Family Literacy

Every year seems to bring new and interesting activities into my life. This year, college has had a huge impact on my life. In my first semester I have met many new people, joined clubs, and juggled class work. Along with these new communities I still have my life back home, with my family and friends. It is very important to me to stay in touch with my family back home both verbally and written.
Growing up, my parents were always expecting the best of my brother, who is four years younger, and I. We were expected to learn to read and write, and try our hardest in everything that we did. My mother started having us read early, to hopefully benefit us in the long run. In fact, one year we had so many snow days in the winter that my mom decided enough was enough and we needed to be productive. She had us write a story about a snow man, I remember being very upset because my brother, who at the time was in Kindergarten, only had to write a sentence or two and I had to write a story with a beginning, middle, and end. She wanted us to understand the importance of reading and writing and to take advantage of these skills.
Now that I am much older and clearly understand the importance of literacy, my parents continue to push my brother and me to be great, but know that we value our education. In my family literacy has always been extremely important. We were brought up not only to be able to read and write, but also to carry on conversations with other people. When we went to big family functions, we had to talk to our Great Aunts and Uncles and grandparents with more than one word answers. We would write thank you notes for every gift we received on our birthday or Christmas. Because of this, I feel like I am much closer to my extended family and I have really noticed the great relationships, now that I am away from home.
Living away from my parents was a huge adjustment for me because I was very close to both of them. Often, after school, in high school, I would sit and talk to my mom for a while about anything. My dad was always there with advice about more technical issues, but provided tremendous support. Nearly every day, I receive either an email from someone in my family, or talk to them on the phone. My grandmother sends me a card once a month with a little update and I talk to my younger brother almost every week.
Being a part of my family has made me who I am, and literacy is a daily necessity. One becomes a member by first being born into the family but then growing up in a loving supporting community that pushes one to their fullest potential. Each family has different literacy rules, but in mine, communication is a huge rule that brings not only written literacy, but also verbal literacy. Both types have had a tremendous impact on my life and I hope to instill the same principles in my children.