Reflections on Literacy

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 ...

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, perseverance means persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. Why did I choose this word? I chose this word because it means more than just trying. It means making mistakes, learning from my mistakes, improving, moving forward, and achieving success. It means viewing difficulties not as obstacles but instead as challenges. Challenges are great - they force you to think and come up with a solution. It’s more than ‘not giving up’, it’s a belief that things will get better and yes I will persevere - I will achieve success. The glass is not half empty, it is half full! How does this word relate to my literacy journey? This word relates to my literacy journey because I never liked writing. I was made to believe that, I just was not good at it. So, I need to keep trying, believing in myself, and most importantly in God that success is possible. How will I keep this word in mind during the semester? Just beca...