Five to ten percent of people in the entire world have the same problem as me. Some like to believe that the problem can be preventable or go away when in fact it cannot. It is a problem that must be worked on time and time again. This problem is called dyslexia. Dyslexia has presented me with many challenges that I must face day in and out. However, it has also taught me to be a better reader and writer that everyone sees today because of lots of hard work and practice over the years.

As far back as I could remember I always had trouble in school. I was never the smartest kid in my classes but that did not stop me from being the hardest worker. It was in the early stages of my academic career when I was tested to see if I was dyslexic. After getting tested I soon realized that I was in fact dyslexic. It was a hard pill for me to swallow as a kid because that meant I was going to have to attend a second school called Ortin Gillingham on top of the school that I was already at, and one school was already enough I thought. After learning this information and finding out that I was going to have to go to another school, it was not long until all my friends were asking me why I would have to leave school an hour earlier just to go to another school only for dyslexic people. I was so embarrassed to tell people about it and I would just tell them that it was none of their business. After three hard years at my second school, I finally “graduated”. At eleven years old this was one of my biggest accomplishments and from that moment on I was no longer ashamed to tell anyone about being dyslexic. Around this time, I also discovered that it was very beneficial for me to listen to audiobooks along with reading the book at the same time. Not only was it faster but it really seems to help me regain the information better. Overall, over the years of attending my extra school I got to learn way more about myself and discover what works for me best.

Dyslexia has shaped me into the writer that I am today because of lots of hard work and dedication. Oftentimes, outside the classroom, I would have to work twice as hard as most people in order to be just as good as them academically. With this, dyslexia has been more as a motivator because I know that it is never going to go away and it is up to me to work hard and show the people around me that if I can do and put the extra work in, then they should be able to put in at least the bare minimum. Moving on, I learned a lot from the Orton Gillingham program that has become second nature to me whether it is when I am reading or writing. Specifically, when it came to writing I learned certain patterns that worked best for me. Moreover, I pretty much learned how I was going to map out my papers before I even wrote them. This allows me to think of what I was going to write about and allow myself to think of the best order to put it in to make sure that everything makes sense and make sure it flowed smoothly. In addition to writing, dyslexia has caused a big challenge for me when it comes to spelling. Moreover, when it comes to writing it can be very hard for me to spell certain words especially words that do not look how they sound. With this, overtime I have started to better my spelling. However, it can still be difficult and even discouraging when people poke fun at me when I misspell what might seem like an easy word. Overall, I have learned to block out the hate and not take things personally because I know that I am doing the best that I can.

Lastly, having dyslexia makes it hard to read. However, I have learned many things over the years to help me become a better and stronger reader. First, I discovered that it is very beneficial for me to listen to audiobooks along with reading the words at the same time. Not only does it help me follow what I am reading but it allows me to hear someone else say it. In addition, the Orton Gillingham program helped me to learn the connection between letters and sounds. It introduced the idea of breaking reading and spelling down into smaller skills involving letters and sounds that has overall helped me build into the reader and speller that I am today. Looking back, this makes me very grateful to be enrolled into the program. In addition, I feel like this relates to Sandra Cisneros short story about being an only daughter and learning how she could become the best writer at a young age. Specifically, Cisneros states, “I am the only daughter in a Mexican family with six brothers… Being an only daughter in a family of six sons forced me by circumstance to spend a lot of time by myself… But that aloneness, that loneliness, was good for a would-be-writer—it allowed me time to think and think” (268). As I first read this, I thought that I related a lot to this quote. Not only am I the only did I grow up with two sisters and no brothers, but I also spent a lot of time isolated having to go to my second school which allowed me to get one on one time, along with studying and isolating myself into a quite area right when I got home in order for me to get my work done effectively. With all this isolation is how I really got to learn more about myself and learn what works best for me all while having to deal with being dyslexic.

All in all, at times it is almost as if dyslexia has been a blessing in disguise because of all the things I have learned from it. I cannot do anything about being dyslexic because it is never going to go away, and it is going to have to be something that I must keep dealing with. Moreover, dyslexia has made me the reader and writer that I am today because of all the hard work and help from my second school where I learned lifelong skills.

 

Works Cited:

Cisneros, S. “Only Daughter”

  1. Cisneros, “Only Daughter,” WAW, pp. 267-271;