You never know what you’re going to get.

Regardless of where you are or what you are doing, literacy can reach you anywhere. In class this semester, I was shown that we as people need to step away from the belief that literacy is strictly reading and writing. It is so much more than that. Every article that we read and activity we participated in showed us aspiring English students, that literacy is everywhere and that it will help us immensely in our futures if we understand that concept and realize its importance now rather than later.

Twitter for instance. How is twitter Literacy? According to Keri Franklin, many of the same aspects apply. When we tweet, we are sending our beliefs, feelings, emotions, and all other personal aspects of our being into the open world of the internet where it will be viewed, judged, and critiqued. That is a lot more pressure when thought of in that way. But its true! People see these tweets and catch a glimpse of who we really are in 140 characters. That is literacy. Just like someones novel, or essay, or poem, we are writing something personal and letting it go publicly. Even if it isn’t as long as other works, it is who we are. I never realized this until this article!

Another aspect of this class that I enjoyed was the idea of difference. Every work of literacy is different just as every person who reads them is different. So what does this mean in the grand scheme of things? I am a strong supporter in the idea that all people learn differently. Everything we do and each thought we possess is based on past experiences. So how can one piece of literature per say be taught the same way to different children yet offer the same beliefs? The fact is, it cant. Which is something our society needs to understand. Different things hold so much weight on people and so little on others. We must realize that with all of these differences, the right thing to do is encourage people to react naturally. When I become a teacher I will be happy to be told different things about a text. I don’t want programmed students who all hand in 40 copies of the same essay with the same beliefs. Thats not literacy!

Not only did I learn a lot about the subject in this class, but I learned a lot about myself as well as other people. I saw what ways worked best for me and what ways worked best for others. I read a book and formed all of these ideas and meanings only to come to class and hear people have ideas that I never even thought of. But thats the greatness in it all. That is what literacy is supposed to be! Your reaction, others reactions and the communication that takes place when you go over it! Step out of out boring old school beliefs and into the new age literacy full of music and tweets! I promise is a lot more fulfilling. Thank you Kim for an amazing semester in which you taught me so much. I am very grateful!

As children, we are all taught how important reading is. “It makes you smarter” people would say. “You expand your vocabulary” and many other comments are used until we eventually just `believe it. But until you grow up and realize how important it truly is, you cannot fully take advantage of the knowledge. After deciding to become an English major, I now understand how insane it would be to not have the basic reading skills that we all have. Literacy is a privilege that we take for granted. The readings that we have examined in class have even further open my eyes into the importance as well as the challenges we all face with the technological impact of today. During our discussions as well as self reflection, I have come to terms with the technology factor, but have yet to fully understand how we can make certain that we come to a perfect balance. Kids these days have access to tools that eliminate many of the skills that make up a strong literary foundation. With things such as Siri, children, when using devices, can have the mysterious voice do all of the reading and typing for them. Are we sure that we are okay with that? That ability allows children to dodge any hassles of literacy and encourages them to continue on thinking of reading as a chore. In my book club book (Superheros) I am witnessing stories of children who are saved by literacy. It promotes so much individuality in these children and helps make them who they are. Its exhibit A in the debate of literacy. This has been a topic on my mind since the beginning of class and an issue I plan to continue researching.

In our day and age, learning a new literacy is something that has become more of an adaptation. With how fast everything changes and new things are created, we dont even realize that we are learning new ways to read and write quite often. Twitter for instance. Just like in the article, we all had to learn to tweet by being boring or naive tweeters. But nobody sat in their seat after composing a perfect tweet and thought “Wow, I just learned a new literacy.” Its second nature now. Just recently I got hired at a restaurant that used computers for taking orders. I had to learn all of the buttons at an alarmingly fast rate or else I’d be doomed. But without even breaking a sweat, it all became memorized. But different codes being typed in to stand for different items on the menu is no cake walk. But with how common the learning has become, I didnt even realize that I had just learned a whole new way to read and then a new way to write (orders on slips of paper). I think that it is amazing. It clearly shows how easily we can adapt to new formats and know them like we do any other basic skill.

 

Interview with Matthew Raymond

-Mr. Raymond. to me, was my English 11 AP teacher and a huge factor in why I chose to pursue a degree in English. Even after his class, we remained close friends and still communicate once or twice every month. He was happy to participate.

• Try to think of your earliest reading and writing experiences. Who or what was involved in getting you started?

I recall spending the majority of my summers with my grandparents in Fort Lauderdale with my parents who were both school teachers and had the summers off. There, my grandma Abigail made sure that I never went to sleep  without a bedtime story. I remember being beyond excited each day and would many times pick the books to be read as soon as I awoke in the mornings. As for writing, it was when I began trying to write my own bedtime stories with poorly drawn pictures on each page of humans without torsos.