I was that kid who had dyslexia and was illiterate. I can’t believe I'm writing books for children I could not read to my kids. I graduated from high school with a second-grade reading level. Being unable to read in school was a huge embarrassment; I became a school clown in elementary school. Then, a troubled teen. My high school teacher, Mrs. Beckwick, turned my life around with just a few words. She would always greet us at the door with a smile and say to me, “You’re better than this.” On the first day of my junior year, I walked into her class and said, “I’m better than that.” She winked at me, smiled, and said, “I knew you had it in you.” Those four words saved my life. At the age of 32, I went through an illiteracy program. That's where I met my dear friend Helen, who taught me how to read. I now have a 6th-grade reading level. In my wildest dreams, I never thought I'd be a writer. Don’t get me wrong. I still had problems, even with all the help I got in high school. As a mother of three, I could not help my kids with their homework, which was heartbreaking. I enrolled in the illiteracy program when my youngest was two. My daughter sat on my lap and learned to read with me. Today, I am still not a fast reader or a good speller, but I never give up and use tools to help. When my kids were young, I became a storyteller. I would write children's stories in my chicken scratch. My five grandsons and children were the ones who encouraged me to write. A dream I never thought I would achieve. I know the difficulties of struggling to read and spell. That doesn't mean you're dumb, stupid, or unintelligent—you are none of that! It just means you learn differently than others. There are so many tools to help us read and write. I encourage you to reach out and tell people about any difficulties. Don't be ashamed; you're not alone. There is help out there. Some of us will never be great readers, but that's OK. Remember to relax and breathe. That's one thing I forgot to do. When it came to reading out loud, I would get embarrassed, my stomach would turn, and I would freeze. I should have said reading is not easy for me, and reading out loud is even more challenging. Or say, I wish I could read out loud, but I'm not ready yet. Keep trying, and remember to breathe. You got this.
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