Reflections on Literacy

Inflation, inflation, inflation! A couple days ago, I got ground pork that was raised with no hormones and antibiotics for $2.99/lb. Ground pork is good for Lion’s Head Meatballs or Ma Pao Tofu, but the meatballs are easier to make. I needed some other ingredients: bok choy, ginger, and water chestnuts. I stopped in at 99 Ranch and Jusgo Supermarket on my way from school. At Jusgo, I got my ginger and guess what? Taro was cheap too! Taro pudding, taro with my meatballs. Bok choy was expensive at Jusgo and 99 Ranch was next door. I got the bok choy, but that could never have been 2lbs, the tofu was heavier. Oh, well! Extras for soup with Korean dumpling that I got on sale some time ago. I had forgotten the water chestnuts, but Kroger nearby had water chestnuts. Still about $2.00 per meal when I was done.

            We’ll Fly Away by Bryan Bliss is a book about friendship, child abuse, and how so many people look the other way. I remember reading somewhere, ‘God does not define us by our past, but the enemy will try to keep us there.’ We are not defined by one single moment in our lives. I think this book is about that too and so much more. In the book, Luke said that he and Toby never had a choice, but Toby could have chosen to go to Luke when he crashed the truck, he could have chosen to not go with Lily that day they played hooky, and he could have gone to Luke’s match instead of chasing after Lily. It’s a story about how we sometimes all reach that point when we just want to escape from it all – to fly away!           The story is narrated in the third person, but the author included letters written by Luke to Toby. I think the author wants me to experience what it feels like to lose your best friend and how we all nee...

When I read, I try to visualize what I am reading. If the text includes different personalities, it is a lot easier to see because it is like developing characters to cast in a movie. When I listen to the words, if they do not make sense, I would read it again until I can make sense of it. If it is something abstract, I would look online for someone else’s interpretation in order to get a better understanding.   It is easier to develop a relationship with characters in a text than with something abstract. Sometimes I imagine myself in the characters' shoes and what I would have done or if I had experienced something similar. I like reading texts that evoke emotion and those that are thought-provoking. Sometimes the thoughts can ignite knowledge and generate feelings. I remember reading this book, ‘Limitless Mind’ by Jo Boaler. There was a story in the book about Henry Fraser who was paralyzed from the neck down after a diving accident. Today he paints with his mouth. What he sa...

How does your current book travel around with you? What exact part of your backpack, pocket, purse, or whatever is involved? I mostly read textbooks and articles now for school. I do read the Bible in the morning after breakfast. I have it as an app on my iPad. My iPad usually stays at home because I need quiet time to read the Bible. What are the regular sections of your day? What little reading appointments might be possible in there? Most of my day is spent doing assignments for three school courses and cooking or doing other chores. Since most of my assignments involve reading, I try not to read when I get a break. One possible reading space would be when I am eating. What are some possible places for reading? How might different places go with different types of reading? Like what could you read on the bus, in bed, at the kitchen table, in school? What are the challenges about each of those places, and how do you deal with those challenges? One possible place for reading...

“Beep! Beep! Beep!” The alarm goes off. I have two alarms set so that I would have to get up and walk to turn one off. The other alarm is next to me, but do not ask me to explain that logic. I get up but it’s 2 am and my bed is beckoning me to come back. My neck and upper back ache so I procrastinate and go back to my warm bed, thinking just forty more minutes sleep. I already had six hours sleep. I used to get by on five hours when I was studying and even less when I was working. I go back to sleep, but forty minutes goes by fast. Again, I hear “beep! beep! beep!” So, I press the snooze bar and sleep some more. What’s wrong with me? I was more disciplined the last time! I wake up at 3:10 am. My neck and upper back still ache; I procrastinate a little; maybe a few more minutes rest would help with the pain; I am probably just hungry; then I tell myself, “The earlier I start, the more I can get done!” and so, I get up. Texas is experiencing a winter freeze. I remind myself of all ...

My secondary school literacy years were mostly negative. I honestly do not remember learning anything in those years. I remember two separate English classes; my teacher had read my essays out loud to the entire class. I remember the stories that I had written. I thought they were original and funny when I had written them. Initially, I thought that is why she was reading it and why the students were laughing but another student said that they were laughing at the mistakes. I remember feeling embarrassed because I had made mistakes. She never corrected my mistakes nor told me what I did wrong, so I never learned anything. Instead, I felt like I did not belong in that class; I did not like writing and I tried to avoid having to write anything. I wish if my teacher had given me better feedback to help me improve my writing. I believe this also negatively impacted my reading; I would take longer to read books because of my limited vocabulary and so I avoided reading as well. In secondary ...