"Learning To Read" By Malcolm X

In the article  "Learning to Read" by Malcolm X he explains how after 7 years in prison he created his own education by reading the dictionary, writing millions of vocabulary words from the dictionary, and using his new found penmanship and vocabulary to educate himself by reading hundreds of books.

In Malcolm’s writings I learned that to some people it's a luxury to be able to read and write. In school I never really enjoyed English; it was always a required class so I did minimum work to get a passing grade. When we were given reading or writing assignments I always waited until the last moment to do my work or didn't do it at all if it wasn't worth that much point’s. But as I've gotten older I've realized the if I do my work correctly and on time I’ll get points and not only pass with an acceptable grade, I'll most likely pass with a B or above. 

Malcolm went above and beyond to further his education without needing grades or credits to push him to do better. He simply wanted to expand his vocabulary and penmanship so he could express his ideas more clearly and read challenging books to acquire a homemade education.