Literacy Sponsorship
Since I was little, literacy has been a part of my life. Of course, at a young age, I didn’t realize it. My mother was and still is very religious. It was taught to me that reading your bible and praying every night was important and almost essential for a child of God and follower of Christ. It became repetition and when I was old enough to read on my own, I read my bible till I fell asleep. My mother also read books of my choice. Disney princesses, Dr. Suess, “The very hungry caterpillar”, “A bad case of Stripes”, and so many more. I attended Cason Lane Academy in Murfreesboro, Tennessee from grades K-4th. The emphasis on learning by reading was big at my school. My teachers taught me that reading grew your knowledge and ability with words. Reading helped writing. As a first-grader, I always hoped my mom gave me enough money for the book fair (she never did). Still excited about all the endless possibilities and anxious for my class’ time slot, the book fair tempted us kids and personally, made me want all of the books there. I don’t know if I can say I have that same desire for books now but I try. My interests in books have changed, my knowledge from literature has expanded, and my ability to write with literary devices has peaked.
My familiarity with literature began in middle school. Major papers, essays, journals, narratives. My experience with literature, however, began with my mother. This classifies her as my first literacy sponsor. Deborah Brandt defines sponsor of literacy as “any agents, local or distant… who enable, support, teach, model as well as recruit, regulate, suppress, or withhold literacy” (Brandt 73). When I was young, it was always a book presented to me and as I grew, I noticed the importance of literature through my mother’s work. She worked as a primary care pediatric nurse practitioner, including as the emergency department nurse manager for the Choctaw Health Center in Choctaw, Mississippi. Prior to her health care career, my mother worked as a detention officer for the Choctaw Police Department and as a Native Youth summer counselor in the Youth Opportunity Program for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. All the while she had a one-year-old, working two jobs and going to school. My mother holds an associate degree in nursing from Meridian Community College, a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Southern Mississippi, a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, and a doctor of nursing practice degree from Vanderbilt University. She is now the Nashville Area Director for a government agency called Indian Health Service (IHS), serving 36 tribes from the Northern Woodlands (Maine) to the Everglades (Florida) to the Gulf Coast (Texas). IHS is a federal healthcare provider for American Indians and 3 Urban Indian healthcare programs located in Baltimore, Boston, and New York. As a part of her job description, Dr. Cotton writes policies, procedures, grants, and budget allocations for tribes monthly. I have seen first hand how much literature takes place in a job like that. It takes a lot of writing skills to provide leadership of a comprehensive federal, tribal, and urban Indian healthcare system. With a background in nursing, she had to learn the different varieties of language to use. As a nurse, it’s essential to learn “Standardized Nursing Language” (SNL): “a commonly-understood set of terms used to describe the clinical judgments involved in assessments (nursing diagnoses), along with the interventions, and the outcomes related to the documentation of nursing care”
(kb.nanda.org).
The high school journey through literacy was four rough years of learning how to utilize my resources, cite, use of diction, ideas, themes, language, grammar, and style. Filling me with knowledge and new tools to write my own story and prepare me for the next level of writing. I distinctly remember sophomore year of English class, I was introduced to Greek mythology, the elegant language of Shakespeare, different styles of writing, and presentation. It was most useful when writing personal narratives. Those were my favorites. Capable to share my stories and experiences of life with others was the peak of my writing ability.
With this literacy experience from my mother highlighted throughout my childhood, I am grateful for the resources I had and have. With the struggles through my literacy journey, I feel as though college will give me that literacy freedom we all long for. The ability to express my thoughts, thinking, and experiences through literature is a big accomplishment and my journey isn’t over. I will continue to grow and learn. For me, literacy is a way of identifying and relating myself to others as a necessity for my future occupation and life. Literacy holds power.