I didn’t know I was dyslexic until I was primary five or primary six but my first memory of struggling with it was when I was six and I was copying from the board and I ended up missing words and writing down the start of the word but not finishing it. Everyone thinks that being dyslexic makes you stupid and special needs, but it doesn’t- it just means you can’t write and spell very well and sometimes counting is an issue too. But it’s not- dyslexia is not about being condemned to stupidity- Albert Einstein was dyslexic, and he was one of the most accomplished scientists in history.
I have struggled my whole life with dyslexia whether it be the disability itself, teachers assuming I can’t do the work. My first memory of being dyslexic was in primary two but my mum claims that I couldn’t spell my own name until primary one but to be fair it is a nine-letter word. One of my biggest struggles with dyslexia was my teacher in primary four I asked her how you spell ‘one’ and she took me round to the primary ones and had them spell it to me.
I also have vivid memories of getting put into detention for not being able to do the handwriting practice and not passing the spelling tests. But my most vivid memory was when I was listening to her teach and then she claimed i was playing I don’t know how I was sitting on the floor but then she grabbed my arm and dragged me along to the play room and said if I wanted to play in here. I just stood and cried. I am one hundred percent sure that this is what has led to my hatred of authority and my mistrust of teachers.
When I first started high school, I was given an iPad to help me cope. This definitely did help since my handwriting is god awful and the auto correct really helped with my spelling. But I always felt different and I used to have to go get in between classes now I have permanently so it definitely helps now. But I would bring the iPad out and I would just different I don’t really know how to describe it. Sometimes I did wish I wasn’t dyslexic as it seemed easier as I used to think writing was faster than typing but now that I am a touch typist, I’m definitely faster than most are writing. But I used to get really annoyed that I couldn’t get my round things that other people could easily.
I have also been underestimated time and time again like when I was in my fourth year of high school my music technology teacher put me at national four level before we even sat the prelim. If my mum and dad hadn’t complained I probably wouldn’t have sat the exam which I got an A in and I am now doing advanced higher music technology. I have so many more examples of not being given the chance but one that really annoys me was when I was made to sit national four in English when I could have easily done the national five in fourth year and done my higher last year I should have been writing this last year. I can even tell you how the odds were rigged against me by whoever chooses what level you sit as in third year I was helping some of my friends that were allowed to sit the national five. But I also know when that I’ve been fairly put at a lower level like when I did math I definitely could not have done national five the first time round but when I did sit my national five I got an award of endeavour and an award of attainment. Another time I can prove my academic worth with dyslexia is when I crashed national five History purely because I there was nothing else, I could have taken in that column and I got a B and an endeavour award. I think one of the worst things about being dyslexic is the patronisation when I do well. People act like I’m puppy that has done a trick.
My whole entire life has been me getting underestimated and having to prove those who underestimated me wrong. But I don’t think it’s all bad as this is what has given me a sense of determination, a drive to succeed, to show that I’m capable of so much and that all I need is an iPad or a scribe and some extra time. And I’m not the only one as there are so many other successes story’s like Keanu Reeves who is a pop culture legend and star of movies such as The Matrix and John Wick. He credits his acting skills to his dyslexia as he would try to pretend that he understood however this got him expelled (another case of the schooling system being byest against dyslexics) so he decided to focus on his acting career. Another successful dyslexic is Albert Einstein who as I’m sure know is famous theoretical physicist who is mostly known for his discovery of E=MC2 so if a dyslexic can do that does that not mean that we can be as smart as everybody else?
So, in conclusion I don’t think that dyslexia is as understood as most will tell you it is. I also think that primary schools need to change if they haven’t since I left. Because teachers actually try and install fear into children and go off their head at them for falling behind. My dyslexia has limited me and helped me in so many ways. it’s somewhat shapes who I am it’s given me my thrust for knowledge my drive to succeed. Dyslexia isn’t bad on it’s own, it’s only bad when someone stacks the odds against you. Throughout my whole life I’ve proved people wrong and I’ll probably have to keep proving people wrong even after I leave school.
