Category: Student Posts

My first day of school, like many others, began with crying for my parents who left me in a strange place surrounded by other crying children. Over time, however, I and all the other crying children eventually caught on to why we were here. We had just begun our educational journey of learning many crucial skills that we would need for the rest of our social and academic lives. Out of all of those skills we would soon develop, the most important were reading and writing. Once these skills were developed, they would be used for the rest of our lives, whether it be to read the morning newspaper or to write our name at the top of an assignment.  At the beginning of my educational journey, the path to developing my reading and writing skills was not the smoothest. I entered kindergarten with no background experience nor knowledge of the English language. Having only ever spoken Spanish up to that point, I knew I would have to put in double the effort to develop these crucial skills. For most of my kindergarten year, I would practice speaking English to friends and family until I eventually got it down. After that I spent the next couple years of my elementary school learning how to read and write English. I was put down for every and any tutoring session taking place at my elementary school so I could have the maximum amount of support. Along with the frequent tutoring sessions, I was put in English as Second Language(ESL) classes where I was given extra support. As time passed, so did my comprehension of these skills grow, until eventually I was able to read and write just like my peers. Since I had to put in double the time and effort to learn a skill that came much easier to them, it created a sense of pride in my childlike mind. Despite having come into school greatly behind compared to other students, I had put in time and occasional tears of annoyance to have these fundamental skills I knew I could rely on for the rest of my life. 

Entering middle and high school, I held a sense of confidence and eagerness to put my reading and writing to use and expand them even more. As time passed, these skills were definitely put to the test. No longer was I reading picture books that consisted of a handful of words. Now I was diving into pictureless books that held what felt like obscure and complex meanings. I was expected to read passages that held meanings I couldn’t decipher and worse to write essays about that meaning. That once giddy and eager feeling that I associated with reading and writing was long gone. Now I was being presented with daily passages that felt indecipherable and a major hassle. Even so, I knew I could navigate through this new style of reading and writing with the right amount of commitment. I pushed my writing skills by digging deeper and picking out what the author of these passages was truly trying to say. After repeated effort, my reading skills developed a new perspective towards these passages. I now saw these words and stories as windows to different unseen perspectives. My understanding of what my reading and writing skills offered expanded from only being used to read or write children’s tales to articles discussing real world issues and passages that brought upon deep complex thoughts. Now I could use my skills of reading to deepen my own knowledge of real life situations. Even more, I could now use my writing skills to project my own thoughts and ideas of what I’ve read and express myself in a new productive way.  Now having a good amount of exposure to both fictional entertainment based stories and complex forms of writing crafted by researchers or poets, I use my reading and writing abilities to their fullest potential. In today’s age, where changes are happening all around us, I make sure to read and keep up with these complex changes and use my writing ability to voice these complex topics in hopes of educating those around me. The effort it took to develop the skills I have today has fueled my passion to use them to their best potential by reading relevant passages that allude to modern day issues. Through my comprehension of these topics, I not only educate myself but also those around me through my ability to express myself through writing. While my writing isn’t as complex or revolutionary as passages I’ve read, I use my ability of expression to share what I’ve learned of world history and matters to share and educate those who don’t use their reading skills to empower themselves.