My literacy story begins at home. My Mom tells me my first words were gagoo when my brother Mike came home from the hospital. Mom says I was interested in the names of people—Mom, Dad, Aunt Olga, Grandma, Grandpa, Willa—and those are the words I learned to say first.

I don’t remember specific events in my childhood, more impressions from when I was very young. I always remember having books. I love to read. As a girl I read many biographies of famous people written for children. I remember reading about presidents and other luminaries like Amelia Earhart. Their stories of growing up and being able to do amazing things in the world captured my imagination. I also loved to read fantasy novels. A particular favorite was the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I also loved The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings by Tolkien. Thinking back, it seems to be varied reading choices.

There were six children in our house. As a result, the volume was always loud and being able to articulate your needs verbally was essential. Talking was never an issue for me, at home. Mom and Dad expected us to talk to each other and to them. Mom and Dad actually listened to what I said. I think that attention really helps with your self-image and gives credibility to your spoken words.

I was the oldest, so I read to my younger sisters. My brothers did not sit long enough for me to read to them and we were just a year or two apart in age. When I was reading to myself, it was time away from the hustle and bustle of home.

My Mom saved a copy of Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates I had as a child. It sits on my son’s bookcase with one of my husband’s Hardy Boys mysteries from his child hood and David’s library of books. I have passed on the family tradition of reading to my son. I think that my parents really set all of us on the right course by encouraging reading at home. I have followed that with my son and with my sisters’ children. Books are always a good gift for the kids. I still enjoy reading to the kids. There is something very soothing about having a child snuggled on your lap and reading to them.

I remember the hustle and bustle of our house fondly. There were always kids to play with at my house. Our house was a haven from the outside—if you needed that comfort. At the same time, our house encouraged exploration of the wide world since you knew there was always a safe place to return after your adventure.

At school, I was the rule follower. I was an easy student. I was self-directed and curious yet polite. I was also very quiet, which my friends now would find quite humorous. I remember helping my 4^th grade teacher Miss Hottle set up her classroom for the year. I loved being at school and I was very eager to please. My favorite subjects were social studies and history.

I read all I could especially about history. Reading in elementary school was not a chore. I enjoyed anything to do with reading and then writing explanations about what I read. One elementary task that I remember with regret is a project to draw a poster to encourage reading. My creative talents were not up to the task. I remember my poster was hung initially, but was quickly replaced by a better product.

I always did well in writing at school. I think that is a function of all the reading I did. I think reading provides access to a varied vocabulary and good examples of sentence structure. Beyond the mechanics, reading teaches you what style of writing you like or don’t like.

Listening at school was also easy for me. Since I always wanted to please the teacher, I listened carefully and followed directions. I think that hearing teachers and adults has always been easy. Later, I came to the realization that my peers also had valuable information to provide. I think in elementary school, I tuned out my peers perhaps as a result of tuning out my brothers and sisters at times at home.

Speaking at school, when answering a question, was also easy. However, standing up to give a presentation was another story. I still remember the butterflies and dread of public speaking in elementary, middle and high school. I think that came from the fear of the reaction of my peers. I distinctly remember wanting to fit in and be one of the elite crowd at school. I never achieved that desire.

In college, we were required to speak in class frequently. In math, we had to present board problems and provide our methods for solving the problem orally. If you can brief a math problem, you can brief anything. Since everyone in class was required to present, we supported each other. I think that support enabled me to become comfortable speaking publicly.

In my former profession, it was essential to be comfortable speaking to groups and counseling one on one. I think that speaking to a group is very easy, but I like small groups best. In a small group you are more likely to have interaction. I do not enjoy sitting in an audience hearing the presenter read his or her presentation. I do enjoy asking and answering questions. I think that the interaction is where the learning occurs since all parties are actively engaged in the topic area.

Talking one on one has vastly improved my listening skills. When you need to meet the eyes of the person you are talking with, you really listen. My definition of listening has expanded to encompass the non-verbal information that every person provides. There is the tone of voice and tone of body language to read and analyze to arrive at the real message that is being provided by the speaker. Counseling is emotionally draining, but helping someone fix a problem is also very rewarding.

My favorite talking is sitting around over coffee or a meal and just discussing the news of the day and family events. In large genetic and chosen family groups, the ebb and flow of conversation is fascinating. Listening and picking the stream of conversation in which to contribute is a joy. Time with family and friends is time well spent.

Listening varies in each of the talking environments. My participation, or talking, also varies from environment to environment. In a large group, when I am presenting, I am most focused on my talking. When the audience asks questions, I need to remember to pause and consider my answer. I watch the questioner’s face and body language and then confirm I’ve answered the question sufficiently. I control the conversation when I am presenting.

In a small, less formal group, I listen more than I talk. I take notes and nod my head or affirm my attentiveness to the speaker. I can monopolize a discussion, so I really try to listen and contribute when I think what I have to say would be of benefit to the group. Part of this reticence is that as the senior person in a small group, if you talk all the time, the people around you no longer try to contribute. The tendency is to reaffirm what the senior person is saying rather than expressing your own thoughts. I know what I think, in a small group I want to hear what others think so all of us can learn and come to consensus on the next step or the outcome of the meeting.   In family groups, my listening and talking is equal. I bounce from conversation to conversation depending on who and what is being discussed.

In one on one sessions, like counseling, my talking and listening varies. There are times when all people need to do is have someone listen. No advice, no direction, the just need to vent or get their ideas out. In other sessions, people need to be told either the hard truth or have their decisions reaffirmed and supported.

My writing in the last six months has been prolific. I have written research papers, quick writes, awards, personnel ratings, business letters, business e-mails, personal letters and personal e-mails. While I read every day, I write only slightly less frequently. I have mixed emotions about writing.

While I do well at research papers, I procrastinate on the actual paper writing. Part of the hesitation I think is that I have lost my edge for research papers. It is a skill that I have not used since graduate school ten years ago. The thought of having to meet a basic page requirement is daunting. I usually struggle to meet the minimum number of pages. Having to find an infinite number of sources is not a problem, I even read all my sources. I like to think I am concise and to the point in my writing. That sound like a good reason to write only the minimum for a research paper.

Writing personnel ratings and business emails is another slow process. For the personnel ratings I am slow since I know the importance of what I am writing. My ability to accurately reflect the individual’s accomplishments in the style of their service, Army, Navy or Air Force, will impact their future careers. I take too much time, but I believe the product is the best that I can produce.

Awards, business letters, and business e-mails are easy to write. I take time, but it is only to ensure I am clear in what I say. If the item is important, I ask a colleague to proofread my work for clarity and errors. I also proofread the work of my peers, subordinates, and supervisors. I am complimented on my writing at work.

For quick writes and e-mails, I enjoy writing my thoughts. I do not have the dread I face when writing a research paper or a personnel evaluation. Personal e-mails and letters are my favorite. These are pure ideas with little need to censor thoughts or worry about format. I write e-mails daily as that is how I keep in touch with far flung friends. I also send cards with a short note frequently. While I enjoy the immediacy of email, I still think there is a certain thrill to getting snail mail. I still like to open my mailbox and find contents other than bills or junk mail.

Whatever I write, the process is generally the same. I identify what format is required. I gather the information needed to provide the facts for the content of the writing. If they are available, I review similar products to get the tone of the writing correct. Then, I sit down and write on the computer. Usually, papers are scattered about the desk and I can tell when I am almost done when my work area is clean. Once the draft is done, I print the paper and have it proofread.

My last written product before this paper was a business letter detailing the performance of one of my employees. I had been dreading writing the letter, since I knew that the letter would be contentious. This employee had not performed to standard during his last rating period. First I got a format and samples of the letter I needed to write. Then I reviewed the documentation of this person’s performance. After the review, I thought about what I wanted to say and why those points would be important. I took a deep breath and wrote the letter. After I finished my draft, I reviewed the letter electronically. I then printed it out and had my husband proof my work. I made the corrections and then printed and signed the letter. That process is my pattern for writing. Some of the steps are skipped if they are not applicable, like in less formal products.

My writing preferences are not related to my reading preferences. I don’t like overly formatted writing. I particularly don’t like having a fixed number of pages required. I’m not sure why, I can write to a format, but I just don’t enjoy the process of writing when there are too many rules.

REFLECTION:

I am lucky that I was taught how to write.  It is a skill that you use in many facets of your daily life--even in a technological age.  Your ability to clearly write your ideas is needed even if you are composing email or designing a web page.  Another important skill in writing is altering your style and presentation to suit your audience.  It doesn't matter how well a paper is written if the audience cannot understand what is written even if the paper is technically perfect. 

Last Update:  Tuesday, July 10, 2007

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