If we would have been graded on social skills in school growing up I would have had straight A’s every year! I would have been honor roll, national honor society, valedictorian material. I was the kid whose mother was called because she was TOO social in class. Unfortunately, being good at making friends and talking all day did not mean you got to move onto the next grade in school. I struggled with school growing up. I can count on two hands the amount of A’s I received in my entire school attendance history.

I attended an amazing small Christian school from kindergarten through 6th grade. As early as 2nd grade it was apparent that I had some learning disabilities. Back then I am not even sure that they had names for learning disabilities. I never remember hearing the word or a “title” being put on me. I do remember that in 3rd and 4th grade there were several kids in my class including me that would go to a separate classroom for part of the morning several times a week. I remember working on phonics and memorization skills. I had no idea it was because I had a learning disability. We had an incredible teacher with a heart to help us learn “our” way. She encouraged us, she cheered us on and you could tell she loved us and her job. Back then I did not know to the extent how her teaching would affect me growing up but to this day I still am able to use the things I learned in her class to push through my disability and past my insecure feelings towards school and learning in general. I never heard the word dyslexia in then but I know now that is why I had gone to a separate class.

In high school I transferred to a large public school where I knew no one and I was most definitely no one to every other kid there. That was a rough year. At 9th grade you are already awkward so having a learning disability makes it even more challenging. I slowly made a few friends but continued to make barely passing grades and my dislike for school was growing. I never received any help from teachers or special tutoring help. I was left to struggle on my own and just try to make it through. After almost failing English, and completely failing Spanish and French I dropped out of high school midway through 11th grade. I honestly thought, “what good is any of this going to do for me? I could just go get a job and start making money and not have to take these stupid tests.” I ended up completing 1.5 years of school in 4 months via state correspondence school. I know I only passed due to the fact that I just wrote a lot of opinion based papers and did not have to take any tests that required memorizing anything. I earned my diploma which I received in the mail. I never had a graduation or any part of a senior year. 

Over the next 19 years I dabbled in online college but never really got very far. I really love to learn but cannot process reading information and remembering it. I have to hear it to retain it. Back then online colleges were just getting going and did not have much for an auditory learner. 

I LOVED working! I had many jobs and often moved to management positions very quickly. I started my own bookkeeping firm which is now what I some consider very successful. In almost every setting, professionally, in the last 19 years I have had that awkward moment where someone inevitably asks me where I got my degree. I guess they assume because I own my own bookkeeping business that I went to college for accounting. I would awkwardly answer under my breath, “I don’t have a degree, and I did not go to college.” Then the awkward pause that would come, followed by the even more awkward side smile that seemed to say, “oh that’s cute that you have a small business but you won’t really be considered a referral source for me until you get an MBA.”

I have talked about going back to college many times over the years. I love learning new things. I love learning in general. I just have to do it differently than others. 

In 2012 I was offered a spot in the 10,000 Goldman Sachs Small Business program. It was a 9 month commitment. I drove to New Orleans multiple times a month to attend class at Babson College. I would be able to work on my business while also learning how to run my business from a professional education level without having to take all the extra classes unrelated to my profession. I learned from professional negotiators and marketers. No tests but our final grade was on our full business presentation. I LOVED IT! It gave me confidence and I felt like I had education that had some weight with other professionals. 

I received my fraud certification in 2019 after trying to “self study” for almost a year. I decided to go in person to the week long in person course. 5 days of auditory learning for almost 8 hours a day meant I passed the tests at the end of each day and earned my fraud investigator certification by the end of the week. 

In 2023 I knew better and went to in person real estate course with an amazing teacher who taught us acronyms to remembering all the things we would need to know on the test. I drove an hour away to take the test fully anticipating driving over again in a few weeks due to failing it the first time. The moment the proctor handed me my passing grade the FIRST time I was shocked. I even asked her if she had made a mistake. Lol

I’m used to failing. I’m used to never being the top in the class or the degree earner. In my 40’s I have come to terms with the fact that I learn different than others. That I get to the same conclusions as others but in a different way. That my brain processes incoming information differently than the average person. I have become comfortable with telling people I don’t have a degree on my wall, but I am proud of the businesses I have built and the success that I have had without the degrees. I have been able to provide and contribute to my families success and I have been able to offer jobs and careers to others who may not have had the chance to go to college either. I am happy with the gifts God gave me, even if they look a little different than others. I have dyslexia and I am proud of it! 

I am thankful for the people who have encouraged me and pushed me along the way. I am thankful for the educators who notice the kiddos struggling and offer to help in a slightly different way. I am thankful for the special education teachers that have a heart for kiddos that struggle in school. I am thankful for the dyslexia therapy centers that are popping up across the country. This month I am thankful for my dyslexia and for it teaching me that I am just as smart as the next person I just go about creating it a different way. #dyselxiaawareness