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Sandoval C. Matthew
Professor Vana Derohanessian
English 114A
11 September 2014
Finding a New Interest
Reading and writing are subjects that we have all been introduced to as a necessity to
perform well in this society. These are basic outlines of communications or daily tasks such as
writing an essay for class or simply writing down directions for someone who is lost. Reading
and writing is much more than just being able to read a book or write a sentence, they teach one
to be able to speak in an educated manner and seem presentable. Not being able to perform in
either of these subjects is not suitable for the society we live in now. My first experience with
literacy was at a young age and I never showed too much interest in them, until the sixth grade
when I met a Coach who really helped create the person I am today, as well as greatly inspire me
in many aspects of life.
I attended Canterbury Elementary school where I was considered gifted in the Magnet
program for my mathematical abilities. Being so interested in Math I would focus my full
attention to that subject and not show much interest in the others. Eventually I was introduced to
sports and athletics which became my new most important aspect in my life. When I went on to
Porter Middle School, I met an after school coach by the name of Nino. Coach Nino was a huge
believer in Education. He was more than just my football and basketball coach, he was a friend,
mentor, and a huge inspiration to me. Every day before practice he would ask everyone on the
team what they did in class today and what their homework assignment was for that night. He
would always preach to us how we should be giving the same if not more effort in the class room

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than we do on the field or court. After all the players gave an educated answer we would then go
out and begin practice where I learned respect, having good work ethic, being a leader, and
having courage.
I always think back to the first school day after meeting Coach Nino and having practice
that I began raising my hand in class more and always asking questions. I suddenly found a
great interest my reading and writing classes. Nino taught me that having great athletic ability is
only have the battle in this society, being educated is the other half. I soon saw myself trying so
hard in all my classes just so that I could impress Coach Nino or provide a better answer when he
would ask us what we did in class. Proving myself to this coach was the most important thing
going on in my life at that time. Either giving it my all at practice going over the form and the
proper mechanics over and over again just to show how badly I want to perform well. Or staying
up late studying and doing homework, reading a couple more pages or going over that
assignment one more time. I wanted to show Coach Nino that I had what it takes to do well in
both my studies, and athletics. My experiences I have had with reading and writing were all
much better after being inspired by Coach.
I remember the first day of my senior year of High School when I walked into my first
period English class, my teacher had a poster of a boy and it said, Thats so jock who can
complete a pass but not a sentence. That poster instantly reminded me of Coach Nino after four
years without him I was reminded of his speeches and how inspirational he was to me. Also
because I played quarterback in football so passing was my main job so I really related to this
picture. Mr. Cyr was the name of my English teacher and he was another huge inspiration to my
literacy interest. He was a strong believe in trial and error, similar to this assignment in which
we produce a first draft that we should not expect to be flawless. In his class we would always

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produce a draft and have another student look over it. In this process both students would benefit
from reading and then providing feed back to the essay because a great way to learn is to teach. I
really enjoyed every time I would grade another students paper and I would notice mistakes they
made that I would also make myself, but didnt realize when in first wrote my essay so I would
then go and change my work. Teaching is a great way of learning and another teacher I had that
believed in that method was Mr. Ancheta.
Mr. Ancheta was my Algebra teacher during my freshman year and he had a system of
teaching that won him the teacher of the year award. He would show us on the board how to do
a problem and then provide us with another to do ourselves. Anyone who finished their problem
would raise their hand if it was right they would then stand up and help others around them. His
teaching methods along with Mr. Cyrs and along with Coach Nino all contributed to my
learning experience. I never enjoyed reading or writing simply just for pleasure until recently
when I started reading the book, Post Mortal in my University 100 class. I started off
procrastinating like I usually do and finally one night I was bored enough to actually start
reading it. I instantly fell in love with the book and really enjoyed reading it. One thing I
noticed about the book is due to its structure in posts, it keeps the reader interested to read the
next one after you finish another. It provides you with a sense of accomplishment when
finishing each blog. Throughout my school years I would always read books only because they
were assigned in class but now that I am in college and have a little more time, I enjoy reading a
few pages before I go to sleep or when I have a little extra time. When I read books I also enjoy
learning different writing styles or another way to say the same sentence or get the same point
across but in a different fashion. Reading has greatly increased my writing abilities as well as
my vocabulary.

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My vocabulary is something I have always struggled with growing up. I always had
good ideas and new what I wanted to say but my vocabulary always limited me from being able
to say what I wanted the way I wanted. Words that other students in my class and grade level
were able to spell and use the word and understand the meaning no problem, seemed so difficult
for me and that was very discouraging. I thought something was wrong with me or I was put in a
class with super smart kids. After reading more books and becoming more knowledgeable of
different words and their meaning, I have greatly increased my writing. Spelling is another topic
that I have also struggled with and have also gotten better from reading. When I read I notice the
word that I know the meaning but never knew how to spell it, afterwards I would start to
remember what the word looks like so my spelling progressed. I believe that everyone should
read because it helps you in so many ways. My writing was never a strong point for me and I
have been working on it, but after reading more I did notice that writing greatly increased, as
well as my style changing. I began saying things differently and noticing sometimes that I would
copy another writers way because I remembered how they would say it.
Amy Tan is the author of the essay, Mother Tongue, which involves her talking about
growing up with immigrant parents who did not speak English. Her mother learned enough
English to get by although even then most people do not understand her, even though her
daughter Amy does. However, I related to this essay in a different way. I grew up speaking
English in my house hold and never learned Spanish. Growing up I was always teased about
being the only kid who didnt understand.
Reading and writing are overall very important in our society. We use them constantly in
our daily lives and they really do tell a lot about a person. Someone who is educated is most
likely a phenomenal writer or has done a lot of reading. I have had some great experiences with

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these subjects through teachers, coaches, mentors, friends and family. I really enjoy both of
these subjects and cant wait to see how I progress in the future.

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Works Cited
Magary, Drew. The Postmortal. New York: Penguin Group, August 2011. Print.
Tan, Amy. Mother Tongue. The Three Penny Review, 1990. Print.