From Darkness to Light: Literacy History

 Good day!

    You can call me Donna, but my name is Dattnan Martinez. As a senior at NJCU, my major is criminal justice with minors in sociology and women's gender studies. With a long-term aim of working as a victim advocate and a crime scene investigator, I intend to earn my bachelor's degree in criminal justice this spring. I'm passionate about lending a hand to people whenever I can. I recently received my Basic Life Support (CPR and AED) certification. I adore dogs so much; at the moment, I have two that I helped save, and I aspire to help rescue more. Although I did not anticipate taking this course, it is necessary to graduate, so I'm hoping to learn new things. 

Meet Hershey and Scrappy

From Darkness to Light

    It was somewhat of a roller-coaster in the early years of my life. I spent most of my time in the hospital when I first learned to read and write. When I was younger, my father spent over three years in a coma; most of that time was a haze, and I can't really remember very much. My grandmother has always said that I began writing in script since the nurse taught me in it. A few years later, as my primary language is Spanish, I was enrolled in a multilingual class. Speaking Spanish with my all-time favorite teacher, Ms. Gutierrez, made me very happy. Later, halfway through the school year, they decided to move me from a multilingual to an all-English class, which I found quite offensive. Thinking about it now, I never would have gained English to the fullest extent if they had not changed me. The good news is that my first-grade English teacher speaks Spanish, so we had no trouble communicating. "May I used the restroom?" was one of the first English sentences I learned that included a pronoun. "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle was the first book I was able to finish reading in English. Considering how poorly I was already spelling words, the change discouraged me greatly. Without the bravery of my instructor, Ms. Gutierrez, my godmother and older sister would not have been by my side to support and encourage me to never stop studying. They would not stop telling me that I would be unique for learning two languages and that people would be shocked and applauding if I could speak two languages. They support me in reading books nonstop, my godmother bought me books, my teacher allowed me to borrow some, and my older sister encourages me to watch drama series on television.

"Charlotte's Web," "Bambi," and "Five Little Monkeys, Jumping on the Bed" were my three all-time favorites. Oh, my all-time favorite was "Five Little Monkey, jumping on the bed," which I will never get tired of reading or singing; or jumping on the bed. Naturally, I began reading Dr. Seuss books and "Wonder" as I grew older. For a while, I despised reading because I used to read so much for English language improvement. I am grateful to my closest friend for encouraging me to pick up reading again.

    I began to lose my touch with speaking and writing in Spanish as I continued to read and did my best to write and talk in English. I continued to have trouble in both languages. Since my parents speak only Spanish and I speak English at school, it was difficult for me to stay in touch. That will undoubtedly irritate me in elementary school, especially since I am teased for having an accent. Even as a young child, I used to like watching crime documentaries and shows. Yes, I am aware! How could a young child be watching shows for adults? Up to this point, I had never considered who my true role model was for enduring in my studies and hard work. Without a doubt, my older sister served as my role model. Witnessing our arrival in the United States from the Dominican Republic. My sister quickly became fluent in the language, speaking and translating extensively to support my parents. I watched her interact confidently with doctors and nurses while my dad was visiting the hospital. However, up until this point, I was more of a quiet and timid young child. I no longer feel shy about expressing myself in any language. Learning new things, especially a new language, always interests me. I'm trying to learn French right now, on Duolingo. My sister has always given me the will and confidence to keep pushing forward, which motivates my desire to support people in need of a voice.

My Sister