Blog #5

Literacy draft.
This semester I feel I have to work very hard as a teacher, a mother and

especially as a writer. My first essay I'm going to write about "What's new about new

literacy narratives?" Truthfully I have never had good experiences with writing, so I

think it will be very hard to relate to the topic, but I will do my best to get an

average grade.

I can't contemplate my career as a teacher without reflecting on my years in

school and experiences in my life. After my family came to the United States, I made

a resolution for myself to continuing studying English language, American history,

culture. Adjustment to our new home was difficult at first, even at this time I was

able to talk, write and read a portion of it. It's like starting your life all over again, and

continue a new life based on your experiences and successes. Dear reader I want

to tell you one story that had happend to me. This was a good lesson and I remember

until this day.

It was the first day of winter break, senior year, I was so excited for the free-

dom. No school for almost two weeks. However the beginning of winter break

means report cards. My grades were average except for one, English, which I did

horribly. I don't know what happened. The class is just too hard so I received my

first unacceptable F ( "2"- the lowest grade, at this time, in the school system ).

I remember sitting in the living room waiting for the mail to arrive. As soon as

I heard the mailbox close I was at the door. The mail man didn't even make it down

the stairs before I saw it. My report card was right on top.

I had planned to take the report card and put it in my room until the end of the

vacation, but mom found every reason imaginable to look through my room. I could

never hide anything in there. So I had to tell them but how? Thinking about mom in

my room gave me an idea. If I could go up in the attic and find one of their old re-

port cards with a bad grade on it I could avoid the long speech about it ruining my

future.

Upstairs was a disaster. I found box after box of old toys and pictures but

nothing I could use, until I went in the closet. There I found all sorts of pictures and

little kid projects. Then I came across a smaller box that was filled with things they

saved that I did. Feeling a little nostalgic I browsed through my old papers. It wasn't

until I got to this letter that I remembered why I was upstairs in the first place.

It was in 4th grade when I started learning English language (til my senior year)

The class that I attended had thirty students,divided into two groups, helf of the

students took German and the other helf took English.I took part that studied English.

Mrs.Tamara a teacher of the English class was extra exceptional teacher with all rules

and expectations. I appreciate for all hard work of writing, reading comprehension

that she accomplished with us. At this moment I couldn't immagine that, how much

reading and writing was important to me. I couldn't realize myself going to the

United States where my grandparents lived.

Dear Dad,

Hey Dad did you notice something different? I am writing this letter

all by myself. That's right no, more letters from me in Mom's handwriting. In fact,

that is why it's been so long since I wrote you I wanted to surprise you with a

super good letter. Yeah I have been really busy learning to read and write. What

an adventure that was! I always see you and Mom reading, so when Mrs. Tamara

told us that we were going to learn I was so excited.

Man, it was hard work, you guys make it look so easy, just stare at a page

for a minute and boom you're done. The only time Mom has a confused face is

when she opens the bills, that reading must be really hard, I never want to have

to read a bill. I had a trouble because there is like a billion words, and those silent

K's and short a's all those rules! Lots of time I know what a word means but seeing

it is much different then hearing it, so Mom helped me every time I didn't know a

word she told me to circle it, and we looked it up in the dictionary. A dictionary

is the best thing ever, it has every word ever and it has pronunciations. That really

helps with the words that don't sound how their spelled. By that you can tell I am

not a very good speller, I mean why should it matter if you get it and I get it

what's the harm in dropping a few silent letters?

I finally got that reading thing down, I read every Bernstein Bear book out

there. Then I felt like I was back where I started when she introduced writing. I

was very eager to write so I could write you letters and you know how I love

to tell stories, Mom always says I talk a mile a minute; I couldn't wait to write a

mile a minute. First Mrs. Tamara made us copy words that was a piece of cake, I

know how to write all 26 letters putting them together was easy, of course my

handwriting is not as neat as yours but she said "practice makes perfect."

As soon we got done with writing words I thought that writing would be

just like talking but on the paper. Oh boy, I was wrong, turns out there is sentence

structure and parts to sentences! At first it was confusing I just didn't understand

verbs. If I can eat food isn't food a verb because you can eat it? But its not it's the

subject. I learned so much I thought my head would explode because my brain

was so big, mom says it never happens but I don't believe her.In fact, I measured

and my head got a half inch bigger.I'll keep measuring. Gotta go cant wait til you

come home.

Love Svitlana

After I read this letter I picked everything up and gave up on my mission to

expose my parents' bad report cards. I changed my mind because reading that old

letter reminded me what was really important. I realized how hard all those things

seemed so many years ago. I couldn't write a single sentence and now I had comp-

leted essay for the English class. I just have to want to learn as much as I did in the

past.

As a teacher today I'm experiencing what I teach my little ones is still relevant

and if the way I'm teaching it is engaging. My focus is to bringing out the true learner

in my students. Because within their lifetimes, their ability to learn will surpass their

need to know. I'm the most fortunate of all,who I am today. Each day, parents entrust

me with their greatest gift, their children. As a teacher, I have a past that is rich in me-

mory; a present that is rewarding, adventurous fun and challenging because I spend

my days with the future.

So I decided to tell my parents the truth with no catches, or excuses. If I told

Mom and Dad I am going to do better in a sincere apology they will believe me and

not punish me for my entire winter break.

It was inevitable my parents were going to get angry; however in the end I felt

better because I was no longer frustrated with my English class or school in any

matter. Since I knew reading and writing were mandatory abilities, I was determined

to master those skills. Now I look at each challenge and consider the accomplishment

as a mandatory part of my future.