Press, 1

Jimmy Press
Professor Agosta
UWRT 1101
13 February 2017
Life is a Process
For every experience, interaction, and/or decision made, there is a reason behind all of it.

We are living in a world that is constantly moving and transforming. People are always

changing and transforming either for the better or the worse. In a community, it is our duty to

encourage and bring others up when they are down. There are many struggles in life that I had

had to face to get to the point where I am now, that is why I feel life is a process. Commented [AR1]: Perhaps here you should add had to
face with the support of my community to get to

When I look back on my experiences I had, I look at all the steps it took to get where I am This would help create connection between the ideas you
are presenting here.

now. First, I would not be here if it were not for my parents. They are one of the biggest influences

in my life and have given me endless support. They taught me to be the person I am today.

From early on my mom and I would always read together. Reading was not something
that I enjoyed, so she would always make it as fun as possible. We would read interesting books
like genres of adventure and action. These types of books appeared as somewhat enjoyable in my
Commented [AR2]: You mention transitioning. I think this
paragraph about your mom can be added to the one right
about it without a paragraph break. Are you going to talk
about your dad? If not, you might edit the paragraph above
to emphasize especially my mom, or you can add details
about your dad to the paper too.

mind, but still were not my favorite. My mom would help me read the book, and I would read a Commented [AR3]: Do you remember a particular book
that was fun to read?
page out loud, then she would read a page. I remember thinking to myself how do these words

make words make meaning and tell a story? This concept of writing to me is crazy to think about.

The only things given to writers is their mind, a piece of paper, and a pen. From then, words are

poured out onto the piece of paper and it formulates a story. This moment in my life brought up

these question and thoughts.

In elementary school, my second-grade teacher Mrs. Rebecca saw that I was having a hard

time in her class, so she recommended that I get tested. When I first found out that I needed testing,
 Press, 2

I did not think much of it, and didnt think it was a big deal. I found out that I had a more difficult

time processing information than the average student. This was not a bad thing; it just takes me

longer to learn. It did make me ask myself, if these struggles will affect my learning for the worst.

I knew I had a good support from the help of my family and form my teachers. Mrs. Rebecca was

special to me because she always provided me with extra help and saw me for who I was. Her
patience and dedication helped me strive to achieve my goals. My journey of literacy did not stop
Commented [AR4]: Can you give one specific example of
what she did? Even if its something like talking to you one-
on-one or making sure to see if you have questions, then we
can see a unique way she interacted with you.

there.

Shortly after this test, my parents entered me in this program called LearningRX.

LeaningRX is a training program for kids to help develop their processing skills. They focus on

developing your attention, working memory, logic and reasoning, auditor processing, visual

processing, processing speed and long-term memory. This community was built with people

whose goal is to make the student the best he/she can be. The program was exactly what I needed

at the time due to my struggling in school. I went to LeaningRX 5 days a week for an hour a day

for 6 months. Through this process I started to see new ways of learning that I had never seen

before. For example, I had to do this activity where I was given a random set of numbers and I

had to circle the numbers that were in common. While doing this, I was on a timer and recorded Commented [AR5]: How did the timer affect your
learning?
every time I did the exercise. Another method that they had me do was jump on a mini trampoline

for 30 seconds, then do the exercise. I thought to myself, why did I have to do this and how is it

going to help or make my time get any faster? As the weeks went on, I saw my progress and saw

that my time got better and better. I started to feel better about myself as I started seeing positive Commented [AR6]: Okay, we see that its working. Do
you understand why it is working? What did the trampoline
results. I also had to memorize all the presidents forwards and backwards. This concept to me do?

was very difficult because I had never seen any of these names before and trying to put them in

order seemed impossible to me. I felt worried and stressed at the time because I didnt think I
 Press, 3

would ever get it or that I would ever be able to get it memorized. They provided me with a picture

diagram of objects and a way to pair the object with the name. For example, George Washington

would show a picture of a ton. This way of learning seemed appealing to me and showed me that Commented [AR7]: interesting

learning from these objects is fun. As I took it day by day, I saw myself starting to retain this

information. When I didnt remember the information, I would get discouraged and started to not

want to do the work. This was a frustrating process because one day I would remember most of

them, but then the next I would forget. The struggles and battles that I went though were not easy,

but I did overcome them. When I finally memorized the presidents forwards and backwards, I

was filled with joy and happiness. I couldnt believe that I actually memorized all the presidents.

This program definitely improved my literacy and made me realize that I could accomplish great Commented [AR8]: very well-written section with a lot of
details and descriptions of your feelings about successes
and struggles
things. I was grateful for the teachers that taught me because they taught me a lot new techniques

and different ways learning.

Sponsors that I have hadof learning come and go, and the sponsors at LearningRX are not

influential to my life now, but they still made an impact. One sponsor that I had that opened my

eyes is the band. Freshman year of high school, I joined the high school marching band. I thought

to myself that this would be a new fun thing to try because I was transitioning into a new stage in

my life and it was a great way to meet new people. The social aspect of it was something that I

liked and that I could express my interest. By joining the marching band, I was thrown into an

environment, with 200 participating members. The band made me see the parts of a community

that I had never seen before. I saw people from all types of cultures and different backgrounds. I
saw people that came from different schools and states, but somehow we connected and joined the
same activity. Each grade level varied skills from freshman freshmen being the worst and seniors
Commented [AR9]: you are using but correctly and
understand the need for a comma. Instead of after, place
the comma before but. If you treat it like a period when
reading, youll see that but belongs to the second part of
the sentence:

being the best. When I started as a freshman, I was one of the worst marchers, but, I had loads of I was one of the worst marchers
But I had loads of support from
 Press, 4

support from the upper classman and my friends. I learned all the different techniques to the

marching styles that the directors forced upon the kids. The idea that they continuously

emphasized was coming together as one sound. The idea of being one sound is like being one unit

as a whole. This really made me think about myself as an individual because I was important to

the band. If I did not perform then the I would be letting them down. This idea that every

individual is significant in this community influenced me and I influenced others. As I grew Commented [AR10]: Great section that speaks back to
your intro
more experienced in the band, I started to help them by showing them where to go on the field. I

also provided them with moral support because I knew the process was difficult and not easy to

do. Showing my skills and afflicting them on others is a powerful thing to do. The way I felt Commented [AR11]: Afflicting is a word typically used in
a negative way.
when I could teach others and see a smile on their face was joyful to me. The band showed me a
Afflicting troubling, bothering, worrying.

lot about myself and my journey of literacy. I suggest a word that better fits what a help you were here.

My literacy journey has been a filled with up and downs. Every person who has come into

my life has influenced me for the better. They bring me up when I am down and strive the best

for me. From my mom reading to me at night and giving me endless support to me teaching others

in the band; my journey of literacy is something to be proud of. The community that surrounds

me is one of the most important parts of literacy because people have huge impacts on me. Commented [AR12]: I think your memoir is overall well
written. For the most part, you give all the details needed
for the reader to make sense of your experiences. You also
show a great understanding of literacy.

Something Im wondering: In your band story, you came to

understand that you were an individual that could affect
community I think thats an important idea that you might
bring back into your conclusion. Also, do you now seek out
communities of support? You understand their importance,
so how you actively work toward finding community and/or
shaping the communities you are in?
 Press, 5

Cover letter

1. During the drafting process I was able to think about situations in my life where literacy

had an impact on me. I was able to recall and express emotions towards the story.

2. I had some difficulties on where to start because I had a lot of stories to tell, but

narrowing it down was a bit of a challenge. I minor difficulties transitioning from

paragraph to paragraph.

3. Based on my writing I feel my introduction brings up ideas and thoughts for the reader to

think about. By introducing the idea of the community should stick with the reader as

they are reading throughout the story.

4. I may want to revise the part where I talk about the in the beginning, where I talk about

having the support of my parents. I am not sure whether to go into more detail or not.

5. I do not have much questions, just waiting for some feedback.