Literary History

 

Hi everyone! My name is Dee Diaz, and I am a Photography and Education major in my senior year. One of my biggest interests is art and not just photography; I am also greatly interested in collage, painting, and experimental/mixed media work. Some of my favorite artists/inspirations include Nan Goldin, Duane Michals, Wes Anderson, and Tim Walker. Another area of interest that I have is writing, and I especially love poetry, science fiction, and horror. A few of my favorite literary artists/authors are R. L. Stine, John Green, and Robert Frost. The reason that I took this class is because as both a writer and an educator, I am always willing to learn more, especially about topics involving education. I believe that it strengthens me as an educator to learn about the history of learning and education in films, movies, TV, real life, etc.


My earliest experience with becoming literate was watching different programs as a kid on DVD, VHS, and on the PBS Kids Network. I remember sitting down and watching LeapFrog movies such as “The Letter Factory” and being enamored by the different stories being told with each letter. The letter P is the one that stuck out to me the most because of the scene with popcorn and especially the enunciation of that P sound being associated with popping popcorn. These were videos that my mom gave me as hand-me-downs from my older brother. Since he struggled with reading, she wanted to make sure that I was on the right track. I would also play LeapFrog games on this handheld device where you would learn about various topics like syllables, letters, consonants, etc.


I would say that I was often encouraged from a young age to read, however, the way other teachers, apart from Ms. Riccio, went about it in a way that often felt discouraging. As I mentioned before the teachers were constantly talking about my ability to focus even though I was able to read and write just fine. By the time I was in 5th grade, there was a teacher who slightly turned me off from reading for a while because she felt I was reading a book beneath my “level” when I didn’t have to. This is what frustrated me because I feel that is okay to read books at any level as long as you are enjoying it.


Some of my first experiences with literacy were on the weekends. I loved going to my grandma’s house every Friday and sitting upstairs with the static TV watching “WordGirl”, “Super Why”, “Word World”, “Dragon Tales”, “Sesame Street”, “Between the Lions” “The Electric Company”, and even more that always captivated my older brother and me. At school, I was often daydreaming and while I did well on my assignments, it wasn’t until 3rd grade that I remember a teacher really getting me interested in books and writing. Ms. Riccio gave me the push I needed and put my overactive imagination to work with creative writing, and she was the first teacher to give positive feedback about me to my mom. The constant positive reinforcement had me glued to chapter books and always carrying one around with me. I wrote fantastical tales at school and even began journaling when I would go out about my day with my mom and older brother.


I would say that I began to feel literate when I was in the 3rd grade because this is when I first became fascinated with reading and writing. The exploration I was able to go on in my head from that point onward with the help of books is what made me excited.


I still enjoy literacy to this day, but I don’t read as many books anymore as I would like to. Oftentimes I watch video essays on topics that I am interested in instead. However, I have a deep love of Goosebumps as a series and often watch video essays about the books. In my personal life, I am a substitute teacher, and oftentimes I have to help students in Pre-K through 8th grade with reading, writing, and other various subjects. But I feel this inspires me and keeps me sharp, so that way I can always better assist the kids.