A BOAT in the WIND --My Literacy Autobiography

[Ruotong Z.]

How time flies! That little girl who only knew to cry already became more mature. Her understanding of literacy changed from the thought to the ability that read deeper, write more coherently and speak more correctly. From childhood to young adulthood, reading and writing are essential parts of her life. Even now, she still insists doing these things. That girl is me.
As I was a little girl, what book I first owned is Xinhua Dictionary. It’s a gift from my father. At the same time, he bought a book which about some diaries written by other children to teach me how to write a diary. However, I couldn’t even understand them! How could I write one? For certain, my father didn’t forget to teach me how to use the dictionary. With his explanation and the dictionary, I understood the book quickly and wrote my diaries every day. Actually, the diary is a good assistant for my writing skills.
My first formal composition——which I remembered in my third grade——was an assignment named ‘my father’ Of course the teacher asked us to complete it in a simple way and said did not worry about it. It’s an opportunity for us to show our ability. You know, children are competitive, so all of us tried our best to do this job. Finally, though this way we knew how to simply perform portraiture.
I switched school in the fourth grade. I met new teachers, new classmates and new ways of teaching. I was not the No.1 in this class so I needed to study harder. My Chinese teacher was a woman with a chubby figure and she smiled all the time. When teaching, she used the most interesting method to teach us how to describe an animal or scenery. With her guide I remembered that I won the first prize in a composition contest. Though all things I gained were a book and a certificate of merit, I was proud of myself.
Junior high school is an important turning point in my literacy life. At that time, some of my perceived writing styles changed——we learned exposition instead of just writing stories. It meant that I needed to read more so I could write more. At that year my teacher suggested a list of books for us which helped us to be the good readers.
It looks like I only did one thing in my high school——preparing for the college entrance exam. There is no doubt that college entrance exam is vital for all the Chinese students. I chose science subjects because of my shortage of arts subjects. To pass this exam, we learned a new style of writing named argumentation. It’s more difficult than what I learned in junior high school. My Chinese teacher assigned too much homework for us including reading and writing. At the back of our classroom, we have a cabinet for newspapers and magazines, etc. That’s ready for us. We read and wrote day after day to improve our literacy skills. A lot of practice brought us a little bit development and argumentative writing in the end. This enabled me to understand the meaning of the thesis topic and write for a specific purpose.
In college I decided to choose arts major——English. Nevertheless, I had never studied history、 geography and politics for almost three years! So my habit of reading and writing were changed by this strange major. I read English articles and wrote English essays. This was much different from my adolescence! As is known to all, there was cultural diversity between China and foreign countries. So only when I spend more time to learn more English cultures can I do well in this major? As a matter of fact, my knowledge was extended with my effort.
Literacy is designed to be a part of personal growth and expansion. At times it can be threatening. For certain, it is an experience that contributing to young adults’ growth and maturity. Just as proudly, I am growing with my understanding of myself. My literacy is improved and I know I will do better in the future.

[Jessica H.]

I have attached a file with my corrections and feedback. Please let me know if you have access to it.

[Jessica H.]

Overall Response
*I liked the fact that you used the detail to describe your teacher, I was able to imagine her. I can see how literature and writing is has transcended from your native language to English and it is nice to see that you still have that same passion for it.
Focus
*I think that the focus of the paper was to talk about your history with the writing and then the English language.
Development for Readers
*If you are able to, I would even give a bit more detail about what exactly you are doing to learn about the cultures in English speaking countries. Also talk about why you think that learning the culture will help you learn the language better.
*I would even other details about feelings so that the reader can feel it is more personal to you. Instead of just all facts, talk about your feelings and struggles. This will make it more personable.
*Perhaps you can explain somehow why the title A Boat in the Wind is used. How can you incorporate that into your writing?
Organization and Coherence
*I would say to just make sure that you are aware of the time (past or present) that you are writing in. It can make a difference on whether the reader follows the story well or not.
Language, Grammar, Conventions
* (“too much” or “a lot”?) I wonder if you see it as something negative or as a matter of fact. If you see it as something negative, then “too much homework” is acceptable. If you are just stating a fact, then you would say “a lot of homework”
*Pay attention to the tenses.

Main Emphasis for Revision
*The most important thing to change for me is to add more personality to it. Write your feelings with lots of details so that the reader can feel the same passion that you feel .

[Ruotong Z.]

I'm so sorry for replying to you so late. I didn't notice that my autobiography was read. I'm glad you can give me some useful advice. I will revise this article on your basis and make it better.