Literacy Profile

As a child, literature and reading was not something that was valued in my household. Most children can remember their parents reading bedtime stories to them as a child, but not me. The only form of literature I received was at school and church. I cannot remember what it was like learning how to read or how long it took me. One of my earliest memories of literature was reading this Bible that was illustrated like a children’s book. I remember not knowing all the words, but do remember trying to make connections between the illustrations and the words. Fascinating how the mind teaches itself at times. Another childhood memory that is embedded in my mind was in first grade when my teacher did a thematic unit on the book called The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. My teacher, Mrs. Dunbar, made literature come alive. She made the room look like an ocean and hung fish and other ocean creatures around the room. For a week, all of our readings and activities were centered around the oceanic lifestyle. It was one of my favorite childhood memories and I learned so much during that time. After that unit, I saw reading as something much more engaging than my previous encounters. From then on, I enjoyed reading and would always try to make as many personal connections with the particular text that I was reading. It wasn’t until middle school that I became "too cool," for reading and focused more on sports and my social life. These distractions put me a little behind in my vocabulary knowledge which required me to work a little harder to stay on track with school and my peers. As a look back, I realize how different I felt about myself when I was actively reading and engaging in literature and when I was not. I was definitely more optimistic, outgoing and energetic when I read and engaged in a novel.

My most recent encounter with literature have been with the material I am forced to engage in. I have been engaging in textbooks, articles and websites centered around Special Education. I try to find time to read other novels outside of my major but can rarely find the time. Other than reading for school, I just make time for the word and Christian living books. It is extremely challenging to choose one piece of literature as the most significant literacy text because I have been inspired by many pieces. If I have to choose though, I would go with Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. This novel represents a perfect example of obedience to God and what unconditional love is.

I have never had a professor provide an insightful and entertaining description of their course. I was planning on dropping it because of a time conflict, but after reading the essay, I decided that it was worth the sacrifice. I am intrigued by Mr. Corrigan’s views on literature and how confident he is in the fact that everyone can appreciate it. I never thought about literature being so connected to the way of life and also categorized it as a subject that was disconnected from life. I am anxious to see how this course can help me experience literature in a new way.