Literacy Narrative
WELCOME TO MY JOURNEY
JORDAN MCCALLISTER
Welcome to Preschool
 Preschool held years of success for me. I was ahead
in class, well-liked, and hard-working. I loved
preschool so much that I didn’t want to move on!
• Moving on from Preschool to
Kindergarten did not thrill me. In
fact, I remained in Preschool for
another year just because I liked it
so much. And maybe because I was
the first baby in the family and
worked that sad face well.
Journeying to Elementary School
 Being so successful in preschool, I figured all
academic life would be that way. Elementary school
proved itself to be somewhat challenging for me,
specifically when it came to reading. I struggled to
read words and to tell time, but my mom may tell you
otherwise.
• This being the case, my mom and I would spend hours
after school reading on the couch. She told me that
that would be the first thing I would want after school.
So I would come home, set down my things, and have
her read with me for hours. She was a good mom like
that.
“Mom and I”
From Frustration Station to Love
 Being the determined girl that I
was, time after school with mom
could be somewhat frustrating. If
there was a word that I couldn’t
figure out, I would not move
forward until I could sound it out
correctly.
 Once I mastered the fine art of
sounding out words and
distinguishing between the little
hand and big hand (which, might I
add, is still difficult for me to do to
this day), I began to LOVE
reading!
 Here are some of the book series’
that I enjoyed:
Just Ask
Books!
More favorite books! I
was such a curious
little girl always
asking “Why?” or
“How?” or “What’s
that?” so my mom and
dad bought me this
series that answered
almost every question
I could ever think of!
Some of my favorite
titles included: What
is a Rainbow? and
Why is the Sky Blue?
Words Please, No Numbers
 All that “sounding out” in my early years proved to
be successful, as elementary school, than junior high,
and then high school swiftly rounded the corner.
 “Language Arts and Reading” (as they called it)
became my favorite and most confident subject.
Solving equations? What are numbers?
Growing up . . .
As I continued
reading on my own
I enjoyed books like
the Harry Potter
Series, Gossip Girl,
Mysteries of any
kind, the author
Karen Kingsbury,
The Babysitter’s
Club (briefly), and I
kept many, many,
journals (or as some
may call it,
“diaries”).
Let Me Explain . . .
 Harry Potter was my first fantasy series. I became so engrossed in the
plot and the character’s lives. Not only that, but it was one of the few
books that my dad bought for me. However, it would take me very little
time to read one of the books, and when I finished, the next book of the
series wasn’t likely to come out until months later. Because of that, I
became disengaged in the series and never got into the movies.
 Gossip Girl was so captivating, even before the T.V. show was created.
The lifestyle was completely different from that of my own. The main
characters were rich, living in big cities, independent, experiencing
serious relationships, gossiping, and dealing with different hardships
than I. I stopped reading this series because of it’s negativity. It’s not
necessarily the most uplifting book series and so I felt that I would be
better without it.
Let Me Explain . . .
 Karen Kingsbury is my favorite author to this day. She’s a Christian
Fiction novelist, with everyday stories to tell. She writes stories of love
and loss, stories about war, cancer, disability, celebrity, marriage,
widowhood, fatherhood, motherhood, the list could continue. I really
connect with the plot and characters. The books are filled with stories
of hope and leave me feeling so encouraged and inspired.
 Journals, have been my outlet for years. I remember I had my first
journal in third grade, would bring it to school and keep it hidden in my
“secret” pocket (which I considered the inside of my jacket). I wrote
about my elementary school crushes and even wrote songs there . I’m
still an active journal-er, it’s where I process my emotions, conflicts, big
life events, etc. It’s a private space I consider mine.
Future
Plans
 I dream of writing books, becoming
a famous blogger, and joining
community book clubs.
 My future plans are to be
determined. I don’t like planning
too much, but grad school is always
an option (Where I assume much
reading and writing for school will
consume my time.)
 Without school, I hope that reading
and writing is a lasting hobby,
something I enjoy, something that
will always sharpen my mind.
Me, my mom, and
sister.
Life is no longer like it was
in preschool and often
times I spend a lot of time
reading and writing for
classes I don’t really care
about. However, I love
learning and growing.
My sister and I spend our
summer’s laying in the
sun reading books, writing
in our journals, and
sharing our hearts. Now
that she’s away at school
we write letters, Skype,
Facebook chat, and really,
when aren’t we texting?
Literacy has become an
everyday part of my life!
Family
Thanks
IT DOESN’T END HERE.
HERE’S TO CONTINUING THE JOURNEY!