Emma Caitlin Owen

Literacy Composition
R. Andrew Brown
UWRT 1103
I believe that literacy can be defined as: gaining a certain level of knowledge in a chosen
field, and being able to teach others what you have learned. I do not believe that literacy is
mastering a skill or subject, because knowledge is a continually growing thing; if somebody
knew everything there was to know about a subject, they would no longer have an interest in it
their curiosity would cease to exist. For UWRT 1103s Profiles in Humanity project, I chose to
look further into the literacy of counseling others by shadowing my sister, Ashley Owen Witt, in
her work as an elementary school counselor. Mrs. Witt fits perfectly into my given definition of
literacy because she has made a career out of consistently learning more about why people
behave the way they do and how people can treat one another better, and then passing this
knowledge down to children ages five to eleven, both through classroom lessons and one-on-one
mediation.
Growing up, my biggest hero was always my sister. Our twelve year age difference made
her seem superhuman in my eyes; she graduated high school as I was leaving kindergarten, then
went on to become a first-generation college student the first in not only our immediate family,
but our extended family. I found it difficult to cope with her departing for a life separate from my
own half-way across the state, or the world in my eyes. We grew up, albeit at different times, in a
household of alcoholism, abuse, and mental illness, all on our fathers side. Our mother felt
trapped by her circumstances. Although she was phenomenally smart, she did not continue her
education past the high school level, and instead made a living cooking at various
establishments, and cleaning lake houses in our tourist-filled hometown. She did not feel that she
had the money to support her family on solely her income, and so she stayed in this thirty-yearlong volatile relationship until 2011. I always looked forward to the times that my sister would
visit our home on her college breaks, because it meant that I had a protector and a confidant.
Although she originally went to college to study business, she returned less than five years later
to obtain a degree in counseling. She was then employed by her alma mater high school and,
subsequently, a local elementary school. The fact that she was able to use her less than pleasant
home life experiences to relate to and to help children in similar, or worse, situations, has give
me an even greater amount of respect for her. Because my sister acted as a personal counselor for
me, I wanted to gain a better understanding of how she does the same for others. I felt that
gaining a higher level of literacy in counseling would allow me to understand my own struggle
with mental illness.
I shadowed my mentor on two occasions, once on Friday, February 6th, and once on
Friday, March 6th. For confidentiality purposes, my shadowing experience was limited to
classroom lessons, with all information about one-on-one sessions coming to me secondhand
(with students names withheld) from Mrs. Witt. Although I spent roughly three hours with my
mentor on the first date and four hours with her on the second, I was only able to witness two inclassroom lessons due to scheduling conflicts on behalf of the teachers. The rest of the time spent
with my mentor was used to interview her about her experience as a counselor, and to look at the
tools she uses to teach children on a regular basis. On Feb. 6, Mrs. Witt taught a class of fifthgraders about internet safety and the lasting consequences of cyberbullying. Fifth-graders proved

to be a somewhat easy group to teach; they paid a decent amount of attention, but at times
seemed overenthusiastic to share their knowledge of the inner workings of the internet. On Mar.
6, I shadowed a lesson taught to first-graders about diversity and celebrating one anothers
differences. First-graders, although admittedly much cuter than their older counterparts, were
much harder to catch the attention of. Fresh in from recess, they fidgeted on the alphabet carpet
and frequently got off-topic. My favorite memory from this lesson is when a girl who was asked
to point out differences between herself and her classmates said, Some people have earrings and
other people dont have earrings, and I have earrings, and I lost the back to one of my earrings.
The students respect and admire Mrs. Witt, and are often eager to share their thoughts and
feelings with her a true testament to their trust in her.
When interviewing my subject, she said that most private conversations that she has with
students focus on personal problems such as divorce of parents, school motivation and behavior,
conflicts between friends and anxiety. When asked what the most difficult aspect of her job was,
she said that she had trouble with any situation she couldnt control. I cant change family
circumstances, she said. But, thats not to say that the job doesnt have its perks. For Mrs. Witt,
those perks include watching the students, and the relationships she builds with them, grow. She
also enjoys the small-town environment for the relationships that the staff is able to build with
families within the community, and the availability of resources.
I feel that I can use the knowledge obtained from this project to help better assist my
loved ones with their problems when consulted. I will always keep in mind the struggles that
others might be having in private that cause them to act out in public.