Herman Amevor
Professor St John
05 September 2019
FIQWS 10103
Literature Narrative
Growing up in America, I was always exposed to words, sentences, and phrases that continued to enhance my understanding of my own literacy. Whether I was on the subway reading a sign or reading a label on the back of a doritos bag, I always took the time to analyze these words, sentences, and phrases since I needed to develop my reading skills in order to be a great student. Although I was able to view these words in my everyday life, doing so was not enough for me to be very efficient in literacy. Since I was always reading, I would often take my black pen to create journal entries based on the stories that I read from novels and other texts. I could almost remember reading all the words from my favorite book, To Kill a Mockingbird, and creating fictional short story based on the book. From that day forward, I transitioned into writing essays about the many books I read and composing my ideas based on the readings I had. It was simple enough for me to complete these writing tasks because I read alot and I continued to process these ideas in my brain.
It is often a requirement in people’s lives to have strong comprehensive skills because those skills are crucial in the personal lives of these people. When I refer to the personal lives of people, I mean how these literacy skills are required for people when they apply for job positions or complete different types of applications. However, most people do not realize that we are also required to be strong in our writing. Not only when we are just writing our ideas but also when we are using grammar when referencing our ideas. These beliefs about reading and writing skills are synonymous with the beliefs of professor Ellen C. Carillo. Carillio believes that reading and writing skills in young individuals is pivotal for them to be literate in their institutions. Although reading is an important expertise that students are expected to master in order to be very comprehensive, students can’t progress in comprehension if they have little writing skills. In my own experience, It was effective for me to be proficient in reading, however, if it wasn’t for my competence with writing, I wouldn’t be able to create those stories that I derived from reading. In her own essay called, “Reading and Writing are Not Connected” `she brings up various opinions about how and why reading and writing should be both interconnected as the same curriculum and be taught in cooperation with each other. In regard to her essay, “Reading and Writing are not Connected,” Carillo describes, “What is often neglected in these public debates about the best way to teach them is together. It is a bad idea to continue privileging writing at the expense of reading” (Carillio, 38). Therefore, Carillo justifies that is often prevalent in society that people may have one skill that they have mastered, but they may also have a skill that they use less. Carillo is suggesting that students should be required to be taught these skills as a parallel to each other because it may allow these students to be effective readers and strong penman. Additionally, Carillio explains, “language arts instructors now teach reading and writing alongside each other. They do so because research has shown that students learn to read and write better when they are instructed in both simultaneously”(Carillo, 38). Based on what Carillo had presented in her argument, if reading and writing are both taught concurrently to students, then, that will be a huge benefit considering the fact retain knowledge of these skills when they learn of them at the same time, they will most likely use them together to show how well educated they are. Honestly, ever since I’ve been in school, I have always been taught to write about a book either a book summary, report, and/or an essay on the book.
My reading and writing skills are very different from the skills of my mother. My mother was born in Togo, Lome, which is located in West Africa. Since she was born in Africa she didn’t receive much of an education in which she could have english speaking and writing opportunities. The way that she learned was through her own language, Ewe. Due to this reason, It may seem like I may read and write more proficient than her because I was born in America and had all the opportunities necessary to transform into a student who can read and write at a strong well. I had the opportunities like being able to take literacy courses and writing courses throughout the years that I have been at school. Having those opportunities has propelled me to have the craft of a student who could make something big of the forms of literacy I was taught in school. This wasn’t the same for my mom. Being in her native country had stopped her from having knowledge of literature. This experience is also similar to the experience of my dad. Both my mom and dad does not speak as much english as I do due to their cultural backgrounds. Similarly to my mom, my dad was born Togo and he didn’t have an education where he was taught concepts surrounding literacy. Since both of my parents never had the opportunity to establish their literacy, they gave me opportunity when they bought many chapter books for me to read when I was younger. Additionally, they enrolled in school that set me up to adopt the skills in literacy so I can flourish with these skills. I can honestly say that my parents influence on me was very effective. They paved a way for me to have a talent in reading and writing even though this opportunity wasn’t easy to get when you’re in a country unlike America.
Ellen C. Carillo, who had made the essay,”Read and Writing are not Connected”, has definitely made it clear to the reader that reading and writing are connected as she elaborates that that if one lacks a skill but masters another skill, they may not be accomplished in the tasks that they may have to complete. She continually reiterates that schools have to take many approaches to make sure that students are taught about these skills simultaneously or else they may be taught about half of what they need.
