Essay Sponsors Of Literacy Program

For the last 17 years my father has worked with nonprofits to bring education to refugee camps in the most forgotten places on earth. He goes where the most basic services that we take for granted are lacking. All his efforts are made under the premise that education is the most liberating assistance of all. This early awareness of the abysmal inequalities that exist in the world has profoundly influenced my character and worldview. I carried out a variety of service activities in high school, all focused on helping leverage educational opportunities. My volunteer work allowed me to put my

Let me begin by saying that my journey in literacy may be far different from others. Often times it based on the environmental influences and socioeconomically circumstances of a person’s exposure to educational institutions. My reflection does not look at these in determining my level of literacy and education, which have prepared me for Secondary Education. As Deborah Brandt defines in her article Sponsors in Literacy, “Intuitively, sponsors seemed a fitting term for the figures who turned up most typically in people’s memories of literacy learning: older relatives, teachers, priests, supervisors, military officers, editors, influential authors” (167).

When thinking about ones literacy, what first comes to mind is reading and writing, but literacy can cover many other aspects of life. It is usually not until a student reaches his or her college years that they realize they are “literate” in anything they are passionate about. This could include sports, technology or music because literacy is defined as “fluency in any given topic” (Writing about Writing 798). I am literate in lacrosse, a sport with rules and vocabulary that most people don’t know about and frankly I would have no idea about those things either if it weren’t for the people that helped me become literate in the sport. Sponsors of literacy often turn up in people’s memories when asked about how he or she became fluent in their

Literacy sponsors have played a big role in all of these people’s lives we have read about. The two I have found most significant was Malcolm X’s reading and the Sandra Cisneros reading. In Sandra Cisneros reading she found that literacy sponsors help redefine herself in her family. Cisneros also had conflicting inner emotions involving her dad. She was always introduced as the only daughter of six sons. Sometimes her father would introduce his children as seven sons. She found writing as a way to change all that. Ultimately she wanted his admiration and acceptance. Through her writings, she was also able to gain that support from her father that she has always wanted. With assistance from literacy sponsors, she was finally able to accomplish many things and overcome personal barriers.

People are exposed to literacy all throughout their lives through learning and experiences. The way one is exposed to literacy varies from person to person. In Deborah Brandt’s Sponsors of Literacy she states that literacy is not only the ability to read and write but also one’s ability to apply those skills to daily life. One gains much of their literacy through the different sponsors they experience. A sponsor is “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 by it in some way” (46). Throughout Brandt’s essay she gives examples of different types of people who experienced different upbringings with a variety of sponsors.

In the course of my time at Union County College, I was able to participate in measures that aided my community and those in need. I took part in the donation and creation of care bags which were donated to the Salvation Army. This initiative was made by AESNJ as part of their statewide drive to help those who lack the resources needed to obtain day to day necessities such as hygienic supplies, socks, tissues and other essentials. Additionally, I made a financial contribution which went towards aiding Syrian children. Helping individuals in need encouraged me to participate in Strides against Breast Cancer a walkathon which generated money for women whose lives were impacted by cancer. The financial donations assisted women who were unable

Jimmy Santiago Baca is a prime example of the impact that can be extracted from a strong and caring passion towards an education. Baca was passionate in learning how to read when he was in prison, and he eventually achieved that goal. With his passion fueling his career, Baca would go on to become a poet, writer, and education activists for diverse classrooms. Baca is fueled by improving the conditions of those who feel like they have hit rock bottom like he once was. Several books were written from Baca’s backstory in hopes that people would learn from his mistakes and lessons learned within his lifetime. One of the subject areas that Baca has spent a good amount of his life promoting and discussing is the importance of education. Baca wrote a collection of stories that showed his experiences where people attempted to keep him down, but Baca’s drive to continue to expand and learn prevented him from staying down. This collection of stories is called “Stories from the Edge,” and Baca decided to add something extra with this book. He decided to go into a classroom with diverse students and he shared his stories from the book in greater detail. There were open discussions with the students about how his stories related to the students lives. After the student group left, Baca met with the teachers that aided with the student interaction, and they discussed the teaching methods that fuel the students motivation to learn. Jimmy Baca clearly is passionate in aiding individuals

Celestine’s (pseudo name) school is located in the country side, on the sleepy town of Plant City, Florida. From what it looks like a scene from a children’s book, the main building sits perfectly between beautiful strawberry fields. Celestine’s school is Title 1 by cause of 88% of its students being on free or reduced lunch. The school has approximately 807 students, but its population fluctuates due to migrant and low income families attending. Plant City is known for its farming community and the Strawberry Industry, which it draws families to the area for seasonal work. The Elementary school serves pre K to Fifth grade students and has a population made up of 50% White students, 45% Hispanic students, 3% Black students, and 2% Two or more races. The school has a large ESE population which are served in both, self-contained classrooms and within regular education classrooms through inclusion.

I 'm currently serving as a 2013 Corps member for Teach For America. I joined teach for America because I believe in their mission that all students deserve an equal an excellent education. I also joined because they work with schools where students are growing up in poverty and low income communities; a resemblance of my past. You see, we become our worst critics and even the mir image of success vanishes when our thoughts become clouded with fantasies; imaginative thoughts of the impossible. I longed for success, making it clear that the riches were of no importance to me. To others it appeared that I yes she, is writing her own story; untold was the beginning.

For the past number of years, I have taken part in volunteer activities on my own, and as a member of the National Honor Society. Multiple times through the past four years, I participated in children’s holiday parties at my church. My main tasks were assembling displays and games, and assisting children who wanted to play one. I have also fundraised for many charities concerning life-threatening illnesses such as cystic fibrosis, cancer, and diabetes. During my freshman year, I completed nearly 25 hours of community service at Julia Boyer Reinstein Library. Besides restocking library materials and cleaning up around the building, I also assisted many people who were looking for certain items or had general questions. People from all different demographics and age groups visited the library and had an abundant amount of needs that I helped fill. Later this

An astronomer killed my religion. More accurately, reading an astronomer’s carefully chosen and thoughtful words changed my life forever. I was raised in a strict religious home in my early childhood. Both my parents were Jehovah’s Witnesses, and being the good Witnesses that they were, they often chose to shelter their children from the worldly influences surrounding them. There were many things in life forbidden to me, many truths locked away. Unfortunately for my parents, I’ve always been curious about the world and literacy was my key. It wasn’t until I was 13 years old when I first discovered Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space. Reading Sagan’s reflections on the world and humanity ignited something in me that had been smoldering for a long time; the idea that I did not need religion to find purpose and meaning in life, rather I must only look within myself.

In “Sponsors of Literacy,” Deborah Brandt explains how all of us are the beneficiaries-individuals, institutions, events, and ideas that make it possible for us to gain literacy or allow our access to literacy. Brandt’s main claim is that a person’s access to literacy is largely dependent on socioeconomic factors. Supporting that main claim, she introduces three sub claims: the first being that there exists a stratification of opportunity; those with wealth and social status; and those who are rich are more likely to be the beneficiaries of literacy development. On the other hand, those of a lower socioeconomic status, those who are ethnically or racially non-white, are less likely to receive the advantages of literacy development. Another

One of the initiatives that I am proud of is Kiducation. This is my drive to raise money to buy school supplies for underprivileged schoolkids in India. When I was in India I often saw kids whose parents lived below the poverty line (less than a dollar a day) walking to school with any supplies with them, mostly because they couldn’t afford basics like books, pencils and more often than not geometry cases. I also observed how we here in Canada often take these things for granted. Hence, Kiducation was born, both to raise awareness about every day third

Every year, Mrs. McIntire hosted a fundraiser to purchase goats and cows for the families in Kenya. Throughout the fundraiser, she would display photos of past recipients and those in need. Also, she would show us videos of their housing conditions and tell us stories of their hardships. My class raised enough money to purchase a goat, but I wanted to do more. Alongside a friend, I collected my children's books and hosted a book sale during

Service learning has given me the new opportunity experience helping others and including myself. I enjoy volunteer work because It’s a way of giving back to the community, but also I’ve become confident in public speaking. In addition, volunteer work is a great rewarding experience, and it 's also helped me develop social skills, by supporting others. The contribute can make a positive impact in many ways, Barack Obama said, “ the best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the work with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.” There are element that could promise will succeed in life, however, I believe to learn and discover. I will continue volunteering work whenever I can, and I strongly encourage people to join volunteer work because the meaningful impact the lives of their and help thousands of the students confront in reading. It was a great pleasure for me to contribute to the organization to the development of the community through Political Science class volunteering work. The impact that was able to make our community better future.