Hamilton

Christopher Hamilton
Instructor: Malcolm Campbell
English 1101
October 7, 2014
I remember I was in elementary school and I want to Cotswald Elementary, the AR
program was big part of what I remember from being there. Really important, read a book, and
take a test. Ive enjoyed reading Dr. Seuss books, this was in pre-k of course. When got into
elementary my aunt was hmm whats the word I dont really know but she always pushed me
into reading. The reason why I ended up liking reading so much because she taught me the idea
reading could be fun. First book was Harry Potter, this book made me a good reader because it
was the first book I liked that didnt have pictures. I would read these Harry Potter booksnot
knowing how advancedtake an AR test and pass.
So my whole class would have to read 10 books to get AR points and I would only have
to read 2. At the time I didnt notice that I was reading at a middle school level so by the time I
got to 5th grade I was reading at a high school level, which I thought was pretty interesting.
I also participated in the spelling bee, never had trouble spelling words, I was always ahead. I
was such an advanced reader that I ended up throwing the spelling bee so that I did not have to
go to national. Reading was my personal safe-haven however, I didnt like to do it for pressure.
Once middle school came around my English teacher was Ms. Peace, she used to stop me
from speaking slang. No N word when it came to her she was like a black activist. She was big
on African American authors and poets, she also influenced me to appreciate these artists. I went
from reading the Harry Potter series to books like Bud Not Buddy. In 7th grade my first struggle

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in literacy began. One of my favorite English teachers was from this grade. Everything I thought
I learned was irrelevant I remember writing an essay so bad she threatened to send me back to
elementary school. She also pushed me when it came to literacy. Although, she knew I was a
good reader she pushed me to do better in my weaker area, writing. I distinctly remember one
time I had to write an essay and she balled it up, threw it away, all the while finishing it by
spitting on it afterwards.
In 8th grade, my teacher did not push me as my previous teachers, however I still read for
fun. I remember going to the library all the time and instead of getting novels to read, I would
always get comic books. My father would always get upset with me because he thought I wasnt
learning from the comic books. Honestly, the comics helped me broaden my vocabulary and it
would help to put pictures to the words. When I went to the library I would always get one novel
and the rest were comic books and I would finish the novel in like an hour. I remember having to
write an evaluative essay, honestly I do not think I can write a proper one today. It was the
formal setting of the assignment that made it difficult. Most of the books I grew up reading were
informal, even text books included stories, so it was difficult to write something more formal
because I felt like there wasnt any passion with writing formal. Enjoyed reading aloud, because
I knew I could read the words smoothly and wanted to look smart. Would even go to the extent
of not paying attention to be called on and made an example of, then just to prove the teacher
wrong, never had difficulties reading aloud.
The main people who had the biggest impact of my literacy at home was my mother, my
aunt, and my grandmother. When I was younger, my mom always stressed reading, I was the
first born so she always tried to do her best with me. She had flashcards she would use to help
me memorize words, she always would read me lots of books. Also books that derived from

Hamilton
movies like The Lion King, this made it more interesting. She would make me watch shows such
as Sesame Street and Between the Lions, this not only helped my reading but made me enjoy it. I
did not grow up seeing reading as a burden. With my aunt, she had a very vast library in her
home, and when I would go over to spend the night, I would stay up at night and read as many
books as I could. She definitely helped me to appreciate books without pictures, and make
pictures for myself. Also, to not only read a book but put myself in the book. This allowed me to
escape reality if I needed to. Books became sort of therapeutic for me. Nana was an artistic
woman and still is today, always introduced me to different types of music, visual art, and this
also applied to reading. Whatever we did, I was always reading. For example, we would go to
museum exhibits and I would read the facts on there. We would go to the zoo and read about
animal exhibits, this may be the reason why I enjoy the zoo so much now.
Due to everything I learned about reading and writing from past experiences, you can
achieve far more things in life when literate than when you are not. I used to read and write so
much, to the point where I became clever. I used to be able to manipulate situations, have witty
comebacks when confronted and I truly believe this was because of how much I read. This made
me advance to the next level of understanding. My friends would never understand why they got
in trouble for certain things while I (doing the same things)would not and I believe this is
because reading made me more aware to life, the way I saw things without a doubt my
perspective was intensified. Without literacy I would not be the person I am today.