I would say that my high school english teacher has encouraged me the most to become a more effective reader or writer, but he is also the one who discouraged me from reading and writing more pleasurable because he is so critical. Also I have never been a very strong writer so that makes it difficult for me.
From my observations something that I believe discourages adults from increasing their literacty skills is that the believe they have made it to where they need to be in their jobs and life so they don’t need to put in the effort to enhance themselves. Sometimes they also think that they are too old to do it.
When I hear the word sponsor I think of someone who backs you up in the activities you do. One memory that really stands out for me is my Confirmation. A sponsor is there to guide you and help you get the materials and knowledge you need to be successful in whatever you’re pursuing, whether it be educational or extra-cirricular.
According to Brandt sponsors are “any agents, local or distant, concrete or abstract, who enable, support, teach, model, as well as recruit, regulate, supress, or withhold literacy – and gain advantage by it in some way.”
When Brandt says that “literacy is in pursuit of [you].” She is saying that in this day and age literacy is needed for most any jjob that you might do, therefore literacy needs you to get the job done and do it successfully. A sponsor may permit literacy by giving you a reason to enhance your literacy or guiding you to that enhancement, but it can also prohibit literacy by putting up obstacles for the student seeking literacy to overcome.
My experience is more like Raymond Branch’s. I have always had rich resources open to me in my schools, home and community, and I was always given opportunities to enhance my literacy.
Some key agents in sponsoring my literacy are my parents, Coach Curtis, my friends and my brother. They are the ones who read to/with me growing up, and have continued to encourage me to keep going even though I don’t enjoy reading or writing.
I don’t really see how a prohibiting agent can be a who, and if it can be how they can gain an advantage from it. I haven’t had any of those experiences personally. My main prohibiting agent is myself because I cannot find any encouragement inside myself to increase my literacy, but I am only left with a disadvantage rather than an advantage.
