My Literacy Narrative

Reading and writing has always been a huge part of my life. Literacy has always been more than a forced school activity or a necessity to be able to communicate in life even as a young child.

I do not remember much from my childhood but I have one memory that sticks out to me even all these years later. Before I was in formal schooling, I remember writing my own stories all the time. Of course, so young I didn't know words or even letters but I remember "writing" story after story with only my imagination, scribbled lines to keep track of my colorful stories. I remember I'd try reading them to my mom and just make up the story as I went. I would be in my room scribbling for hours thinking my "books" were amazing.

I do not remember much of my younger years of formal education either but my mother told me that I started talking at ten months ("You haven't stopped since", she added) and that I took to writing my letters very quickly once in kindergarten.

When I got older I couldn't be separated from a book. I read every spare moment I had. An on going joke with my family was if I got in trouble they would take my library card away.

In school I didn't mind reading required books like most of my classmates seemed to hate and I loved reading our history books, history has always interested me. My love for reading helped me discover my love for history which I was able to appreciate even more in high school when I participated in Advance Placement history.

In the summers I would take part in my local libraries reading activities and won many prizes for reading so many books. 

My experience with reading and writing has always been a positive one and I would much rather read something than watch TV. I always have (as far as i remember) and still do get too emotionally invested in books. I would go on binges of reading where I read multiple books non stop and then I'd have to take a break because it just became too much after a while.

In later years of high school and even in the present I read a lot still but mostly in the form of a quick story on my phone. Even when I read paperback books later in my years I always preferred a single book to a saga much like how I would rather watch a movie to a television show.

In high school, I attempted to expand my literacy horizons and had dreams to learn how to speak Spanish fluently. Since I am half Ecuadorian and my grandfather had always wanted me to speak the language he grew up with and prefers, my aspirations meant a lot to me. Alas, high school Spanish and I did not get along. Trying to learn though, I do know more Spanish than I did and for now that is good enough for me. Attempting to learn another language really made me appreciate people who were bilingual since I struggled so much with it.

Literacy and education means a lot to me because I am more aware and able to form my own opinions and know how to look for information. I also feel that I know more about people's struggles and have a bigger sense of when injustices are wrong and am able to show my support or opposition to current events on social media. Being literate was also a means to escape real life with a really good book and just find comfort with a story of my choice.

I have a lot more opportunities than most before me which I think has really expanded my literacy since I was sort of in the first generation of the internet. The internet, and even social media, has played a big part in communication with people of many different background, ethnicities, and experiences which really broadened my mind and helped me to be able to shape my opinions, beliefs, and ethics.