Having learned to thrive with a learning difference, here's what I wish I could tell the younger me.
Last fall, I walked into a 2nd grade classroom for the first time since I was a 2nd grader. Although I was entering as an adult and assistant to the teacher, suddenly I was back in my small body, panicking about my handwriting, spelling, and (worst of all) my performance on timed math calculations. Second grade was the year I was classified as learning disabled.
While working at this elementary school, I found myself remembering how my elementary school years felt. From my perspective as a successful student, it's odd now to recall what sort of student I used to be. I'm beginning my senior year at Drew University, and I have maintained a 3.8 grade point average. I no longer use any accommodations. If you had told my 2nd grade self that this was her future, she never would have believed you, and she probably would have begun to cry thinking about what a beautiful imagination you had.
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