Hi everyone my name is Andrew Hamilton and I’m really excited to be part of this class community. I’m currently a freshman majoring in Business. Career wise, I’m still figuring out exactly where I want to end up, but I know I want to build skills that will help me in both professional and personal areas of life. One of those skills is becoming a stronger reader and writer, which is why I’m looking forward to this course.
My Reading and Writing Experiences
Most of my experiences with reading and writing have happened in school. Growing up, I did read some books for fun, but over time I started to associate reading more with assignments and homework. Writing has also been mostly school focused for me essays, reflections, and research papers. I’d describe myself as a decent writer when I’m given a structure, but I sometimes struggle when writing feels more open ended. For example if I’m writing about something I’m passionate about like sports, I feel I do a lot better and it come’s easier.
As a reader, I’ll be honest I don’t read as much outside of school as I probably should. That’s something I’d like to change. The Great Gatsby was a book I really enjoyed reading in high school. Reading Deborah Brandt’s essay Sponsors of Literacy reminded me that the people around me teachers, coaches, friends, and family have played a role in shaping how I read and write, even if I don’t always notice it. In this class, I hope to unlearn the idea that reading and writing are just school tasks, and instead start to see them as skills that connect to the things I enjoy in life.
My Literacy Spaces
One of my biggest hobbies is sports. Whether it’s playing, watching, or following teams, sports is something I’m passionate about. I don’t always think of it this way, but reading and writing are a big part of being a sports fan. I’m constantly reading scores, stats, and articles on sites like ESPN or Yahoo sports , and I text my friends about games. Writing shows up when I share my thoughts online, make posts about teams I like, or even just debate with friends over who’s better in terms of teams and players.
Most of my interactions about sports happen either in person with friends or online through social media and sports communities. I enjoy talking about recent games, player trades, and even sports betting. These conversations are another form of literacy because they involve reading information, processing it, and communicating my opinion clearly.
Looking Ahead
Through this course, I want to connect school reading and writing more to my personal interests. I’d like to read more outside of assignments and write in ways that feel creative, not just academic. At the same time, I want to better understand how literacy is part of everything I do from sports to social media to everyday conversations.
Andrew's Blog 