Personal Narrative: A Personal Essay

Words: 488
Pages: 2

Albert Einstein once said that “Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid” (Quotes). This quote has always struck a chord with me. Here is the reason why. Growing up, I was given every opportunity but one. The only opportunity I was denied was the chance to feel less because of who I am. You see, I am dyslexic. My belief is that trying to teach a dyslexic student in a conventional way is very similar to expecting a fish to succeed at climbing a tree. The truth is, having a brain that is wired differently, wired to be dyslexic, does not determine intelligence, it only determines how you learn. I was lucky, because of my mother and homeschooling I was never told there was …show more content…
In fact, it was years before I even knew I was dyslexic. Instead of forcing me to learn a specific way, my mother was able to tailor our curriculum to meet my needs, which allowed me to excel in subjects I had an aptitude for and work on the ones I was lacking in. I was never told that I was stupid, slow, or any other term for less than everyone else. I was taught that I was smart and capable. Plus, I was encouraged to decide what I wanted to learn and was always responsible for my own homework. In this way, I was given ownership of my education and was able to discover how I learn best and how to organize myself and my work. Furthermore, in addition to subjects like math, science, and writing, I was also taught simply how to learn and love learning. This was the most valuable preparation for the future I could have received. Part of that future started in June 2015, I was sixteen years old sitting in a testing center at Tacoma Community College about to take the Accuplacer. This would determine if I could qualify for running start. I was terrified. Despite that terror, I took the test. To my great joy, I, the dyslexic homeschooled student, successfully tested into college