My Literacy Learning Journey - James Huang

            It was near the end of my second grade school year when I was informed that I would be placed in an ESL class the following year. My English Language Arts grades were below average mainly because I was not reading on a second grade level. The fact that I was nearly a third grader and I still had not picked up a chapter book to read yet was pathetic. I was the kid that would always give up and end up reading shorter and easier books that were usually suited for first graders. At first, I wasn't worried about my grades or my class placement, but when I came to the realization that my teacher called my parents and informed them that I was going to become a third grader with a first grade reading level, I started to panic. I remember not wanting to go home that day. I was scared to face my mother, knowing that she would yell at me or maybe even beat me. I remember not being able to lift up my head as I held my mother's hand while we walked home together. My hands were soaked with sweat yet my mother still held on tight. I didn't say a word as we were walking home. There was dead silence between us, until I gathered up the courage to raise my head up to tell her that I was sorry, but once I looked at her, nothing came out of my mouth. My mother's eyes were glassy and watery. It was as if she was holding back her tears of disappointment. I didn't know what to say and I ended up not talking to her for the rest of the walk home. My mother and I did not speak to each other that night. The next morning, she acted as if nothing had happened and followed her usual daily routine of going to work and coming back to cook the family dinner. It was as if she had nothing to say about what happened.

            A couple of weeks later, school ended and summer vacation began. I was glad that school was over and that I ended up not failing and going onto the next grade. But, it still boggled my mind how my mother still did not speak of my ESL class that I was designated to take the following year. Next thing I knew, my mother came up to me on a Saturday and told me to come with her somewhere. She told me to bring my drawstring backpack and a water bottle in case I got thirsty. Once I walked out the door, I felt the blazing hot sun glare down at me. I quickly hurried behind my mother, following her, and hiding in her shade. I kept asking her where she was taking me, but she wouldn't answer. All she did was hold my hand tightly, just like the day she had found out about my grades. We walked for about 15 minutes from our home and there it was, standing tall and bold, The Brooklyn Public Library. It was my very first time at a public library, other than the small one in my school. Once I reached out and pulled open the library doors, I felt the fresh and cool air conditioned air rushing out against my skin and I also detected a peach-like fragrance that seemed as if it was coming from inside the library. I anxiously ran past the inner doors and stood at the center of the library lobby with my back facing the front desk. There were endless rows and columns of shelves, packed with books of every genre, reading level, and language. My mother slowly followed behind me as I went over to each and every shelf that I found interesting,  grabbing whatever book that piqued my interest, and placed it in her arms as if she was my personal shopping cart. As I handed my third book to her, I looked up. Her eyes were yet again a sleek, glassy texture, except this time, she was smiling. Even though at the end of the day, the majority of books that I had borrowed were Manga comics, there were also one or two chapter books. From then on, every Saturday afternoon, I could go to the library to borrow new books to read and to improve my reading levels.

            I wouldn't say reading and writing is my strong suit, but what I can say is that I really do enjoy reading and it can even be considered as a hobby of mine, even if most of what I read is Manga. Because of my mother's way of understanding me and her decision to bring me to the library in order to discover what I am able to read and what I would like to read, I was able to quickly bump up my English grades and pass my ESL class with flying colors. It was after realizing that reading was something a person gets better at, the more the person reads, that I began to read more and more. I felt accomplished. I began to understand my teachers a lot better. And not only did my reading level improve, my English language and English writing improved as well. My F's turned into A's and my 1's became 4's. Learning actually became fun the more I delved in literature. This marked the beginning of my literacy education and learning.