Where to begin? Writing has never been my strong point. Growing up math and science were my interests. I wanted to know how things worked and why. There were patterns that could be seen and described. I also loved history and culture. When I was in high school my mother gave me Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffery. I started reading every book she had written to that point. Reading and writing are two different things, however.
The patterns and rules for the written word, especially in English, can be hard to see for those of us with Dyslexia. There are always exceptions to the rule, ie "i after e, except after c". Now explain these words. species, science, sufficient, seize, weird, vein, foreign, eider, their, feisty. See what I mean?
Nothing frustrated me more that having a teacher tell me to write like I talked. Something about looking at a blank page just made me freeze up. Talking to a tape player did not help because I would loose my place or train of thought. In 1981 my father bought us a TI 99-4A with a dot matrix printer. This was one of the best investments my parents made in my education. My mother helped me organize my thoughts and keep me on task. She would type while I talked, asking questions as we went. Since it was on the computer we could make correction and move things around if needed. As I gained confidence I started typing more of my papers with her help.
Looking back I should have looked into majoring in Computer Science or Programming. Instead I earned a degree in Psychology and then Special Education. At the time I was interested in studying Dyslexia and Specific Learning Disabilities(SLD). In the USA SLD is defined as an individual with at least an average IQ by demonstrating a delay in either language or math skills. This internship lead me to working first as a teaching assistant and then as a special education teacher. Looking back I can not see how I was drawn to teaching. It was not my original plan. I fell into it through my senior practicum in Psychology. I spent the summer working with students with Dyslexia. I gathered data on 2 different versions of a computer based reading program. It used a Dectalk to read passages out loud to students. It either highlighted each word or the whole sentence. I was hired as a TA that fall to work with 9 to 11 year old's. The rest as they say is history.
I do not know what this blog will become. Mainly I am using it as a way to improve my writing and document my thoughts. I have lead an interesting life (IMHO) and would like to possibly write an autobiography in the future. I have seen how nature vs. nurture can play out. As a Dyslexic I want to tell the world that children with SLD do not need to be given excuses. We need to TRULY BELIEVE that each child can LEARN. STOP saying , WELL BUT... (counter example). I know how little time teachers have to focus on those students who are struggling. Teacher need to be given the tools to work with students individually. Stop with the slogans and sound bites.
