SED 407 Literacy Profile: Starting Over

After we were given the assignment to assess our various types of literacies, I almost immediately started to run down a mental list of skills and knowledge that I’ve accumulated from formal lessons or academic environments. I had to stop for a moment and really think about the other capabilities that I have and take for granted. Many times I found myself asking: am I really good enough at that to be considered “literate?” Finally I settled on something that may seem a little vague, but that I feel confident that I am literate in: moving and starting over.

I should probably provide a little background: I grew up in a rural area in Ontario, Canada. I lived in the same house until I was 18 years old and then left for university only a couple of hours drive away; my parents still live in the house I grew up in. I’d never been on a airplane until I was an adult. My parents aren’t very adventurous people and hoped that I’d settle close to them. I’m also an only child, so there was a lot of pressure to follow their way of life. I always felt a little trapped living out in the country, and I wanted to travel and live somewhere that I would find more interesting. But it took a long time before I felt confident enough to set out on my own.

I didn’t really become literate in starting over until I finished my undergraduate degree. I decided that I wanted to work in Paris through a student work permit program that I’d learned about on campus. So I signed up for the program, booked a ticket, and talked to a friend who’d done a semester abroad. She hooked me up with some friends of hers, I exchanged a few emails with them, and basically showed up in Paris and arrived on the doorstep of a complete stranger. Fortunately I had people willing to help me, even if I’d never met them before. I found a job and an apartment with my less than stellar French, and I traveled on my own to Scotland, Germany, and throughout the south of France, as well as going to Italy with friends I met in Paris. It was a challenging but extremely rewarding experience.

Shortly after I arrived back in Canada I moved to Montreal for school. I’d only been there once before, so it wasn’t much more familiar than Paris was when I arrived. But I found an apartment, learned to navigate the buses and Metro, made friends and developed new interests that profoundly influenced my life.

Next was Chicago; this time I was married to an American, but without proper work papers. Not only did I move to another large city that I’d only been to once or twice before, I also had to find an apartment and a job without having a green card. Of course I wasn’t entirely on my own at this point, but it was still a challenge. I eventually figured out the visa system, found a job, developed some new hobbies, made new friends, and gained skills, experience, and connections that I still rely on today.

The next move was Los Angeles. This move was again on my own, because my husband was stuck in Chicago for a few months while I went to establish myself in LA. I fortunately had friends that I could stay with in Santa Monica, but I then had to learn to navigate the city without a car, which was far more challenging than in Chicago. I was also trying to get a job in a terrible economy and in an industry that is notoriously hard to break in to. After a lot of perseverance I eventually succeeded, but it took all of the skills that I’d developed up to that point as well as many new ones.

Most recently I moved to Providence. Yet again I’d only been to the city once before; it was a very brief visit many years ago and I didn’t remember anything. I flew from LA for a week to find an apartment while six months pregnant and by myself, since my husband wasn’t able to take time off to join me. We then moved across the country together a month later. Because I was pregnant I also had to find a new doctor and figure out where I was going to give birth, in addition to the other tasks involved in moving to a new city.  

So, starting over is a big umbrella term for the type of literacy I’ve developed. Under that umbrella could be included: getting a work permit in a foreign country, finding a decent apartment in a strange city, getting around by public transportation, navigating while driving, finding a job without any connections to help you, making new friends, finding things to keep you sane and connected when you’re feeling alone and overwhelmed, as well as many other things. I became proficient at starting over partly out of necessity and partly out of practice. It’s become easier in some ways each time I’ve moved, but I’ve also never had a backup choice; when I moved, I knew that I wasn’t going back to where I was coming from. The only direction was forward, which I suppose was a limit that I imposed on myself. The main things that allowed me to be successful were: knowing when to ask for advice, finding good people who were willing to help me, and by doing thorough research. In many ways I feel like the literacy I’ve developed will be applicable to teaching high school; starting a new school is a little like moving to a new city.