Running head: EDUC 340: LITERACY AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Literacy Autobiography
Marishel Diaz
Colorado State University

Part I
How you learned to read and write

Running head: EDUC 340: LITERACY AUTOBIOGRAPHY

I wish our brains allowed for us to have a perfect recollection of the past. I say this
because I, unfortunately, do not remember, exactly, how I learned to read and write. What I do
remember in regards to reading is that my school focused on reading and comprehension skills
quite a lot. During 1st through 5th grade, teachers always made us read out loud. They were very
strict about the pace we had to maintain when reading. As I recall these memories, I remember a
classmate of mine named Sebastian. Sebastian was always the first one to raise his hand when
the teacher asked who wanted to read. He would start reading, maintaining an excellent pace; not
too fast, not too slow. And, the most unforgettable detail of Sebastians reading skills was the
importance he gave to punctuation signs, specifically the comma. No matter how long Sebastian
had been reading outloud for, every time he encountered a comma, he would stop and tell the
whole class: it is key that we count up to three when see a comma because that way, we allow
ourselves to take a breath and continue reading at a great pace. Sebastian truly taught us the
importance of a comma.
Further, I remember that I was quite shy when it came to reading outloud in the
classroom. However, when I would get home from school, I would get all dressed up and play
teacher. I would put on my moms high heels, which were huge on me, dress like my teacher,
grab my book and begin reading outloud to my imaginary classroom. That was how I learned
how to read and strengthen my reading comprehension skills.
Writing, on the other hand, was a bit more challenging for me. Compared to my
classmates, it always took me longer to complete the writing assignments. Because of this, I
would always fear writing assignments. However, it was not until seventh grade, when my
teacher Jo Stein helped me overcome the fear of writing. The first day of class Ms. Stein said:
my purpose is to make those of you who hate writing, love it, and so she did. Ms. Stein taught

Running head: EDUC 340: LITERACY AUTOBIOGRAPHY

us that an essay was like a hamburger: the introduction and the conclusion had to be the most
solid part and the middle had to be the juiciest. It is unbelievable to think that today, one of my
majors, is literature and languages, and that I will have the amazing opportunity to help kids
overcome the fear of reading and writing as well as, help them discover the power that these
skills can give you.
Your school experiences with reading and writing
For some reason, I remember that I would start off every school year, with a lot of
insecurities regarding my reading and writing skills. However, as the year went on, I would
become more confident in my writing, reading, and comprehension skills. In fact, I became so
comfortable with reading and writing that I suggested to my seventh grade English teacher that
we open a magazine club. Ms. Laura Salazar strengthened my reading and my comprehension
skills. We had her class from Monday through Friday and, every single day, we were assigned a
reading that included up to 20 questions, which we had to answer in paragraph form.
Lastly, my high school experiences in regards to reading and writing were also
marvelous. In ninth grade I had Ms. Ilana Blatt as my English teacher. She taught me the
importance of keeping a journal and she also taught me that, in writing, there is no such thing
like perfection. At one point I became very picky with my writing; I wanted it to be perfect but
that stopped me from having a voice in my writing. Therefore, having a journal was key for me.
It freed me from being a perfectionist and brought me back to my creative writing. Further, in
10th grade, I had Ms. Tracy Contreras as my English teacher and Ms. Claudia Graf as my Spanish
teacher. Ms. Tracy encouraged me to take A.P. English and Ms. Claudia to take A.P. Spanish. As
a result, I read a lot of books that I never thought I would be able to, and I was able to deeply
analyze the theme of every single one. Literature became my passion and here I am today trying

Running head: EDUC 340: LITERACY AUTOBIOGRAPHY

to get my teaching licensure with a concentration in Spanish in order to expose others to the
amazing benefits and endless opportunities that being literate has in todays world.
How much reading you do
Based on what I have previously mentioned, the following statement might come as a
surprise but today, I read much less than what I did when I was in highschool. I think that this is
due to the fact that I am a triple major and I do not have enough time to read books that I am
actually interested in. I just read what I am assigned and to tell you the truth, I find this quite
unmotivating. In highschool, including my AP classes, we were assigned readings but we would
all, both the teacher and the students, explore, analyze, and discuss the text. In college however,
that doesnt exist. Professors dont work one on one with students or have group discussions
about the readings. Instead, they lecture on what they consider important and, in my opinion, this
puts the students at risk for failure. The absence of dialogue and democratic participation is
extremely unmotivating for students because it teaches the student to become an inactive citizen
of both the classroom and their lives. The students voices are absent; they learn to be silent and
unparticipatory. If professors offered more of a dialogical pedagogy, then students would be
much more motivated to read and succeed in their academics and their personal lives.
The genres of reading you enjoy
The genres of reading that I enjoy are Spanish literature of the Golden Age, English
literature, childrens literature and poetry. When reading literature, as well as poetry, I love
critically analyzing the text and finding literally figures. I believe that literary figures are what
make reading pleasant and appealing to all of the senses. They feed the imagination and allow
the reader to see and discover a unique yet extraordinary world. One of my favorite authors is Dr.
Seuss; I admire his ability to play with words and the wisdom that exists behind them.

Running head: EDUC 340: LITERACY AUTOBIOGRAPHY

How you feel about reading and writing

I love reading and writing because they are the gateway to success. Through these, one is
able to express feelings and communicate with others. The development of literacy is key in an
individuals ability to read and write. Without these abilities, a person is not truly able to neither
persevere nor succeed in society. We live in a world in which we are required to read and write
more than at any other time in human history. Therefore, I strongly believe that reading and
writing are the golden tickets to academic and personal achievement.
Part II
Make a statement of your beliefs about the importance of reading and writing
I strongly believe that reading and writing are fundamental skills and abilities to have in
todays society. Unfortunately, there are many adults, most of whom are parents, who do not
know how to read and/or write. This is terrible because not only is it sad that they are not able to
read instructions on a medicine bottle if they get sick but they also affect their children by
lacking such crucial skills. I think that in order to understand contemporary American education,
it is important to understand its history. Around the 5th century BC, Greece only allowed the
wealthy to have an education and, although some things have changed since then, I strongly
believe that the fact that the rich get the better, has not changed. Today, more than ever before,
the world belongs to the educated.
Moreover, schooling prepares students according to their socio-economic status. Those
parents who do not know how to read and/or write, are not able to find a job that allows them to
offer their children a competitive education. They are unable to place their children in a school
that gives their children the necessary tools to succeed both in their academics and their personal
lives. We cannot deny that the issue of segregation and inferior education still exist today.

Running head: EDUC 340: LITERACY AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Therefore, it is crucial that children learn how to read and write, so that they are able to succeed
in their future academic and personal lives and, in the later future, acquire economic mobility.
Explain why literacy skills are important to your particular content
Literacy skills are important to my content area, Spanish, for many reasons but mainly
because those skills allow students to communicate and have a deeper understanding of cultural
history, tradition, and language. Moreover, literacy skills in my content area enables students to
gain knowledge through reading, the use of media and technology. By allowing the student to
have a voice in the classroom, to inquire, and have a choice, the student will be able to
remember, understand, apply, analyze and evaluate the information from the content area much
better. Students will no longer have to sit through a classroom in which they only hear the
teacher speak. Instead, the students will form part of an interactive classroom that consists of a
dialogical pedagogy. Students will acquire key skills such as learning how to critically analyze
and evaluate messages that come from different mediums. Lastly, this will also help them in their
personal lives as we live in a society that is driven by technology and media.