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| Ross Chapman 2013 Anne Ford Scholar |
Dyslexia also affected my ability to do simple math problems. At times I wanted to cry and I know my mother did. I wanted to hide my disability from my peers. But, something changed the moment I told a friend that I had dyslexia. He acted like he did not care if I had this thing called “dyslexia”…he was my friend. Even better was that I now was able to accept myself and even like myself.
| Growing up, 2013 Anne Ford Scholar Ross Chapman always identified with the train in the children's book The Little Engine That Could. Like the engine, Ross would keep chugging along with great determination, even when the challenges of his dyslexia seemed insurmountable to outsiders. Now, his hard work has paid off. |
I always pictured myself as “the little engine that could.” I told myself that day that it might take me a long time to learn to read…and that would be alright. But I would do it. Reading is not a race. So I chugged along through grade school. I started thinking of myself as working with my dyslexia, instead of against it.
However, this engine couldn’t do anything until the summer between fifth and sixth grade. That summer, I started running with the high school cross country team. I needed a yearly sports physical. There, my doctor explained that I could not run because he thought that I had a heart murmur. In fact, I was not allowed to do any physical activity until the doctor cleared me.
What was I supposed to do? I grew tired of watching television quickly. As boredom closed in on me, my mom suggested I visit the library. I was so bored at home that I took her advice and went. I started in the children’s section. Day after day for weeks that summer I hung out at the library reading. Librarians began to know me by name because I was there so much. What happened next is still to this very day a mystery. That summer, I started off reading Dr. Seuss books. By the end of the summer, I was reading Tom Clancy’s adult-level thrillers. I finally saw the magic in reading books. I was not the fastest reader, but I finally got those letters on the book pages to stop dancing.
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.
Most kids in my classes do not want to believe me when I tell them I am dyslexic. My teachers can tell in an essay test that I have not yet edited. I miss words, misspell words, and really cannot do Scantron (bubble) tests at all. All of my work takes extra time to complete, edit, and make corrections. It really makes me feel good to work hard at being successful in school. I look forward to going away to college next year. Medicine, foreign policy, or a combination of both are my planned majors.
I am most proud of being a member of the National Honor Society and do a lot of community service with the group. It is an honor to volunteer as a reading tutor for fourth grade boy, Dylan. His parents were very concerned last year when he was diagnosed with dyslexia. I am happy to report that I can definitely see a big improvement in Dylan’s reading scores this year from last. I want to do more than just help Dylan become a better reader—I want to give him hope that success can be his with hard work and determination to succeed. I shared my story with Dylan and his parents to give them hope when they thought his reading was hopeless.
Having dyslexia has given me a desire to help others, especially those with disabilities. My friend Dustin has Cerebral Palsy. He can read but cannot write. His parents were amazed when I taught him how to handle an Xbox 360 game. They never thought he would be capable of such hand control. Dustin has a wonderful attitude about life and I have learned so much from him. We can learn something from all who cross our paths in life.
My dyslexia has molded me through experience into who I am today. In tough experiences when you want to give up, don’t! Keep going, like the “Little Engine That Could.” You never know which experience can help another get through a tough time. Tough times make you stronger to endure what ever else may come your way. As my mother says: “We bend, we don’t break.” Dyslexia has taught me to stand strong and carry on…and so I do.