Amanda Rae Hensley's Weblog

Writing Down the Bones: A Double-Entry Log

amandaraehensley — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:33:10 +0000

The following is a double-entry log I made after reading Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones. I’ve chosen 20 quotes that affected me the most, either personally, or though some sort of connection as a writer or as a teacher. Most of the quotes I’ve included are inspirational and just good advice. I really enjoyed reading this book. I feel a very new excitement for writing. I hope this log will prove that to be true to my reader.

I don’t think everyone wants to create the great American novel, but we all have a dream of telling our stories–of realizing what we think, feel, and see before we die. Writing is a path to meet ourselves and become intimate. p. xii

This quote is really intriguing because I think it is so true for me. Certainly I do not want to write some magificent piece of writing–that isn’t really important to me. But I think I do have a dream of telling my stories–maybe only to myself, but I want to tell them. I can meet myself through writing, I can be myself through writing. It is a really important personal outlet for me in order to feel comfortable in my own skin.

Believe me, you, too, can find your place inside the huge terrain of writing. No one is so odd as to be left out. p. xiv

I love this. I think sometimes outsiders to writing look at the act as something alien, foreign, not for them. It is how I felt before Writing Project. This is silly now that I see it written in black and white. Of course I can write–everybody can! The terrain is big enough for anybody that wants to join in. That is just one of the beauties of writing.

I was a Goody Two-Shoes all through school. I wanted my teacher to like me. I learned commas, colons, semicolons. I wrote compositions with clear sentences that were dull and boring. Nowhere was there an original thought or geniuine feeling. I was eager to give the teacher what I thought they wanted. p. 1

This is so me! I mean, to a T! I was a teacher-pleaser and although I wanted to be creative and original, my fear of disappointing people outweighed that desire. I played it safe and stuck to the rules my entire life, even thought college. Now I am in grad school, and I am still inclined to “follow the rules,” especially on big formal assignments, but I am starting to get braver, little by little. It is something I want to continue as I continue to write. I want to take more risks. I want to be original and genuine. Always.

When you write, don’t say “I’m going to write a poem.” That attitude will freeze you right away. Sit down with the least expectations of yourself, say, “I am free to write to worst junk in the world.” You have to give yourself the space to write a lot without a destination. p. 11

One of my favorite things about Natalie Goldberg is her supportive attitude and helpful advice. I think part of my hesitancy to write is based on the pressure to write something “good.” I have always had this attitude with everything I’ve ever attempted: sports, hobbies, art, etc. If I wasn’t immediately good at it, I wanted to abandon it, so therefore, I was never very good at anything because I didn’t stick with it long enough to practice and get good. I wish I had seen this quote when I was 14 years old and playing softball. Now I write junk all the time–my school journal is basically ALL junk–and that’s ok with me. I’m actually just proud to have some junk to show.

Our bodies are garbage heaps: we collect experience, and from the decomposition of the thrown-out eggshells, spinach leaves, coffee grains, and old steak bones of our minds come nitrogen, heat, and very fertile soil. Out of this fertile soil bloom our poems and stories. p. 13

What a strange way to think about the human body: as a garbage heap. It ‘s so true though. Our life works in the exact same way as a compost pile. A bunch of junk and garbage can create something so wonderful and valuable. The junk, or course, doesn’t look very appealing, and it takes time to become useful. But when it does transform into something “fertile” it is real, organic, original, true. Thank God for the garbage of my life and for the garbage in the lives of other writers!

I feel good because I don’t care that she sees how I really am. I’m glad. I want someone to know me. We walk through so many myths of each other and ourselves; we are so thankful when someone sees us for who we are and accepts us. p. 18

This quote reminds me of Sacred Writing. Sacred Writing was such a freeing experience because, by the end of the summer especially, I was ready to write and read, no matter how embarrassing or silly or ridiculous or scary it was. Because I wanted people, people who by that point I loved, to know me for who I am. And I desperately wanted to know their true selves. I wanted to be able to connect on this personal level through writing.

It is important to have a way worked out to begin your writing; otherwise, washing the dishes becomes the most important thing on earth–anything that will divert you from writing. Finally, one just has to shut up, sit down, and write. p. 26

Why is this always true? I can’t tell you how many journals I owned as a kid. Guess how many pages contain writing: maybe 10 total. Even sleep appealed to me as a teenager when it was time for bed and I was trying to write in my journal. I do it now. The one place I don’t do it is at school. I always write when my students do. It is official “Journal Time,” so I don’t have an excuse and 25 6th graders are going to hold me accountable. I need to work on this when I am writing at home. I need to have something official to keep me going. Really, I need someone to keep me accountable. She suggests this later in this passage and I really think it would work for me.

Tell me everything you know. Don’t wory if what you know you can’t prove or haven’t studied. I know the fields around Elkton because I say I do and because I want to walk out into them forever . . . Own anything you want in your writing and then let it go. p. 31

What freedom! You always hear the advice: Write what you know. This is probably spectacular advice, but sometimes writing what you know seems boring, dull, dry. I like the fact that Goldberg gives us permission to write what we know, even if it isn’t accurate, or a great deal of knowledge. I also love the closing of this quote. To write something and own it and to let it go–this makes me excited about writing and about possibilities.

Every minute we change. It is a great opportunity. At any point, we can step out of our frozen selves and our ideas and begin fresh. That is how writing is. Instead of freezing us, it frees us. p. 35

I feel like this quote really goes hand-in-hand with the quote above from page 31. Again, it gives me a peace and a feeling of freedom about my writing. Change is something that scares a lot of people (including me) but it can also be so refreshing at time. So much of what Goldberg says is so obvious, but it is stuff I’ve never thought of before. I love the idea that I can write for a period in a certain way, with a certain voice, in a certain style, and then, on the turn of a dime, do the opposite! Begin fresh.

We are important and our lives are important, magnificent really, and their details are worthy to be recorded. This is how writers must think, this is how we must sit down with pen in hand. We were here; we are human beings; this is how we lived. Let it be known, the earth passed before us. Our details are important. Otherwise, if they are not, we can drop a bomb and it doesn’t matter. p. 47

What affirmation! My little old, mundane, plain-Jane life is magnificent. And worthy to be recorded. I have only begun to believe this since working with Writing Project. I always felt like I never had anything to say, nothing of any interest to any other human being. Now, I am beginning to see that my life, just the way it is, is worth sharing. I can tell my stories in a way that other people can relate or at least be entertained by. It is an important story because it is my story. It is important to at least one person: me. I don’t want a bomb to destroy it, I want to share it.

We exchane our time in life for money. Writers stay with the with the first step–their time–and feel it is valuable even before they get money for it. They hold on to it and aren’t so eager to sell it. It’s like inheriting land from your family. It’s always been in your family: they have always owned it Someone comes along and wants to buy it. Writers, if they are smart, won’t sell too much of it. They know once it’s sold, they might be able to buy a second car, but there will be no place they can go to sit still, no place to dream on. p. 54

This information is hard for me to digest. I totally understand what she is saying and I really admire her for adhering to this lifestyle. But for some people, it’s hard. It’s hard to separate yourself from money when it’s time to pay the bills. I mean, I love the idea. I love the idea of having no money, but having a place to go that my own. But on the other hand, our society is so money-driven, that the practical side of me would be like, “Sell the land!” When I started teacher, I was obsessed with it. I literally worked from 6am-10pm. I became depressed and extremely over-stressed. A counselor pointed out an interesting argument: He asked me how much money I made. I told him. He asked me how much of my time was worth that amount. I realized my $30,000 salary wasn’t worth working 80+ hours a week. It made sense. What Goldberg says makes sense. It’s just hard to digest.

As writers we are always seeking support. First we should notice that we are already supported every moment. There is earth below our feet and there is air, filling our lungs and emptying them. We should begin from this when we need support. There is the sunlight coming through the window and the silence of the morning. Begin from these. Then turn to face a friend and feel how good it is when she says, “I love your work.” Believe her as you believe the floor will hold you up, the chair will let you sit. p. 63

This passage reminds me of a Bible passage: Matthew 6:26: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Sometimes we forget we are already supported in ways that we can’t imagine, both in life by God, and in writing by the environment and our surroundings. We need to have faith in our writing and faith in our writing support system.

Learn the names of everything: birds, cheese, tractors, cars, buildings. A writer is all at once everything–an architect, French cook, farmer–and at the same time, a writer is none of these things. p. 78

Writing is such an interesting way of life. Or in my case, a hobby. It is a chance to live vicariously any experience I could imagine. All it takes is some research, some time, and some creativity and I can become anything: an astronaut, a leaf, Tuesday, a family, whatever. I can be everything, all while being nothing at all–just by being me.

We are all interwoven and create each other’s universes. When one person dies out of his time it affects us all. We don’t live for ourselves; we are interconnected. We live for the earth, for Texas, for the chicken we ate last night that gave us its life, for our mother, for the highway and the ceiling and the trees. We have a responsibility to treat ourselves kindly; then we will treat the world in the same way. p. 83

I’ve never thought about life in this way, but it is true. We are not individual islands. Life is an interconnected land mass that depends and is affected by the environment around us. We are not alone, even thought we might feel so occasionally. She says, “when one person dies . . . it affects us all.” I think about my grandfather’s sudden death. I changed after this event because the world around changed. I am still different and I will always be different. I am who I am because of where I’ve been, who I’ve known, what I’ve done, etc. I am not just Amanda Hensley. I am a part of the world. I am connected to everything I’ve touched.

But don’t worry. This isn’t your last chance. If you’ve missed the mouse today, you’ll get it tomorrow. You never leave who you are. If you are a writer when writing, you also are a writer when you are cooking, sleeping, walking. And if you are a mother, a painter, a house, a giraffe, or a carpenter, you will bring that into your writing, too. It comes with you. You can’t divorce yourself from parts of yourself. p. 91

Have you ever wanted to divorce yourself? I am. Natalie Goldberg says I can’t do it. She’s right. And I don’t really want to–that would be unbearable lonely. But what she says is true. You are what you write and what you write defines you, to some extent or another because it is an influence in your writing. I am a daughter, sister, friend, wife, teacher. This plays a part in how I write. If I don’t like it, that’s ok–tomorrow is a new day and I can start over and revamp how I approach my writing.

Take our another notebook, pick up another pen, and just write, just write, just write. In the middle of the world, make one positive step. In the center of chaos, make one definitive act. Just write. Say yes, stay alive, be awake. Just write. Just write. Just write. p. 110

Just write. Just write. Just write. I need to keep saying it to myself because, when it comes time to write, I don’t do it often enough, especially in my free time. The chaos of my life, the middle of my world always distracts me. Or I get lazy. This is why I love Writing Project. I love it anyway, then I love it even more because it is my “official” writing time. It is the place I know I can go to write, to say yes, to stay alive, to be awake.

Writing is deeper than therapy. You write through your pain, and even your suffering must be written out and let go of. p. 123

Sacred Writing, Sacred Writing, Sacred Writing!!!!!!!!! National Writing Project is therapy. It is a soul-searching, deep-thinking experience that will reveal truths you never imagined possible. It not only gives opportunities to experience this therapy, but it also shows you how, keeps you safe, teaches you what to do next. I learned that writing was therapeutic while I was an undergraduate student and it is something I’ve been trying to pass onto my students, especially those that seem especially troubled throughout my career. If you can write it, you can let go of it. Let go!

We have been taught to follow rules and never think about the value of the rules. p. 141

Why is this true? Oh yeah, it’s because I am a Goody Two-Shoes. If there is a rule, I am probably going to follow it, no matter how stupid. I hate this about me. And I really don’t think I can change it. It is programmed so deeply into my psyche that I don’t know if I will ever be brave enough to decide whether or not I want to follow a rule based on its value. My husband can do this. If there is a “rule” or maybe just something we assume we have to do, he honestly has no problem going against the grain if he sees no value in it. He is a good judge of whether or not it’s worth it. I’m not. I am a robot. I need to start thinking about my life, my “rules,” the expectations I have for myself and that other people have of me and look for value. I think I need to change some.

Be wiling to look at your work honestly. If something works, it works. If it doesn’t, quit beating an old horse. Go on writing. Something else will come up. There’s enough bad writing in the world. Write one good line, you’ll be famous. Write a lot of lukewarm pieces, you’ll put people to sleep. p. 171

Most things that are written are bad. Bad writing is a dime a dozen–there you go, a perfect example! I think right now in my writing, I am more concerned with just doing, not necessarily judging it. But I do think this is important for me, especially later. Especially when I want to go back and take something a step further, like maybe publication or sharing it with specific people. Right now, I don’t look back much. I probably should, but I seem to be like a horse with blinders. I just keep running with my pen. I want to remember this advice for the future.

When I reread my notebooks it never fails to remind me that I have a life, that I felt and thought and saw. It is very reaffirming, because sometimes writing seems useless and a waste of time. Suddenly you are sitting in your chair fascinated by your own mundane life. That’s the great value of art–making the ordinary extraordinary. We awaken ourselves to the life we are living. p. 172

Most people don’t know that I desperately want to be an artist. I want to be a painter. I want to make the ordinary extraordinary on canvas or wood or the side of a building or aluminum or paper or whatever. People that have seen my painting (and that is a very small number of people) know that I do not have the ability to make something extraordinary. I don’t know if I could even call my pieces ordinary. They are actually so bad, they are scary! But with writing, it is different. I may not write good most of the time, but I do have a life, I do have a story to tell, I am alive. Goldberg is right–that is very reaffirming.

Technology Questions

amandaraehensley — Sat, 16 May 2009 17:41:38 +0000

How do you use technology in your classroom?

I use technology in my classroom to some exent, but I desperately want to use it more. I wish my classroom had regular and reliable access to the internet. I’d LOVE to do blogging instead of traditional pencil and paper assignments. I think I would get SO MUCH MORE from students. I use my teacher laptop, my students have access to a laptop that they use for AR tests. We use the smartboard and and LCD projector, but I want my students to get to use technology everyday. I want it to be integrated into our classroom procedures and assignments. I know I’m dreaming here, but I think it would be so beneficial.

How do you use technology in your professional life?

Because I rely on technology to a huge degree in my professional life, I am not sure I could function as a teacher if I did not have technology. I use my computer for EVERYTHING! I make worksheets, write lesson plans, get online to find activities, lesson plans, texts. Without technology, I would know how to teach the way that I do now. I would have to relearn many of my strategies. I would be slow. I would be grouchy.

Conclusion

amandaraehensley — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:39:57 +0000

This project, although an excellent educational opportunity, has been a truly meaningful experience in my personal life as well. I have information from my mother and grandmother and I will forever treasure. I thought I know both of them so well, but from the interview questions I learned things I would have never thought to ask them about on my own. I especially liked learning about their experiences learning to read and write in school. They both knew me as a student, and it was really fun for me to get a glimpse at what they experienced as young students.

Throughout the semester I have been exploring my own literacy, and as fulfilling as that experience was, getting to put my literacy into conversation with my mom and my grandmother has been an even more powerful experience. When I think about my own literacy, I can see how how it was influenced by both of them.

One thing that I noticed when I look back over all three interviews is that my mother and grandmother seemed to have very similar experiences in education and experiences that were very different from my own. Neither one was pushed to go to college. Both left high school and began work and a family before returning for further education. When I graduated high school, there was no question as to whether or not I was going to college. My mother would have forced me to go if I hadn’t wanted to. Neither one of them were even encouraged to go. I suppose that times were just very different. It is interesting, though, that times hadn’t changed much between my grandmothers’ and my mothers’ generations, but they did change between my mothers’ and mine.

Another trend that I noticed among my family is that we all seem to have a true love of reading. I have always been a bookworm, starting in the 3rd grade when I started reading The Baby Sitters Club series and became hooked on reading. My mother, although she has never been a reader of novels, has always read a great deal–usually newspapers, magazines, and bible devotions, smaller types of texts. She actually reads more than her interview indicates. My grandmother has always read–she even says so in her interview. She and her family are “readers” according to her. And it’s true–I’ve grown up watching her read, reading with her, and reading her recommendations.

I’ve been exploring my literacy throughout this semester and I believe this final project has really helped me gain a greater understanding of who I am as a literate person. It has shown me where I come from and what my family background is in terms of literacy. A lot of things that I have known about myself to be true, for example, the fact that I love to read, makes so much sense now that I see it in context with my mother and my grandmother’s literacy history. Learning about their literacy, in connection to mine, has been an amazing experience that I will, thanks to this blog, be able to treasure throughout my life.

Discussion of Grandmother Interview

amandaraehensley — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:37:30 +0000

First of all, I have to say that interviewing my grandmother was an amazing experience. She is a quirky person, very witty, and getting to hear about her literacy history helped me to realize that she was always been that way. For example, when she talked about learning how to read See Jane, and having to practice it repetitively before going on to learn “See Jane Run.” She commented that some of the boys never even learned how to “See Jane!” This is an example of her humor.

Learning about the book that she wrote nearly broke my heart. She and I have always had a literary connection–we are the “readers” of the family. The fact that she would throw away her book before I had a chance to read it was heartbreaking! I thought I was going to cry when she told me she threw it away. She said that it was a funny book. I would have loved to read about her experience in beauty school. I still cannot believe she did that!

As my grandmother described her experience in education I immediately thought of Paolo Friere’s “Banking Concept of Education.” She kept saying that both her reading and writing education was repetition. She also said that she didn’t learn how to sound out words. Education trends have changed so much over time. I did learn how to sound out words, but I think even now that is no longer the standard teachers use to teach children how to read. When I think closely about how my grandmother learned to read, I can see how that method has translated into other aspects of her life. She is a very practical person–no frills. This is how we could describe her reading and writing education–no frills, very practical.

This might seem silly, but I thought it was hilarious that my grandmother said she didn’t have “overly sharp teachers” in her school! Most children think their teachers, especially their elementary school teachers, hung the moon, but apparently my grandmother thought differently. As I mentioned above, she has a wit about her that is quite humorous at times. I know that neither my mother nor I would have made a comment like that. Perhaps age causes you to share more truths that you would at a younger age.

It makes me sad to know that my grandmother’s health is keeping her from reading. I have watched her read my entire life–she influenced me to read. It is something that we’ve always had in common. Years ago, our family had a large garden, and we would all get together to work in it. She and I hated gardening, so we’d sit in a car with the windows down or in a lawn chair and read while the rest of the family gardened. When I was in middle school and high school, she would let me borrow her Stephen King books and we would talk about books we had both read. She used to go through seasons–in the summer she would read and in the winter she would watch movies. Now, she does neither as much as she used to.

Grandmother Interview

amandaraehensley — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:35:19 +0000

What is your definition of the word literacy?

Being able to read, and being up on some modern things.

Describe your experience of learning how to read and/or write in school.

We just used the method of using two little books and we just repeated. It was repetition and writing was the same thing. We had writing books and you learned by doing it over and over and over and over.

Who or what most influenced you to read/write?

My family were readers. So maybe my mom. And then my first grade teacher, Ms. Tennyson.

Describe any obstacles you may have faced in order to read/write or gain education in some way.

We never did learn how to sound out words. Other obstacles was probably because I was just fooling around. I never did get math well. I never liked it and I never got it. And we did not have, in the school I went to, overly sharp teachers.

If you attended college, in what ways did it affect your life? If you did not attend college, in what ways do you think it might have affected your life?

When I was young, very few women went to college. They just didn’t go because they were expected to marry and have children. I finally did go to beauty school and I liked it. But when I think back about it, that would not have been my first choice. When I was a kid I wanted to be a nurse or a school teacher, but that’s all there was for women—or work in an office. And it wasn’t easy to get in, except maybe nursing school.

In what ways have your reading habits and practices changed over time?

As I get older, I should be really into reading right now, but I can’t seem to concentrate. My hand is shaky because of my breathing medicine. Although I still like to read, it’s just harder.

Can you give me some specific examples of ways reading has helped you in your life?

I read for fun. It did help me through beauty school.

Describe a time from your life where you didn’t have access to reading materials you wanted/needed?

When we were in school, our libraries were so small, so each room kind of had a little library, so you did have reading materials, but you didn’t have much to choose from. You could go to Fulton to the public library and check out books there, but it wasn’t easy to get to Fulton.

What sort of reading and writing do you do presently?

I like scary, gory books. The mysteries. I wrote a book years ago and threw it away. It was about beauty school. I wrote it for my classmates. I took it and read it to them and we had a good laugh. Then I put it in a drawer. I found it recently and threw it away.

If you had to categorize the materials that you read, what categories would exist in your life (e.g. business, academic, religious, etc.)?

Fiction books (I read for fun, like Dean Koontz), I don’t like business at all

In what ways have you influenced other people in terms of their reading and writing?

Well, I helped all my girls with a little bit of it, but I probably didn’t influence anybody. Our first book was See Jane. And you read that “See Jane, See Jane, See Jane.” And then you moved on to “See Jane Run.” And some of the boys never did even see Jane. I told my grandkids stories and stuff. All my grandchildren I told stories to, and to kids at church. I tried to help my grandson Justin, but I couldn’t keep him off his head! I know now he had ADHD.

Discussion of Mother Interview

amandaraehensley — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:33:28 +0000

Because I know my mother very well, because we are close and because I spent the first 21 years of my life living with her, it was very difficult for me to interview her and not want to add things to her responses. She would answer the question and I wanted so badly to say, “What about this?” or “But you didn’t’ mention anything about that!” However, it was her interview and I wanted to honor her inclusions/deletions in the interview, so I didn’t say anything. I thought there might have been things she omitted intentionally, because either she didn’t feel they were important enough or because of her humble nature.

The text that most my mom’s interview calls to mind is Katherine Sohn’s Whistlin’ and Crowin’ Women in Appalachia. Like the women in Sohn’s study, my mother was a nontraditional student who went back to college later in life, having been married and with children (her children were already grown, I had actually graduated college before my mom began). It seems that the response from the women in the study match my mom’s response to the interview. She talked about how her self-esteem rose after her graduation. Also, the categories in which she grouped her reading also reminded me of the women from the study.

One thing from my mother’s interview, which might seem minor, is that she mentioned being left-handed probably played a part in her writing education. I am also left-handed, and I don’t think that played a part in my writing whatsoever. I think being left-handed was somewhat of a stigma when my mother was a student. I remember my 1st and 2nd grade teachers commenting about my left-handedness, but I didn’t learn differently from other kids, and my handwriting was just as good or better than my classmates. I think it is interesting that my mother mentioned this. Perhaps during her education, she did have to learn differently, or perhaps her teachers treated her differently because she wrote with her left hand. She has very nice handwriting, so I cannot say that it effected her negatively. I just thought it was interesting that she mentioned it.

Mother Interview

amandaraehensley — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:31:24 +0000

What is your definition of the word literacy?

I would assume that literacy is being able to read and comprehend what you read.

Describe your experience of learning how to read and/or write in school.

I can’t remember a lot about the process of learning to read, but I do remember the books—Dick and Jane and their adventures and I remember construction paper bookmarks that denoted the reading group you were in–the redbirds, the bluebirds. I can remember wanting desperately to be in the high group, and I was, but I don’t remember a lot about the learning process. Writing I remember more maybe in 2nd or 3rd grade, learning cursive writing. That was a challenge and it make me feel so big and I wanted my letters to be perfect.

Who or what most influenced you to read/write?

Probably my teachers and my mother.

Describe any obstacles you may have faced in order to read/write or gain education in some way.

My teacher discovered in 1st grade that I needed glasses. That was probably a hinderance to my reading until I got them. I’ve never been a very fast silent reader, and I think that has hindered me and discouraged me. I am left-handed, so that probably played a part in my learning how to write. Neither of my parents attended college, so when I was college-aged, that wasn’t necessarily encouraged and it probably hindered me from seeking it at that time.

If you attended college, in what ways did it affect your life? If you did not attend college, in what ways do you think it might have affected your life?

It effected my life positively. I have more self-esteem because of what I’ve accomplished by attending college. It’s opened up a world of learning I had never delved into before. I feel like I will probably be a lifetime learner now, continuing slowly but surely with higher education. Having gone as a much older adult, I think I have valued the experience much more than many young people.

In what ways have your reading habits and practices changed over time?

As I have grown my reading interests have probably expanded. I understand the value of learning, which comes through reading. I’ve never been what I consider an avid reader. When I was younger I only read what was required for school, very little reading for pleasure. Probably the main focus for reading through my lifetime has been the bible or books/articles related to it. I do enjoy reading when I take the time for it. I normally read shorter pieces like newspapers, magazines, small books and take-home papers from church. I know there’s a lot more pleasure out there in reading by taking the time to do it. When I entered college, there was a lot of required reading that I wasn’t used to and even though i dreaded tearing into it, i oftentimes really enjoyed the topics like economics and history. i found myself really enjoying those.

Can you give me some specific examples of ways reading has helped you in your life?

Reading is vital to everyone’s life. I can’t imagine not being able to read. What could a person do if they couldn’t read? How would they get by in the world. Reading has helped me grow as a person, raise a family, get an education, to be a working part of society, it has allowed me to experience God.

Describe a time from your life where you didn’t have access to reading materials you wanted/needed?

There have been plenty of quick times when I wished I had something to read, when I’ve been in the car or sitting in a waiting room or at a campsite and didn’t have the days newspaper yet. There have been times when I’ve read a good book and didn’t want it to end, maybe there was no sequel. I wanted more, but I didn’t have access to it.

What sort of reading and writing do you do presently?

Mainly my reading now involves the bible, devotion books, take-home papers, the newspaper, and whatever required reading is required for the college course I am taking at the time. I also enjoy magazines, cookbooks.

If you had to categorize the materials that you read, what categories would exist in your life (e.g. business, academic, religious, etc.)?

religious, academic, informational (cookbooks), craft books (d0 it yourself)

In what ways have you influenced other people in terms of their reading and writing?

I hope I influenced my daughters by reading with them and being certain they did their homework and their required reading. And I hope my life is proof of my bible reading by example. I hope I have influenced my sunday school class and my girl scouts over the years. I’ve always enjoyed small children, hopefully reading together was an influence in their life. Like, my nephew Wade and I have been reading Gregory the Terrible Eater.

Discussion of Personal Interview

amandaraehensley — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:29:05 +0000

Looking back at my own interview has been very difficult. It is hard to be objective when dealing with myself. I made my best attempt, however, and learned some interesting things. One of the major things that jumped out at me is that I am very lucky,have been very privileged. I had parents who wanted me to learn, who encouraged me to learn, and who instilled a love of learning in me. I know that is something that not everyone has and I am so grateful for that. Until this study, I hadn’t realized how lucky I am to come from a place where a supportive learning environment existed.

Another thing that I realized after reading my interview is that I am a really influencial sponsor at my school. Deborah Brandt’s definition of sponsor is “any agent, local or distant, concrete or abstract, who enables, supports, teaches, models, as well as recruits, regulates, suppresses, or withholds literacy.” Everyday in my classroom I am sponsoring my students, or creating sponsors for them in some way. It really makes me wonder: how seriously am I taking this job as a sponsor? It has made me think more consciously about whether I am enabling, supporting, teaching and modeling or regulating, suppressing and withholding.

Another really interesting thing that kept coming up in nearly every interview question is how hard I have pushed myself to increase my literacy. My parents must have instilled a strong desire to learn and to grow because it seems that nearly every interview question is answered by discussing my love of learning, my goals and my desire to push myself. I began trying to learn before I started kindergarten, in high school, I pushed myself in advanced classes so that I could graduate among the top, even now as I take masters classes, it seems as though I keep striving to be more, to do better, to gain education. Rereading this interview, I cannot help but think about my Defining Literacy Essay. In it, I tried to explain that literacy defined me–that I am who I am because of my literacy. I hear that ringing true in this interview. It is as though I tie my identity with my literacy–that they are one in the same. And apparently, according to this interview, that has always been the case.

Personal Interview

amandaraehensley — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:20:12 +0000

What is your definition of the word literacy?

Although I find this question to be multifaceted and complex, the simplest way in which I can define literacy is this: literacy is the ability to read and write in order to communicate with other people.

Describe your experience of learning how to read and/or write in school.

I started trying to read and write even before I began school. I had a Strawberry Shortcake desk/chalkboard when I was a young child; across the top of the chalkboard was the alphabet. I learned my letters here and would ask my parents how to spell things. When I started school and learned how to read, I remember practicing my oral reading with my mom. My first Reading book was called Dive In and had a dolphin on the cover. We had reading groups at school. I was in the red group, which was the highest group. I would have been embarrassed to have been in a lower group, which is silly when I think back about it now, but I can remember being really proud of my reading skills. I can remember reading in our groups–I was so impressed with kids who could read fast and annoyed with kids who read slowly. In 1st grade we did a lot of phonics worksheets.

Who or what most influenced you to read/write?

Although my mom definitely played a large part in influencing me to read and write, I was also very self-motivated. I have always been a perfectionist and this was true even when I was first learning to read and write. My mother stressed the importance of school and made sure we did our homework and did well in school.

Describe any obstacles you may have faced in order to read/write or gain education in some way.

Overall, I have been lucky as I have obtained education. As a young student, my mother helped me overcome any self-esteem issues that I faced while learning to read and write. I was a good student. During high school, my perfectionism led to a fairly large amount of stress as I worked for an advanced diploma. When college began, the major obstacle I faced was choosing a major. I did well in my classes, and I took a fairly large variety of courses, yet I was not especially interested in any one major. My biggest obstacle was choosing what I wanted to study.

If you attended college, in what ways did it affect your life? If you did not attend college, in what ways do you think it might have affected your life?

Attending college has basically made my life what it is now. I could not have my job without my degree (I am a teacher). The perfectionist inside me knows that I would be disappointed in myself had I not gone to college. My general self-esteem is rooted in my education–I am a school person. School is my strength. I am not mechanically inclined, I do not like gardening, I am not good at housework–I am good at schoolwork. If my degree were stripped from me, my life, both financially and personally, would be shattered.

In what ways have your reading habits and practices changed over time?

I feel like my reading habits and practices are constantly growing and evolving. Especially as I am working on my graduate degree, I can see my skills and abilities growing and sharpening. I am becoming a more careful and deliberate reader. I am reading more background information than before.

Can you give me some specific examples of ways reading has helped you in your life?

Reading is a really important part of my life. I am a reading teacher, so without reading, I would not be employed. Reading helps me with everything. I am not naturally talented in any specific area, so I have to read to accomplish most tasks: cooking, yard work, cleaning, laundry, teaching, using technology, etc. Reading is my lifeline.

Describe a time from your life where you didn’t have access to reading materials you wanted/needed?

I am incredibly lucky and blessed to have had access to the reading materials that I want/need. I’ve thought about this question for a while and I cannot think of a specific example to use in answering this question. There have been times when, using the university research system, I could not have immediate access to reading materials I have needed, but they have always been obtainable with a little time. Even as a child, I loved books and wanted many of them, more than I could afford. We always had access to school and public libraries, though.

What sort of reading and writing do you do presently?

I read a lot. I have to read for my graduate classes. These classes are reading-intensive. I also read about teaching. I try to read “teacher books” to help improve my abilities in the classroom. Since I am a reading teacher, I also try to keep up with young adult literature. This is my favorite genre to read. I LOVE reading Newberry books and books my students recommend. I also read fiction for pleasure, although lately, my pleasure reading has been limited due to time. I like to read magazines. I do not subscribe to a newspaper, but I enjoy reading them when I am at my parents or grandmother’s. I write every day. I keep a journal at schools along with my students, so I write for 5 minutes each period at school for a total of 30 minutes a day. I also write a lot during the summer through Marshall’s Writing Project Summer Institute. Most of what I write is reflective and/or creative. I also write technical papers for graduate classes.

If you had to categorize the materials that you read, what categories would exist in your life (e.g. business, academic, religious, etc.)?

Educational, Academic, Pleasure, Religious, Informational

In what ways have you influenced other people in terms of their reading and writing?

I sincerely hope that I have influenced my students in terms of reading and writing, especially reading. I hope that my love for reading, and my respect for literacy shines through to them and I hope they are better readers because of it.

Interview Questions

amandaraehensley — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:17:27 +0000

What is your definition of the word literacy?

Describe your experience of learning how to read and/or write in school.

Who or what most influenced you to read/write?

Describe any obstacles you may have faced in order to read/write or gain education in some milieu.

If you attended college, in what ways did it affect your life? If you did not attend college, in what ways do you think it might have affected your life?

In what ways have your reading habits and practices changed over time?

Can you give me some specific examples of ways reading has helped you in your life?

Describe a time from your life where you didn’t have access to reading materials you wanted/needed?

What sort of reading and writing do you do presently?

If you had to categorize the materials that you read, what categories would exist in your life (e.g. business, academic, religious, etc.)?

In what ways have you influenced other people in terms of their reading and writing?