A BOAT in the WIND --My Literacy Autobiography

[Ruotong Z.]

Time waits for no one, all the time. The little girl who was just babbling has become very eloquent. Her understanding of literacy changed from the thoughts in her mind to the ability to 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, when she has experienced many setbacks in literacy, she still insists on doing these things.
When I was a little girl, the book I first owned was the Xinhua Dictionary. It was a gift from my father. At the same time, he bought a book which was about some diaries written by other children to teach me how to write a diary. Confusingly, the contents of the book are difficult. Like a boat rocking in the wind, I didn't know where to go, I didn't know where my destination is. So how could I write one? Unquestioningly, a detailed explanation was necessary.
“Daughter, using this to find new words, and a journal is about writing down what you see and hear every day. You can write about how you feel, who you like... ”
“Even who I hate?”
“That’s right. No one could peep this book.”
Keeping my diary everyday and actually, the diary is a good assistant for my writing skills.
Feeling indelible, my first formal composition—which 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 to not worry about it and that it was just an opportunity to show writing ability. You knew, children were competitive, so all of us tried our best to do this job well. Finally, though this way, we learned how to simply perform portraiture.
Fourth grade was a turning point for me, even for my literacy. I transferred to another school. First impression was not comfortable, it was like a cold machine that would engulf me, engulf my unstable boat in the wind. New teachers, new classmates and new ways of teaching came one after another and it was hard for me to digest. Immersed in my sad of no longer was the class number one, I felt everywhere blue and cold. A kind teacher was especially important at that moment—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 that I remembered, I won the first prize in a composition contest. Though all I won was a book and a certificate of merit, I was proud of myself as if the sea in my heart was no longer so terrible.
Junior high school was another 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. But how? How could I read? What could I read? One question welled up inside me, and another was tailing after. At that year my teacher suggested a list of books which helped us to be the good readers. Tired and sleepy, I fought to keep reading them, the exhausted boat must not be knocked down.
During that time it felt like I only did one thing in my high school——prepared for the college entrance exam. There was no doubt that college entrance exams were vital for all Chinese students. To pass this exam, we learned a new style of writing named argumentation which was more difficult than what I learned before. Like the indefatigable cicada in summer, we wrote all day long. We Chinese teacher assigned a lot homework for us including reading and writing. At the back of our classroom, we had a cabinet for newspapers and magazines, etc. that was ready for us. We would read and write every day to improve our literacy skills. A lot of practice brought us a little bit of development and we learned argumentative writing in the end. This enabled me to understand the meaning of the thesis topic and write for a specific purpose.
English major was a great challenge for me because I had never studied history, geography and politics for almost three years. My habit of reading and writing were totally changed by this strange major. I read English articles and wrote English essays. Extremely different from my adolescence! Culture shock was inevitable, so I imagined that only when I spent more time learning more about English cultures could I do well in this major. As a matter of fact, my knowledge was extended with my effort. The violently trembling boat seemed to calm down.
Literacy is designed to be a part of personal growth and expansion and at times it can be threatening. For certain, it is an experience that contributes 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. The little boat that needed shelter at first was now able to sail in the wind!


This is my revised version.
Hope all of you could give me some advice!