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Briana Pierre
Professor L. Wolcott
ENC 1102
30 January 2015
Literacy Narrative
Literacy, as defined in the dictionary is the ability to read and write. Although the
dictionary has made the term literacy to be straightforward, in point of fact, it is more complex
than what it is made out to be. Reading and writing serves a representation of literacy, but in all
actuality, it is an important and powerful skill one must possess for consuming information and
effectively interpreting that information to connect with the world around us. Everyone has had
their own unique experiences that have shaped them to become literate in the abstract world of
literacy. These forces as Brandt (1998) describes as literacy sponsors are any agents, local or
distant, concrete or abstract, who enable, support, teach, model, as well as recruit, regulate,
suppress, or withhold literacy - and gain advantage in some way (p. 334). Whether negative or
positive, these are what molds us to become the readers and writers we are today.
My reading/writing experiences date back as far as my 3rd grade year where the FCAT
testing which included the FCAT writes and an in-county writing assessment known as the Palm
Beach Writes centered around the way the skill of reading and writing was taught. The main and
central focus for educators was to teach material that would strictly be covered on these
standardized tests instead of implementing a widespread of subjects and the understanding of
those particular subjects. The critical scoring of the FCAT, which was based on structure
guidelines ultimately was the way to achieve a score of a 3 or higher needed to advance to the
next grade level. As I proceeded through the course of basic reading and writing, there is only

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one question that continuously lingered in my mind and that is, was being graded on a scale of 16 solely on the basis of structure, vocabulary, and grammar a fair analysis of my full potential as
a writer?
With a different perception for the concept of literacy, my once love with writing quickly
deteriorated to a strong dislike. The fact that I was being judged on my writing by a panel of
people who didnt care for the content of my essays, but only took a vast glance at my piece of
work to scrutinize major key points of the FCAT Writes such as the use of transition words, an
introductory paragraph, three main topics, and a conclusion made my desire to write almost
pointless. The standard five paragraph essay format also seemed to be useless because it was
made to be a solid foundation for writing when as a matter of fact proved to be a sold dream in
my mind. Without due regard to what I wrote on these essays, I did the bare minimum of what I
needed to pass due to the fact that it was more beneficial to those teaching me how to write for
these standardized tests than it was to myself, which negatively affected my ability to learn.
Entering the next stages in life known as high school, the FCAT Writes would not prepare
me for what is to come when taking courses such as Advanced Placement English Language and
Literature. Unlike all the other higher-level courses I had under my belt, AP literacy courses
required me to think more on a collegiate level where emphasis on reading/writing was placed on
knowing the facts on a specific style of text, and analyzing, interpreting, and figuring why these
particular facts mattered to the author. Building a connection with the authors style of text
without incorporating my personal experiences and opinions and focusing solely on
comprehending why the text was written, posed as a challenge in itself only because that
informal writing technique was what I was accustomed to.

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My frustrations with writing were not always negative but had some rather positive
effects on the way I viewed the art of writing as well. I particularly enjoyed when I was told to
free-write in class. This concept is what Brandt (1998) describes as a positive sponsor. I liked the
idea of expressing my own thoughts on a paper without criticism or obtaining a poor grade in
return. There wasnt a limit to how much I can write or what I can write about, as well as writing
without regard to grammatical errors or misspelling. It merely was a way of letting my thoughts
lead where they may.
The FCAT and the institution I attended to acquire the materials I learned to take and pass
this standardized test serves as a negative sponsor for me (Brandt, 1998). My outlook on reading
and writing and my lack of interest in these particular skills changed the aspect of what it means
to be literate. Granted, I was an avid reader but as I continued and progressed through school I
found myself scarcely picking up a book to read unless it was for a graded assignment. The
FCAT has taught me that there is not a norm to writing a paper which is what I learned and will
continue to learn as I progress through the genre of English. Now that I am currently a college
student, I can no longer avoid taking classes such as ENC 1101 and ENC 1102 just because I
dislike writing papers. I have attained that literacy will be a part of my entire life because the
ability to read and write is a skill that is needed for knowledge, a long-term career, and for
efficient communication. Literacy is extremely important in my future profession which is
nursing because the ability to read, document, and interpret data properly in a patients chart is
essential to their basic care.
Literacy sponsors and literacy institutions as Brandt (1998) mentions, acts as a
motivational guide to effectively incorporate the ingenuity of reading and writing to interacting
with our surroundings to the best of our ability. Regardless of any circumstances, there will

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always be a driving force behind the skill of literacy. As I develop through the skill of literacy,
reading and writing continues to evolve and that the term literacy itself is ambiguous. Instead of
the traditional book method of learning basic literacy skills, the use of computerized technology
supports and has influence on the way students absorb, process, and communicate information.
As an example, the tool of word-processing allows for the editing and checking of spelling,
punctuation, grammar in an easier and efficient manner to improve the quality of writing as
opposed to the long and messy process of revisions using a pen and paper. With the aid of spell
check, I can edit fragmented sentences to enhance the flow of my essays.
My goal is to be able to accept the fact that there is not a clear-cut definition on what it
means to be literate. As a reader and writer today, I believe that my literacy skills has improved
in such a way that I particularly enjoyed writing this literacy narrative instead of complaining
and Christmas-Treeing my way through it as I normally would. I have detected my weaknesses
and strengths to further improve the quality of my work in the future. Our experiences in literacy
will grow and we as individuals will progress in the development of literacy as well.

Works Cited

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Brandt, Deborah. Sponsors of Literacy. College Composition and Communication, Vol. 49,
No.2 (1998): pp. 165-185. Print.