I was silent and never felt the need to smile my first few years of elementary school. Why? I could not understand or comprehend what I read. When I was given a selection to read independently, I couldn’t remember the first section of the passage by the time I was finished reading it. I was extremely silent as a child due to the fact that I couldn’t read or write very well. Being the student in a class surrounded by other kids, who could read and write with no problem, was devastating, and humiliating. Deep down I knew that I was capable of completing the assigned tasks, but did not know why. Eventually at the end of first grade, I was diagnosed with a decoding disorder, and a form of dyslexia. I never thought overcoming my disorder would be my biggest obstacle and greatest lesson. …show more content…
The task was very challenging for me because it took me an eternity to read the paragraph. By the end I forgot what happened in the beginning. I thought to myself, “Why is this so hard for me? None of the other kids have this problem.”
When I was in second grade I was classified with an Individual Educational Plan. After I found out why I struggled in school, I was put into classes with an aide, and into special education classes where teachers could work one-on-one with me. I had no idea what any of that meant at the time. I knew that I struggled when it came to reading and writing, and I hoped I might finally be like all the other kids in class who smiled and spoke about what they’d