Response to Assignment 1: Laib, Rose, Raymond

My mother has emphasized the importance of literacy since my early childhood. She read to me everyday and taught me how to understand and use words to expressly communicate with others. She helped me to understand the value of communicating effectively in all aspects in life. I excelled in reading and writing in high school; it was not until after my freshman year of college that I learned to formulate my thoughts in a more structured, academic manner. Although writing came naturally to me, learning to speak the “language of the academy,” referred to by Mike Rose has been much more of a challenge. My first advancement beyond this barrier can be attributed to my ethics professor Spence; he helped me to think of arguments and question different points of view through discussion and logical examination.