I am dyslexic, for me this means I have a hard time spelling and a hard time doing simple math along with other things. I did not always know I had dyslexia, when I was in grade 3 I was diagnosed with having a learning difference. To kids my age that just meant i was different or in simpler terms i was dumb. When you are in grade 3 all you really do is add numbers and subtract them, you even start multiplying them and spelling tests are very frequent at a young age. When those things are the only real thing you learn it can be very challenging for a young kid who can not do those things very well. Things like quick math problems that get asked to you in front of the whole class where they can all see how long you take and how correct you are. I remember being in fourth grade when my teacher asked me a simple math problem in front of everyone, something like 8+5 and I could not do it inside my head so I started counting it out on my fingers and said my answer quite confidently to my teacher and the whole class my teacher then told me politely I was one off but “better luck next time”. I was already not feeling great when the boy next to me leaned over and told me i was stupid, I got up and left the room crying. Just then realizing I didn't fit it with my peers or at least I felt like I didn't. I managed my way through elementary school having an easier time as class got more complicated and things were less about the easy stuff. Half way through grade seven i was scheduled to get re-tested to update my IEP (individual education plan) to prepare for me to go into high school which stated I had a “learning difference” which really meant I learned differently from others. After my testing i was diagnosed with dyslexia, at the time i really didn't know what that meant but it seemed lots of others did especially teachers. When I finished getting tested the specialist who tested me recommended a high school that specializes in kids with learning differences and dyslexia. My mom looked into it and decided it would be a good fit for me for at least a year. She enrolled me for my first year of high school. After a year of going to a school where everyone was just like me, I learned strategies and ways to overcome challenges I faced on a daily basis. There was one strategy though that I still use to this day. I learned to advocate for myself. Advocating for yourself means speaking up, for example telling teachers you don't understand and asking for the help I really needed. I started to enjoy school again and it became easier and easier to navigate. After my 8th grade year me and my family decided it would be smart for me to transfer into SDSS a much larger school then my old one with a lot more freedom when it comes to learning. At SDSS it's really up to the person on whether you learn things in school or not. In a school as large as ours no one is there monitoring how you're doing and what problems you have in class, yes teachers can give you advice back but a teacher telling me to watch my spelling on assignments wasn't going to be very helpful. Throughout all of grade 9 I grew as a person by learning that I can do well in school. It just might be a bit harder. In grade 9 I worked hard in all my classes to achieve straight A’s and to be able to have my strategies block removed for grade 10 so I was able to take more electives. To this day i still can't do 6+7 in my head and i have to sing a song to remember how to spell ‘because’ but now i know i need to talk to my teachers at the start of every semester and tell them what i struggle with and what accommodations i need to succeed in class. I still get the strange looks from students in my class when i get handed the notes in class instead of having to right them like everyone else and when the math teacher asks me a quick math question that i have to count on my hands to be able to answer but now i know i'm not that different I just learn different.
Marin M
17 Comments
Eyad Zohairy
10/7/2022 01:45:01 pm
This was very interesting, as someone who has struggled with learning in the past (not to the point of dyslexia of course,) it was relateable to hear your struggles. And im very happy to hear things are going more smoothly nowadays. Good luck in the future :)
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Sunsia
10/7/2022 01:45:15 pm
I appreciate how you shared your own experience about this issue and how you are getting over it. I think this information would be a big help to those who are either dyslexic but cant get the help they need or the ones who are not professionally diagnosed but are showing symptoms of dyslexia. :)
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Paige
10/7/2022 01:45:57 pm
I really liked hearing about your personal journey. It's inspiring to see how strong you've been despite your struggles. Thank you for sharing your experience :)
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Hewitt
10/7/2022 01:47:14 pm
Must be difficult to live with dyslexia. Its great you learned strategies to help and cope. Thanks for sharing and helping me understand.
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Gurleen
10/7/2022 01:47:36 pm
Thank you for sharing that with us. I am so sorry that you had to go through that. Great article, the last line really touched me.
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Kieran
10/7/2022 01:48:40 pm
It's very courageous of you to write about something like this considering it was a tough part of your life. we all learn in different ways so in the grand scheme of things your way is just one of many.
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Anooj
10/7/2022 01:49:14 pm
W blog. Excellent use of grammar, and I learned a lot about how life is from the perspective of someone with dyslexia. We all struggle with certain aspects of school, not everyone is the same. It’s cool that you didn’t let dyslexia put your head in the sand, but rather you chose to fight it and work on what’s important to you.
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Lina
10/7/2022 01:49:41 pm
I really liked this blog. I never met someone struggling with dyslexia or at least I never noticed it. Thank you for giving me the chance to get a better understanding on how dyslexia shows and especially on what to do in situations you may have to speak up for yourself.
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aleyna
10/7/2022 01:50:12 pm
this is very well written. i appreciate you being so vulnerable and writing down your feelings about a personal issue that you've grown up so embarrassed of.
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olivia
10/7/2022 01:52:32 pm
Marin you are so strong,going through something like that and not knowing what it was till you were in grade 7 must have been hard. I'm so glad that you were able to find strategies to help you!
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Amelia
10/7/2022 01:53:42 pm
I think that alot of people who also struggle with dyslexia should read your article. It helps people that dont have it understand what others go through, and I think it helps the ones that do have dyslexia feel less alone. Great article thank you for sharing.
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rylyn
10/7/2022 01:54:21 pm
Im glad that you were able to be open with your situation and struggles. Its very cool how you were able to build up by getting good grades and doing well on assignments, despite your dyslexia.
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Lucas
10/7/2022 01:55:06 pm
That sounds like it was rough coming to terms with yourself and what is necessary for you to learn. While I don't have dyslexia, I did struggle in elementary school too and got bad grades. Instead of it being because I couldn't do the work, it was it was so boring that I just didn't put effort into it. I hope that you are constantly improving every day, and that you still can enjoy learning. :)
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Melina
10/7/2022 01:56:09 pm
Thank you for sharing this with us and making us aware. You are so strong and so glad you found the right solution to your problem.
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Quinn
10/7/2022 01:56:14 pm
I really liked your blog. I don't have dyslexia but I do have other learning disabilities that I have struggled with in the past, and understand how school can be hard especially elementary school when you don't know why you're different. Thanks for sharing about this!
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Aimee
10/7/2022 02:02:34 pm
Dear Marin,
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Eunseo
10/7/2022 02:04:47 pm
Thank you for sharing about your story!
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