I cannot blame my teachers, who were definitely doing their best to introduce their students to the great works of literature like Beowulf. However, so many of the texts they taught did not interest me. I found them difficult to comprehend and resented being told what to read. Although I persisted in reading and in developing my literacy, I ceased reading on my own. Mainly this was because I didn't have enough time to read what I wanted; I was too busy reading what I had to for class.
While I do appreciate the fact that I was introduced to Shakespeare and company in junior high and high school, I do wish that the material had been presented differently, perhaps in a similar way as I had been taught how to read in the first place: through pictures and other multimedia formats that would make the subject matter come to life. Also, I would like to see more English teachers encouraging their students to read and discuss works of fiction that they discover on their own. Even if those works are not considered high literature, they nevertheless contribute to a student's literacy because of sheer interest alone.
Finally as a senior in high school I encountered an English teacher who would impact me in the same way that my mom had impacted me when she read Dr. Seuss aloud to me at night. This English teacher had us read classics of American literature such as William Faulkner, and the writing exercises...
Moreover, she was highly supportive and complementary of all her students. We all participated in class and suddenly I found myself reading books with more enthusiasm than I had in years. I owe a lot to that high school English teacher for reintroducing me to my passion for the written word. In that class I expanded my mind through encounters with works of literature that I might have never discovered on my own accord.
Through my early childhood and adolescent experiences, I have learned that literacy development mainly depends on passion and interest, but that passion and interest can themselves be cultivated. Interest can be stimulated through inspirational role models such as my high school English teacher or a relative. For example, my aunt turned me on to many works of modern literature that she appreciated. She didn't need to poke or prod me; I simply respected her judgment enough to take on the initiative to read the same books she did. Gradually I expanded the types of books that I would read. I was no longer only interested in certain genres or certain authors but would and still do read anything, from science fiction to science fact, from crime novels to newspapers. Literacy remains one of the most important aspects of my life; it fills my mind with innumerable ideas, opens my life to new experiences, and helps me envision the world in entirely new ways.
