Reflective Essay About Literacy

For most children, bedtime is the most dreaded time of the day. Putting their favorite toys away or ceasing to be amazed by the flashing screen in front of them is the last thing they want to do. But for me, I rushed into my Strawberry Shortcake pajamas, brushed my teeth and anxiously waited to hear my mothers’ footsteps coming up the stairs. I knew the second she walked in I would hand her the book that I had been gripping so tightly for the few minutes I had been waiting. Looking back on my earliest memories of literacy, I can honestly say that they are positive ones.

As a child, reading was an exciting thing for me, mainly because I was read to, and on occasion, tried to sound out a few words. My main literacy sponsor as a child was my mother.

I vividly remember my eighth grade writing teacher and everything she taught me. The main focus of the class was to express creativity and engage in intriguing and descriptive writing. The easy going and less structured environment in the classroom seemed to make me feel more comfortable about what I was writing. Speaking our thoughts and writings out loud was another part of the class that helped to build my confidence in my writing as well. Speaking was not my cup of tea and it was something I hated, but in the long run it helped me to become more conscious of what I had written. Writing something was one thing but actually verbalizing my thoughts helped me to get a feel for the tone of what I had written. In the beginning of the semester, I remember everyone having to read his or her paper out loud in front of the class. Ever since I was a little girl, I had always been very shy and soft-spoken. I sat with my sweaty palms clinched together and tried to control my breathing as my heart pounded more and more by the second. Once my name was called, there was a feeling of relief, but once I stared at the entire class my anxiety rushed back. Would my story be good enough to read out loud? What if they laugh at me? These are the questions that ran through my head as I prepared to read out loud. Surprisingly, with time, reading out loud became less and less intimidating. One reason was because

Whether I liked the subject of the paper or not, I tried my best to keep an open mind. Pushing myself was difficult but seemed to expand my mind and my abilities to write about things I had no prior information on. The more I wrote, the more I realized how real and terrible writers block was. It was dreaded and expected every time I sat down to begin writing. Once I realized how much writer’s block was affecting my work, I decided to take action. I began exercising skills such as eliminating distractions and taking breaks every half hour. Becoming aware of my troubles and making a conscious effort to change them improved my writing ability tremendously. As a writer, I feel that I have a responsibility to uphold myself to my own standards. Depending on these standards, this could encourage me to push myself harder or cause me to put myself down. It is important for me as a writer to learn how to balance myself and accept constructive criticism without getting