My child is struggling 
Now that my child has 
Page 2 of 3
That September, the doctor gave me good news—I did not have a heart murmur as he feared. I decided not to be mad at the doctor for ruining my Summer. Instead, I was grateful for my time well spent at the library. I was reading and could not wait for middle school classes to begin.
Dyslexia never left my side, I was just friendlier with it now. I developed an understanding of what I needed to do to continue making progress. Dyslexia will be with me forever…and I would not want it any other way. It is as much a part of me as my intense love of playing lacrosse. I somehow gained a keen sense of humor by embracing my disability and working with it.
I still was at a fourth grade math level throughout my middle school years. Once again, I had to overcome another specific barrier to my learning. Due to new laws, my school was pushing for me (like all special education students) to earn a completion certificate instead of a standard high school diploma. I felt that was so wrong—I had worked too hard to catch up to not be on track to get a diploma. I needed to advocate for myself to make sure I could earn my diploma.
By the first semester of eighth grade, I was somewhat caught up, but still struggling. I was still in special education math and was testing at a third grade math level. My teacher calmed my mother down by telling her she did an experiment with me. She gave me a calculator and was shocked that I was then capable of doing eighth grade math. I was moved into algebra from the low-level math class. The first few weeks I had no clue what I was doing. It was like a foreign language to me. But, just like at the library, something just clicked. Now, I want you to understand, I will probably never be able to do math problems without a calculator. But what difference does this make if I can be successful and continue to complete math classes?
High school has not been a breeze for me. I continue to take classes that are a challenge to me because of my dyslexia. Currently, I am in Pre-Calculus. Most of my friends are at least in Calculus I. But, I know I will get there too. My teachers all notice my diligence and school work ethic. I often arrive at school early and stay late to get extra help from teachers. I am not afraid to ask a peer to explain something to me if I do not understand the concept of the homework given.
Last year I tutored peers in Physics. I have also taken three Advanced Placement classes successfully. My Honors Chemistry teacher was shocked that I was so successful in her class. She worried about accepting me in her class when she heard I had an IEP. It brought a smile to my face when she told the principal at my IEP meeting that I was doing better in her class than most students without a disability.
