A little reflection
To be honest, I didn't read these texts very clearly. I skimmed through them quickly and didn't analyze Brandt's text because his academic style is very complex. I carefully analyzed the headings and quotes to contextualize myself and better understand the text. For Medina, I started with the conclusion to gain a general, more comprehensive understanding before reading the entire text. I also looked up some words I didn't fully understand to understand their broader meaning in relation to language and represent.
What do I took from these texts?
From Deborah Brandt, the idea of “sponsors of literacy” stood out. She argues that literacy is influenced by people and institutions, leading me to reconsider my educational experiences. I questioned who taught me “the right way” to write and why some ways of speaking were deemed “unprofessional. ” Brandt emphasizes that literacy involves power dynamics and not everyone has the same starting point.
From Cruz Medina, the importance of embracing multilingualism and cultural identity in First-Year Composition stands out. He highlights how traditional classrooms often mute voices of non-English speakers and argues for the need to challenge this. Encouraging students to write in their own languages or dialects raises the standard for equity and truth-telling, rather than lowering it.
My reflection and my experience throughout my life
Reading these two texts in the same week was exciting. It felt like both authors were asking me, “What stories have you silenced to fit in? ”
I grew up speaking both Spanish at home and English at school. In middle school, I started separating them, thinking mixing them made me less “smart. ” Teachers corrected my sentences, and classmates laughed at my mom’s accent. Eventually, I learned to hide one voice to make the other more acceptable.
These readings made me realize that this approach was never fair. Brandt pointed out that my focus on “academic English” came from gatekeepers who had a narrow view of what “educated” means. Medina helped me envision a classroom where I wouldn’t have to hide part of myself to earn good grades.
Looking ahead, if I become a teacher, I want my students to feel proud of their language, not like parts of their identity are mistakes.
Final thoughts
This week was all about valuing everyone’s background, and these texts helped me understand what that really means not just saying “diversity matters,” but actually building systems that reflect it.
Brandt gave me the lens to see literacy as political.
Medina gave me the hope that literacy can also be liberating.
