Dyslexia

My earliest memories are of my mom reading. Its no wonder, then, that I love books almost as much as I adore fashion! 

When I was in preschool, my teacher told my mom that I was mentally retarded and would probably never graduate from high school, much less college. I'm not sure why she said this; and my mom didn't tell me about this until I had graduated from college, and I remember laughing with her about it. 

It's true that I was different then the other kids. I couldn't read aloud, and math was a mystery for me. My mom, who had studied different learning disabilities in school knew I was dyslexic, and in middle school, I was officially diagnosed with dyslexia. 

Ask her about the book, my mom pressed the teacher, she comprehends, she just can't read out loud. And its true. I answered every reading comprehension question put to me correctly. I can read. Very well, and fast. And I can write. I still struggle with math, but I took trig and enjoyed it just for fun--it wasn't even required for my major.

Being dyslexic isn't at all bad. I struggle with a few things that stem from my diagnosis and some of them are pretty funny too! If you've read this blog for any amount of time and are at all affluent in spelling (poor Rachel) you might notice that I can't spell. At all. I mix up words like too and to and sell and sale and then and than and a host of other similar sounding vocables. I can't see the difference and I don't notice. It's just how my brain works, and I've learned to have every official piece of writing proof read vigorously before submission. It doesn't bother me anymore. In fact, I find it really odd when people take this as a sign that I am uneducated and unintelligent. I am smart, I just can't spell. 

Due to dyslexia I am also very directionally challenged. Left? Right? I've learned when dealing with directions to slow down and take it one step at a time in order to not mess up. I make an L with my left hand to keep left straight. So, I get lost more often then others--I see this as I get to have more adventures. I also try to leave an extra five minutes early to make sure I arrive places on time.

Have you ever struggled with a learning disability?