The biggest moment in my writing career came from My time in San Antonio Texas with my Aunt Terrie Jones. My parents flew me down the summer before Kindergarten to learn how to read and write so I could be more prepared for school. My family was serious about my development as a student do they did everything they could to further my education.My Aunt Terrie created and owned a education program which she made her life’s work. This certain memory stood out to me because it’s also where I learned to tie my shoe. Looking back, I vividly remember tying a red wooden shoe repetitively everyday until I got it down.

At that point in my life about 4 years of age, I don’t think I ever had 1 on 1 work with someone to teach me how to read and understand the meaning behind them. Around the turn of the century Aunt Terrie opened my view to writing and reading more than anyone else I know. When I think about myself academically I don’t consider me to be especially gifted in English or a smart comprehensive writer whatsoever. But from the knowledge I do have about writing it started with my Aunt, Terrie Jones. She had such a lasting impact on my life and was so important to my development as a student. This is why my literacy narrative is based off her influence on me.

The first ever book I learned to read was “Where the wild things are” by Maurice Sendak. We would sit down every morning at the red and blue learning table and practice. Aunt Terrie would pronounce the words over and over again for me. The pictures interested me the most and that’s how I initially got interested. The book is about this kid Max, who Feels misunderstood at home and school, he finds a land of the Wild Things, full of monstrous and crazy creatures. He becomes their leader somehow, and he promises to create a kingdom where everyone is happy. His experience in this fantasy with the “Wild Things” He finds something is missing in his life. This is the first book I read and understood a deeper meaning of. I will be forever thankful to Aunt Terrie for things like this.

From my visual memory she was a lady who never wore anything but skirts and an overload of face makeup. Always wearing high heels and hair formed perfectly. She never married and lived with a much older lady. Reflecting back, she stayed in this big white house with long smooth beams throughout. She constructed a learning center in her home which we used together. I recall everything inside being clean and very traditional.

Something I incorporate in my studies is flashcards. This is due to Aunt Terrie, when we’d study together and attempt to have me memorize something, flashcards is what we used. Plain white cards with black ink, constantly flipping over and over again. I’m 21 and still do this in the library to this day. From the eyes of a 5 year old I think this makes a big difference. The patience she showed with me was astounding, from pronouncing vowels to writing out small words. Education was her life’s work. This process of repetition assisted me to retain the information present, and from there I would “learn”

I don’t consciously think about her when I tie my shoes but she did teach me this loop above and around technique I use everyday of my life. Because of her I was able to receive a foundation for learning that I’ll use for the rest of my life. From pronouncing words to writing letters that turned into words, I remember it all so well. That’s another reason why I chose to write about this in my literacy narrative because it was so memorable and easy to recollect.

I will forever remember her as someone that had the passion to help other people. I believe the best type of people are the people that want to help others.