Wednesday, February 13, 2013
I am a terrible English Major..
In thinking about this literacy autobiography, I am flooded with old memories of how much I loved reading and writing. Especially reading. The word that keeps sticking out to me in these pre-writing activities is "escape". As a child I would wedge myself into the smallest of spaces to escape from my world and hop into someone else's. When I was scared or intimidated, I could always escape in a book. Unfortunately most of my reading experiences are daunting ones. There is always material that needs to be read, in a certain time frame, and it must be understood. My problems with comprehension became very apparent in high school during the standardized testing back in high school where my scores in comprehension were far lower than any other subject/area. Reading has become the opposite of an an escape for me, and sadly it, itself, makes me want to escape. I feel like I may be shunned for saying this, but I can't help it. I can't wait to be able to read the things that I want to read again. How do I go about writing this paper without coming across jaded? I want to go back and treasure those memories from my childhood without that plaguing feeling of what reading has become to me: a chore. I do still find some solace in writing because even if it is for school, there is still some freedom in it, which is the only thing that saves it for me. Help me!
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We all have these moments now. A master's program is intense, and you are definitely not alone in missing the simplicity of reading for pure pleasure. We all look forward to a cozy fire and a good book of our own choosing...with no pencil or highlighter carefully positioned close by.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa,
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone. I have struggled with academic reading all of my life. I am an avid reader of a variety of genres, and I can honestly say that reading is my favorite pastime, but I've always been a slow reader. I've been tested and my cognitive skills are considered normal, but when I read dense material that contains antiquated or unaccessable language I often have to read it more than once to gain even a semblance of understanding. It becomes very frustrating! So that I don't go insane, I allow a certain amount of time every night for pleasure reading, usually right before I go to bed. You are not a bad English major. I've heard you talk in class and you speak intelligently and you offer valuable contributions to our discussions. Don't be so hard on yourself. Many of the scholars that we read were writing to impress other scholars of similar intellect, not to us. It is the job of our professors to push us a bit further than we are ready to go, much like Vygotskys' Zone of Proximal Development, (the difference between what a learner can do without help and what she can do with help),which is designed to encourage individual development and learning. You are smarter than you think:)
Hi Alyssa,
ReplyDeleteI, like everyone else I'm sure, can relate. Maybe for your literacy autobiography, focus on a few of the books you read as escapes and talk about them. How they helped you attain that feeling. What was it about them that worked for you and held your interest? What did you feel you needed/wanted to escape from? These are my questions in reading and hearing your ideas, and I think they would make for an awesome ethos in your paper.