Campone 1 Rosemarie Campone Mrs.

Fuentes English 1101 1 December 2013 Literacy Memoir The textbook definition of literacy is the ability to read and write, but literacy goes way beyond just reading and writing. It can come in many different forms, like being able to use a computer or read and write in other languages. Even though there are many types of literacy, each is influenced by events in a persons life. A literacy event is an occurrence that becomes a turning point in your literacy; it inspires you to become more literate or changes the way you view your literacy. Every form of literacy that a person is capable of has an important literary event that changes them in some way. No one learns to read by themselves; they get support from the people around them. My mother played an important role in my literacy, as my literacy sponsor. A literacy sponsor is someone who is a recurring figure in a person's literacy learning, and usually benefits from the success of the person's literacy, either by repayment or by being associated with that person (Brandt 335). My mother would take me to the library when I was a child. She was very determined that I read. She even bought me the whole collection of Disney stories. These books were my prized collection for most of my childhood. When we moved to North Carolina, my mother still drove me to the library every week to get books to satisfy my growing craving for books. When I look back at the start of my literacy, I remember my mother because she took me to the library often. She also benefited from me being able to read. By reading, I would be able to go to college and get a good job. Both of these are possible because she taught me to read. I

Campone 2 would be able to understand advertisements and scams that are trying to trick me to give up all my money. Above all, I would not be an ignorant person when it comes to the world and other cultures. All these reasons given are why my mother decided to encourage me to read. As a literacy sponsor, my mother benefited from me being able to read and write; she did so by taking me to the library as much as she could. There are specific events in a person's life that can change their literacy. One of those moments for me was during the summer of my seventh grade year. Before this event I would have never considered myself an avid reader. I would read books that were assigned and nothing more. It was during this summer that my mother started to take us to the library again. During one of these trips, I picked up a book called Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples. It is a book about a Pakistani nomad girl, who was forced to marry an older man to solve a feud (Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind"). The importance of this book is that I read it in a day; it was that good. I even reread it a few days later, before I had to return the book to the library. I was captivated by the troubles that Shabanu had to go through. I was also fascinated by the Muslim culture that was portrayed in the book. It was not something that I was used to seeing or hearing about every day. That in itself was very unique. I found that I enjoyed the overall story in books, but also the experience of learning new things about culture, life, and other random information. I went to the library every week that summer, consuming as many books as I could, usually ten to twelve books at a time. I started to love books after that experience. My literacy changed that day. Whereas before I would read out of obligation, I now read for enjoyment and knowledge. This change was contributed by reading the book Shabanu. When I think about my literacy in reading, I remember the time that I read Shabanu. I considered this event very important because it made me want to read more. The book made me

Campone 3 want to learn about different cultures and different time periods that people lived in. Shabanu made me crave knowledge, like Malcolm X craved knowledge. Malcolm X wanted to learn African-American history, and the only way he could learn history was through books. This curiosity drove him to read more and more (X 357). Curiosity is something that inspires most people to learn to read. They want to learn about the world around them. When looking back at this event, I see the role that my mother played as my literacy sponsor. If she did not take me to the library that time, I would not have found that book and more than likely would still not like reading. Being able to read Shabanu very fast made me very proud of myself. This inspired me to read more. I wanted to get that same feeling after finishing another book. Due to my curiosity and pride, I began to read more because reading satisfied those feelings for me. Being able to understand and work computers is in itself a form of literacy. The definition of being computer literate is the knowledge and ability to use computers and technology effectively (Technological & Computer Literacy). Computers have their own form of language. This language includes how to properly connect a computer, understand software needed to help the computer to run, and programs found on a computer. This is a very important skill to have in todays society because almost everything is done with computers. As a child of this generation, much of my education relied heavily on gain computer literacy. I was able to connect my sisters laptop to wireless internet and to a printer, whereas my sister had trouble trying to find out where the password was to the wireless internet. When my sister got her laptop I had to teach her how to update her software to protect her computer. I also had to teach her how to remove programs that can disrupt the running of her laptop. Different programs, like word processors, website makers, video editors, and conversion of documents, all require a special insight to them. While in high school I took a position as a student media

Campone 4 assistance, and during this time I learned a lot about computers because I had to solve other peoples problems. During this position we had to do many different projects requiring different types of programs. We became literate in these programs, like website builders, video editors, and different presentation options on the internet. Not only did this position help with this, but my school itself. My high school was centered on technology, so we used a lot of technology in class, including Nooks and I-pads. I just recently had to learn HTML code to create a website. After quickly learning how to do it, I can understand the codes that are used to make websites. Unlike most people, I do not have the most common word processor, so I had to learn to convert document into many different programs for others to read them. All the word processors have many buttons to do certain special effects. Being able to use these buttons to get the desired effect is also being competent at computer literacy. Working as a media assistant and working with computers every day became events that help me become better able to work with computers. Computer literacy is a very important literacy that is needed in the modern world. In the modern world today, we have no choice but to become computer literate, not to be is like being completely illiterate. Most of everything we do today is with computers; typing papers, communicating with other people through email, buying and selling products, class assignments, and even finding friends is done through a computer. By being able to type with a computer is the equivalent of writing with pen and paper. Being able to navigate through software and web pages is like reading a book. In schools it has become imperative that students are literate in computers because 97% of schools in the United States have at least one computer in the classroom (Fast Facts). As a media assistant I greatly expanded my literacy with other forms of web tools. My job was mostly focused on helping patrons with internet problems rather than checking in and out books. This is the opposite of the traditional role of a librarian, whose

Campone 5 sole job was to help patrons with books. My librarian was another literary sponsor. She was very nice and an avid reader herself, so she really inspired me to improve my computer literacy. She was very knowledgeable in different technology that involved books, and since I love reading, I also enjoyed learning about the technology associated with it. The growth of new technology forces people to be literate in computers otherwise they will become illiterate by modern standards. Even being fluent in another language is a form of literacy in that specific language. A person can read, write, and communicate with others in that language. When I was young I liked to watch Japanese shows. These shows later inspired me to learn Japanese when I was in high school. Two years of my life was dedicated to learning Japanese. I became so fluent in Japanese that I can go through a whole class period, 90 minutes, without using English. I could understand most of what my teacher said in Japanese. One day I was cleaning and I heard a commercial where the girl was talking in Japanese. This was the first time that I subconsciously knew what the girl was saying in Japanese. I was so excited that I actually understood her. Even in college I could understand what other people are saying if they are talking in Japanese. During my trip to Japan I talked a lot to my friends and Japanese people. My friends and I were in a Japanese bath house, which is similar to a hot spring, where we had a full conversation with other Japanese women in Japanese. This was very fun and was the highlight of my trip, when I was able to use my Japanese to talk to native speakers of Japanese. Before we could go into Japan we had to fill out customs forms, in Japanese. I was able to fill out the form with little help. During the trip we received a lot of pamphlets in Japanese; it was a great feeling when I could actually read complicated Japanese. As of now my reading, writing, and speaking of Japanese is at an intermediate level. People who are able to speak, write, read, and communicate in another

Campone 6 language would be said to be literate in that language. Speech is a hidden part of literacy. Without it we would not be able to read or write. By learning a different language you see the connections more clearly. When I thought about my Japanese literacy I also included being able to speak Japanese. When we first started to read in English we were forced to sound out each word; in this sense we were taught English reading by speaking it. We had to make connections between sounds and letters, by translating written symbols into words (Lyon). The same principle applies to learning Japanese. The more I was able to speak Japanese the more I was able to read and write it. Being able to speak Japanese greatly influenced my ability to read and write in Japanese. People can be literate in other languages, for in each language there is its own reading and writing system. Unlike many European languages, which use the same alphabet as English, Japanese has its own alphabet system. While first learning to write Japanese you have to learn a whole new alphabet and grammar structure, which is unlike the English language. You even have to learn a whole new sound system associated with each character. Limiting literacy to just reading and writing is not accurate enough, for a key element in learning reading and writing is being able to speak. Literacy events play an important role in the development in each of the literacies that we are capable of. My major sponsor for my reading literacy was my mother. She is the one I remember the most when I think about my reading literacy. Like any modern day person, I am well versed in computer literacy because of the ever growing use of technology in society. I believe literacy should not be defined as only reading and writing, but also speech. Without speech people would not be able to read and write. Being able to understand a different language is also another form of literacy. No matter what type of literacy, people need it in order to be more productive individuals.

Campone 7 Work Cited Brandt, Deborah. "Sponsors of Literacy." Writing About Writing: A College Reader. Boston, New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2011. 331-49. Print. "Fast Facts." National Center of Education Statistics. Web. 21 Sept. 2013. Lyon, Reid G. "How Do Children Learn to Read?" Reading Rockets. Web. 21 Sept. 2013. "Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind." Barnes & Noble. Web. 21 Sept. 2013. "Technological & Computer Literacy." Computer Literacy: What Is Computer Literacy & Why Is It Important. Web. 21 Sept. 2013. X, Malcolm. "Learning to Read." Writing About Writing: A College Reader. Boston, New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2011. 353-60. Print.