To a certain extent, I believe in destiny. I have this idea that we all have something fulfilling that we’re supposed to be doing. A purpose, I guess you could call it, but that denotes a higher power, I don’t necessarily chalk my beliefs up to any entity.
Reading Brandt’s essay on sponsors of literacy, I thought about all the circumstances in my life (the hand I was dealt or the people I’ve met) led to where I am today.
I grew up in an uppity town where (higher) education was the norm–there were two colleges within the city limits and two more community branches to the north and south. Both of my parents are college-educated, so my concept and approach to literacy has always been framed by the concrete constructs of a college education.
In my primary education years, I went to a Lutheran school where I remember a list of banned books on prominent display in the library (which makes you wonder: Why talk about it if you don’t want anyone else to?) A lot of what we had access to during school hours had to be sanctioned by the conservative administration, so there were restrictions and obstacles to diverse literacy there. I’m lucky that my mom is a liberal and voracious reader (and my dad is apathetic), so outside of school I had free reign over my personal reading list. My mom and my school were pretty direct, concrete sponsors of my current literacy.
I’ve worked in jobs across industries where reading wasn’t always reading: As a server, I learned to “read” a table to squeeze as much money and enjoyment out of the patrons as possible. In an office environment, my worth as an employee was dependent on reading between the lines to determine the best course of action for each loan. (I worked in the mortgage industry–snore.) The literacy I acquired in these situations was more functional and concrete in that I learned specific tasks that benefited the company teaching me.
Even making the transition from being a Floridian to a Chicagoan required that I learn to interpret and handle the weather, my surroundings, etc. differently. Can an entire city be an abstract sponsor of literacy?
My literacy has been molded and sponsored by the jobs and classes I’ve taken, the friends I’ve made, and many of the people I’ve met for however short a period. The smallest push in any direction can lead to literacy as defined by whatever interested party you meet.
(P.S. Butter was not a sponsor of my literacy. Sorry, Paula Deen.)
Argh! I’m so mad, because I wanted to know how butter was involved in your literary sponsorship! Argh! So. Much. RAGE!
However, I found your post very interesting. Why would the school show a list of what you are NOT supposed to read. That just makes me want to go read it even more. In fact, my schools often had a banned book week or month (I cannot remember which) that emphasized books others did not want people, specifically children, to read. The libraries would mark these books with special stickers, have signs explaining the event, and encourage students to read these books in particular. The best way to keep someone from reading a book isn’t to try and stop them from reading it, but encourage them to read something else instead.