Hey guys, today I'm going to talk about dyslexia and dyscalculia. Some of you may not know what dyslexia or dyscalculia is, so I'll start by explaining. I'll explain dyslexia first.
So my understanding is that dyslexia is a gene that affects your brain and makes it difficult to read and write. For example, when you look at a book all of the words move, making it look like they dance on the paper when they really don't. It also causes them to look blurry, because of this most people think that they need reading glasses. Because of this when you try to read and write your brain gets confused.
Now, dyscalculia is basically the same thing except instead of having a hard time reading and writing you have a hard time with math and numbers. Like dyslexia, dyscalculia makes the numbers blurry and they move which makes it hard to add them up or subtract them and the numbers are transposed which makes 52 become 25, which can be a problem in calculating answers.
Because of both of these, it can be confusing and make you not want to learn because, not being rude, I apologize, it's too much work. I say this because I know, I struggle with both dyslexia and dyscalculia and also dysgraphia (which means lines look all wacky to me, literally I can't draw a straight line.). It is a lot of work!
It also can be a little bit embarrassing, which sometimes makes you not want to learn anything because you feel like you can't. For example, let's just say you are at your friend's house and they want to play a board game, but the board game has something that you have to read or has some sort of math in it. Now you are self-conscious, you feel bad because you don't want to hurt your friend's feelings but you know it's gonna be hard or not possible for you to play. So you try to explain to them that you can't exactly read or do math easily and they look at you weird and you feel totally embarrassed and out of place. But it's not your fault, it's not like when you were born you said, "Hey I'm going to have dyslexia or dyscalculia." That would just be weird. Dyslexia is a gene issue, not an intelligence issue.
Another thing, there's nothing to be ashamed about or angry about. Having dyslexia and dyscalculia isn't a bad thing, in a way it can be used as a gift. Now, you might not see how it could be used that way but it truly can, but only if you decide for it to be. There's another thing about people who have dyslexia, they think that they can't do anything and they also think that they have no future.
Bologna! You do have a future, you have it if you choose to have it and if you work hard. You might think you're dumb but that's not true. It's a lie that you, my friend, put inside your head. You feel ashamed about not being able to read or do math but you don't want to work on it. I know that sometimes you feel like crying, you feel like screaming, and maybe sometimes you feel like ripping something apart, but that isn't going to help you learn. Trust me I have tried all of those and regretted it.
The reason I'm writing this, the reason I'm saying all these words is because I know how you feel. I know you're emotions and how you think that you're not gonna be able to do something big. You might be afraid that your dreams won't come true, perhaps your dream of becoming a doctor, a teacher, a writer, or anything. Trust me with a little bit of help you can become all of those things and so much more! You can become whatever your heart desires. Albert Einstien and Leonardo Davinci both were dyslexic and look at all they did!
For another example, I know there's a lot of examples, one of my dreams is to become a writer. Guess what? Part of that is starting to come true because of my mom! To tell you the truth without her I wouldn't have been able to do anything, wouldn't have been able to say what I'm saying to you right now, I wouldn't have been able to reach out to others that are just like me and my sister who also struggles with dyslexia but always carries a smile on her face no matter what. I'm proud of my sister for working hard to overcome this as well. She has learned so much! Guess what, she can now write amazing things, and you could too!
If you are struggling with dyslexia or know someone who is struggling and would like to learn more keep reading. I'm going to tell you one of the methods that can help because I know that it's hard and not many people know about this. They don't understand. It's hard to find a tutor that knows anything about dyslexia or dyscalculia, trust me my mom tried to find me and my sister Jaidie one, but couldn't. So mom ended up going to school to learn a special method so she would know how to teach us in a way we could understand best. You can look up information about Orton Gillingham if you want to learn more.
Now, if you decide to do the Orton Gillingham method, when you do lessons like this you're going to feel a little bit weird perhaps and embarrassed but like I said before there's nothing to be embarrassed about because when you're done you'll be a whole different person. You can learn to read and be able to read whatever you want!
Having dyslexia and dyscalculia doesn't mean that you are dumb, your brain just works differently, you learn differently. So the lessons that my mom teaches are all about helping us learn the way our brain works. She is an amazing teacher with patience, which is hard to find and I'm not just saying this because she's my mom, it's the honest truth. A tutor trained in the right method can truly help! If it makes you feel better I would love to be one of those people to help you too, but heads up I'm not the greatest teacher. But I am here and will help in any way I can and cheer you on!
Remember, you are just like any other person even if you do have to work a little harder to read, write, and do math. With hard work and dedication one day friends, your biggest dreams will come true, and when they do I'll make sure to give you all a big smile. I'll also be your biggest fan!
This being said, never give up, follow your dreams, and work hard. I believe in you and so does your Mighty Creator looking down and smiling at you right now! He would be proud just like I am, just like everyone is! Be bold and remember that my mom and I would love to help you, if you don't want us to then there might be someone else out there who would be willing to help you, perhaps your own parents would like to. I hope that somehow you got something out of this or perhaps it made you feel a little better. I know I enjoyed writing this because it made me feel good to know I was sharing useful and important information with you.
Another thing I know is that I'm going to work even harder now just so that one day I can live my own dream.
May God bless each and every one of you!
Your humble friend,
Rissy