Dyslexia Awareness Week
Monday 31st October to Sunday 6th November 2011
During Dyslexia Awareness Week, we would like to hear of any success stories from our dyslexic readers.
We will publish the best of these on our website either anonymously or acknowledged; your stories can help inspire others.
Email to enquiries@arkellcentre.org.uk
Summer Camp Success!
Dear Helen Arkell Centre,
I have just read on your website that you want some success stories to inspire other Dyslexics. Eventhough my story is probably mild in comparison to others, for me I have achieved far more than I and others believed I would.
I was assessed and diagnosed when I was five and a half. In my first year at school I was doing fine and seemed to have very few problems then when I returned in the September to start my second year I became distressed and struggled with my work. Shortly afterwards I was assessed and started at a school that had a very good Dyslexic unit. I was given extra lessons to teach me some coping strategies to help me with the difficulties I had and to this day I still use some of them.
During my education I have met some amazing teachers and also some teachers who did not know enough about Dyslexia. One teacher in particular told me I was lazy and that I would never amount to much. I took this to heart and actually believed these words. When I was 14 I had to be reassessed to obtain extra support in my GCSE exams. At this time I met an Educational Psychologist who would change my life forever. At the end of my assessment she asked me what I planned to do when I left school. My reply was simple! I have always enjoyed working with children therefore I planned to become a Nanny or Nursery Nurse. The EP asked me if I had ever considered Teaching? I laughed at the suggestion as I was not intelligent enough to be a teacher let alone attend university! However this suggestion stuck in my mind and with the encouragement and support from my family I visited the local university to find out what I would need to do to achieve to reach this goal. The university gave me some very good advise and told me to do a practical based BTEC course rather than academic based A Levels.
Over the following years I managed to leave school with five GCSE's, gain a BTEC National Diploma in Nursery Nursing and then attend university to graduate with Qualified Teacher Status. It has not been an easy journey but with the support of my family and the fantastic educational facilities I have achieved a qualification I never believed was possible.
I have been teaching for ten years now and am continuing to learn something every day. I have worked in Infants, Juniors and even did three years in Special Education Needs. I am happy to help and encourage my pupils who have learning difficulties and they are always amazed when I inform them that I am Dyslexic and struggled with school.
As for the teacher who put me down, well I enjoyed telling him about my achievement and that it had very little to do with him!
Things may not come to us easily but we do get there in the end and that is what is important. A person with learning difficulties has to work harder to achieve a goal but that only makes it more special.. I am proud to be Dyslexic and all I want to do is be able to help others. My next step in life is to return to University to gain a qualification to become a SpLD Teacher.
Thank you for listening,
Emily Pullen