Running head: UWRT 1104 Literacy Narrative

Literacy Narrative
Jaylaan Bennett
University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Author Note: This paper was prepared for UWRT 1104, taught by Professor Raymond

UWRT 1104 Literacy Narrative

Literacy Narrative
As I look back and think about how I learned to read, I have realized the individuals or
the technology which have helped me matriculate into the reader I am today. Growing up, my
teachers and parents believed a child has a right to receive an education in a safe environment.
My parents believed in this philosophy, so education came to be really important to me.
I began daycare at an elderly ladys home named Ms. Best when I was six months old. I
started to learn what letters looked like and I began to babble. When I asked my mom what my
first babble was she said, Jaylaan, the first thing you babbled was Dada and I did not like it!
My parents really helped me thrive into the outgoing, charismatic, and confident individual I am
today.
After daycare I went to a private school called V.V Reid for Pre-K and kindergarten.
While in Private School I learned phonics, letter sounds, and began to read. I progressed
relatively fast and I was on a higher reading level at the age of four or five years old. I then went
to Public School in first grade at Dutch Fork Elementary and while in class I would get into
trouble because I would finish my work and bother others around me. Mark Bauerlein on
Education Next stated, 47 percent of students claimed that school was boring and 69 percent
said that school didnt motivate or excite them. This is because at a young age some students
should have back-up work to occupy them when they are finished with one assignment to be
less of a distraction. I agree with this statement because I was the student getting into other
students work just because I was done with my own. After many parent teacher conferences and
talks with my mom, I finally understood I could not do this any longer. My parents bought me a
LeapFrog reading pad that summer and I thought I was the coolest kid ever because I knew
words from my LeapFrog stories my friends did not know yet.

UWRT 1104 Literacy Narrative

As an only child I would read with my mom every night because she believed being a
good reader helped many people understand and comprehend more. She would state, Jaylaan if
you know how to read, you will develop a mind that will always dream amazing things. Glenn
Davis from Learn to Read expressed reading is important because, it develops the mind.
The mind is a muscle. It needs exercise. Understanding the written word is one way the mind
grows in its ability. Teaching young children to read helps them develop their language skills. It
also helps them learn to listen. As a young girl I could not see the benefits of me reading
because I was very closed minded and thought as a child essentially. However, as I type and look
back at how far I have come in regards to me reading since I was younger, I can honestly say it
has been a long road.
After Elementary School I continued to grow as a reader and a writer. I remember the
first day of sixth grade when my English teacher, Mrs. Bullard, had us set goals as to what we
expected to learn in her class throughout the year. She gave all of us a sheet of paper and set a
timer for ten minutes. I began to think, What do I expect to learn? This thought ran through my
mind many times. Then, it came to me, I wanted to learn how to become a better writer. When it
was my turn to say aloud what I expected to learn, I stood up and began to say, This year in
Mrs. Bullards class I want to become a better writer. Mrs. Bullard responded, If you continue
reading and growing your vocabulary, and your word choice will expand and I will teach you
how to construct your sentences properly. I sat down, surprised she had a plan for me to achieve
my goal, then smiled with relief she could help me.
I understood the best thing I could do is learn new words daily. I would come home and
my mom would ask me, Jaylaan, what new word did you learn today and what does it mean?
This helped me excel, such as Mrs. Bullard predicted in the sixth grade. Just as Malcolm X, I

UWRT 1104 Literacy Narrative

was determined to achieve great things. He stated in his Literacy Narrative, When I had
progressed to really serious reading, every night at about ten P.M. I would be outraged with the
lights out. It always seemed to catch me right in the middle of something engrossing. Even
though Malcolm X was alive in a different time than I, we had a similarity. The both of us faced
racial discrimination. While growing up and still today I am always told I act white but I never
really understood what it meant until I went to high school. I am told this because I do not
submerge to the stereotypical standard of a black individual. I speak very intellectually and dress
in a proper way. Many believe this is not typical of an African American; however, I still do not
understand why because when I act the way I do I get told I act white.
I continued finding new words daily, until eighth grade. I made the Dutch Fork Middle
School cheerleading team. I slowly began to realize my writing was beginning to suffer because I
no longer did the things Mrs. Bullard told me to do. As a result, I did not do as well on my papers
as I did in the past and my grade in English suffered. This also could be because I received my
first cell phone in middle school, therefore I was easily distracted. Greg Graham stated on his
blog: Cell Phones in the Classroom? No! Students need to pay attention how students attention
spans are slowly decreasing because of the use of cell phones in the classroom. He states, Were
no longer suffering from an information deficit; were suffering from an attention deficit. I
agree with Graham whole heartedly because I am a witness to cells phones being a distraction.
I remember the night I brought my report card home after practice and I knew I was
going to get in trouble because I never made a C in English, ever. I walked in, gave my mom my
report card and sat down ready to get yelled at. But then I didnt hear anything. My mom didnt
yell, she just looked at me and said, What happened? I knew my mom was disappointed in my
C and I was disappointed in myself. I did not come up with an excuse to justify my C to my

UWRT 1104 Literacy Narrative

mom, I just said, I will do what I have to do to make a turn around. She looked up from
reading my report card and said You better and walked away.
Middle School tested my ability to have a social life, cheer and excel in the classroom. I
can honestly say Middle School was the hardest three years of my life. Reading is like cheering,
one has to go through every practice and struggle before they have a finished routine. Just as
while reading a book one has to read each page before they know the purpose of the story.
Between things occurring outside of school and managing what was happening in school I
almost lost my sanity. If it wasnt for my mom telling me to get it together that night, I dont
know if I would have turned my year around. After speaking with my mom that night I began
keeping a journal and writing again. This I tell you, is when I knew writing could be more than
just something I do in school. Writing at home was my escape from the problems in the world.
Have you ever sat back and thought about how different the world was when you were
little? I am sure an adult reading this would have a different answer than a teen reading this, but I
am also sure both can agree on one thing: Children today will never know what it is like to have
to stay outside until the street lights come on because they always have some form of technology
in their hands.
This also relates to me receiving a cell phone in middle school and the challenges I
pushed through because I was consumed with my cell phone. Currently, social networking sites,
texting, instant messages and others have taken the place of interpersonal communication. Many
people do not socialize face to face, they rather socialize through messages on a screen. A student
from Elon University did a study on how because of technological advances there has been a
drastic impact on the way individuals communicate. After much research Emily Drago stated,
When asked how frequently students use their cell phones, 60% of respondents said they use

UWRT 1104 Literacy Narrative

their phone more than 4 hours a day, with 18% of respondents admitting to more than 8 hours of
usage a day. Almost all students (97%) bring their cell phones or tablets with them every time
they leave the house and only one respondent said they rarely do.
Most teens today do not read as they did when they were younger (I know I do not). This
is not because we simply do not want to, it is because we feel as though reading is just not as fun
as it used to be. I can attest because when I was little I felt like reading allowed me to go into
different worlds and explore different adventures. Due to these distractions today we are always
checking our phones or social media to keep up with what is going on. If one thinks about how
cell phones have come into place and been such a distraction in classrooms, one would see how
throughout the past few years many limitations have been made about cell phone use in
classrooms. Also, at my high school, Dutch Fork, our school blocked certain websites on the WiFi, so students could only be on school related sites.
Times have really changed and due to technology continuously progressing, I wonder if
five years from now, will schools be completely technological? Many obstacles and events can
alter a person from becoming a strong reader, and from personal experience, I can say it is all up
to the individual and how he or she will overcome this. I continue to grow each day adding
another page to my Literacy Narrative, as Dr. Seuss says, Oh the places youll go, today is your
day! Your mountain is waiting. So get on your way!

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References
Bauerlein, M. (2013, September 20). Boredom in Class - Education Next. Retrieved from
http://educationnext.org/boredom-in-class/
Davis, G. (2014, December). Why Is Reading Important? Retrieved July 10, 2016, from
http://www.learn-to-read-prince-george.com/why-is-reading-important.html
Drago, E. (n.d.). The Effect of Technology on Face-to-Face Communication by Emily Drago
13. Retrieved July 12, 2016, from https://www.elon.edu/docs/eweb/academics/communications/research/vol6no1/02DragoEJSpring15.pdf
Graham, G. (2011, September 21). Cell Phones in Classrooms? No! Students Need to Pay
Attention - MediaShift. Retrieved July 10, 2016, from http://mediashift.org/2011/09/cellphones-in-classrooms-no-students-need-to-pay-attention264/
Malcolm X. (2016, June 7). Learning to Read. Retrieved from Smccd.net.