There I was, with tears streaming down my face while my classmates’ eyes followed me out of the classroom. My heart sank to my stomach out of pure embarrassment. Like any sixth grader, all I wanted was to fit in. Because I had faced the struggles of my learning disorder all throughout elementary school, I was used to being pulled out of class. However, this was different. My whole class, my peers, and the people I constantly strived to impress were now aware of my differences. I had dealt with dyslexia my entire life. I had made so much progress, but this experience made the years of hard work seem pointless. I went through so much- the extra classes, homework, and tutoring- yet, at this moment I felt as though I was a little first grader again, …show more content…
In first grade, I was diagnosed with dyslexia. My teacher had seen the way I do things, much differently than the other six-year-olds, which prompted her to contact my parents and suggest that they have me tested. My supportive parents took her advice, and sure enough, I was hit with that big word once again - dyslexia. From that point on, it was taken out of mine and my family’s hands, as the school required that I be put on an individualized education program, also known as an IEP. In second grade, I was put into a particular class, occasionally being pulled out to receive more specialized help. …show more content…
Because of my disorder, I never imagined that I would be where I am today. Dyslexia is classified as a learning disability, but I do not view it this way because it was an obstacle that I am proud to say I faced. Despite how hard it was, this disorder taught me that your disabilities do not define you. It showed me that with enough motivation and effort, I could become everything I had always hoped to
From the time when I was a little boy, growing up in Graves County, Kentucky, I have had problems with my reading and writing. Things never seemed to click for me, a trait that the teachers attributed to a mild case of dyslexia mixed with a healthy dose of attention deficit disorder. I knew, however, that no disorder was the cause of my distaste of reading and writing. Rather, there was nothing really interesting surrounding me that would grab my interest in the classroom. The teachers I encountered never took any interest in what their students wanted to read or write; they developed assignments based on what the curriculum, a course of study developed by some politicians at the Board of Education, told them to
I was diagnosed with dyslexia in elementary school. My parents believed in my academic abilities, and strengths, including determination, perseverance, and organization. I have worked hard to earn a high GPA in college. Many things are possible when given an equal chance in life, and everyone deserves an opportunity. My experiences with a disability and diversity shaped my personality. Advocating for my academic needs taught me to speak up in a respectful way, and strengthened my interest in assisting others in communicating their needs. I am passionate about working with people that have disabilities, injuries, and deficiencies so that I can help them to achieve as much independence as possible, while improving their health and quality of
I’m a senior at the University of South Carolina Upstate and have been diagnosed with dyslexia since childhood. This label could have caused for a disastrous college experience, but there has always been something in myself pushing beyond the stigma.
Ever since I was young, I knew something was different about me. I’ve always had an active imagination and would write all kinds of stories, sometimes through pictures and sometimes through words. Not until I was in first grade did I notice my writing was different than my friends. It didn’t bother me though because I was too young to realize something was wrong; I was just different. One weekend, after playing restaurant with my mom and brother, my mom contacted my teacher to talk about some concerns she had with my reading and writing. She was told that I seemed to be progressing on an age-appropriate level with my peers and that nothing appeared to be wrong. But my mom persisted, and insisted that I be tested for a reading disability. My dad is dyslexic and my mom, knowing it can be passed down, was watching for the signs in my older brother first and now me. After testing, one of SV’s school psychologists announced that my results showed I had a learning disability. I then went to my pedestrian to talk about it and then to a special learning center in Sewickley for further
Let me just say " who knew that ADHD and Dyslexia could make me a stronger and better person. " Nevertheless, these learning challenges have made me the strong confident person I am today. These learning obstacles have taught me patience, perseverance, and great time management.
The teacher walked to the front of the room with her book in hand and as she got closer to the front, Paul got lower in his seat. He knew what was coming next; it was time for the class to read the next chapter. The teacher would start reading and then call on different students to read as they moved through the chapter. This scared Paul right down to his toes. He had read in front of the class before, but it was what followed after class that worried him the most. The taunts from the other students like “retard” or “are you stupid or what?” This type of relentless teasing would continue until gym class where he could hold his own ground again. He did not have any problems in gym; class he was good at sports
I am a student that has had to work hard for as long as I can remember in achieving my goals, dreams, both personal as well as academically. After many years of testing, I was diagnosed with dyslexia in my sophomore year of high school. Dyslexia is a congenital language process disorder. It can hinder reading, writing, spelling and sometimes speaking. Dyslexia is not a sign of poor intelligence
In Learning Outside the Lines, Jonathan Mooney expresses what it was like growing up with Dyslexia throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s. This proved difficult to him because during this time many public schools lacked the resources to help children like Jonathan, with their disabilities. Mooney writes in his book detailing constant narratives scattered throughout his schooling in which teachers and administrators would put him down and tell him that he was of below average intelligence. Mooney would express that at a young age in second grade, he would hate going to school because his teacher, Mrs. C, would constantly shame him for not being able to read and spell like the rest of the children. They placed him in a lower reading circle with other struggling students while he was teased by the other kids with higher reading levels. He was treated differently because he was different, but the school did not have the awareness to understand that he
In the essay “On Being Seventeen, Bright, and Unable to Read,” David Raymond offers information on him having the experience of dyslexia. He explains how dyslexia plays a major role in his learning. In a positive and negative way. Dyslexia doesn’t only stop him with other educational activities but effects his self-confidence. While dyslexia brought Raymond many struggles as a child, it also played a huge role in Raymond’s confidence such as him saying that he wanted to die since he was different to everyone else. David visibly tells us how his dyslexia held him back from every day activities as a child. While reading, he says, “My family began to suspect I was having problems almost from the first day I started school.” This quote makes
As a young child, my memory of reading starts with a troubling period in my life. It started in first grade after I had moved to a new school. For me he year kicked off normally, but the further down the road, I found myself struggling to keep up in my reading class. In addition to falling behind in my classes, I was feeling isolated from the other students. My grades started to suffer and everything got worse. We didn’t have a school counselor, so my principal arranged a meeting with my parents to discuss what actions should be taken. My principal told my parents it isn’t uncommon for new students to fall behind in classes and that the move could be causing some of the issues. He recommended that I start attending special education for my reading course. My parents thought it over and explained to me that it was ok and not to be discouraged about this. However,
I first started out my learning experience at a school called River Valley Charter School (RVCS). This school was a montessori school that relied heavily on independence and alternative styles of learning. At RVCS their were multi aged classrooms so I grew quickly with helping and learning from those younger and older than me. This eventually helped me in building skill for the real world environments. This though was overcome with negatives. The school was ill prepared for any student with learning disabilities. The group of teachers and students that understood dyslexia was next to none. Everyday that I went to school I felt different in one of the worst ways possible. I knew that I was the same as everyone else but when the teacher took me into the other room for special teaching, that I knew never worked I felt stupid and at the time retarded. The teachers that taught me at RVCS everyday taught me little skills that would help me accomplish my daily goal. And because of this lack of teaching and care I lost confidence in myself. I stopped caring about the
According to the Dyslexia & Learning Disability Centre in Las Vegas, Dyslexia is an ability within the sensory mechanism of the nervous system to perceive the world with a multidimensional view. However it comes with poor word reading, word decoding, oral reading fluency and spelling. Though with appropriate teaching methods, dyslexic individuals can learn successfully throughout their lives. Also, when properly trained and informed, a dyslexic can use their
Dyslexia is a lifelong struggle with constant challenges with reading and speaking. About five to ten percent of the United States population deals with the learning disorder dyslexia (Van den Honert, n.d.). It is a neurological condition that is mainly caused by genetics but there are some rare cases in which it is acquired. Dyslexia interrupts the normal processes of reading and speaking (Van den Honert, n.d.). All of which are used in daily life and this makes life and school so much harder for dyslexics. They must learn to live with the condition for their entire life and there is not really a treatment for it. With the constant struggle and reminder of their
People with dyslexia are slow, but that doesn’t mean that they are not intelligent. I think that people with this disorder have the most creative and outgoing minds in the world. People with dyslexia may have intelligent levels over one hundred. Brilliant mind come with brilliant ideas. Athletes, writers, actors, and even characters have or had dyslexia. Here are some of the brilliant minds you may know: Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, Mozart, John Lennon, Tom Cruise, Magic Johnson, and Walt Disney. All of these dyslexics have come to be some of the greatest minds and just look were that put them. Don’t put people with dyslexia down encourage then to go on because some day they could do great things for are world. (Sollier)
Growing, developing and learning are the facts of life for all children. Each day children are faced with many new concepts and various challenges. Can you imagine how it feels for a child to face not only new challenges life has, but to face these challenges while living with a learning disability? These challenges are met not just when they begin school either. Students suffer from learning disabilities from the moment they begin learning, not when they start school. Learning disabilities are real and they affect millions of people. “One such disability that affects over approximately 15 percent of the total American population is dyslexia” ( Nosek 5).