Literacy Autobiography

     

    Being raised by my parents, who are immigrants that had to flee their home country as a means to attain a better future, I was made aware of the importance of education and literacy from a young age. I saw what I would consider both sides of the spectrum (of literacy/illiteracy). My parents had both been able to receive a formal education. My father had gotten his Master’s degree in the ‘80s and worked as an educator and my mother completed her CDA certification later on in her life and now works as an early childhood educator. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I personally know of a few people that cannot read or write, because they never had access or opportunity in their country to learn; due to different life circumstances, like social class, poverty, social stigma, etc. I mention my parents because they have demonstrated through their own unique experiences why education is crucial and essential to my success and future. One of the earliest memories I have of encouragement would be from my parents trying to make reading fun for my siblings and I; my mother would take us to the library almost every day in the summer during elementary school, we would pick out books and my father would challenge us to read each book and write a summary of what we understood, we were incentivized by the dollar he offered us for each summary presentation. This experience, among many more, is what helped me enjoy reading, writing and learning.

Another early memory I have of me becoming literate is story time circle in pre-k, I always looked forward to the teachers’ animated ways of reading the books and presenting the illustrations. I attended bilingual schools for most of my formal education, so the books we read were both in English and Arabic. This made learning even more interesting because I got to see similarities in both languages and the vastness of each as I progressed throughout the years. Through the stories we read, I gained an understanding of different cultures and perspectives, a bigger imagination, and learned how to read between the lines.

A challenge I faced from early on in my literacy journey and till now is writing, essays to be specific. I always dread having to write an essay or story, because I personally always feel either that I do not have enough to say or that I have so much to say but do not know how to properly articulate it in writing. The reason why I used the phrase literacy journey is because it is ongoing, I am still learning and trying to improve every day.

I feel privileged to be able to read and write and to have the ability to express myself in those ways. I enjoy hearing podcasts, reading, and watching movies and documentaries as a way to unwind after a long day. Reading novels and various short stories has turned into one of my favorite pass times in the past couple years because I realized that you are using mostly your imagination while reading, and I like that because it is easier for me to put myself in the place of the protagonist of the story. Reading a scene from a book also makes visualizing scenery and the overall atmosphere even more immersive because there can be more description in words.