The following is a student blog created by Jacquelyn Taylor, at 10th grader in Maine. She was diagnosed with dyslexia at age 9 and dyscalculia at age 14. Her passions include: spreading awareness about learning disabilities, travel, cooking, and writing. You can connect with her on TikTok: @jacquelyn_elyse
Have you ever been excluded from class discussions because you have been put in a time-out corner while all the other students around you are doing their tasks? Have you ever been pulled from your friends multiple times a day? Have you ever had so many built-up emotions that you've thrown temper tantrums or lashed out at your peers? Lastly, have you ever had trouble understanding assignments and instructions? Well, I'm Jacquelyn Taylor and this was my life for many years.
I had undiagnosed learning disabilities that caused school life to be confusing and frustrating. I didn't understand many of my tasks since reading was difficult. This led to feeling like teachers were blabbering at me. When one explanation didn't work, they just tried another. Each attempted explanation, whether verbal or written, was still a struggle to process.
Not everyone has the same signs of learning disabilities, but here are a couple of mine. I would constantly turn in blank papers, depend on others for classwork, and receive reading support, and I was pulled many times a day from classes.
A memory that will always resurface is when I was in third grade and I was the only one in my class who didn't understand the assignment. While sitting at my desk, I looked around my classroom and every single person was writing, except me.
I raised my hand and the teacher came over to explain the assignment again, one on one. After she left, I was still lost. It became clear at that moment that I was different. I learned differently and because of that, I felt like a dog in an animal shelter, separated and excluded from the group. I felt alone, scared, confused, and hurt when nothing ever clicked in my brain as it did with my peers.
Thankfully, later in third grade, I had an outside evaluation that diagnosed me with Dyslexia. Although the school has never been the greatest experience, I am now more understanding of how to help myself when I come across obstacles. Overall, what I wish to see in the future is that all teachers are educated on learning disabilities and given resources to help their students. This would look like having websites, classes, posters, or handouts accessible to teachers for a better understanding of what students feel emotionally and how they may act. My learning disabilities could have been diagnosed as early as first grade if staff members recognized the signs. The solution is simple, more education. As a result,
fewer kids will encounter the same barriers that I did.
Author: Jacquelyn Taylor
Photo by Sheryl Palese