Knowledge Is Power: A Literacy Narrative When I was growing up, reading was actually greatly encouraged in my family despite the fact that my parents are not very fluent in English. I think my parents want their children to be able to read well due to the fact that they do not want their children to be illiterate like themselves. My parents immigrated from Vietnam to the United States in hopes of providing a better future and life for their children. They believe that America is a land of opportunity and that their children would be able to accomplish much more than they did, especially in terms of literacy and education. By obtaining an education in the United States, their children would have access to the best quality of education in the world, and therefore, have the opportunity to compete with others in society for a career and better life. My parents strongly considers the fact that education is important for a person to obtain high levels of knowledge in order to become extremely successful. If I remember correctly, my dad was the person who motivated me to apply for a library card and borrow books from the library. At that time, he was enrolled in an adult education class where he was attempting to improve his English skills in order to get a GED. His teacher greatly influenced his learning abilities by having the class read books and write essays. The class was assigned book reports and other types of essay writings that challenge their ways of thinking and writing techniques. Of course, my dad was super fascinated by the stories he read and how the authors were able to come up with such elaborate and detailed pieces of writings. One time, he would talk enthusiastically about "The Lady or the Tiger" story, where the male character had to make a choice between picking one out of two doors. His fate would be determined by the choice he makes for a lady or tiger awaited behind the door he chooses. Since the author left the readers pondering about what was behind the door the man chose, many possibilities were available. This allowed readers to expand their imagination and think outside the box using the clues found within the reading. At the same time, readers could read between the lines of the story and
attempt to look for clues as well as other hidden messages to figure out the answer to the unknown discovery behind the door. Both of these methods to analyzing the book present the readers with a new way to think when they read something of interest. Due to the author's unique style of writing, my dad was intrigued and was willing to read more similar stories. Additionally, his curiosity for reading new books increased as he improved on his English and reading comprehension skills. Inspired by his own experiences in his adult education class, my dad wanted to share what he learned in class with the rest of the family. When my parents first took me to the library, I was overwhelmed by the number of books I could find in the building. I would assume I was around the age of six or seven at this time. The library was not so far away from home and was divided into two sections: kids and teens on one side of the library and the rest on the other side. The library was not very big in size, but the environment was quite cozy and roomy. Like a typical library, it was quiet except for the sound of people rummaging through books and flipping pages. I remember the children s section, located to the right when you first enter the library, had multiple low shelves unlike the left side. Additionally, there were small chairs and bean bags placed on a giant rug in the middle of the children s section for anyone who wished to sit down with a book and read. At first, I did not know where to start looking for books. I started looking at books similar to the ones my teacher had read to us in class such as "Clifford the Big Red Dog" and the "Berenstain Bears." I found myself borrowing those books and reading them aloud to my teddy bears at home, just as my teacher read aloud to us. At this time, I really liked to play teacher with my teddy bears, reenacting what I learned and witnessed in class. In addition to reading aloud, I also taught my teddy bear "students" other subjects that included the weather and the alphabet. After a while, I finished reading all the books in the series and slowly ventured to other books. I had a habit of choosing a book by its cover rather than reading the description in the back or skimming through the book itself. I tended to pick books with colorful covers or even pictures of cute animals. I do not think that habit changed until I grew older and
learned not to judge a book by its cover. Ignoring this saying, I chose ones that caught my attention as I searched through the assortment of books on the shelves. I would always try to find books with many pictures because they seemed easier to read and understand. I could just look at the picture after reading the written words to understand what the author was trying to say. By looking at pictures, I could fully and accurately picture the story in my mind, just like how the author visualized it to be. Looking back, I realize this method did not really benefit me as much because it limited my imagination and possibility of thinking outside the box. I was drawn to one specific perspective without having any room for other point of views. However, I slowly backed away from picture books as I progressed through school and entered higher grade level classes. This time, instead of borrowing books based on what I saw in class, I was influenced by peers and what they liked to read. I believe it was in third grade that my classmates started showing off that they could read chapter books with very little to no pictures at all. This was probably one of the reasons that I also did the same thing and went to the library only to borrow chapter books. I recall checking out books that were written as part of a series, so there were a list of related book suggestions at the end of all the books I read. For instance, the Animal Ark series not only have cute animals drawn on the cover, but also have many books about different animals. I was always intrigued by the title of the books because there was a play in alliteration which amused me and were quite clever at the time. During my years in elementary school, reading was widely promoted. Slogans such as "Knowledge is power" was said on the announcement every morning. The school even created a reading marathon activity in which classes competed with each other to see who could read the most hours each week. Weekly prizes could range from simple school supplies such as pens and pencils to bigger rewards such as personal pizzas or even pizza for the entire class. All the hours were recorded on a poster and placed in the cafeteria where everyone could see how much the school has read throughout the entire marathon. I believe it was my fifth grade year when I became super involved with the reading marathon. I
entered the mini contest in which students got the opportunity to design posters and give next year's reading marathon a catchy slogan. Every student on campus was then eligible to vote on their favorite entry. I do not remember exactly what my poster or slogan was, but I did win that contest. It was an extremely proud moment because I felt like I was in charge of that year's marathon. What was interesting was the fact that the school even ordered customized water bottles and bookmarks with the marathon name and slogan printed on the products. Reminiscing on my past literacy experiences, I feel like most of these experiences happened in elementary school. I was actively engaged in reading even to the point of creating reading assignments and activities for my sixth grade teacher. A group of classmates and I would read extra books and come up with questions for each chapter. Additionally, we would create crossword puzzles, word search, and board games for the book itself. I guess we would occasionally challenge ourselves by coming up with questions as we read. These questions could sometimes be general or require some thinking and understanding of the material being read. We did not get any extra points in class for working on this side project for the teacher; it was mostly for fun. I believe we did this for two to three books including The Black Stallion. These books could be found on the teacher s bookshelf and it was up to us to decide which book we would like to read and analyze. I remember that we even motivated some students to do the same thing as well and it became somewhat a competition between the two groups on who could come up with the best activities. This side project went on throughout the year and was not intended to interfere with our regular schoolwork. The teacher believed that this project would save him time if he decided to have the entire class read one of these chosen books because all the questions and vocabulary activities were already made. Yet again, reading was still highly encouraged after I graduated sixth grade and entered middle school. My middle school also had a reading program existing within their academic calender. However, what made this program different from the one back in
elementary school was the fact that no one was competing against each other. Students were pretty much reading for themselves and they could improve their reading levels by picking up more books. How did this reading program work? Students were all tested on their reading level within the first week of school in their homeroom, the first class you go to before attending all the other lecturing classes. In homeroom, students were expected to spend their time reading and taking comprehension tests on the computer after they finish reading a particular book. These books could be found in the school library and were entered in the testing system on the computer. Students were required to visit the library, pick out a book according to their level (reading levels are posted on each book), read the book and understand what they read, and take a ten questions test on the computer either in homeroom or in the library. Each book was labeled with its level as well as the number of points students could receive for answering all the questions right on the reading comprehension test. At the end of the year, students got the opportunity to use those points as currency to buy items at the bookstore. Compared to elementary school, everyone was not as competitive and read books according to their own pleasures. Other classes aside from homeroom did not implement reading as much and focused more on the standardized learning objectives. There were no more reading programs when I entered high school. I feel that the reading requirements decreased the longer I stayed in school. In high school, we were not required to go to the library to borrow books unless we need a book for our English class. Other than that, I barely went to the library during my four year of high school. I think the most reading I had done in high school was in my English class in junior year. We had a summer homework assignment where we had to read several books and write an essay or two. This assignment was due on the very first day back to school and it was mandatory to complete the summer assignment if students wanted to be enrolled in that particular class. Because I wanted to challenge myself, I took the Advanced Placement (AP)/International Baccalaureate (IB) English class. The teacher taught us different ways to analyze what we
read and helped us open our eyes and minds to various possible perspectives. The class began to understand every reading that was done in class like never before. If I remember correctly, there would be times when we had group discussions about a particular book we just read. The discussion was quite intense and focused mainly on the themes, symbolisms, and hidden messages. We even analyzed a selected passage from the book line by line, taking notes on the side as well as circling or underlining words and phrases. Aside from summer assignments and in-class readings, I did not read for leisure purposes as much as before. I only read books when I was required to do so. I think this was due to the fact that I took more classes, and therefore, had more homework and studying to do for each class. Time was limited during the weekdays and I did not want to spend the weekends indoors with no fun. This same way of thinking about reading carried over with me even after I transitioned to college. Once again, I have not been reading for fun and only read when I have to. However, this only applies to books because I still read things I find online such as news articles, emails, or any messages from my friends. Reading has become ingrained into the social aspects of life. I think I have done a lot more outside reading than I did in college so far. There would be times where I really enjoy scrolling down the Yahoo! homepage reading the titles of articles posted. Other times, I would be on social networking sites and read whatever others posted. The materials I read now, compared to the past, is extremely different. However, I would not say that I had fully given up on reading for fun. If I manage to find a text that is super interesting, I would consider reading it solely out of interest. I do not think one can stop reading entirely because reading is everywhere in life: advertisements, subtitles in movies, or even text messages. No matter who or where you are, reading will always be part of your life whether you know it or not. It could be said that my very first literacy experience began when I accepted and tried something new. By taking the opportunity and going to the library for the first time, I had created a new experience that greatly influenced myself as a person. My decision to go
to the library with my dad was an unforgettable moment because this particular event has shaped who I am as well as my literacy skills. It gave me a chance to expose myself to a variety of books that widened my level of curiosity and imagination. Although reading is very important, the level of encouragement appeared to decrease the longer I stayed in school. Reading became an activity that was done out of obligation and not social pleasure. I think the decline in leisure reading of actual story books is the result of the change in social media and advanced technology. Nowadays, reading books is not as common as reading online texts, advertisements, or personal messages. Reflecting back on the amount of reading done in school, it makes me wonder if schools should require more outside reading besides those assigned in class. How should education systems encourage students to read more without having them read only when they are required to? Additionally, is there a way to balance class and outside reading in order for students not to give up leisure reading?