My literacy journey

 Hi! My name is Summer and I'm a ballet major and part of the Joffrey BFA program. I am in my second year here, and I am really enjoying NYC. I like to dance, go to the beach, cook, hang out with friends, play with my cat, and just enjoy my time in New York. I am taking this class because I enjoy learning and talking about the world around us. 

My journey with literature started around preschool and kindergarten when I enjoyed having stories and books read to me. I have always loved a good story, and my mom really helped to fulfill that, as she would often read to me and my little sister. Shed read us a lot of Little House on the Prairie, as well as The Berenstain Bears. Those memories are really special to me and I love that my mom was able to do that for me and my sister. However, when I started to learn to read, I did not enjoy the stories as much. Then and still now, I do not enjoy reading. It was definitely a struggle, and I did not feel literate (I probably was not). My early experience of learning to read and write was hard, I did not want to learn because it was very difficult for me, and my family definitely had to force me to do my sight words and reading practice. I was behind in my reading skills for a while, and it did not make me feel good. I just remember being teased whenever I had to read aloud. It probably was not until like fourth or fifth grade that I began to feel actually like I could read. It was not as difficult and I was more in line with my peers. Around late elementary school to early middle school, reading a writing began to feel a bit easier to me. I still definitely did not read for pleasure, nor do I know. However, in terms of classes, I could keep up with the reading a writing assignments. In high school, I figured out I could listen to the assigned readings, and now I try to do that whenever possible. It is much easier for me personally to listen to the book, even if it's a textbook. I still do not read for fun, but I will journal, listen to podcasts, and sometimes I will rent an audiobook from the library. What inspires me to read or write now is what I am interested in. I do enjoy learning about the world around me, and I try to immerse myself in that. 

Even though my journey with literacy is not the best or most enjoyable, I do think it is really important to be literate. Reading is an essential skill even if it is annoying to me. Just to move through the world or take the subway, you have to be able to read. I do wish that I enjoyed reading more, however, I find podcasts, videos, and audiobooks to be much more achievable. I also deeply value writing, it is such an important way of passing down thoughts and ideas. I also believe that writing is therapeutic and good for us to do. For me at least it's a really good way to process what happening in my life and in the world. Overall I do value the power that literacy gains, as it can enrich our lives so much.