I’ve always loved story telling in all forms, books, verbal, movies, TV shows, you name it. I fondly remember my mom reading books to us when I was small, and becoming very frustrated because I couldn’t read those stories to myself. My oldest sister taught herself how to read when she was only four, so I didn’t think it should be so hard. Both my sisters were in the Gifted program, so I felt extra dumb because I struggled to do things they did with ease. Reading, writing, and math were very challenging for me. My rights and lefts were constantly mixed up and trying to read time on analog clocks was ridiculously hard. My mom brought up her concerns at my school, but they brushed her off. Before third grade started, we moved to a new school where they listened to my mom’s concerns and tested me. I’m glad she kept pushing and didn’t stop trying to help me. The test proved I had dyslexia, and I was placed in special education for reading and writing.
My special education teacher was awesome, and all the other kids in that class were nice to me. However, I had to leave my normal class during reading and writing for my special class. I was teased and bullied for the next four years, not just for having a learning disability, but that didn’t help. In sixth grade, my special ed teacher let me know she recommended that I no longer be in the special education program. She knew things were going to get harder for me the following year when I entered junior high. She saw tremendous improvement in my skills and didn’t think I needed to continue in the special classes. I was then on my own, sink or swim, just like all the normal kids.
I did fine, much to my surprise. I learned that the computer and spell check were my best friends. I read much slower than most other people and still do, but I also retain a heck of a lot more than others who read much faster. My sister could finish a book in a day, whereas it would take me a week or more to finish the same book. That used to bother me a lot. I felt inadequate.
By the time high school rolled around, I developed a love for writing my own stories. I started dreaming of one day being a writer, but thought that was all that would ever be, a dream. There’s no way that someone who has dyslexia could ever be a writer. Luckily, I had some aamzing teachers and my mom who encouraged me and slowly I changed my thinking. My senior year, I remember taking an aptitude test and the two highest things it recommended for me were something with animals and a freelance writer. I still didn’t feel super confident in my ability to write successfully, and since I loved animals, I thought going into the animal field was a good option, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue going to school. So, I got a job at a couple of vet clinics and even a cat hotel, but those didn’t fit. I’m too sensitive when it comes to animals and couldn’t handle the sadder parts of the job.
Fast forward several years. Life got in the way, and I stopped writing. I ended up with a fulltime job staring at a computer screen all day, and the last thing I wanted to do when I got home was sit in front of my computer and write. I had two wonderful children that took all my time and attention. Once my oldest started school and I only had one child to care for, I realized I could write again. I was happier when I was writing, and started thought the dream I’d long ago of being a published writer may actually be a possibility.
Now I don’t think of my dyslexia as a bad thing. I’m not embarrassed about the fact that I have it. I probably also have dyscalculia (kind of like dyslexia with math) because I always struggle with math too. We all have different strengths and weaknesses. My strength is being able to take my time to read and enjoy all the author has to show me. I’ll retain most of the details from the book, even years later. I pick up on foreshadowing that others who read the same book quickly may catch. I’ve learned many tricks along the way to work around my dyslexia and math short comings and passed them onto my children, even though they may not need the tricks, they’re still nice to have. I continue to take longer than most to read an analog clock. In fact, you won’t find an analog clock in my house. I still think for a moment before I know if something is left or right. But I’m okay with all these things.
When my oldest was diagnosed with ADHD at four, we didn’t see it as a bad thing. Now that we knew what was going on, we wanted to learn how to work with their brain and help them figure out ways around their attention issues. I’ve always told my kids that we’re all individuals and all our brains work differently. It’s okay that we’re wired this way and not what might be considered the norm. Those of us with learning disabilities will have a harder time fitting in with those that don’t, but it doesn’t mean that we are less than. We learn how to work around our challenges, and can still be whatever we want. There are tons of successful people who have learning disabilities. Just look it up, you’ll be surprised who you find.
Don’t let your learning differences define you. You may have to work harder to overcome your obstacles, but don’t give up, keep going. Your dreams are worth it.