MY INSPIRATION

By Mark Leaver

SELF-ASSESSMENT
I enjoyed working on this paper a second time
because I already had all the ideas down, so
this time around I just had to add to them.
Strengths: its well organized and answers all of
the questions in a creative manner
Weaknesses: visually its a little boring. It would
really use some more pictures

MY LITERACY HISTORY

These are some of

the books that I
have read and are
physical
representation of
my literacy history.

DEFINING LITERACIES

Prior to this class I simply would have defined literacy

as the ability to read and write.
Now, after are several classes I have come to realize
that literacy extends far beyond reading and writing
There are many different types of literacies; each
different in their own way
I would now give literacy a very generic definition, as
being able to be in a situation and understand,
process, and use the information that you presented
with.

BRANDTS DEFINITION OF SPONSORS

Sponsors of Literacy definition: any agents, local or distant, concrete

or abstract, who enable, support, teach, model, as well as recruit,
regulate, suppress, or withhold literacyand gain advantage by it in
some way (Brandt 407).

Brandts definition, while accurate, is very broad.

My personal definition only extends to a small
group of teachers and family that have impacted
my literacy.

MALCOLM X
Born in Omaha Nebraska in 1925
Orphaned as a child
Dropped out of school in 8th grade
His teacher said he would never make it
Learned to read and write
in prison by studying and
copying the dictionary

MALCOLM X LEARNING TO READ

While in prison Malcolm X became frustrated with his

own lack of literacy
So he took it upon himself to learn who to read and
write
He taught him self by reading and copying words
from the dictionary, after that he read everything the
library had to offer him
While a great and inspiring accomplishment,
Malcolm's sponsor (himself) held him back
Malcolm was limited in his view of the outside word,
so everything he read in prison, he read from a very
bias stand point

SHERMAN ALEXIE
Born on the Spokane Indian Reservation in
1966
He grew up poor and an outcast
Sherman learned to read by the age of 3
He learned to read though
Superman Comic books and
what ever he could get
his hands on

SHERMAN ALEXIE- SUPER MAN AND ME

Sherman first began to develop reading skills at an early

age by reading comic books and guessing at what the
words were actually saying
Growing up his family was poor; but his dad was also an
avid reader, so although they might have been short on food
or money they were never short on books
Shermans father was the sponsor pushing him forward but
his friends were the ones pushing him back. They never
wanted to try or be successful in school
Through all that he persevered. He knew his was smart and
he refused to give up on his dream of a better life

DEFINITION OF SPONSORS CONTINUED

Brandt states that sponsors can either support or hinder

literacy, I have encountered both types of sponsors
Supporters my family members were always the greatest
supports of my literacy. They were positive supports
because the encouraged my literacy even though there was
little benefit to them
Suppressors - many of my teachers as I got old actually
began to hinder my education growth. These teachers
began to limit my access different types literacy, in favorite
of a more narrow selection. They became negative supports
because they focused on our standardized testing abilities
rather then growing as readers and writers.

MY LITERACY SPONSORS
Mother
7th grade teacher
9th grade teacher

MY MOM
My mom is by far the person who is most
responsible for my literacy.
She read to me every night when I was little
She worked in a book company when I was little
so she was always bringing home books for me
to read
Got me hooked on Captain Underpants
She got me extra reading help so I wouldnt fall
behind in school

7TH GRADE TEACHER

Her class was always fun and exciting unlike
my classes in 6th and 8th grade
This made my experience in that class more
enjoyable and I was able to get more out of
the class as a whole
In this class I was exposed to both the Giver
and A Child Called It

9TH GRADE TEACHER

My freshman year literature class is a class I will
never forget.
My teacher, while odd and a little unique, was a
great teacher. He was always very engaging.
He was one of those people that really made
you stop and think about things; to examine
things and situations on a deeper and more
meaningful level.
He exposed me to the Romeo & Juliet, A
Separate Piece, and the Dead Poet Society

SPONSORS ADEQUATE?
Yes, my sponsors were more than adequate
Some students dont even have access to half
of the materials that I had growing up. I always
had something to read and access to a
computer growing up.
I was also blessed with good educators, who
actually cared about their students and wanted
them to succeed. I have too many stories about
teachers that dont care or hate there students.
So I am grateful I that, that wasnt the case.

LITERACY ACCESS YOU WISH YOU HAD?

I wish that I had more exposure to different types of

music and maybe a good music teacher growing up.
My sports literacy also needs some improvement, so
I wish I had access to a macho male figure in my life
to get me more interested in the plays and stats side
of sports.
I wish I had access to these odd literacies because I
feel that it would help me to make connections people
that I might not have to much else in common with

FREE READING BOOK

I came across The Giver in middle school
I liked this book because it was one of the
first school books that I found interesting and
actually wanted to read
Jonas struggles to understand society and
conform
These are both themes that I like reading
about and that we can all relate to

BOOK REPORT SUMMARY

Characters: Jonas and The Giver

Plot: Jonas lives in a world where there is no pain, no suffering, no
war but this perfect world comes at a price. There is also no color, no
love, no emotions, and no choice. As part of his job Jonas must receiver
all of the memories of the community from the Giver (the old receiver).
These memories expose Jonas to the real world, showing him color, joy,
love and lost. Jonas and the Giver are the only people in the community
who have access to theses memories. Jonas soon realizes at his
community is missing out on so much and decides to do something
about it.

Symbols: Baby Gabriel, he symbolizes hope and a fresh

start. The sled, represents escape

Themes: The Importance of emotion, with out pain there
is no pleasure

STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM NOW WERE HERE

As I mentioned my mom was the one that got
me into reading at a young age
Examining my timeline closer, I discovered that
right around middle school was when I began to
read adventure books, which I still like to this
day
As I grew up, the reading became more
structured and boring. I have my sponsors to
thank for that. They wanted me to learn how to
analyze text so I could do well on standardized
tests.

WORK CITED?

Brandt, Deborah. Sponsors of Literacy.

Writing about Writing: A
College Reader.
Eds. Wardle and Downs. Boston: Bedford,
2011. 406-26.
Print.