Priscilla Woolford In partial fulfillment of English 571 October 2011

1. Priscilla Woolford In partial fulfillment of English 571 October 2011

2. I once read a tall tale about a man who was obsessed with finding a pot of gold. He travelled the world over, digging holes, and looking for the treasure. The pot of gold did exist, but the treasure was in his own backyard. Finding our treasure

3. Our literacy treasures exists in our “own backyards”-our families and friends. We need to investigate, record, and embrace our literacy heritage. Rich beyond measure

4. The last two months have forced me to recognize a rich literacy history in my family. I am guilty of ignoring and even scorning this literacy history. Like many things, our family literacy history may be taken for granted---until it is too late. Recognize and cherish

5. My family knows I am ridiculously sentimental. If someone no longer wants to keep an old letter or card, I cannot stand for it to be discarded. Consequently, I am at times overwhelmed by the “stuff” that comes my way. Yes, I am the chump, the packrat, the queen of it’s-in-a-box- somewhere, and the hoarder of family papers. I am my family’s literacy librarian. Unfortunately, I did not know it—until now. I’ll keep anything but understanding is a different story

6. However, I have not asked the questions, understood the meaning, or listened with my heart or my ears. In many instances, it is too late to seek the answers. Guilty

7. As we live our lives, let us take time to understand the lived experiences of those around us. Delve deeply into those experiences Preserve and understand Tomorrow may be too late The time is now

8. Age 55-64 • 303,101 • Age 65-74 • 400,969 • Age 75-84 • 627,819 • Age 85 and older • 733,176 2009 U.S. Mortality rate=Lost Opportunities

9. Ask • Yourself • Family • Friends • Listen • With your ears • With your heart • Understand • Through the context of the lived experience • As it relates to the history of mass literacy • Record • Clearly and thoroughly Where to begin

10. Deborah Brandt provides her interview script: “Of course you should feel free to use (and improve upon) the script at the back of the book” (Brandt, email). Learn from a pro

11. Demographic • Date of birth • Place of birth • Place of rearing • Gender/race • Type of household (childhood) • Type of household (current) • Great-grandparents schooling and occupations, if known • Grandparents’ schooling and occupations, if known • Parents’/guardians’ schooling and occupations, in known • Names and locations of all schools attended • Other training • Degrees, dates of graduation, size of graduating class • Past/current/future occupations Brandt’s interview script

12. Early Childhood Memories • Earliest memories of seeing other people writing/reading • Earliest memories of self writing/reading • Earliest memories of direct or indirect instruction • Memories of places writing/reading occurred • Occasions associated with writing/reading • People associated with writing/reading • Organizations associated with writing/reading • Materials available for writing/reading • Ways materials entered households • Kinds of materials used • Role of technologies Brandt, continued

13. Writing and Reading in School • Earliest memories of reading/writing in school • Memories of kinds of writing/reading done in school • Memories of direct instruction • Memories of self-instruction • Memories of peer instruction • Memories of evaluation • Uses of assignments/other school writing and reading • Audiences of school-based writing • Knowledge drawn on to complete assignments • Resources drawn on to complete assignments • Kinds of materials available for school-based writing/reading • Kinds of materials used • Role of technologies Brandt, Continued

14. Writing and Reading with Peers • Memories of sharing writing and reading • Memories of writing and writing to/with friends • Memories of writing and reading in play • Memories of seeing friends reading and writing • Memories of reading friends’ writing • Extracurricular Writing and Reading • Organizations or activities that may have involved writing or reading • Writing contests, pen pals, and so forth • Self-Initiated Writing or Reading • Purposes for writing and reading at different states • Genres • Audiences/uses • Teaching/learning involved Brandt, continued

15. Writing on the Job • Same questions as above • Civic or Political Writing • Influential People • Memories of people who had a hand in one’s learning to write or read • Influential Events • Significant events in the process of learning to write Brandt, continued

16. Purposes for Writing and Reading Overall Values Relative importance of writing and reading Motivations Consequences Current Uses of Reading and Writing All reading and writing done in the six months prior to the interview Senses of Literacy Learning Interviewee’s own sense of how he or she learned to read and write Sense of how people in general learn to read and write Brandt,continued

17. “Intuitively, sponsors seemed a fitting term for the figures who turned up most typically in people’s memories of literacy learning…” (Brandt, 26). “His (Eric’s) parents sponsored his computer literacies by acting as “models”… (Carter, 81) Most of my early reading experiences involve time spent with my mother. The absolute earliest memory I can recall of our reading adventures is reading through a collection of Sesame Street story books (Jennifer) Sponsors

18. I learned to read and write at an early age because my parents thought it was important.  I was read to in the womb. (Caitlin) When I moved in with my grandparents at the age of seven, my Aunt Sally became the first family member to be my literacy sponsor. My favorite books (you’re not going to believe this!) were Flicka, Ricka, and Dicka – tales of three Swedish girls. (Gay) Sponsors, continued

19. “My mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother always read to me, so I suppose I owe them for that great gift!” (Holly) “We were encouraged to read and have books as a daily part of our lives.”  (Meridith) “My paternal grandmother was an avid writer. She often would write poems and letters that were satirical as well as prose. The family would gather around and read letters or read a joke.” (Gregory) Sponsors, continued

20. It is apparent that we all have a literary history filled with sponsors. But who were our sponsors sponsors? How did our we, our family, and friends get to this point? How does this past influence our future? Preserve for the future

21. “I guess my words of wisdom are that the trick is not only to collect literacy accounts but to know what to do with them, to know deeply what people are telling you not only about themselves but about how literacy is working through their lives, how they are positioned in the mass literacy” (Brandt, email). The challenge

22. Print Brandt’s script or design your own During the upcoming holidays, carry this script with you Commit to interviewing and understanding at least three family member or friends Personal Goal

23. Look into your own backyard and find your Hidden Treasure. Guard it carefully! Hidden treasure

24. Brandt, Deborah. "Interviews on Literacy." Message to Priscilla Woolford. 26 Oct 2011. E-mail. Brandt, Deborah. Literacy and Learning:Reflections on Writing Reading, and Society. 1st. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2009. Print. Carter, Shannon. The Way Literacy Lives. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2008. Print. Kochanek, Kenneth, Jiaquan Xu, Sherry Murphy, Arialdi minino, and Hsiang-Ching Kung. United States. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. National Vital Statistics Report. 2011. Print. <http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr59/nvsr59_04.pdf>. Works Cited