digital literacy narrative by gabrielle treiling

Digital Literacy Narrativeby Gabrielle Treiling

My mother has always bragged and complained of my extremely talkative and sociable demeanor

My parents often attribute my uncharacteristically mature conversational skills

to their own stewardship.  

I was full of opinions and was given the means to express them- needless to say I wreaked havoc as

a toddler.  

My first grade teacher often described me as a “Social Butterfly” which honestly is putting it

kindly.

With the omnipresence of grammar and a fundamental understanding of its mechanisms, I

was ready to take on new challenges.

I despised book reports.  I hated every single aspect of it, from the rudimentary and rushed reading of the book to the systematic writing

process that followed it.

For an exercise intended to foster the growth of reading it is incredibly suffocating.  Book reports

deterred me from pleasure reading, which has often been present within my life.

Up until 8th grade I not only continued to shy away from pleasure reading but I  seldom dared

to go beyond what was expected of me.

As I made the leap to high school, my parents and guidance counselors pushed me towards the

advanced track in both history and english solely based off of my aptitude, rather than my passion.

The book that opened my mind to the idea of pleasure reading again was “To Kill a

Mockingbird”

The class that I consider the “peak” of my high school education was AP Language and

Composition

The instructor was known for being obscure and strict, always having a cleanly shaved head and

full burnt-red beard.

Mr. Eure’s teaching method mirrored his personality, unique and obscure however

effective.

For participation credit we wrote on the blog he created titled the “Sisyphus” named after the

Greek myth depicting a man constantly attempting to push a boulder up a hill.  That is

truly what course felt like at certain points.

 Mr. Eure is allowing 30 elitist and competitive 11th graders all vying for a spot in the top 10

 choose their own grade.

After challenging (and conquering) AP Language I felt prepared to take on anything.

Senior year rushed by.  I tried to savor every moment and every instance.  My friends and I endured a year of “lasts”: last prom, last field

hockey game, last homecoming.  

College has challenged me even further to develop my literacy, applying what I have learned from my mistakes realizing that one’s education

is forever evolving.