Kayla

1. Williams’ victim concept
2. “The worst part about it all is that he hated his job, which was obvious. He would say things like “‘Why am I here?’ or When will this day end?'” (Kayla)
3. Students would write about being the “victim of bad or insensitive teaching” (Williams 344).
4. The detail in the narrative is an example of Williams’ victim category because the teacher seemed to have gone out of his way to be “insensitive” (Williams 344). Not only did he critique work extra hard, but he would talk about how badly he didn’t want to be in class.

Sam

1. Brandt’s sponsor concept
2. “As Miss Foster showed me, writing was more of a creative way to express one’s thoughts and feelings” (Sam).
3. “Sponsors, as I have come to think of them, are any agents… who enable, support, teach, model, as well as recruit, regulate, suppress, or withhold literacy-and gain advantage by it in some way” (Brandt 166).
4. Brandt seems to think all sponsors have selfish motives for teaching literacy. Of course, Miss Foster is being paid to teach literacy to second graders, but she doesn’t have any underlying motives beyond that. She just wants to make writing out to be attainable and interesting for students. Unlike Brandt, I don’t think all sponsors are teaching to “gain advantage” for themselves.

Hannah

1. Alexander’s success concept
2. “…this assignment made me both a stronger person and writer” (Hannah).
3. “… the conventional literacy success story, a narrative that assumes the more literate one is, the more successful he or she will be” (Alexander 609).”
4.  Hannah believes that writing a college essay actually made her a stronger person, which will ultimately help her throughout the rest of her life. Alexander would call this a literacy-as-success narrative, in which acquiring literacy leads to having a fulfilling life and social mobility.

Blake

1. Alexander’s success concept
2. “If I apply myself I know I can overcome whatever obstacle there is” (Blake).
3. “… the conventional literacy success story, a narrative that assumes the more literate one is, the more successful he or she will be” (Alexander 609).
4. Like Hannah, Blake thinks that the lessons he learned while writing and editing can be used throughout his life. He thinks he can achieve anything because of his moment of literacy (missing recess only to find his paper is missing a period). This is an example of Alexander’s literacy-as-success concept. He mastered literacy, therefore he can overcome obstacles, and thus become successful.