My visual representation of my sponsors of literacy is representative of the impact that my family has had on my literacy. My aunt and my grandmother were big proponents of reading. My aunt would never say no if we were out shopping and I found a book that I liked. My grandmother and I share a love of reading in the bathtub. We both came from full houses and often the bathtub was the only place that we were able to be alone and read. I remember reading for the first time during the credits of the show Thirtysomething, my mom started jumping up and down and was yelling for my dad telling him that I had just read out loud for the first time. I also remember reading about Abraham Lincoln and the struggle that he went through in order to master his literacy. I knew that I was able to access resources that he had never had, so I worked really hard at my reading. I remember struggling with the writing aspect of my literacy, mostly because I would prefer to read than to practice my Palmer method writing. I would get in trouble a lot as a kid because when I was supposed to be cleaning my room or doing my homework I was usually reading something and avoiding everything that I was supposed to be getting done. It was really frustrating for my parents and my teachers because I never seemed to be focusing on what they wanted me to focus on.
As a result, many of my experiences with reading have been people trying to redirect me onto tasks that were more appropriate. My parents yelling at me about being in the bathtub for hours reading entire books, my teachers accusing me of not paying attention because I was reading along with the lesson, etc. But I think that the most important part is the fact that no matter what I’ve never stopped loving the written word. Reading is a critical part of my life, and I have my sponsors to thank for that.
