Literacy Narrative “Priorities with Literacy” Richgels

“So, you’ve returned to claim your city, hero.”

I Blog I Die I Blog Again. ALL HAIL our new blog overlords! They provide us with great sustenance in the form of liquid letters and entertainment.
May they guide us to the great white, sterile gates of APPLE.

So I actually interviewed my mom for this assignment. I was extremely curious, not only by the lack of computers, but also of where my mom grew up. They didn’t have the kind of finances that she has today, so its interesting to see where priorities were set when money was tight. Also, the lack of computers, and even in their DOS state, is extremely fascinating to record.

1. Try to think of your earliest memories of writing and reading.  What do you remember of reading and writing before you began school?  Who helped you with it and what was that like?

I remember 1^st grade being significant for learning to write.  There was no option for kindergarten when I was young.  I remember the “Dick and Jane” books in school!  I had two older siblings, so we read a lot at home and made trips to the library before I was in school and as I was growing up.  I followed their lead as far as reading and writing.  We played house, restaurant, and bank as a kid, so we wrote out pretend menus and pretend checks, etc. for each other and our friends.

2. What kinds of writing did you see your parents, siblings, and other family members doing as you were growing up?  What did they read, where, and when?

My Dad ALWAYS read the newspaper.  My Mom read books of all kinds.  She took us kids to the library.  I remember my Mom reading “Make Way for Ducklings” and “Curious George”.  We did not buy books, because we could not afford them.  We always had access to the local library.  My Mom always encouraged us to read.  Evenings were the best reading/playing times.  We didn’t watch much tv when my Dad was home and watching the news or Hee Haw in the evenings.

3. What stories did your parents tell you about their own efforts to learn to read and write?  What kinds of values did they place on reading and writing?

My Mom was an only child that grew up on a farm in no-where’s-ville, Nebraska!  She read a lot as a kid and she ALWAYS encouraged us to read ALL the time.  Always took us to the local library!  My Mom would correct our speech and she would help with school writing assignments.  She had been a teacher in a one room school-house before she had her family.  She also did substitute teaching as I was growing up.  I don’t remember my Dad talking much about the importance of reading/writing skills.  Not sure I ever saw him read a book, but he always read the newspaper!! .

4. How did reading and writing change as you entered elementary school?  What did you do with it?

I remember reading through series of books, taking tests as each book was finished.  You could move up if you passed the tests of comprehension. I thought it was fun and challenging!

5. What are you asked to do with reading and writing at this point in your lives?

I am constantly writing for my job now!  I have to write emails daily.  These emails need to be professional since I am communicating with clients and regulators. This is probably the most important form of communication I use now.  I need to make sure I am using good sentence structure and not using the incorrect synonym!!  My job entails reading instructions from regulatory documents, interpreting the information, and preparing a field request for the technician to do his job in the field.

6. When you were growing up, how much school reading and school writing was done with computers?  What kinds of things did you do?  What values did your teachers place on computer literacy?

I did not touch a computer until I was in college and that was a basic computer programming class that involved codes and if/then statements.  I dropped the class!  That was 1981!

7. In the next ten years, what will reading and writing become?  What skills and understandings about online literacy will people need to have?  Why?

The emphasis for writing skills in the professional working force is already strong.  People in business NEED to have professional writing skills!  Writing is becoming the most common form of communication.  Professionals are expected to write professionally!  Reading numerous communications and comprehending all the information is a must for professionals.  When professionals can’t write well, they will slowly be left behind in their careers.  Online literacy is vital for professional careers.  The Internet is a vital tool that all professionals should be proficient with and keep themselves updated in the fast passed electronic world.  I do love computers now!!  And, I think the Internet is so great for researching so much information!  Gone are the days of books of Encyclopedias that had to be updated!!  Encyclopedias were expensive, too!!   I love having so much information at my fingertips!  AND, I love all the map aps, so when traveling, I can find out so much about what is near me and where I would like to go!  It makes it easier to travel and be adventuresome!!!