made the best of the situation but I knew I was not meant to be in that class. I achieved exceptional test scores and wrote unbelievable papers in that class. My teacher for 8th grade English was the exact opposite of a literacy sponsor. My English teacher closely resembled that of Roses’ teacher Brother Dill. My teacher was exceedingly unenthusiastic about his job and the capabilities of his students. He did not teach me to succeed but to only pass by the bare minimum. He tore apart the essays I wrote and broke down my literacy confidence. Throughout this I maintained a empowering spirit about my writing and reading

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