Mariana Prado Rangel

English 1301-95L

Professor Caleb Camacho

September 17, 2022

Literacy Narrative

Reading, writing, and speaking have always been important in my life. My mother was

the first to introduce me to literacy world. I enjoyed all sorts of books, fairy tales, mystery, and

my reading level became higher than others. My first school years were in Mexico. I was always

advanced in all subjects; I was able to skip a grade level. There was never fear crossing my mind

to read aloud, to answer questions, or presentations. That would all change when my family

decided to move to the United States. I not only had to leave my family and my friends but what

I did not know is how different the US school system is compared to Mexico. This would be the

beginning of my hatred towards school.

We moved when I was just six years old, I did not know why, but it was for the best.

Arriving to my first school in Mission, Texas, the first thing the principal said was “check her

hair, she might have lice.” I’ve never heard of them. My teachers would not teach me English as

that was my own responsibility. Books I read were advanced but in Spanish, therefore it did not

count towards my grades. Two years later, we moved once again, now to Harlingen, Texas.

Elementary school was a bit better since I could take tests in Spanish while getting English
lessons. My third-grade teacher was extremely supportive, allowing me to express myself and

my fourth-grade teacher was just as supportive, she was a bit stricter, but it encouraged me to not

give up. In contrary, my fifth-grade teacher gave me nightmares. She had told me how reading in

Spanish did not matter because I could not get AR points with those books. She gave me books

that were kindergarten level and when I asked for a challenge, she gave me a Harry Potter book,

tossing it to me. It wasn’t even the first book; I was so upset because it felt like she thought of

me as a joke. On top of that, I suffered bullying due to my accent and the teacher would always

blame me. Till this day, she has been my worst teacher.

Middle School was not an improvement at all, my English was not perfect, but I was not

allowed to use my Spanish at all. Bullying became worse and my academic performance

decreased. I was so embarrassed since I had always been “A” Honor Roll, that I began to suffer

from anxiety. At that time, mental health issues were not considered a big deal, so all my feelings

were kept to myself. With my anxiety increasing each day, I avoided presentations, speaking to

others, and my grades did not matter as much to me. I once wrote an essay about the bullying

and discrimination I was experiencing. My essay had many grammatic errors and I failed that

assignment. Safe to say, school was my worst enemy.

After everything that had happened in the previous years, I was not excited for high

school; I cried every single day. I enrolled in Harlingen School of Health Professions, which
focuses on careers in the medical field. It seemed like the right challenge for me however instead

of enjoying learning, it was mostly disappointment and frustration I felt. At this point, I had

severe anxiety and depression, preventing me from improving academically. For all four years, I

would turn in assignments late and could care less about my grades. I hated being told what

books to read, how to write, I was just tired of never doing anything right and feeling like a

failure. My teachers were nice but the fact I couldn't write how I was meant to according to the

school district, put in a deeper depression. Obviously, the bullying did not stop. High school took

place during the Trump presidential election and that was horrible. Every time social media

would bring him up, it caused chaos at school. My classmates would make inappropriate jokes

towards my parents and myself. Speaking up was not an option for me and there was no other

way to express myself, I felt lost.

Till this day, I hate writing and reading in general. I get nervous just thinking about it. It

has taken many years to get over my fear of presenting in front of a class. Thankfully college has

many resources to help me increase not only academically but also personally. I am still working

on allowing my creativity to grow and show itself. I want to enjoy reading and writing again

because I know its importance.