Saturday 9 May 2020


How can a dyslexic, become both a  teacher and a writer.

I spent many years struggling through academia never figuring why I was so different.
Most of my friends grasped the nettle, I didn’t. I always had a passion to teach and I always tried so hard to match my peers in school so how did I find out I was both dyslexic and dyspraxic?
I trained to be a mechanic on the advice of my father, even my family thought I was slow or stupid.
Can you imagine how life was and is for others like me? We spent our days in school being verbally abused and, in my case, canned most days.
I arrived at college on my fist day to start studying mechanics and Sat down, the teacher walked in wearing his white gown and a thought came to mind, I should be him.
From that very day I began my plan to become a teacher, I went to an evening class to get my Teaching Cert and took a part time job at a local college. The motor vehicle department did not want to be saddled with me, the newbie, far too much hassle for them.
They pointed me in the direction of a teacher called Mike, he was forming a bridge program to get students with learning needs on to main stream courses, he asked me and I said yes, he asked me again to be certain I said yes. At that point I had no idea I was Dyslexic Dyspraxic.
I wrote a program and took charge of a group of mixed students male and female with a range of learning needs, and suddenly the curtains opened and I started to seem me as part of the group, It was like looking in a mirror, an epiphany.
I was now in a position to write the wrongs and give something back, I struggled and worked hard to get my teaching cert, many on that course where pure academic and one guy continually took pieces out of me, so what are you going to bore us with next, he was an accountant and didn’t like my practical demonstrations, I guess being academic he didn’t understand a creative mind.
Spelling still haunted me in the early days of teaching, I had students correcting my work. I had without realising it created a non-judgemental bridge between me and the students, they rusted me.
I maintained a feeling of openness where no student felt isolated and they engaged and no one was made to look a fool, but I will admit I learnt so much about me whilst working with them. I learn ways of getting the information across that stuck with them, lessons become both structured and fun. I loved that phase of my life as I had become a facilitator, I felt such pride with my groups. They were now being taken seriously and achieving beyond many people’s dreams. I also became a much nicer person.
I was told during my school years that I would never string two words together and now I am realising how wrong the were, I still teach in my retirement and now I am a writer.
It is never too late to learn anything and make improvements as I have done, my journey is far from over. We must harness and live our dreams, for dreams can be made into reality.

Here is a link to my new children's books, spelling through adventures. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B088B5NF43

Dyslexia Toby © 2020 all rights reserved.

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