Sulak1 Nick Sulak Lynn M. Raymond English 1101 September 15, 01!

Re"lecting on past, Looking to#ard $uture %he to#n & gre# up in #as called $air 'a(en, Ne# )ersey. &t is a small to#n about one mile long by one mile #ide along the Na(esink Ri(er and about "i(e minutes "rom the beach. $air 'a(en along #ith the neighboring to#n o" Rumson is a pretty #ealthy community, a lot o" blue collar #orking men and #omen, many o" #hich either #ork in Ne# *ork +ity on ,all Street or commute near the city. -s a kid & had a #ealth o" opportunities and resources to e.cel and do #ell in school. My literacy narrati(e could be summari/ed into a "e# key times in my li"e. ,hen & #as (ery little maybe about three years old my mother, #ho is a ma0or contributor to not only #ho & am as a person but also #ho & am as a student, started reading me this book Road Builders, by 1. 2. 'ennessy. %he book turned out to be a great base "or me to gro# on. &n se(enth grade, my teacher assigned a paper and she helped me through the entire pro0ect. ,hile in grade and middle school & #as a boy scout "or my local troop and e(ery year #e #ould ha(e a "undraiser #here #e #ould go door to door, to people #e kne#, to ask i" they #ould like to purchase #hat #e #ere selling at the time. -s a result o" that e.perience & became more con"ident in my public speaking ability and no# & lo(e to speak in "ront o" groups. -s & matured and #ent o"" to high school the public speaking helped "or clubs and local to#n e(ents. 'o#e(er, #hile going into high school & disco(ered & had a comprehension de"iciency and it took me much longer than an 3a(erage4 student to read

Sulak2 something and understand the meaning. So & #ent through high school #ith #hat is kno#n as an &E5. My &E5 helped me still learn and gro# as a student but at my pace and #ith di""erent resources that helped me learn 6uicker and #ould retain the in"ormation. -ll these ma0or e(ents in my childhood ha(e shaped #ho & am and ho# & read and #rite and generate ideas. My mother started reading me the book Road Builders, by 1. 2. 'ennessy, #hen & #as about three years old because as a little boy & #as "ascinated #ith trucks, speci"ically construction trucks. %here #ere many days that & can remember #here & 0ust #ould sit in my tractor truck that my parents got me and look out at the street and see all the big machines that #ould dri(e by. So e(ery night she #ould read me the book be"ore bed, the book ne(er got old at least "or me, & could read it "or hours looking at all the pictures and see #hat each truck looked like and #hat they did. -s & got older & started to ha(e the ability to read the book back to my mother line by line out o" pure memori/ation. & #as still too young and trying to read it "elt "oreign. )ust like Sherman -le.ie #hen he #rote, 3%he #ords themsel(es #ere mostly "oreign, but & still remember the e.act moment #hen & "irst understood, #ith a sudden clarity, the purpose o" a paragraph47-le.ie8. %he moment #hen & could "inally put sentences together and make sense o" it all #as great. %here #ere some nights & #ould read it multiple times 0ust because & lo(ed the book so much. %here #ere some pages & #ould struggle #ith and my mother #ould be there to help me get through it but & #ould read it per"ectly in the end. Road Builders "or me #as a true stepping stone and has shaped me into the reader and #riter & am today because it is de"iantly the "irst book that & read and it #as my base "or e(erything else to be put on top.

Sulak3 &n se(enth grade, my teacher Mrs. &lliano assigned a persuasi(e essay paper. ,hen & got the assignment & kne# e.actly #hat & #as going to #rite about, #hen & #as in the "i"th grade & #as a (ictim to bullying and & "elt (ery strongly about ho# it should be stopped. & (ie#ed this paper as a #ay to e.pose my true thoughts and sho# #hat bullying truly is so & treated this persuasi(e essay as i" it #as an in"ormati(e article. & did research and took a sur(ey o" teachers "rom all grades #ithin the school. & e(en did some inter(ie#s, one teacher at my school 9r. -lston said, 35eople bully because they #ant to be popular, ha(e control or po#er, and to hide the emotions that they don:t #ant to let out, like being a"raid o" something47Sulak8. & dra"ted this article "or about "i(e #eeks and my teacher #as there e(ery step o" the #ay, & #ould go to my teacher to talk about it and to see ho# & could make the language stronger and more compelling. My teacher #as a terri"ic #oman and she ne(er once told me & needed to reconstruct my paper. She #as the teacher that did not grade my paper "or a certain style or gi(e me a set mold to "it into but she graded it "or strictly grammatical errors and content. $or the #hole t#o and a hal" months that #e #orked on the pro0ect & #ent to see her and sat do#n #ith her more times then & can remember. -t the end o" the paper, & #as e.tremely happy #ith ho# it came out and sa# ho# my #riting and my chose o" #ords had changed "rom the "irst dra"t all the #ay until the "inal dra"t. -ll those enhancements #ere thanks to her because she sho#ed me ho# & could change it and #hy & should not 0ust go "i. this and that and be done. Looking back on that assignment my (ocabulary, my grammar and my sentence structure got so much better. %his story has helped me in my literacy narrati(e because it #as a huge leap "or#ard in my #riting ability and helped me in my progression to become a better #riter. &" & #as to #rite this topic again & #ould do it in a heartbeat,

Sulak4 bullying still occurs today and needs to be stopped. & still ho#e(er #ould #rite "rom the perspecti(e o" a younger indi(idual so that the message can be heard "rom a younger audience e(en though & am much older no#. *et, & #ould still use mature and po#er"ul (ocabulary to push my point across. %echnology today has trans"ormed my literacy narrati(e because & am a terrible speller and #ith the ad(ancements o" Microso"t ,ord & am able to type an entire document and ha(e the ability to check my spelling at the end. %echnology became more in"luential to me as & gre# up because the ability to listen to te.t (ia (oice and not ha(e to read it #as a great in(ention. Me personally & had an &E5 in high school, "or me to read something it took me much longer than a student that doesn;t ha(e this disability. & also #ould not al#ays understand #hat & had to #rite about or #hat the story #as trying to depict and it #as (ery "rustrating. -s Malcolm < put it, 3,hen & 0ust skipped those #ords, o" course, & really ended up #ith little idea o" #hat the book said47Malcolm <8. *et, #ith the ad(ancement o" technology & #as able to understand the story and assignment i" & heard it out loud "rom either my teacher e.plaining it to me again or by listening to the book #hile & #as reading it. %here"ore, gi(ing me the opportunity to learn and understand the in"ormation and be able to apply it. 5ublic speaking #as also the same #ay in order "or me to speak to a group it #ould take me multiple run=throughs. 'o#e(er, i" & kne# the material and ne(er had to read anything & #ould do "ine. No# today & lo(e speaking in "ront o" groups o" people. %his technology has helped me again still ha(e the ability to gro# as a student and learn at the same pace as my classmates and bene"it "rom my education. My literacy narrati(e has been a""ected by only a "e# monumental e(ents in my

Sulak5 li"e. -s a child & hated reading and today still do, ho#e(er like most people #ho do not like to read you ha(e to push yoursel" that much harder. & #ill #illingly read something & en0oy but it takes more e""ort to read about other topics. Ne(ertheless, & am in college no# and this past summer & ha(e reali/ed & am going to be doing a lot o" reading o(er the ne.t "our years, so & should get used to it. Much o" the material & #ill not like but some & #ill, but as research has sho#n people #ho read more ha(e a #ider (ocabulary and & still #ant to "urther ad(ance my literacy narrati(e. %here"ore, & came up #ith and trying to achie(e my goal o" en0oying my reading and understand it. &t #ill ultimately help me "or school, as #ell as the "uture. ,ith that said & still #ill al#ays re"lect on #here & am and ho# & got here, that cannot be anymore accurate in terms o" my literacy narrati(e. %here"ore, & ha(e re"lected that the book & read as a child #as a great building block "or my essay in se(enth grade, #hich in turn both helped me get through high school and #ill e(entually help me get through college. Reading #as a struggle at "irst, my grammar #as terrible too, but like al#ays #ith time great things happen and you get better "rom those e(ents in your li"e.

Sulak6 ,orks +ited -le.ie, Sherman. The Joy of Reading and Writing, Superman and Me. +omp. 9onald Mc>uade. $i"th ed. 1oston? 1oston? 1ed"ord=St. Martin;s, 00@. 5rint. A!=A@ Sulak, Nicholas. B1ullying.B 10 Mar. 00A. MS. <, Malcolm. BLearning to Read.B smccd.net. Ed. Malcolm <. N.p., n.d. ,eb. -ug. 01!