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Age 4: Citation
[digital image]. Retrieved from http://www.multilingualliving.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/mom_reading_to_child_bilingual.jpg -
Age 4
My mother taught me the English alphabet with much difficulty. Because she was new to the country, she did not know much English to begin with. She has told me stories of how she had tried hard to learn the alphabet so that I would not be lacking in the English language when I began school. Other than the alphabet, she did not know very much, if any, English for a long time. This was a positive experience that introduced me to the bilingual learning experience. -
Age 8: Citation
[digital image]. Retrieved from http://cdn.couponkatie.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/waldenbooks.jpg -
Age 8
My parents worked in the mall so every day after school, my sisters and I were allowed to wonder around the Richardson Square Mall. We would always end up in the Waldenbooks Store and just sit and read to each other. The store manager never seemed to mind because we were not destroying the books like some of the other children. This was another positive influence towards my English literacy. I always felt proud to be able to read to my sisters since my parents could not read English. -
Age 9
My younger sisters and I went to an elementary school that offered a scholastic program along with the Advance Reader (AR) reading incentives. Although I could never beat the top 10 students in the entire campus, I was excited to read different types of books at the library. My English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher was very excited and glad to let me go to the library when I finished my classwork early. This event was a positive enhancement to my reading skills. -
Age 9: Citation
[digital image]. Retrieved from http://i4.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article758539.ece/alternates/s2197/Girl%20reading%20at%20the%20library -
Age 11: Citation
[digital image]. Retrieved from https://usatcollege.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/139786707.jpg -
Age 11
My parents would often take us to the local library on their day off. We did not have books at our home because my parents were always strapped for money. I became more interested in reading more than before because I was able to venture out of the children’s section that was offered in the school’s library. This caused my reading levels to advance and I was able to move out of the ESL courses and into the pre-AP classes! -
Age 12: Citation
[digital image]. Retrieved from http://www.budsas.org/uni/z-photos/chua_nthn/chua_usa-daoquang.htm -
Age 12
I went to Vietnamese lessons at the temple. I gained a lot of confidence in my speech in reading in the Vietnamese language. This increased my speech and writing literacy in the Vietnamese language. -
Age 15
I didn’t know how to pronounce certain words in the text we were reading in class and that made me really embarrassed. I didn’t feel like I knew as much as the other kids in my class. After this experience I shied away from public speaking. -
Age 15: Citation
[digital image]. Retrieved from http://cache2.asset-cache.net/xt/124291756.jpg?v=1&g=fs1%7C0%7CFOT%7C91%7C756&s=1 -
Age 18
I entered Baylor University as a freshman. I was overwhelmed with the amount of reading required in each course. I quickly lost my reading confidence because I could not read fast enough or comprehend enough of the information to excel in the courses as I did previously. This affected my reading negatively and I have much trouble reading textbooks. -
Age 18: Citation
[digital image]. Retrieved from https://www.theodysseyonline.com/the-arising-problem-of-college-textbooks -
Age 20: Citation
[digital image]. Retrieved from http://www.atlanta.us.emb-japan.go.jp/image/GPC2.jpg -
Age 20
I began taking Japanese courses and have come to love and understand the different sentence structures of other languages. It is sometimes difficult for me to translate between languages because of it. There are different noun and verb sentence structures for each language and sometimes I get confused. Still, this experience led me to be more confident in public speaking and writing because I felt more comfortable with my peers cheering me on and supporting me. -
Age 23
I began working as a teacher. I have learned to become more outspoken. I was a little bit uncomfortable at first just speaking in front of the students because I did not feel like my English was good enough. This experience allowed me to assess my own reading and writing skills. I had to be good enough to present everyday to my students. -
Age 23: Citation
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Age 24
I began taking courses at Angelo State University to earn my Master's degree in education. Many of the courses I have taken have greatly helped me with my formal writing because there is so much feedback from my peers and professors. These courses have had a positive effect on my literacy proficiency. -
Age 24: Citation
[digital image]. Retrieved from http://www.angelo.edu/services/contract_administration/images/ASU_Sign.jpg
