Deborah Brandt's article, "Sponsors of Literacy", proposes an important ideology--especially for up-and-coming teachers of writing. Literacy has transformed over the past couple hundred years to be not solely a marker and privilege of the upper class, but a vital skill to the success of any individual in modern-day society. Nearly every occupation requires their employees to be literate, and more than that, an ability to read is necessary for keeping up with the ebbs and flows of day-to-day life. In so many words, literacy is a requirement of every modern-day individual. Yet this process does not simply occur--to read and write, one must by taught and scaffolded. This is the job of literary sponsors. Of course, this includes "the figures who turned up most typically in people's memories of literacy learning: older relatives, teachers, priests, supervisors, military officers, editors, influential authors", and anyone else involved in the process of learning (Brandt, 167). However, literary sponsors also include any events, whether political or cultural or societal or personal, in your life that inspired you to continue growing your literary dialect. Every aspect of our language has been influenced in some way shape or form, and these influencers are what Brandt refers to as literary sponsors. Moreover, it is important to note that Brandt argues that all literary sponsors gain something from their sponsorship, and this is important for the continuation of the cycle of literary sponsorship.
My literary career, so-to-speak, began as a child. My parents and grandparents began teaching me how to read before I entered elementary school, so by the time I officially enrolled, I was already ahead of many of my peers. I would definitely consider them literary sponsors of mine in the academic sense, as they pushed me to perform well in school. This was out of love, and their sheer desire that I would succeed in my lifetime. I can imagine similar familial situations with many of my peers.
Another strong group of literary sponsors in my life were my English teachers in middle school and high school. They continually expressed to me that I had an advanced ability in reading and writing, and this affirmation led me to really believe this about myself. I began to operate out of this belief, which in turn sparked a newfound motivation to continue applying myself in this subject area.
Slowly, my tastes for reading and writing began evolving into a genre less academic. I began reading authors like Donald Miller and Ann Voskamp, and I remember loving their style of writing--so honest and raw and genuine. Every time I read a book by them, I felt like I was sitting across the table in a coffee shop, listening to them talk about life. I would finish one book, and pick up another, and found myself loving to read their words. I know I am one of thousands who feel this way about both authors, and such is the goal of their writing--to inspire and encourage and advise. In this way, they receive their compensation in full.
My sponsors were not solely academic, either. Since I was a little girl, my mom has always written me handwritten notes. Her words were always so intentional and meaningful. Sometimes they were just on a napkin in my lunchbox, sometimes they were in birthday cards, sometimes they were scrawled across ripped journal pages after we'd gotten into an argument, and sometimes they were just for fun--solely meant to encourage and build me up. These, I treasured. Her example taught me how to express myself in words. I began to do the same for the people I loved, always writing down my honest feelings. She, of course, loved to write to me solely out of love. I think her expression of love is all she really wanted--to be able to express was enough for her.
Finally, I see that my writing style has evolved into an emotional outlet for me, and this is what keeps me motivated. My literary sponsors have imparted inspiration into my life and shaped this motivation for studying writing. With words, we can build up or tear down, inspire or put out flames. I want my writing, by way of honesty and intentionality, to inspire others. I want to declare the good I see in people and help it grow through words and affirmation. In a generation where media is constantly speaking into the identity of its youth, I want to speak a different language--honest, raw, good. My literary sponsors, through the investments they have made upon my life, have brought me to this place of understanding literacy through a different lens. As a teacher of writing, to see my students come to understand the truth of their identity through their own writing and the ideology of the literature we read would be reward enough for me.
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