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Learning how to read

Name

Course

Institution

Date
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Learning how to read

Learning to read aloud was a stressful experience for me at the time. I had no idea how to

read sentences faster than my classmates. I could listen and observe how students construct

sentences from a picture in a book. During school conferences and awards, our teacher will

always choose the best students at communicating, reading, and creating sentences. I was a

terrified student in school because the only way I could read aloud was by slowly pronouncing

words. I used to live with my parents and two younger siblings.

My parents used to sell clothes in the street and make little money for a day just for us to

have dinner. My younger siblings had not started school yet; they used to stay at home by

themselves. I was the one who usually got home first since my school was not that far from

home, but my parent could go till late at night selling clothes. I remember one day, I escorted my

parents to sell clothes on the weekend, and I could tell how tiresome it was to beg people to buy

your product. People in my village were not that friendly. I saw my dad telling one lady in our

language, "Can you please buy my clothes, just one?". I could tell from the look on the lady's

face how disrespectful she was by throwing saliva at my dad and walking away. After a few

months of struggling in our village, we got a family green card to the USA.

I was excited to travel outside of the country because I knew the United States was a

country where anyone could learn English and understand things easily. I imagined life in the

United States would be like in the movies, where learning would be simple. We arrived in Texas

and were directed by one of my uncles, who used to live there. I stayed home for two weeks, and

my uncle found a school for me to continue my learning lessons just like I was in my village

home. I was so surprised to learn that American schools differed from ours. Starting from how

they are built and how students conduct themselves was utterly different. I arrived in class, and I
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was scared since all students were carrying their mac books, and I was the only student without

any. You can imagine how students walk down the hallway, all carrying mac books, and you

don't have any. Embarrassing.

Our teacher, Mr. Washington, came into class and started teaching English since it was

an English 101 lesson that day. I didn't know that students were randomly selected to read each

chapter as we continued with explanations later. I saw our teacher picking one student named

Eva to read chapter 2 of the book. Eva started," Communication and being fluent is the only way

someone can succeed in life…….". Eva was so fluent in the American accent, and I was glad to

hear her read like that. I wished it was me one day. Our teacher assigned us a presentation to do

in class one day, and we were all supposed to present in front of the entire class. I was terrified

because I knew the presentation day would be a nightmare. When that day came, I took the stage

and began presenting the readings I had found online. I took it one word at a time. I could hear

students murmuring and others laughing at me. One of the students spoke up and said, "Your

presentation is dull, and your reading abilities are poor! You must return to grade one and begin

again! ".

I was so shocked and stopped the presentation and went outside. I started crying, and one

of the school teachers found me. Miss Lara, I will never forget her name. She's the one who

taught me all the lessons and how to improve my English accent to be a better person in my

future presentation. One day, our school celebrated Thanksgiving, and our parents and teachers

from various schools were expected to attend. Each class chose one student to present something

interesting they have learned since starting school. I knew I wouldn't be selected because

everyone in my class knew. I couldn't read, and my ascent was sluggish. My parents arrived, and
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everything was in order. Every class began presenting one by one until it was our turn. The

student chose Eva because she was good at explaining and reading in class.

Since Eva was the one who was chosen, she stood up and started the presentation. Before

she could even finish, I was chosen to present instead, and that was when I improved my

confidence. This day of the presentation is the day I decided to open up my mind and talk out

loud to embarrass anyone who tries to bully my English at the moment. I want to say that I have

always known that my power of words and relationships will one day be mighty. I can't say it's

easy to conquer the bullying of not being fluent, but I can say that if you trust yourself and listen

to those who are willing to help, you will never fail in life. The day of my presentation was when

the power of words jumped into me, and I realized I could have good communication skills no

matter the ascent. If I can write my presentation and mean fullness to people in my school, my

written and spoken words will never go to waste again. If it wasn't for Mis Lara, who encouraged

me to read a different kind of book like harry porta, I don't know if I could have made it out in

my school that day.

However, the bullying that I received from my classmate during my first presentation

boosted my confidence level. They made me realize that even if my sentences were few, that Is

not the end of life. A few years down, I started receiving orders from different people to make

presentations and teach them how to boost their confidence level of being literate. Since that day,

I learned that even if my journey with my few words where frustrating, it turned out to be the

best moment in my life today. No matter the wrong way, a single word can be used and held

upon. Believing in yourself and having self-confidence will always be the key to an exciting

journey.
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Explanation paragraph

I have made some revisions to my long draft from the comments I received. Maddie

Caldwell wanted to know more about my family: my dad, mom, and my siblings. In the second

paragraph, I explained how my parents used to work to provide food for us. I also emphasized

Danica Tongo's comment that my last ending paragraph was touching and encouraging. The

comments I received from my peers have strengthened my narrative, and I can now tell how

excited I am to review them.