Guzman 1 Bruce Guzman Professor Rebecca Agosta English 1103 2/11/2014 The Journey of Literacy Born and raised

in South Korea, my literacy experience begins here. Even though I only stayed for six years before moving to America, it is here that I began to grasp the idea of literacy and what it means to be literate by learning how to read and write in Korean. But one day my mother tells me to pack all my belongings and that were moving to America. At first I didn't know what to think, I don't even think I had a response at the time. I just followed my mom and boarded the plane eager to see what this new life has to offer. Upon my arrival I was clueless as to where I was and what was in front of me. A whole new environment, all these faces that I've never seen before back home; I couldn't tell at the time but I was facing a culture shock. Entering America not even knowing a word of English, I had no way of communicating to others. I solely relied on my mother and step-father to do all the talking. After settling in a new apartment my parents began buying a plethora of books and study aids. Coming from Korea, the work load wasn't what intimidated me, it was the unfamiliarity that made these books so unattractive to me. So like most kids, I disregarded the books and tried "having fun". But I realized something, I couldn't talk to anyone, no one could understand me. So I eventually had to sit down with my parents and was forced to go through book after book, page

Guzman 2 after page, trying to learn this new language. I remember how hard certain words were and the level of difficulty is was; especially when my parents weren't even fluent themselves. A classic "blind leading the blind," but they were good enough sponsors that I could hold conversations and read quite easily after a while. Realistically my mother was being taught by my Puerto Rican step-dad, while she taught me what she learned, then we would meet in a group and go over our material. It was a simple and basic level of education but it cemented a base layer enough for me to enroll in a school and finally start learning.

Enrolling into elementary school was a huge step for me. I was confined to the safe borders of my parents and home up until now and never really had to be ashamed that I still had a Korean accent and problems with the language. But the kids at school weren't as accepting of my "indifference" and isolated me. Due to this I had to rely heavily on my sponsors (teachers) to help me. They saw how difficult it was for me to adapt to this new environment and really put in a effort to make me feel as welcome as possible. My instructor, Mrs. Capps even recommended an after school program for students who had English as their secondary language. This program really helped me with the little kinks in my literacy. Mrs. Capps was a great sponsor she was always there and willing to help. I remember trying to read Goosebumps and the Bernstein Bears but having difficulty with the text. Mrs. Capps would read slowly to me and taught me how to pronounce the words that I was having difficulty with. By the end of 5th grade, it was safe enough to say that I learned a new literacy.

Guzman 3 Middle school was completely different from elementary school. I didn't even feel like a foreigner anymore. I knew how to read and write fluently and my peers could understand me without any cultural walls or language barriers. Middle school was a very mediocre time for me. I didn't show a real commitment to school or to my academics. I became comfortable enough at where I was that I didn't think there was any more to learn. But as my first writing assessment came around I was disappointed to see a failing grade on my essay. I was so confused and disappointed at myself. Seeing my failing grade, my parents placed me in a writing seminar taught by a Miss. Steele. She had me write a couple of essays to determine what my problem was, and after reading them she was able to point them out. She notified me that my syntax was confusing at times and that I needed help organizing my thoughts and ideas in a more concise manner. Miss. Steele convinced me to plan out my paragraphs beforehand and to bullet point out specific details I wanted in that section. With this organization chart I was able to plan out what I wanted to say and saw improvements in my grades. I implemented this strategy every time I wrote a paper from then on.

Bridging from middle school to high school, I expected to refine my literacy skills and to become more literate in other fields but as I entered into the rigorous Advanced Placement courses I soon saw that I was wrong. Writing up until then was very smooth and original, it came out of my head the way it wanted to. I could write without any limitations, but AP Language put a hold onto the creativity and originality that my writing once revolved around. Mrs. Henderson, my educator, started to restrict the amount of time we have to write our papers. Coming from days of planning to 15 minutes of planning, I struggled to meet her expectations. Having incomplete pieces and an unsatisfactory grade, I went to her for extra help. She instructed me to

Guzman 4 do less planning and more writing. Telling me the obvious, I was puzzled as to how I was supposed to write a whole four paragraph essay in 20 minutes. Throughout the course we wrote around 56 essays, all for the purpose of increasing our writing speed. While I wanted to focus on the actual content, Mrs. Henderson was concerned about my ability to keep up with the rest of the class. One of my friends suggested that I do no planning at all and just begin to start freewriting. I knew this technique was going to fail because I tried doing that earlier in middle school but for the sake of my grade I decided to go with his advice. Surprisingly his method worked and I finished the assignment but I was confused to how a method that didn't work in the past, worked then? I soon realized that this was possible only cause I was becoming more and more literate in my writing.

Moving to the United States of America from South Korea was the literacy experience that defines who I am today. Without that one moment, everything about my life would've be different. This literacy experience opened up my life and allowed me to move to a completely new place and learn more literacies. Coming from a farm-based family and surrounding in South Korea to a American lifestyle full of opportunities; I would have never seen myself at UNC Charlotte 13 years ago. Even though I can say I have mastered that literacy that I struggled with so much in the beginning, I know I have much more to learn. Hopefully my literacy narrative can influence others to believe in themselves and to keep persevering no matter how difficult the road may be. In conclusion, without the experiences and struggles I have faced down the road of this literacy experience, I wouldn't be the same person as I am today.